Lucky number x 2

My baby that was born at 4:44 a.m. and now wears jersey #4 is eight years old today. 

Okay, I'm back. Had to run for a tissue. Just thinking about my little boy getting so big makes me a bit sappy.

AJ is determined to enjoy every possible moment of his big day. He asked to be woken up early, which I did - at 6:30. That's 10-15 minutes earlier than usual. Silly me for misunderstanding. He wanted to wake up at 4:44. Sorry kid, I haven't gotten up that early for you since you were a baby.

Sydney has vowed to be nice to her big brother all day. So far she's followed him into the bathroom singing Happy Birthday. She followed that up with a hug and later a high five. She's now busy working on a birthday card for him - one that she's now wrapping in tissue paper and for which she apparently needs a lot of tape (based on how many times she's called for help when the tape gets stuck.)

AJ is very aware of the legal significance of turning eight. This is almost as exciting as being old enough to vote or drink. He asked me if I would drive him to school today. Why?

It's his first time riding in the front seat.

As we drove, he pulled down the visor and looked in the mirror. He then excitedly announced, "I think I'm growing a mustache!"

More likely he forgot to wash his face after eating breakfast. But when you're eight, the possibilities are endless of what you're now old enough to do.

Another manic Monday

It's been another hockey-filled weekend, sports fans. Child #1 had a tournament in Silver Bay. Child #2 had a tournament in Esko. Parents 1 & 2 ran themselves ragged transporting the above mentioned children (plus one other player to help out his parents) between the two locations.

And as if all that hockey wasn't enough, AJ still wanted more. As we drove home, the conversation went something like this:

AJ: Do the Wild have a game tonight?

Me: No, it's the Super Bowl.

AJ: So they give the players the night off so they can watch?

Me: (Not having the energy to explain the reality of professional sports and television programming being a business that relies on viewers) Yeah, something like that.

And now it's Monday morning. A Monday morning full of notes from teachers that I couldn't read last Friday because my pupils were dilated from a trip to the eye doctor. A Monday morning with missing snowpants and coats that were eventually located inside hockey bags that had been in the very cold garage all night. (I let them spin for five minutes in the dryer - the outerwear, not the kids - and the children now think I'm a genius.)

Bottom line, I have no time to write something witty and creative. Instead, I give you this: video of one of AJ's goals yesterday. He had a great tournament: seven goals between the three games.

Eight years ago at this time, I was complaining about back pains and how as long as I sat down, they didn't seem so bad. As we all now know, those back pains were the first hint that my hockey star was within a day of making his grand debut.

So I guess compared to that, this morning isn't so bad after all.

E for effort

Oops... I'm only a week late sharing the fun we had on Jeff's birthday. (Which is only slightly less organized that I was in planning his big day.) 

Considering I had no idea what to get him for a gift and waited until the last minute to pull it all together, it turned out pretty nicely. Thus proving that creative efforts can make up for a total lack of effort.

We started with a cake, which I snuck into his work to be presented during an afternoon meeting.

Sydney, meanwhile, made Jeff a birthday crown. Crowns are hugely popular among her peers, so why wouldn't Daddy want to wear one, too? (As I joked on Facebook, behold the power of a five year old. I think it's a safe bet that had the crown come from me, there's no way Jeff would have worn it.)

So back to the problem of not having a clue what to get Jeff for his birthday. I knew he wanted a metal detector, but I also know that this is the kind of item he should pick out himself. And so I needed to come up with a creative way to make that happen.

Jeff likes to lead the kids on treasure hunts at their birthday parties, so we decided to do something like that for him. We sent him from the living room, into our room and then onto AJ's, with cheesy rhyming clues such as:

You've made it this far, but it wouldn't be fun
if with one clue this game was won.
So now to your boy's room you must go
To a place where awards hang by his window. 

Get it? Attached to a bunch of hockey medals was the next note that read:

You found the next clue, but there's still more
On to the next... through Sydney's door.
You'll find a soccer ball, but not one you boot.
For inside, you might find some loot.

And so, attached to Sydney's soccer ball-shaped piggy bank, which is full of coins, we came upon the next note.

And so it continued... each note was attached to some kind of metal. At last we directed him to the office where the final note was propped on the computer keyboard directing him to go online and buy his choice of metal detectors.

