Blog Day # 177 in a day of my life. Our Grand daughter- Ella- A SCORING MACHINE!

     How do I describe little ELLA! She is quiet- you never know she is around. She has that secret little smile, one that is so infectious when she flashes it your way. You see, when she was very young, a little over 1 1/2 yrs old, we almost didn't have her. She spent a week in the hospital over Christmas. She had contacted samolella from a small pet turtle that had crawled across the floor where she was playing. That whole experience changed her from the bright little girl to one who formed a shell around her self. Never talking- just look at you and never smiling.

IT WAS TOUCH AND GO DURING THAT WEEK- SHE WOULDN'T EAT ANYTHING BUT INSURE. SHE WAS STARVING- I REMEMBER HER GRABBING SOME CRACKERS AND STUFFING THEM INTO HER MOUTH- IT WAS TERRIBLE. CHRISTMAS EVE AND THEN CHRISTMAS DAY - 24 HOURS A DAY- DEBBY NEVER LEFT HER SIDE.

SHE WOULD NOT LEAVE HER MOTHERS SIDE - EVEN GOING TO PRE SCHOOL- SHE WOULD CLING AND SCREAM AND CRY. IT BROKE DEBBY'S HEART- WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN. SHE FORMED A BOND WITH HER PRE SCHOOL TEACHER AIDE. ALTHOUGH ALL THE KIDS HAD THEIR PICTURES TAKEN BY THEM SELVES- ELLA CLUTCHED TO THE AIDE AND WOULD NOT DO IT ALONE. WE HAVE THE FIRST PICTURE OF HER IN PRE SCHOOL AND THE AIDE IS IN THE PICTURE WITH HER!

The little girl with the bright smile was a Shadow of her former self. It took a long time to bring her back. but as the days turned into weeks and then months- and finally years, a strange thing happened. well, a couple things to be exact. She is really gifted in the arts. She draws from her imagination- far advanced- she sees things and expresses them in an abstract exciting way. She won an award and her picture was displayed in a place of honor. Hers was the only one! It was an abstract scene of a forest. I can't even imagine how she thought up the shades and the colors.

YOU SEE, ELLA IS EVOLVING- SHE IS NOW A SMART- HONOR ROLL- BRIGHT AND FUNNY LITTLE GIRL. THE SHELL IS ALMOST COMPLETELY GONE. AND THAT STARTED FOR THE MOST PART WHEN SHE FOUND A SPECIAL PLACE IN SOCCER. UP UNTIL THIS YEAR- SHE PLAYED CO-ED. AND SHE MORE THAN HELD HER OWN WITH THE BOYS. MOST OF WHOM WERE WAY BIGGER THAN HER. BUT SHE HAS TWO OR THREE THINGS IN HER FAVOR. ONE- SHE IS DETERMINED. ONCE SHE GOES- HER FOCUS IS ALL THE WAY. SHE LISTENS TO INSTRUCTIONS AND SHE IS A TEAM PLAYER. SHE WILL PASS THE BALL AND BREAK AWAY FOR A SCORE. SHE IS EXTREMELY QUICK AND BOY IS SHE FAST FOR A 9 YR OLD. YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE RIGHT AWAY WHEN YOU SEE HER PLAY WITH THE OTHER KIDS. SHE HAS SUCH A FLUID WAY OF MOVING- ALMOST A GLIDE - IT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN- BUT YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE! 

BUT THE MAIN DIFFERENCE- IS SHE IS A NATURAL SCORER. SHE HAS THAT INSTINCT- YOU CAN JUST TELL.



THE LITTLE GIRL IN BLUE- WITH THE ONLY WHITE SOCKS ON HER TEAM. I CALL THEM HER STRIKER SOCKS. THEY FLASH IN AND OUT OF THE SCRUM AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE IS OFF AND HEADED FOR THE GOAL.


YOU HEAR THE SCREAMS- "GO "E"-ELLA-ELLA- FROM ALL OVER THE FIELD.
SHE DRIBBLES SO WELL ON THE RUN. DOES SHE SCORE EVERY TIME? NO- BUT THAT WILL COME AS SHE GROWS- BUT SHE HAD 6 SHOTS AND SCORED ON 3- JUST MISSING ON TWO OTHERS.



HERE SHE IS ON A BREAK AWAY- SHE DRIBBLED THROUGH THREE PLAYERS AND SCORED ON THE GOALIE! SHE CROSS'S THE BALL AND THEN BRINGS IT BACK ON A REVERSE MOVE AND BLOWS BY THE DEFENDERS! AND SHE IS ONLY 9 YRS OLD!

SHE DIDN'T GET PLACED UNTIL THE LAST DAY ON A TEAM FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. SO SHE HAD NO PRACTICE. THEY DID NOT LET HER PLAY UNTIL THE SECOND HALF.  ENTER ELLA- SHE SCORED FOUR GOALS!

FROM THAT FIRST GAME ON - SHE HAS STARTED AND IN 4 GAMES - SHE NOW HAS 13 GOALS.   ACTUALLY- 3 1/2 GAMES!

I KNOW I AM A PROUD GRAND PA. BUT I PLAYED A LOT OF SPORTS- AND I CAN SEE SOMEONE SPECIAL. SHE IS SPECIAL. HER FATHER WORKS WITH ALL THREE GIRLS- AND THEY FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS TO A T. I HOPE SOMEDAY ELLA AND MADDY PLAY ON THE SAME TEAM. WHEN THEY DO- WATCH OUT. THEY BOTH ARE QUICK AND FAST.

SO TODAY IS ELLA'S DAY- THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WITHDREW AND HAS EMERGED AS A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY- FLOATING AND GLIDING AROUND THE SOCCER FIELD TO THE CHEER'S OF "GO E"  "GO ELLA!"   SCORE!!!!!!!!!!

  ELLA- 9 YRS OLD

9-29-12   FOUR GAMES  13 GOALS  HER WHITE STRIKER SOCKS-TRADEMARK
OF AN EMERGING SOCCER STAR IN HER AREA.

"FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY- STING LIKE A BEE- THE ONE AND ONLY ELLA  B. !"


                               I LOVE THAT SECRET LITTLE SMILE!