A month of birthdays and hockey!

 A month ago we were celebrating two boys growing another year older.  It's crazy to think its already been a month since Declan turned 8 and Connor turned 5 and it's even crazier knowing I have an 8 and 5 year old!  I feel like they are still should both still be my babies instead of becoming big kids.  Declan is doing amazing in 2nd grade and at JET and Connor is thriving in his last year of preschool and is more than ready for kindergarten.  We didn't plan birthday parties for the boys this year because of their hockey schedules and the fact that many of their friends share birthdays around the same time and had scheduled parties, leaving us with no open weekends to have family and friend parties.  We did celebrate the boys with a small party at home and they took treats to hockey and school.  Also, we celebrated my dad's birthday a few days later at a Mexican restaurant so the boys got to see some extended family and celebrate with them as well.

A few weeks after birthday celebrations, Declan had a hockey tournament here in town.  The team finished 7th out of 8 team but he got to play at The Barn at the Centene Community Ice Center.  It was fun to see him play in an outdoor rink and with the weather not as brutal as Kinderhook last January, watching the game was actually comfortable as well.

Connor had a field trip to the pumpkin patch with his preschool class and had an absolute blast.  The pumpkin patch had corn bins, animals to feed, tractors, hayrides and of course, pumpkins.  He got to ride in a mini school bus and learn all about bus safety and preparing for elementary school.

Halloween this year was a bit different for us.  For the first time ever, we were not home for Halloween.  Since my kids are social butterflies (unlike their mother), they were invited to a Halloween party and trick-or-treating with their friends.  Declan had two friends (twins) in preschool that he absolutely adored, Margot and Harper, and Connor is best friends with their little brother, who is the same age as Connor, Danny.  So this year, we opted to attend the Halloween party and let the boys trick-or-treat with their friends and they enjoyed the night immensely!  

This weekend, we had more hockey.  Today Declan had two games in Granite City, Illinois.  With the location being between our house and my dad's side of the family, we invited everyone to come see Declan play.  Unfortunately, most of the family had other plans, but my dad and step-mom were available and came to watch Declan.  This was extremely special, mostly because my dad is not in the best health to be able to attend such events.  I don't believe I've mentioned it, but my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's almost 2 years ago and we've seen a real decline in his health.  Sometimes he doesn't know who we are, where he is or how to do the simple things he's done for so long.  It hurts to see his decline.  But, we've talked to him about both boys playing hockey and he wanted to try to make it to at least one game.  Since this one was close enough to his house, my step-mom drove him to catch the games.  My dad's vision isn't the best anymore due to the type of Alzheimer's he has but he was there cheering on my kid and it was the sweetest.  I don't know how many more games he will get to attend for my boys but I'm so glad he was able to come today.  Ironically, when my dad was much younger, he played hockey with some of his co-workers at the Granite City rink so it was a good to get to reminisce about his younger days.

Other than that, we're headed into the holiday season and full on hockey season.  It's super crazy and super busy and I'm just trying to get through it all without losing every brain cell.

As always, here's a photo dump of our fun.

Labor Day and more

 It's hard to believe that the unofficial end of summer is already behind us.  Last weekend was Labor Day and we made the most of the long weekend, filling up our schedule to the max.

We filled the last few weeks of summer break with some fun.  I took a day off of work and the boys and I went to the Magic House for a day of exploring.  They had an absolute blast and didn't want to leave even after spending the entire day at the museum.

We also attended a Savannah Bananas games when they came to St. Louis on their Banana Ball World tour.  The Bananas played the Loco Beach Coconuts and Bananas won.  We also got to see guest appearances by former St. Louis Cardinals players Matt Carpenter and David Freese.  It was a fun experience!

The boys started school a few days later.  Connor moved to Junior Kindergarten at his preschool on Monday, August 24th and Declan started second grade on that Tuesday.  Connor is down to his last year at preschool and D and I are counting down the months until no more tuition!  After 8 years, we're ready for a raise, but we're super grateful for how much our boys have learned by going to preschool in their early years.  Connor was sad to leave his old class and teacher but he understands that he's preparing for kindergarten and is looking forward to new adventures.

