Our latest craze, which will probably remain forever if Jeremy has anything to do with it, is backyard soccer. Bella, of course, loves to run around, but loves it even more when Mom and Dad make fools out of themselves. Here is how it starts: I am tired from a long day juggling 80 different things. Jeremy is tired from seminary stress, work load, and "God, what are you doing..." conversations. So, to the outside we go.
We are sitting on our porch. Bella sees the ball. Then, the competitive, Lucarelli nature begins to boil in all of us. Bella says, "Socca!" over and over until we give (which usually doesn't take too long). I go to one end of the yard and Jeremy to the other.
Bella usually runs back and forth between us. What starts as a simple pass and kick game with Bella turns into a Premier Cup Match up in our backyard. Max, our dog, is beside himself while we run around, kicking, screaming, and trying to get the ball past each other. After a few minutes, Bella gives up running and asks to be held. This would usually stop the faint at heart, but not the Lucarellis. One of us picks her up and she sits on our hip, running with us, laughing the entire way. The small game has turned brutal, as it is now just me and Jeremy battling it out for glory.
One night it was stopped by Max's digestive system that had gone a rye getting all over our "kit." Another evening the lightning stopped us, but tonight we battled it out until the sun went down. It is a good thing that we have to put our daughter to bed sometime.
