Saturday, September 20, 2008

We're going to OK City!

Now most would not get that excited. But you see it is very exciting news for my hockey player of a son.

There are so many players this year there are going to be two Squirt teams. Teams have yet to be figured out. However, there is a tournament coming up very quickly and not everyone can go. So today they talked to parents.

Today Dad was approached by the coach. They wanted S to play defense in OKC. Very exciting for S.

Not at all what we expected. We know the coaches like him cause he listens and is very coachable. BUT he is little and so many of the other Squirts are older and bigger, a lot bigger. Yet most of them play offense. Stephen likes to play defense and is good at defense.

I got the call at Dillons when shopping for his ice cream. He was so excited.

Happy Early Birthday S!

Almost 9 & What a day!

My "little" guy is almost 9. We celebrated today. Funny to watch him open presents. The first one was from D. D is two. He loves birthdays. He longs for his birthday. With all the love he could muster for his brother D selected a really nice nerf football, green no less. Poor S, not quite what he was hoping for, trying to maintain a happy look. Yet his eyes tell the truth. So the present opening goes. Books! and more books! from the sisters who love him and picked out something on his list. Mike and I are laughing, his aunts are laughing. He is trying to be happy. Looking at the books, trying to be interested. These are not the items he is talked endless about for the last 3 weeks. Yet they were on the list. And no we did not orchestrate the order of gifts. His siblings were vying for rights to give theirs.
Finally the torture is almost over. I think there just might be tears. This might be the worst birthday ever. Another present to open, a glimmer in his eye, Spy gear and then defeat. Not the spy gear he wanted. He isn't even trying to look happy now.
Yet there are 3 more presents left, they look much like the others.
Wait, what is that a smile, oh my goodness it is. Oops it is gone. Nope it is back. Yeah, finally one of the items he has talked about for the last 3 weeks. Spy gear binoculars that turn into a periscope! ! !
Yet that is not all....yep, he thinks he knows what this next one is....drum roll and YES! he was right it is what he thought. This birthday might not be all that bad. 6 piece spy tool kit. Yoohoo.
And what is this? One more to go. Nothing can top this, he is almost positive. But yet, oh no it couldn't be, yep it is, a struggle to maintain his cool composure and yet here comes the ear to ear grin. Ahhh. Hockey shirts! ! A Thunder Jersey, that fits no less and a Warriors T, that mom told him no just a week ago.
Ahh this birthday was not a bummer.
Wait, now you have to open cards. EWWW, we know how much the kid likes to read. He just about cried over the books he received from his wish list. Yet, these are birthday cards and YES ! SCORE! ! ! Money and lots of it ! ! !

"Mom can we look on ebay for that stuff now?!?"

Who knew getting ready to turn 9 could be so dramatic.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Are they alive? ? ?


Not only are they quiet, they are barely moving.

And they are not in a ball of arms and legs.

They are within 20 yards of each other.

They are not touching.

THEY ARE QUIET!

These must not be my boys.

Outside they are quiet?

Inside they are balls of energy that collide like that little snowball bounding down the mountainside that becomes huge!

Okay, everyone outside !



What do you want for dinner?

So we are at swim lessons yesterday (Thursday). N asks for yet another snack. I know swimming makes them hungry. I told him no though, because we were going to get dinner right after S and M finished up their lessons and got dressed. N responded with lots of excitement "I want broccoli ! " "Broccoli ! "

I tell him we can have broccoli but we're going to McDonald's for dinner. "Ok, but I want broccoli."

A friend was sitting there and said "Broccoli and Mcdonalds, they might balance each other out."

Now I like broccoli, but when I was N's age I liked broccoli with cheese sauce. I even asked for broccoli with cheese sauce for my birthday. N likes it plain, just steamed a little!. M likes it raw, likes it steamed, likes it in a boat or in a tree.

It blows my mind and others as well. Dear daughter M has since she was teeny tiny loved to eat green things. When she could talk, she would always ask for the broccoli when we were in the grocery store. My kids jump up and down with excitement. I think they like broccoli as much as they like their candy.

It is so comical, when they were with dad at the commissary one shopping trip a year or so ago. M and N were begging dad for broccoli while they were in the produce section. A man stopped and looked at my husband and asked, "They didn't just ask for broccoli?" According to my husband the man's jaw was dragging on the floor after that.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Chick-n mag-nuts!