All worked out great. Jeff was happy, and I didn't look like a totally lame wife who made no effort to get him anything. Best of all - the new metal detector just arrived. Jeff has tested it out in the house, but apparently has decided to wait until the snow melts and ground thaws to take it outdoors. (And it came in a big box, so the kids are happy, too.)

I hope Jeff is patient, we're back in a deep freeze again, so it could take awhile.

*****

On an unrelated note, today is national Go Red for Women Day. Take a moment - through the food or exercise choices you make - to do something heart healthy for yourself.

Breakfast of champions. And mooches.

It's a good thing Gus doesn't show the effects of a sugar rush. Or maybe he's so naturally hyper that you can't tell the difference when he downs a bunch of sugar coated cereal.

AJ was looking for some Chocolate Frosted Flakes for breakfast. But there wasn't enough left in the box, so  - in his words - "I was reaching for the Chocolate Cheerios and they knocked over the Cocoa Puffs, which knocked over the Trix, and then Gus got it."

Don't you just hate when cereal boxes turn into dominoes!

Gus managed to snarf up every last one. Quite the effective vacuum, he is.

I just want to make it clear. I do have more than just sugar coated cereal in my cupboard. They're just shoved fairly far back on the sliding shelf. Probably because my kids never pick them.

Autograph hunting on ice

Sunday's event was promoted as "Skate with the Bulldogs". What a great opportunity for two young hockey players who already seem to be bleeding maroon and gold (and not for my alma mater's team, the Gophers.)

But then it got a little awkward, because AJ - not know we were already thinking of doing this - brought home a hand-written slip of paper announcing the event, and said that it was an invitation to a birthday party for a girl in his class who I've never heard him mention before. And her party was going to be at this event. Now,I appreciate those parents who want to include everyone, but it makes it tough for the other parents to decide is it a real invitation, or just a courtesy one. I've made that mistake before and AJ's ended up as the only boy at a female classmate's party.

We decided we would go skating as a family. AJ could skate with any classmates he saw, but would not be joining them in the party room. 

And then it got really awkward because we ran into the girl and her mom as we were walking in and AJ told her that he wouldn't be going to her party because his mom didn't buy a gift, but it was okay because everyone could skate. It was a public event.

Lovely!

And then another interesting development came along. AJ told me later, (I'm not sure what transpired for him to learn this) that it wasn't the girl's birthday party after all. It was her brother's birthday, and her parents had suggested she could invited friends to skate with her so she wouldn't be bored.

I'm so glad I didn't buy a present!

So all that drama aside, we finally made it on the ice:

There were lots of Bulldogs there, all with Sharpies in hand. I have to credit the marketing wizards at the college. They did this well. They had pre-printed posters, listing the names and numbers of all the players, so we just had to move around the ice in search of the guys with matching numbers on their jerseys to collect their autographs.

I quickly realized I needed to adjust my position when taking photos. This guy could turn out to be famous some day, and you'd never know we once stood this close to him. (Based on the partial 5 on his jersey and the spot on the poster where's he signing, I'm pretty sure it's Justin Crandall.)

So here we've got a face and a clearly visible jersey number. That's #18, Joe Basaraba, don't you know?

And everybody knows who the next guy is. Sydney was quite proud she got the autographs of Champ, as well as one of the cheerleaders (who signed her name with a big heart on the back of the poster.)

I finally caught up to AJ, who had been racing from player to player. This is Charlie Sampair (who I've never heard of.)

Jeff had been following with AJ and managed to snap a couple of great photos. Except once again, with no jersey number visible, we have no idea who the player is.

Wait! The guy in the photo below looks an awful lot like the guy I photographed with Sydney. I bet that's Basaraba again. (And he is one of the key players this year. I've heard his name called out for scoring goals numerous times.)

Once the kids were done finding players (I joked with a few that I was going to yell Bingo when we filled up our card) we at last started to skate. AJ was a little bored no being able to have a hockey stick and puck. But Sydney loved it. She's race by us shouting "Woo Woo!" in hopes we would chase her.

Even without pads on, she showed no fear. It really was impressive to see how fast she can go. And I could help but think back to how very differently she acted two years ago, the last time we went to one of these events.

