World Cup Fever has invaded our house!!!

005, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

The World Cup started on June 10, and Owen counted down the days for months. He had all the magazines relating to the world cup, and he had the brackets posted on his wall 3 times: 1 for what he hoped would happen, 1 for what he thought would happen, and 1 for what did happen. For my ultimate soccer fan, the World Cup is a huge stinking deal - the Olympics of the soccer world, an international celebration and competition among countries, and the most watched sporting event in the world. The World Cup happens every 4 years, and Owen is already lobbying to spend the summer of 2014 at the World Cup.

The day of the first World Cup game was Friday, June 10, and Owen could hardly sleep the night before. I took him to school at 830 AM and at 9 AM I received a phone call from the school nurse, saying that Owen had a stomach ache. I asked the nurse to put Owen on the phone, and I'm all OWEN BAUER - YOU DO NOT HAVE A STOMACH ACHE!!! YOU JUST WANT TO COME HOME AND WATCH THE WORLD CUP!!! (first game scheduled for 1030 AM). He emphatically denied that - but I wasn't born yesterday. He went back to class and made it to noon, when he called back, and whispered into the phone to me, "but mom.....the World Cup only happens every 4 years!". I picked him up. Softie, I know.

Since then, he has watched every game. He has the World Cup sticker book and trading cards. He and Emmett blow their vuvuzelas loudly and proudly. He is a walking encyclopedia about each team. He knows the players. The scores. The team's history. It's such a super exciting time at our house.

I'm so happy to have a little boy who has something that he loves so passionately. That he has found a hobby that fills him with happiness. One of the parents of a little boy on Owen's soccer team was just telling me how much he loves to watch Owen play. He says that he's never seen anyone else play with such joy. That as he watches Owen play - he knows that there is no where else in this world that he would rather be then in that moment. On the pitch. Playing soccer.

And, because he's happy. I'm happy.

So......yeah, WORLD CUP TIME!!!!!!