Let's Play Hockey!

Well, I think it is safe to say that we are tired of this cold winter!  We love snow and playing outside, but once again, we have been stuck indoors.  School was cancelled last week thanks to dangerous windchills, which means I now have two days to make up this summer (we only get 2 freebies).  Cooper and I did some improvising and decided one night, we wanted our goggles and swim cap with us in the jacuzzi tub.  We are thinking summer or at least, our week in Captiva :)

Being stuck inside means we stay in our jammies, play with our toys, watch movies, drive each other crazy and get through the day.  Cooper loves to color, so much in fact that he will color for 30 minutes.  He is very focused and often times, he can color in the lines (below picture is not a great example of that)... not bad for a 3 year old (boy)!

We are more organized than ever... Valentine's are ready to go for my class and Cooper's preschool and daycare classes.  One of our creations is this cute Kool-Aid idea (Pinterest, of course!)

Mom had to escape for some girl time- they went to a new wine tasting room and enjoyed some delicious wines.  After her Happy Hour, it was off to a special birthday party!  Mason (our old daycare provider's son) turned 6 and he had a pool party!  It was awesome to see Mason, his family and his new baby sister, Willow!

Throw Back Photos- Mason and I have been friends since we were 1 years old.  Here is one of our first pool party pictures together, in his backyard!

 3 year old preschool- spring sing

 4 year old preschool- bowling field trip

And now...... Mason age 6 and me 5 1/2 

Brrrrr!  Even the indoor waterpark area was chilly!  

 Our weekend was consumed by hockey, which we hear is just a "taste" of what is yet to come.  My Mighty Mites team hosted the Menomonie hockey association in our first Jamboree of the season.  A Jamboree involves 3 "ponds" where kids are split into 4 v 4 teams.  I was on the orange team and because one of our guys had the flu, we played 3 v 4!  

 We played 6 games on Sunday.  Each game was only 8 minutes long and then we would switch out and rest for 8 minutes before hitting the ice again. This was a great "intro" to "real" hockey... at this point, we have only worked on drills and fundamentals.  We have had scrimmages against our own players, but nothing like this.  I was so excited because with only 3 or 4 kids per team, it meant I was able to handle the puck a lot.

 My first taste of scoring came in our 2nd game.  I had a break away (see above) and came down to the net and SCORED!  I raised my stick and was so proud.  My parents were just beaming (Mom was teary-eyed).  After that goal, I had 6 more in that 8 minute game!

During the games, Mommy and Cooper hung out with the other hockey families- some of them we know pretty well from hockey, church, daycare, etc... Cooper and his buddy Gavin were like two little old men on the bleachers, sipping cocoa and sharing treats.   Mommy knows that these families will become like a family with all the time we will spend together in years to come.

Even though we technically didn't keep score, Mommy kept count of my goals so that she could remind me of what a "star" I was out there!  I had 7 goals in one game, 5 in another, and 3 more to finish off the day.  I had 15 goals in my first Jamboree! More importantly, I came off the ice saying, "This is SOOOOO much fun!"

A few more exciting factors to this game included my first time wearing a mouthguard.  Surprisingly, this is not enforced in Mighty Mites; Mom was paranoid about my two loose bottom teeth thinking they would get bumped out and we would have a lot of explaining to do with the Tooth Fairy.  Good news is my teeth are intact and I thought my mouthguard was pretty cool.

 The other exciting factor was a medal!  Little did I know I was going to receive one.  Everyone who played was called up individually to receive a medal.  It was the icing on the cake.  I proudly wore my medal all day and am eager to show everyone who steps into our house my special prize.

So there you have it... I can officially call myself a hockey player!  I played in my first hockey game, my first Jamboree and I had my first official goal(s).  I have my scoring dance down too... I call it "raise both hands high up in the air, stick raised too, and smile big!"   I think hockey just became a lot more exciting and fun!