What Happened in March?

Soooo, what DID happen in March?

Actually, not much...

The highlight of the month was Michael's birthday.

He turned 50.

How does it happen?  My kids are now older than I am!

Locklan got out his roller skates...

Uncle Tony gave him a few pointers...

While wearing his roller blades!

Andy was working on some home repairs while Locklan was in pre-school...

Teagan went along for the ride!

I decided to jump start my spring preparations...

I think we all experienced a little hockey fever...

Tony signed up for another session of roller hockey,

playing with a few of his high-school team mates!

Andy took the kids to the Dek Hockey rink.  

He said Locklan was more interested in the bleachers...

Teagan, on the other hand...

Teagan wasn't walking yet, but she was hell bent of wearing Locklan's roller skates!

Our new sectional came.  It kept Locklan busy for hours, rearranging the sections!

Henry turned 4 months old...

One Friday, Locklan decided he needed to watch a movie with Henry...

Of course, there was a lot of cousin love going on...

And we finally found a use for that bench in the family room...

A staging area for car seats!

All in all, it was a fairly quiet month, but fun to remember!

It's a Great Day...

It's a great day for Hockey!

I was not a hockey person until I met Mark (my late husband).

He was born in upstate New York where they are born with skates on...

I soon learned to  love the sport and Andy and Tony didn't know any other way.

We were determined to give them the opportunity to learn to play.  

Dek Hockey and then roller hockey  seemed to be the best way.  

They each started Dek Hockey when they were four.  Guess who is four now?

You got that right, it's Locklan.  

This summer he attended a learn-to-play session at the Y.

Monday was his first realistic game...

Of course, we all went to cheer him on!

First they got a refresher and reviewed their equipment...

Then they did drills...

Locklan is in the orange shorts...

And then...

The scrimmage!

What a hoot!

When your legs are that short and the rink that big...

Someone tired out!

Brought back memories, for sure!

Oh...and it was a tie game!

Memories...like this one?

Leaf Me Alone!

We don't have a tree in our backyard...

 

The neighbors around us have many.

 

Our back yard is fenced in...

 

Can you say Leaf Collection Site?

 

Seriously...it's all good...

 

The leaves collect in the back yard and on our patio

but having a son in the lawn care business makes it all okay!

 

The other day, Andy and his sidekick, Locklan came over to do the second leaf-sweep of the season...

 

 

Andy did the grunt work and Locklan supervised

and handled the heavy equipment!

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't he a hoot?!?

 

Andy would get a shovel full of leaves and Locklan would blow them off.

 

 

Andy's back pack leaf blower is much too heavy for Locklan to move...

 

 

It didn't seem to bother him!

Andy is so patient.

 

And...

 

Last week, Andy, Ashley, Locklan,

Mr K, Tony and Mindy went out to dinner

and on to watch my nephew, Tyler's hockey game.

 

Remember this historic game from a few years ago?

Miracle on Ice!

 

Tony has retired, but Tyler is still playing!

 

Locklan enjoyed working the crowd more than the enjoyed the hockey game...

 

 

But we had a great time!

 

Now for the 'no photo' section...

 

Last night Andy, Tony, Mindy, Locklan, Mr K and I headed down to my mom's for a pizza

party.  There we met Michael and Catherine and my cousin Mark and his wife Anne who were in from Chicago.

 

I love getting together with my family!

 

Now, it's time to get dressed for church.

 

God is good, ALL of the time!

 

 

 

 

 

Some of his favorite peeps

Last night, Mindy offered to cook dinner for us, so we invited Andy, Ashley and of course, Locklan!

Locklan was so excited to see "Dee Dee" which is what he calls Mindy, and of course, Tony.

He couldn't wait to show his sandbox to Tony.  He asked Tony to play with him.

 

Of course, he did...

Of course, I got busy and forgot to take any more pictures!

Dinner was excellent, as usual...

We watched the hockey game, Pens won!

Does anyone else find playoffs games as stressful as I do?

 

Maybe we're going to have to rate them by poopers?

 

Okay, enough idle chit chat...I have things to do!

 

 

Miracle on Ice!

It was a big day at Robert Morris University's Island Sports Center...

 

 

 

It seems that after the Colonial youth league won the championship last week...they couldn't get enough hockey...

 

So they challenged the parents!

 

Fortunately, the powers that be declared that it wouldn't be a kid vs. game, but instead divided the talent into two teams;

 

black shirts vs. white shirts!

 

The excitement was palpable...the crowd, including the very stylish Miss M...

 

 

could not wait to view the carnage!

 

In goal for the black team was the formidable Tyler M...

 

 

 

In goal for the white team was...

 

 

THE OTHER GOALIE!

 

It seemed like an easy victory for the black team...

 

 

 

They drove the white goalie crazy...

 

He dropped to his knees...

 

 

 

 

Was he praying, or merely getting ready to surrender?

 

The white team seemed to be waiting for something, someone..

 

when suddenly the ref seemed to be waving at someone.

 

Who could he be greeting?

 

 

Could it be, or were our eyes playing tricks on us?

 

It seems to be...

 

 

 

Mighty Manfred!

 

It was! 

 

 Mighty Manfred has come out of retirement to aid the floundering white team...

 

He calmly skates out onto the ice...

 

 

Over to the bench where he assures his team mates that 'he got this!'

 

 

And he did!

 

He skates...

 

 

He waits...

 

He intimidates!

 

 

A hush falls over the crowd as he bullies those kids half his age...

 

He's a selfless player, however...and he offers to act as a human Zamboni and dusts off the ice...

 

 

 

And he leads his team mates in a fearless attempt to dominate the ice...

 

During a much needed rest between periods, he graciously greets his fans...

 

 

(AKA a little kid who hung out on the bench and offered to clean the ice off his skates)

 

And back on the ice...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A quick glance down the ice...

 

There he is, the goalie for the black team!

 

 

Tyler the Terror!

 

 

Oh no!

 

 

 

Looking like the handsome little devil that he is,

but what he is not is prepared for the skilled players on the other team...

 

 

Suddenly, he realizes...his worst nightmare is coming to life...

 

 

Oh no!

 

 

The Mighty Manfred, AKA his cousin Tony, scores for the white team!

 

It ended up a tie game, which resulted in a shoot out.

 

To be honest, I don't know who won,

 

I don't know if the teams know...

 

All I know is that at the end of the game,

the fans saw, for possibly the first time ever...

the competing cousins,

 

~Manfred and Manfred~

leaving the ice!

 

 

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

it's the dynamic duo of

 Manfred and Manfred!

 

 

 

 After the ice chips settled...

 

 

 Even top notch goalies needs a little help...

What fun!