The Family that Freezes Together

Mikie has always loved hockey. In Maryland, he would run up and down the driveway, dragging Mike's full size hockey stick in pursuit of a puck while all the neighbor kids were playing catch, basketball, or lacrosse. He had his first pair of skates before he turned two. So, moving to Massachusetts was ideal in that here, he could surround himself with other people who love hockey as much as he does.After two plus years of skating lessons, Mikie was finally old enough to take hockey lessons. And, since they were practically GIVING us all the equipment for free (okay, not free, but $60 for everything), we jumped and signed him up.So began our new Saturday morning routine: wake up no later than eight, shower, feed kids, dress kids, pack up Mikie + hockey gear, Hannah + snacks, bottles, load everyone in the car, drive to practice. Once there, Hannah and I try and stake out a place under the heater (assuming it is on), while Mike helps Mikie get dressed. Then, we cheer him on as he goes through an hour of practice, before doing everything again in reverse.Mikie frequently gets frustrated if he doesn't feel he is good at something. Reading was a battle for a few weeks, thanks to a parent volunteer who told him he couldn't have a new book because he needed more practice. Writing is a constant struggle. But, in spite of the fact that every other kid can (and does) skate circles around Mikie, he keeps getting out on the ice every week. Today, he saw kids skating on a local pond and asked Mike if they could go skating outside.

So, here are a couple video clips of Trouble on Ice. The first is his first lesson. His coach, who is a coach at Becker College, clearly didn't get the memo that he was coaching kids. . . I apologize to anyone in Germany; there are copyright issues with Sony Music in Germany, so you will have to watch the movie without music.

The second clip is from this weekend. I apologize for the quality. One side effect of our mad dash to leave the house is forgetting things. This weekend, we forgot the video camera and Mike's coat. So, we downloaded a new ap and recorded video on the iPhone. As you can see, Mikie may not be great at skating (yet), but my five year old can shoot a puck like nobody's business. All the other kids shot wide of the goal. Mikie shot from further back and grazed the goal post. Even the coach came up to high five him at the end of the drill. Mike claims he can't play if he can't keep up with the puck. But, I argue that it only takes one perfectly aimed shot to win a game.

I don't know how long his enthusiasm will last. But, for now, it looks like we need to invest in a good thermos of hot chocolate and some more heated glove inserts.

Love, The Trahans