Friday, May 21, 2010

Yet More Hockey

Sorry to bore everyone with more hockey references, but with the Blackhawks still in the playoffs, the kids have full-fledged hockey fever. And here's Jeremy's latest contribution:

He has two Blackhawks shirts--one with Kane's name on the back and another black one with the team's logo on it. He tries to wear one of the two shirts every day, but even with our latest purchase of an HE-efficient washing machine (which I LOVE!), I'm not about to do laundry every day.

Yesterday he wanted to wear his Kane shirt. I kindly reminded him that the Blackhawks play tonight, so it would be best to wear the shirt today. He agreed, and then he proceeded to look through his closet for something to wear.

He pulls out an orange shirt, non-hockey-related, and decides he's going to wear it. Why? Because it has #36 on it, which, according to Jeremy, is Dave Bolland's number. And since he got slashed during the game by Thornton, he wanted to wear the shirt. And yes, Jeremy did say all that. I let the kids watch the NHL Network Wednesday morning before school so they could see highlights of the game since it didn't start until 9 pm.

Oh, and I'm signing him up for hockey/skating in the next few weeks. I better harness this enthusiasm while I can!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Heads Up

Believe it or not, there are some days when we play games other than hockey. For instance, Jeremy might get hockey taken away from him due to bad behavior. I know that's hard to believe (ha!). So then we either play bat and ball (which, apparently is a term that my family invented. I guess most people would call it baseball, but when Riley was little, we called it bat and ball and it just stuck.) or catch. The other day Jeremy and I were playing some bat and ball, and he hit one pretty high. He turns to me and says:

"Heads up, Darce!"

I looked at him in amazement. I asked him to repeat what he said, and he got all embarrassed and told me he forgot what he said. Then I told him that I heard what he said but wanted to know where he learned that. Apparently he overheard our next-door neighbor, who is 9, call me Darce, and Jeremy thought it would be smart to call me that. Funny stuff.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

We Interrupt This Blog...

...to bring you some hockey.

Here's video of Jeremy testing out his hockey skills and lingo. He knows so much about hockey that it amazes me. Just the other day, while he was playing goalie, he told me to wait a minute. Then he went over to his water bottle and pretended to squirt water on his face just like the goalies do on TV.

As mentioned, he knows all the Blackhawks and their numbers. He even knows most of their first names. The supervisor at the local library is infatuated with Jeremy and knows that he is a huge hockey fan. Every Thursday when we head to the library, the supervisor makes sure to come over and say hi to Jeremy. The supervisor was so impressed about Jeremy's knowledge. It makes me so proud.

Jeremy has learned what teams are playing each other during the playoffs. He wears his Canadien pajamas in hopes that they will beat the Penguins. He was so excited to see the Canadiens beat the Capitals, since, according to Jeremy, number 8 on the Capitals is Ovechkin and he's the one who hurt Soupy (aka Brian Campbell) when he knocked him into the boards.

He asks me daily if his beloved Kane or Blackhawks shirts are clean. He wears them so often that I fear they will be worn out before the end of the summer. I gently remind him that he has more than enough T-shirts in the closet, but he has to support the team. (And for what it's worth, he refuses to wear his Canuck pjs on days that the Blackhawks play the Canucks!)

Don't worry--next up is to sign Jeremy up for hockey in the fall. I cannot wait to see him on skates! Although we better start saving now for all those hockey-related expenses. But wouldn't it be awesome if Jeremy was the next hockey great?! A mom can dream, can't she?

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Finally!

So before Riley was born, I used to be crafty and creative. I made numerous friends counted cross stitch wedding announcements and decorative hanging pieces. But since we were blessed with children, my crafty side got pushed aside. That is, until right after Christmas.

When we pulled out all the Christmas decorations, I stumbled across the stocking I began for Riley, oh, back when she was an infant. Life just got in the way, and I stopped working on it. But seeing how incomplete it was, and how beautiful it would become, I decided to make it my goal and finish it. And here is the final product:


Believe it or not, I'm actually almost done with one for Jeremy. I let him pick out the design he wanted (sorry to Riley for not letting her do the same, and I let Phil pick out the above design). A special thanks to my mom for helping me assemble the stocking, too! It sure is nice to have some time on my hands--I could get used to this. Now remind me of this when I'm mourning both kids being in school in a few years!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Spring Has Sprung

The weather is finally starting to cooperate, which is such a nice thing. We're spending more time outside, neighbors have come out of the woodwork and the sun is out longer. I even was able to start my garden a few weeks ago, and I already have radishes, lettuce, spinach, carrots and peas sprouting! I also planted some onions and potatoes along with cabbage seedlings, so we certainly are off to a nice start.

And before we had a massive wind/rain storm last week, my tulips were blooming. Luckily Phil reminded me to take a few pictures of them before all their petals blew off:



Spring has definitely arrived! Now if only the weather would stay above freezing so I can plant the rest of my garden!

Mom's Birthday

I've come to the conclusion that my birthday is no longer super important. Ever since Jeremy entered the world just three days before mine, I've realized that it's hard to trump a child's birthday.

Add to the fact that I failed to help anyone determine what to buy me this year, and you have a pretty uneventful day. I will give the family credit, though, for a truly wonderful day. I was able to sleep in until 9 (and for the record, I could've slept longer, but the kids were getting hungry, and we wanted to do a nice family breakfast), Phil took the kids out for a bit, I got a nice afternoon nap in, and I made sure I didn't have to freelance that evening so I could enjoy the Blackhawks game.

Of course we had to open presents. And Jeremy knew what to get me. He said he knew that I wanted two things: a hockey stick and a baby. Ha! Guess which one I got?

What could it be?

I also received a Blackhawks shirt to match Jeremy's.
It's a Kane shirt, and I feel so weird wearing a T-shirt
of a kid who is about 10+years younger than me!


Uncle D and Casey even ordered a cookie bouquet, which was delicious. D had sent me a link to an article about turning the age I did, and the cookies he sent conveyed the article's point. I would've loved to have seen the look on the cookie decorator's face when he/she had to ice that, though!

It reads: U Totally Outlived Jesus.

Love the apostrophe in my name!

All in all, it was a wonderful day. I just wish we didn't get older on our birthdays!