Spring Hockey

I don't even know who all is still reading along, but if you do, I appreciate it.

Back in the fall, we signed J up for a hockey class. We were blessed last year with an instructor named Coach Gus. He coached J in the afternoons twice a week, and he would let the boys skate on the ice for an extra hour at no cost. J and I would hang out at the rink from 1-3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he really learned a lot. Unfortunately, Gus only taught kids who weren't in school in the afternoons. Since J would be in all-day kindy, and Phil and I both felt that school was more important than hockey, we lost out on Gus. The class J was enrolled in during the fall was...remedial. He didn't really learn a lot, and most of the time he just stood around on the ice. He said to me after one practice that he wanted to quit hockey. That nearly broke my heart.

I told him to hang in there, and we'd sign him up to be on a team. You should've seen his face light up. So in January, he joined an in-house team. There were about 70+ kids enrolled, with ages ranging from 4-9. Teams were decided, and J was the youngest kid on his team (I don't know how they divided up the kids). The downside (for parents) was that the season was 14 straight Saturdays AND Sundays. That made for a lot of rescheduling and shuffling of plans. We didn't really have any issues until these last two weeks when his practices were at the same time as Riley's soccer games.

All in all, Jeremy had a blast. We're taking a break from hockey over the summer, much to his discontent. He burst into tears when we told him that we're taking a break. (We just want some freedom over the summer since games and practices are only on the weekend...and hockey is expensive!) I'm sure he's already thinking about the next session in the fall. I'm glad he loves it--we just have to work on him not being offsides! Oh, and in his last game, which was yesterday, he was goalie. Seeing him in the full gear was so exciting..even if it was difficult for him to get up when he fell on the ice.

In his goalie gear.

In his ready stance. I joked that this is the first time
all season that his jersey fit!

Ready for the ice!

Pregame skate.

Pregame skate.

Ready for the game.

Lone goalie.

After this picture, they all piled on him.

Notice how small J is!

Congratulating the team.

His official hockey picture.

 

Remember Me?

Yeah, I've been neglecting the blog. Not quite sure why. I am finally all better. In the 12+ years that  Phil has known me, he said that was the sickest I've ever been. I was knocked on my butt for 3 days, only to recover for a bit (just in time for the weekend and closed doctor's offices!) and then relapse over the weekend. I went to see the doctor on Monday, and he basically said that my lungs were a mess. I was on three different types of medicine, and like I said, I'm finally better.

In the time that I last posted, we finished up spring break, celebrated Jeremy's and my birthdays, hosted 30+ people at our house for Easter, started soccer for both kids (Riley's first game was on Saturday, and she scored a hat trick!), and we're dealing with a lot of family drama. It's been an exhausted few weeks, but you just realize you have to deal with life.

Overall the kids are doing well. I still can't believe J is 6. He's really starting to read now, although I can tell that he's not as enthusiastic about it as Riley is. I'm wondering if it's a "boy" thing. He was brokenhearted when we told him that we're taking a break from hockey over the summer, but having hockey every weekend for 14 straight Saturdays and Sundays is a bit much. I missed Riley's first soccer game because J had hockey practice. I reminded him that we'll start back up again in September.

Meanwhile Riley continues to excel in math. It comes so easily to her. And reading--I think it's cute how I find books in her bed in the morning along with a flashlight. I think she reads after I tuck her in. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to use my clock to light up the words. I'm so very proud of all her accomplishments, but boy, she seems like she's 8 going on 13 on some days. She's starting the eye rolls and the "whatever" comments. Also, she's so hard on herself that if homework doesn't come easy to her, she shuts down and refuses to listen. It's difficult to deal with at times.

I know I'm overdue at posting pictures of the kids, and I have some cute ones of their spring pictures and J in his hockey gear. I hope to get those posted here later this week. Thanks for following along.
 

Happy Birthday, Sunshine

It's amazing to think about all the changes we've been through this year. He went from three days a week at preschool to all-day kindergarten. He adapted to that much better than I did! He's made a tremendous amount of friends and continues to excel in school. Just recently he's started reading, but he still prefers to do mazes or dot-to-dot books than to sit down with a good book. Just seeing how much his handwriting has improved over the last few months is amazing. I'm so proud of how well he's doing, and he loves having his friend Hunter from preschool and our neighbor Luke in his class.

And I thought he was obsessed with hockey last year--my goodness this kid astounds me with his never-ending love for anything hockey related. He doesn't care what game is on (but he obviously prefers to watch Blackhawk games), he wants to watch it. He's even been known to watch college hockey simply because it's hockey. He knows all the Blackhawk players and their corresponding numbers and knows at least one player on each of the other 29 teams. He's finishing up his first session of being on a hockey team, and it's been a great experience. He's in a house league, so there are six teams total of about 12-13 kids. They play five games during the 14 straight Saturday and Sunday practices, and he's been learning a lot and having a blast!

But my boy is developing quite a bit of a temper, unfortunately. He's been known to get mad at times and can be downright mean. We've been trying to curb that, as well as the claim that people are "being mean" when they don't want to do what he wants.

My life is definitely complete with him in our lives. I used to tease and be jealous of the relationship my brother had with my mom, oftentimes referring to the whole situation as too much of a mama's boy issue. But now I can completely relate. There's a special bond I have with him, but perhaps much of it can be attributed to me staying home with him while Riley attended daycare. Regardless, he is my boy and I'm so proud to be his mom. Happy birthday, big guy. May all your dreams become a reality and remember how much we all love you.

And now...Jeremy through his six years.