Treasure hunting this summer at garage sales has been great fun this year. All but the youngest have gotten into it. My oldest found a t-shirt for the youngest one day. "Chick Magnet" is across the front. Well he is the cutest little thing and the tweenie boppers at church adore him. Stop and say "Hi D" everytime they see him. Well Flutter-Nutter loves it. Grins and looks adoreable.
Tonight before Awana S was sent to get clothes for D. D doesn't wear clothes unless we go out. Must be a 2 yr. old thing. We dress him in the morning and sometime later he is naked.

Out came the "Chick Magnet" church. He has no clue. He hasn't learned to read yet or anything, yeah I know I am dropping the ball there. So one of the Awana leaders saw it and laughed and said "Chick Magnet?" Well D having no clue starts walking around saying "Chickn Magnuts". OVer and Over again. People laughing all over themselves. I said something and D says "No, chickn magnuts in the car." He thought everyone was saying Chicken Nuggets!

So Flutter Nutter is cuter than adoreable these days.

Just gotta love those oldest children!

A has me laughing tonight. After Awanas she is always pretty chatty. She wanted to know if I knew what D had done to her this morning. I guess sweetie pie that he is, he got up and went downstairs to A's room, "A-y, Scooby Doo, Scooby Doo." When there was no response he decided she needed some help. Climbed up in big sis gi-normous bed and started jumping on her, "wa up, A-y, Scooby Doo!" "wa up, A-y Scooby Doo!"

Well all I can do is chuckle. Then she proceeds to tell me God was merciful, cause a little while later she hears "A-y juice!" "A-y juice!" I guess M was coming downstairs then and said "Come on D, I'll get you some juice."

At this point I am laughing. It is great to have olders. The youngers wake them up! The other part is my oldest used to wake me up at dawn. No exaggeration there. She would come into my room and say "The sun's up, wake up!" "The sun's up, wake up!" She never needed a lot of sleep and we learned the hard way one spring after a long winter. Bedtime was always approached with "it's dark, it's time for bed." Well guess what it doesn't get dark till 9 during the summer! And the sun gets up early too! Even now, she puts off sleep. Suckers her mom into late night chats and all.

I love what goes around comes around. I don't even have to wait for them to have children of their own. I love those olders who are so dearly loved by the youngers and youngers prefer to wake them in the morning and not the mom!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Are hockey moms like pit bulls except they wear lipstick?

So that is what I was asked this last week. I don't know that hockey moms are all that different from other moms. I think when it comes to your kids, a mom that cares becomes a pit bull. Sometimes we call ourselves Momma bear! Now when our kids try our patience we might become one of those cannibal mother like creatures that want to eat the child that annoys us. Thankfully our children are so adoreable we just send them to their rooms or laugh and roll our eyes so they are able to live another day.
In the case of this hockey mom, it can be just "whatever we have to do to leave the ice rink! "

This weekend was hockey registration for the new season. Mind you, I don't think hockey season ever ended as there were endless clinics and practices since March when the season supposedly ended. So how they can have new season registration I have no idea. So for the last 3 weeks we have shopped for new ice skates. No picnic for mom, cause she has to do all this with all the children in tow. A 2 - 4- 7- year old who love to check out the sticks, knock them over, check out the "supports" for guys. Oh what fun! Then they disappear somewhere into the building. Why do Dads get the joy of shopping with just the child in need of shopping? So that said we found the skates. Put them on hold till we can get our Bingo voucher. Piece of cake!

Oh no, I have to go garage sale-ing where I learn from another hockey mom there is going to be an amazing sale on hockey skates on the day of registration. Someone is bringing in brand spanking new Bauer skates and selling them for $20. Their warehouse closed and they need to empty the building!

So at said registration, dear son is pulled from dry land practice to try on skates. "skates are more comfortable than ones downstairs." "I like these." Yes, like them enough to buy 2 pair, one to grow into? "yes". Great what a deal $300+ of skates for $40. On the ice practicing while mom gets new skates sharpened. Open ice time after practice, tryout new skates. "they pinch my feet all over!" "can't skate in them" Been at the ice rink for 4 hours now REGISTERING! and getting ready for the new season when the old hasn't even ever ended!

Fine, try on original skates we wanted but get on the ice in full gear and try them first ! ! !
Yeah, we now have skates and mom has ebay work. Cause what are we going to do with 2 pairs of skates that are too heavy and wide for this kid's feet.

So no, I didn't send him to his room. I didn't eat him. I sent him on the ice. I then made him help with chores when he got home and I got a chocolate
bar!