Happy Birthday to Me! I'm 103!!

This is Hockey Camp week.  And Aidan is in heaven!

I, on the other hand, had all kinds of anxiety last weekend leading up to this week.  While we have been going to the Ice House for several years now, and we know lots of people, it was the first time Aidan had been there for any length of time alone.  Without me. 

Okay, truth?  I was a little upset I couldn't be there to watch him all day. 

Okay.  More than a little.

I'll be fine.

Maybe.

Anyway, Pat was off on Monday, so he took Aidan to the Ice House and got him checked in and suited up and saw him onto the ice.  And then called to tell me how happy he was and about all of Aidan's friends who were there. 

Okay.  I'm a little better.

Pat went back before the day ended to watch some of the scrimmage the boys do at the end of the day and watched Aidan score several goals.  And then he called to tell me about it. . .the green eyed monster was happy, but not. . .This is like rubbing an itch instead of scratching it!!!  sigh...

The phone call home on Day one was awesome.  Aidan chattering away about his day, all happy, and me feeling sooooo much better about him being there.

It's worked out all week.  I drop Aidan off in the morning and then Pat picks him up and they call me on the way home to tell me how things went.

Yesterday, though, Aidan also had his Cold Rush lesson in the morning.  So, we left the house at 5:15 am and off we went.  This time I took a few videos and am posting some here.  Aidan is in the dark jersey and is wearing red socks with black and white strips (yes, Blackhawks socks!!  These are also Xtreme socks!!)

 

 Aidan's backward skating and power skating has improved soooo much!  Even just since last Wednesday!  I'm very impressed. . . .

 

 But, this backward skating while pulling the tire was really impressive.  I was so proud of my little man!!  I think he is going to be skating so awesome by the end of summer. . .

 

 

And the stick and puck handling!  This is really pretty cool and takes so much more coordination than most of us realize.  This video was good, but he did this one time so well and so good, he got a huge attaboy from the Stick Coach.

 

After this lesson, I had to leave him and go on to work while he did his camp for the rest of the day.  I knew he would be tired and very hungry.  I did pack extra snacks, but the phone call at the end of the day was hilarious, nonetheless! 

Aidan:  I'm starving Mama!!
Me:  Did you eat everything in your lunch?
Aidan:  Yes.  And everything in my snack bag, too!!
Me:  Well, I guess you can have some cereal when you get home. . .And then dinner. .
Aidan:  Okay.  But, I'm starving now!
Me:  Aidan, how are you feeling?  Are you tired?
Aidan:  Yes,  little. . .NO!!  I'm NOT tired!  (he wants to play outside when he gets home.)

That conversation happened at 4:09.

At 4:12, Pat texted me this picture:

No, I'm not tired!!!  : )  He was out a little after 8:00 last night, too.

Two more days of Hockey Camp!!  I packed even more snacks today. . .

Oh, yeah.  Today's my birthday.  Happy Birthday to me!  I'm 103!  I look like a monkey!  But, I can't climb a tree!  There.  Now it won't feel so bad when Aidan says it. . .

Have a great day!

Officially Official

Okay so now it's officially official.  It's Summertime!!!!!! 

I have a short little whine and then it's all back to good fun summertime, summertime, summertime!

I feel like we are going to spend the entire summer getting estimates on our porch and concrete projects. . .Pat now wants one more. . .sigh.  I am really hoping to use that porch before the cold weather comes back!!

Okay!  That's it.  Back to Summertime!!!

We're going out to dinner and then to see Monsters U tonight.  Just us three.  Can't wait!!  Aidan was already talking last night about the popcorn. . .did you know that there are all kinds of things in these Pixar films referencing other Pixar films??  Jessie, the Pizza planet car, Andy's wallpaper and several more.  Now that I know, I'm going to be looking tonight.  Supposedly, Boo's toy that she tried to give Kitty (Sully) was Nemo at the end of Monsters Inc.  I'll have to look for that next time I watch it. 

And now for some pictures, some of which my talented son took!