It also was a bit concerning to see what a flirt she can be. She told player #6 that six was her favorite number and she's #6 on her team. She also told two players that she sang the national anthem for their game a few weeks ago. (And then she beamed when one of the players responded, "That was you? You did a great job!")

While snuggling at bedtime she commented to me, "I wonder if my husband will be a Bulldog. Or maybe a handy man."

Nice to know she's considering all her options.

This is why I don't run a daycare

It's amazing the things you forget in five years. Memories that all come rushing back during four hours of babysitting children younger than your own. 

Watching my brother's three kids Saturday night brought it all back. For instance, here are just a few things I now realize I'd forgotten:

• What it's like to unload groceries and cook dinner one-handed because the other arm is busy holding a baby. (I finally delegated cooking to Jeff.)
• What it's like to eat dinner while trying not to spill on an awake baby who (thankfully) is quite content to be draped over my lap.
• How much a baby drools while in the above described position.
• How unpredictable a baby's sleep and eating schedule can be.
• What a challenge it can be to do all the above while also trying to watch a toddler.

I should also mention something new I learned: just how loud five kids can be - especially when Nerf guns are involved.

Finn had fussed at first after being dropped off, but was quickly distracted when he saw the play kitchen and toy food in Sydney's room. Though, note those are not cookies on the tray. They are "cakes". 

During the short time Zoe napped, we were able to play downstairs. AJ was quite excited to teach his cousins the joys of basement hockey. We briefly gave them each a hockey stick before realizing that was an accident waiting to happen. Which was fine with Finn. He was happy just carrying and throwing balls.

And then Miss Zoe decided a 20-minute nap was long enough, and even though she'd only eaten an hour ago and supposedly is on an every-three-hours eating schedule, she was hungry again. AJ loved helping with this part.

Meanwhile, Sydney and Zane played Play-doh and ate the Skittles we'd gotten earlier in the day at the snack shack.

And then we decided it was time to settle down. Finn requested Elmo, and thankfully we still had an Elmo DVD.

Ahhh... peace and quiet at last. Just in time for Zoe to go to sleep. Giving me a chance to enjoy one of my favorite things I will always remember about babies: how wonderful it is to snuggle with them on my chest.

I've loved my children at every stage. Each new development brings its share of challenges, but I wouldn't go back in time. And so, to my brother and sister-in-law, let me just say: better you than me! (But know that we'd be happy to watch them all again.)

Hockey again - UPDATED

Finally it's AJ's turn again to play. Two cancelled practices due to cold temps plus one postponed game, meant he had eight straight days of no skating. But he returned with a vengeance. First with a game Friday night in which he scored two goals (plus two assists, he's shouting at me from the other room. We must make sure the record is accurate.)

He followed that up with two games on Saturday. The first was at 9 a.m., when the temperature was -8 degrees. AJ got to play goalie.

Maybe it's because it had been so cold and windy all week. Or maybe it's because hypothermia had caused me to become delusional. But standing in the sun with barely a breeze, it really didn't seem so bad. At least as far as -8 degree games go.

I figured it was a good game for AJ to be in the net. Goalies wear a lot of extra padding, which I figured would keep him warm. But goalies also do a lot of standing still, and don't get to warm up on the bench every other shift.

AJ didn't seem to mind though. Probably because the game ended in his first win as a goalie.

For the second game, AJ played center and scored a hat trick.

Making it extra special, my brother's family showed up to watch. AJ was pretty excited to score in front of his uncle and cousin Zane. 

And Sydney got to show Zane where the snack shack was. And Zane got to get Skittles. And then we got to go home and warm up.

So everyone was happy. The end.

**** Update****

It turns out this story wasn't quite over after all. 

Zane has left his mark during his trip to the tundra. I neglected to mention that in the process of getting his Skittles, Zane managed to tip over a cup of coffee belonging to the woman standing next to him at the counter of the snack shack. Thankfully no one got burned, and we were able to quickly clean it up.

Fast forward a day. My brother's family decided to check out the new Canal Park brewery next to their hotel. Their server looked at them and asked if they'd been at the Esko Jamboree the previous day. It was the woman whose coffee Zane spilled. Gotta love our small town!