At the hospital

3 months

6 months

9 months

1 year old

18 months

2 years old

2.5 years old

3 years old (and sick)

3.5 years old

4 years old

 

5 years old

6 years old

Apologies

I'm sorry for the lack of posts. We've had a sickly house as of late, and I just haven't had much energy to do anything. It started with Jeremy being at home for three days a few weeks ago, and he had a 102-degree fever. (I admit that selfishly I enjoyed having the poor kid cuddle up with me. He did feel awful, but I was glad I was there to take care of him. And he fell asleep one day on my lap--man I miss those days when he was a lot smaller!) After day three, I took him to the doctor, for the doctor to practically scare me and claim that J may have early stages of mono! But that she wasn't for certain! Ugh. He did have spots on his throat, but his strep test came back negative.

Then two weeks ago he had yet another fever--this time at school, so he had to come home. He was fine the next day, so we spent much of it doing puzzles and playing games.

So then what happens last Sunday? I get sick. Horribly sick. It's been a rough process. I felt it coming on Sunday afternoon while we were outside enjoying the unseasonable weather. It was in the 60s, but I had such a chill--which might be somewhat attributed to the hockey rink--that I had Phil get my winter hat, coat and gloves from inside. Monday morning I had the 102-degree fever. I was a mess on Monday and Tuesday. And then Tuesday Jeremy went to the nurse with a stomach ache! I was floored. He came home and I said I couldn't play with him. He did a puzzle, and then I dozed off (Phil was working from home.) I woke up and J was fast asleep on the couch! I'm guessing the time change and all the sunshine might have worn him out. But he was back at school on Wednesday!

As for me, I'm feeling better. Still not 100%, which stinks. I hate being useless. In hindsight, I should have gone to the doctor, but I was feeling better Thursday and Friday. But now I can't breathe and my ear is clogged. I'm guessing I have a sinus infection and/or an ear infection. I think I'm off to the doc on Monday for some stronger drugs.

No rest for the weary here!
 

Little Girl

Sometimes I find myself looking at my little girl and realize she's not so little. She's now eight, and has become such a beautiful, insightful and emotional girl. I gaze at her in wonderment because she has her whole life ahead of her and has so much potential. The world is out there for her to explore, she can strive for so many awesome things and can be successful in whatever she does.

Reading at J's hockey practice.

And then I blink and realize that in a few years, she may hate both myself and Phil just for being her parents.

I know these next few years are going to be tough; I remember how difficult being a teenage girl can be. I was not always full of the best behavior, both at home at at school (one time my basketball coach reamed me out for rolling my eyes at her). There are snippets now of Riley dealing with her emotions, and although we've yet to hear the "I hate you," we do get plenty of "it's not fair." I keep reminding her that life is not fair, which is something I know my parents told me.

Such a beautiful girl.

When my grandfather passed away on Dec. 6, I asked both kids to write something to put in the casket. I explained that they could write whatever they wanted. Riley helped Jeremy with his, in which he wrote:


Dear Great Grandpa,
I want to be with you for Christmas.
Love, Jeremy

Jeremy's letter.

Seriously, these kids amaze me. But Riley's, my goodness, it completely took my breath away.

She wrote:
He will always be with you in your heart. He will always remember all of us. He will especially remember that you were very kind to him. He will remember that in all the days when we were young. He will remember all of your birthdays and your parties. But before he even left he wanted to say goodbye but you were not there.
Love, Riley
 
Wow.

And to top it off, after the funeral, we came home and Phil and I were emotionally spent. The kids went upstairs, and Jeremy came down to get his crayons. No big deal, right? They both come down about 15 minutes later, and Jeremy hands me a card and Riley hands one to Phil. They both read:


Dear Mom and Dad.
Thank you for all that you do, from soccer, hockey, softball and T-ball. I hope $10 will do.
Love, Jeremy and Riley


Wow.


We simply told both kids that they didn't need to do that, and that all we need is for them to do their best. We said that we would continue to do this stuff for them as long as they did that. And what does Jeremy say?

"It's OK, Mom. It's Riley's money."

The kids are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. I hope they know that.
 

Joke TIme

I wanted to capture this because it is hilarious.

Tonight Phil was enjoying some Laffy Taffy, which always has jokes on it. So he read one of the jokes tonight.

"What do you call a clam that doesn't share?"

Jeremy's answer: A not-sharing clam.

I couldn't stop laughing.

(The real answer is shell-fish. But I personally like Jeremy's answer better.)

Funny 2012

I wanted to capture some funny things the kids have been saying lately.

From Riley:

A few weeks ago, Jeremy had hockey practice on Sunday afternoon from 1-3, and Riley had indoor soccer from 11-12. So Phil took Riley, and I took Jeremy. It just so happened that it was a Packer playoff game day. And because of this, Jeremy and I took the long way home after practice, stopped for some food and arrived home at a leisurely time. I had texted Phil beforehand to let him know that I would be a little late.

So the boy and I arrive home, and Riley was practically in tears! She was worried about us! And why? Because Phil had been acting crazy during the game. She said he was throwing his hat, getting angry and punching the pillows on the couch.

She said she told him it was just a game, to which he replied, "NO IT'S NOT!"

Nice, huh?

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On a lighter note, the other night the kids were playing this game called Hulabaloo. Basically there are these different felt-shaped colorful pieces that you scatter on the floor, and then there's a disk that you push. The disk gives commands, such as step on a yellow or find a square. 

One of the commands was to take baby steps to a piece. Next thing I know I hear both kids walking normally but saying, "Wah, wah" like a baby. Guess that's their way of taking baby steps!