Aidan ready for his first Cold Rush Lesson. . .new jersey and all!  Doesn't he have the most gorgeous eyes???  Even with the helmet cage, they are arresting.

 

Here is one of the new flag shirts. I love it!  The white strips are baseball bats and the stars are baseballs.  Isn't that great???

 

And here are Aidan's girls--pictures by Aidan. . .Mama and Maggikins.  My picture isn't so great, but it serves as a great reminder that I need to use something stronger on my face to combat the aging process. . .it may be too late, though, since I have that big birthday coming that ends in a 0.  No numbers anyone!!! 
 

And I love this one. . .Aidan is a snuggler.  He loves to snuggle.  And if you are sitting still, he will invariably come and snuggle.  Pat was resting outside the other day after dinner and I looked out the kitchen window while doing the dishes and saw this scene.  LOVE!!!

Have a great first weekend of summer!

Unoffically Officially Summer

Summer is officially underway.  Okay, the season of summer isn't, but summer plans, camps, and activities are!

Aidan is finishing up his second week of Winwood Summer Camp.  He's been having a lot of fun.  They've gone to the Dinosaur Park, had a Moon Bounce, gone to a Water Park and they went to King Pins to go bowling.  We had some horrendous weather last week and both Pat and I were really glad Aidan was at Winwood during it.  There was a Tornado warning, power outages, and some flooding.  But, we trust the folks at Winwood to keep the children safe.  They always have a great plan for these kinds of things.  Today is just a play day at Winwood and then tomorrow will be Wet and Wild day: they play in the sprinklers on the playground.  And the weather will be perfect for it!

Last Saturday, Aidan and I signed up for the Summer Reading Program at our library.  It's pretty cool.  There are several activities that we are to do and most look fun.  One will be to go to our local museum and see some of our town history there.  Cool!  And one of my activities is to learn how to use the lending program for my Kindle.  I'm excited about that one.  First up, though, will be for Aidan to draw a map of how to get from our house to the library.  He's a good artist, so it should be really nice.  It's not hard, though.  We live across the street!  : )

Aidan started his summer skating lessons with Cold Rush yesterday.  There are 12 boys in the class ranging in age of 7-10.  I think Aidan is one of the youngest.  He got a new jersey with the Cold Rush logo. . .just what we needed!!!  Another jersey!!  Anyway, the lesson started at 6:00 am and when I sat down in the stands and looked at the clock and saw 5:58, I couldn't help but think about all the years my mom drove me, twice a day!!, to swimming practice.  And the morning one was early, too.  So, this is what moms do.  We sacrifice a little of our mornings so our kids can learn and get better in their sport. . .The lesson was great.  They had to do this backward skate down the ice where the took their skates out wide and then bring them in, jump in the air and click the skates together and then do it again.  I thought Aidan would fall, but he didn't.  In fact, he did this drill quite well!  There were a lot of drills in the 80 minute lessons.  Some we can work on at home, too.  I think at the end of the summer, we'll see a huge improvement in Aidan's skating ability because of these lessons.  And the fun part was that there were some of his friends there from his Spring Travel team! 

Next week is the first of three all day week long hockey camps.  There will be several boys at this one that I know Aidan will have fun with.  Should be a great week for him!

We're continuing on with our estimates for the porch project.  We got one yesterday where the guy said he could do the roof line we really want--everyone else has said they couldn't do it this way because of the configuration of our house.  I suspect when we get his numbers, though, he'll be way out of our price range.  It's nice to dream though.  We had another estimate on Tuesday and we have asked one more company to come out.  That will end up being about 5 estimates.  I think we will be able to make a truly informed and educated decision once they are all in. . .I'm hoping to enjoy the porch at least a little before it gets cold again. . .  : )

Monsters U comes out this Friday.  I'd love to take Aidan to see it sometime this weekend.  I'm going to see if the boys want to go tomorrow night.  We need a family night out, I think. 

