Blake the Squirt

Blake has already played 6 games this season...with many more to go.  He is having a great time hanging out with friends and playing hockey.  This is his first year as a Squirt level player.  Squirts is the beginning of real games.  They play full ice, keep official score, and call penalties.  I love the names for youth hockey teams (Termites, Mini-Mites, Mites, Squirts, Pee-Wees, Bantams).  The all-girls teams have less creative names (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U...U get the picture).

Blake plays center, which is the position he was hoping to get.  It is an offensive position and the player that takes part in the face-offs.  I am so proud not only of how he has improved as a player, in terms of skating and stick handling, but also as an athlete.  He is hugely competitive but is also learning the importance of being a good sport and a team player.  He even has a hat trick under his belt which is really cool!  Of course, that took place at the one game I missed this year.

Win, Lose, or Tie, I have been proud of the way the entire team has played their hearts out.  I look forward to the rest of the season.

Rink of Dreams

The kids have been waiting patiently since last week for their backyard rink to be ready for skating.  After lots of time out back with a garden hose, it was finally ready for some skating action.  Mother Nature made the inaugural event a little messy, but it is exciting none the less to see our little dream come to fruition.

We have been talking about putting a rink in the backyard for a couple years but didn't want to wreck the grass.  We also lamented the fact that our driveway is too steep for a basketball hoop.  This past spring, we finally found the solution to "big kid" year round outside entertainment!

The heavy snow interfered with the photos I was hoping to take, but I'm sure there will be many other opportunities.  I did get the chance to try every single setting on my camera...this was the best I could do!

The summertime view. 

Who says white men can't jump?  I think Blake is impressed.

Paige gave b-ball a shot.
So far Henry is the only one in the family with any skills on the court.  Period.

Blake shot over 10,000 pucks this Summer.

Roller hockey is fun too.  Well, fun for Blake and Paige...I love rollerblades, but they scare the crap out of me.

We even used the Sport Court as the backdrop for a group picture.
These are four college roommates worth of offspring!
Blake, Paige, Louis, Mabel, Luke, Isaac, Grant, Rowan, & Blake (the newest addition, Sierra, just arrived in November).

Geez, isn't it crazy how green everything can be?  It will be back in about 5 months time, and I'm sure that by then we will be more than ready!  Until then, let's enjoy the snow.  Geez, isn't it crazy how easy that is to say in December?  Ask me again about my opinion of snow in 2 months!