Now that summer has come, we have been a little relaxed about bed time for Aidan.  We've been letting him play outside almost as much as he wants.  Of course, according to him, it's not enough and we make him go to bed too early.  With the early lesson on Wednesdays, Tuesday and Wednesday bedtimes are back to the normal time though.  But, I've noticed that he is grumpier and doesn't seem to be as nice to his friends.  I think it is partly because of the friend he has been playing with, but also because he isn't sleeping enough.  So, we are probably going back to the earlier bed time.  It for the best of everyone.

My house cleaning lady cancelled for this weekend.  As much as I hate that and would rather be doing something else, I am actually kind of glad for the opportunity to clean the house.  I've noticed lately it hasn't been quite as clean as I would like.  So, I am going to give this house a really deep clean.  I think I'll get Pat and Aidan passes to the water park over at Ida Lee for the day so I can focus totally on the house.  The bathroom showers really need a major scrub down. 

In the process of cleaning out Aidan's dresser and closet, I noticed that he no longer has any sleeveless T's nor anything with the American flag on it.  With the 4th of July only two weeks away, we must have something that is red, white and blue!!  So, I did a little online shopping with Gap and Gymboree and got a few things.  I'll take pictures as he wears these cool things. . .

That's about it for now.  I don't even have any pictures to share today!  Have a great day.

Outside Activities

Aidan had his 7 year old Well Check up last Friday.  He measured 50 3/4" tall and weighed in at 55 pounds.  This equates to being in the 87th percentile for height and 69.5 percentile for weight.  Now, as I've said before, what exactly do these percentile's mean????  I think it means that 50th percentile is normal or average and higher is just bigger.  Aidan's pediatrician did say his weight is fine but that she had been a little concerned about it last year.  Really???  You can see his ribs!!! 

Anyway, she was very happy about how active he is.  In addition to the hockey, he just bought himself a baseball glove and ball and has been playing catch with daddy. . .and anyone else who will.  He loves to climb trees, shoot hoops, play kickball. . .pretty much anything outside.  He LOVES being outside.  The pediatrician LOVES that he LOVES being outside! 

He bought this baseball glove and ball with money he got for his birthday and has been having a blast with that!  Please ignore that Dallas Cowboys shirt that my friend Allison insists on sending every year to try and corrupt my baby with.  He should be wearing a Washington Redskins shirt. . .but he is being systematically brainwashed by Allison. . .  : )

Because the comment about him being a little high on weigh bothered me so much, I did check on the CDC site to see where Aidan stacks up.  According to the CDC the average 7 year old is 44 inches tall and 50.6 pounds.  The average 9 year old is 49 inches tall and weighs 61.6 pounds. . .hmmm. . .Aidan is a little taller than the average 9 year old and weighs a little less.  At 7.  I'm not going to worry about it.

Oh, and he loves to climb trees!  : )

This past Sunday, we went to the 160th Upperville Horse and Colt show.  We went with another family who has a 6 year old boy whom we met through hockey a couple of years ago.  The boys have a blast together (that's them in the tree above) and we have a blast with the parents. 

It was not a sunny day.  In fact, about half way through the Jumper Classic portion, the skies opened up and began to pour down rain!!  We had to pack up quickly and make a run for the cars.  At least we didn't have to pay for parking!  Although our afternoon was cut short, we still had fun.  The horses were incredibly beautiful, as usual.

Aidan, as I said, loves to be active.  It just about kills him when it is raining or too cold to be outside.  So, in addition to the Wii, I bought him a new slider pad that he can actually practice skating on. . . inside, in the basement!  Pretty cool, too.

He hasn't used it much yet.  But, I know he will next fall and winter. 

And so, we are beginning to make plans for the summer weekends.  We have to set these things up because everyone's schedules are sooo busy!!  But, we have it in the books now to go to a couple of movies (so far, Monsters U and Despicable Me2) and have a picnic, or two, at the pool.  Shaping up to be a fun summer!!

And, we are about ready to do our contract for the Screened Porch and concrete projects.  We have one more estimate to get, which is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and then on Friday we will make our decision and be ready to go.  I'm so excited!!!

And that's the way it is, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.  Have a great day!!

Busyness Even When Sick!

Last Friday, Aidan woke up with a very upset stomach.  He threw up once and then spent the rest of the day with the other issue.  Poor little guy was really not feeling well.  He never had a fever, but the sharp pains in his tummy stayed with him all day.  Outside of giving him yogurt, water, and other mild foods, there wasn't much I could do.  I did hold him in between bouts and tried to comfort him as best I could.  At lunch, he begged for chicken noodle soup, even though it was about 95 degrees outside.  Of course I made it for him.

Saturday morning, he hopped out of bed and asked for some orange juice and declared he felt all better.  He still had some dark smudges under his eyes, but he was not longer pale.  So, I agreed to take him to the second day of Xtreme tryouts and then to his last hockey game with the Kelly Green team.  We did skip the last swimming lesson though.  He did well with hockey, although he was definitely moving slower than normal.

He had one bout on Saturday, but the rest of the day he ate and seemed fine.  I thought maybe we had suffered a 24 hour bug and could go on now. 

Saturday night, we met Pat at the Classic Car show in Leesburg, where his Corvette was being shown.  It was very hot and Lightfoot Restaurant was selling ice cream.  Aidan asked for some and we said yes. . .to two scoops!  Which he promptly devoured. 

Sunday morning, Aidan came running in about 5:00 am, in tears, and said "Mommy, come quick.  I need you!"  And then he ran for the bathroom.  Oh man.  Nothing like a major jolt to the heart from adrenaline to get you started for the day!  Yes, one more bout. . .very worried, I said no to the final day of Xtreme tryouts and then called the doctor.  It seems that he was on the mend, but his tummy wasn't quite ready for milk or ice cream yet.  : (

He did go back to school on Monday and has steadily been better.  His color is good, the smudges are gone and he has been eating everything in sight!  And, if I needed any more proof, last night he said, "Mommy, I just went poop and it was all solid!"  Okay then. 

I really don't like it when he gets sick.  It's so hard to see him not wanting to run and jump and play!  And to see him so pale. . .oh! 

As for school, we're in our final two days now.  Yesterday was Field Day, which was a blast, and today they are having an End of Year Party.  Tomorrow, they will help clean the classroom.  One thing I thought was really cool, is that the teacher will put shaving cream on the desks and the children can write in it and then, when they wipe the shaving cream off, the desks will be clean!  What a fun way to clean! 

Friday is Aidan's first day of Summer Vacation, his 7 year old well check up--I sure hope he gains some weight back before then!, and then Pat and I have a date.  By ourselves!

Summer is already filling up with a lot of activities.  I'm trying very hard to keep some of our weekends clear.  After being so tightly scheduled all year, I don't want to have something every weekend!  It's difficult, though, because there are so many fun things going on!

Some pictures of the past week:

Aidan at Xtreme tryouts, Day #1

Aidan's Travel Team picture with all the coaches

Aidan and Pat at the Car Show. . .and he offending ice cream cone, too!

 

Next week and the week after, Aidan will be at Winwood.  He'll have some fun.  There will be a kick off party on Monday for Winwood Summer Camp with balloons, moon bounce, popcorn and snow cones.  Then, they are having a Pirate Party on Wednesday.  On Friday, they will be going to Dinasaur land out near Berryville.  Then during week 2, they are going to a Water Park, King Pins for bowling and they will have a water day at Winwood.  What fun!  On the quiet days, I can send the Math and Reading workbooks that the school sent home to keep the learning going for the summer. 

 

During week 2, Aidan will start his skating lessons with Cold Rush Hockey.  It's at 6:00 am on Wednesday mornings!  Whew!  But, then, I used to have practice at 5:30 every morning for swimming when I was a kid.  So, I think the one day a week will be fine. . .AND, we're going to go to the library and see about checking out some of the books on the summer reading list. 

 

That's it for now.  Enjoy your day!  It's going to be a beautiful one, so get out there and take a walk!