Declan is not only be in second grade but he also qualified for the gifted program in our school district and will start attending another school and expand his knowledge one day each week starting this week.  He's so smart and quite kind.  We're so proud of him!

Besides school, we've just started hockey season for both boys.  Connor joined a 6u team and D is an assistant coach with one of his hockey buddies who also has a 6u player on the team.  Connor picked #97 in honor of his favorite player Connor McDavid.  He's having so much fun and making new hockey friends.

Declan shocked us this year with hockey and has earned himself a spot on an 8u red team, moving up 2 levels from 8u blue with only 1 year of organized hockey under his belt.  In early August, we went to Pure Hockey to get skates sharpened and while there Declan made a laundry list of equipment and gear he wanted.  D told him that if he made red he would buy him the net and targets and mini stick he requested.  Declan kept practicing and took his pre-skates and evaluations very seriously and earned that spot on 8u red.  I think it helped that he spent half of his summer at hockey camp perfecting his skills, but it proved to me how much he wanted his gear and to be a red 8u player.  What is quite funny is that only 3 8u blue players made it to 8u red and they were all on Declan's 8u tournament team last year.  And if you're wondering, we ended up getting Declan his net, targets and some tiles in order to sharpen his game from Marketplace.  It was a debacle to pick it up, but both boys are enjoying the new hockey training setup in the backyard.  We still have to get him that mini stick, but with a houseful of mini sticks, we're trying to hold off as long as we can. :)

So, how did we spend our Labor Day weekend?  At the hockey rink, of course!  Both boys had their first tournament of the season.  Connor was beyond ecstatic to be a "real" hockey player.  While he didn't have his #97 jersey because they still were on order, he picked #4 to be like his daddy, when D played HNA.  He scored his first goal (and a second!) and also played goalie in two games.  In fact, he earned a shutout in his second game and his team won 6-0.  His team finished middle of the pack in their bracket but it wasn't from lack of effort on Connor's part.  He took it very seriously but had so much fun too.

Declan looked great and showed us that he deserves to be on 8u red. He scored 3 goals, had 2 assists and his team made it to the semi-finals after a slow start.  He even had a goal through the legs of one of his opponents - a kid that told him that he was probably the last kid picked for red.  I was so proud of Declan showing with actions that he's up for a challenge and what was even better is that he left the other kid stunned.  To me, this shows that in the face of adversity, Declan is ready to prove himself.

After all of the hockey on Saturday and Sunday, D and I got a bit of a break on Monday (Labor Day).  We had a lot of errands to get done before we went to see Shinedown.  Like in years past (2022, 2023) and then our anniversary last year, we got to see Shinedown in concert.  This year was a smaller show at The Factory in Chesterfield.  It was literally 15 minutes from our house which was great since we both had to work on Tuesday but we bought general admission tickets and had to stand on the crowded floor for the show.  I absolutely love Shinedown's music and loved the smaller venue, but I wish we would have sprang for more expensive tickets in the balcony. I realize, I'm getting old and I just don't fit in with the typical hard rock crowd like I used to, but we still had a good time. I am also loving the new songs from Ei8ht and have been singing them around the house pretty much non-stop.

As for this weekend, we've have hockey practices all weekend and we're getting ready to take our annual trip to pick apples.  We're soaking up the last few weeks of the summer weather while also getting going with our fall activities.  It's been crazy busy, but I don't know if I'd have it any other way.

Here's a photo dump of our fun:

Hello Summer!

It's almost 4th of July and I'm getting a few days to recover after a crazy week at work and taking a vacation last week.  Yes, you heard that correctly, I actually got to take a vacation with my family this year after foregoing last year's trip due to having to work!  

This year we took advantage of having Juneteenth off at both of our jobs and took a road trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula last week.  Declan had hockey camp on Juneteenth but as soon as camp dismissed we got on the road for the long drive.

We decided to split the long drive up into a few days and the boys were excited to get to stay in a hotel (only their second time ever staying in a hotel) so we drove to Indianapolis the first night.  Since we got off to a later start, it was about 9 pm ET when we arrived, but they enjoyed exploring the room and called it one of the fanciest places they had ever stayed.  For the record, it was a Springhill Suites that had a mini living room with a desk and two beds and a breakfast buffet in the morning.  I love how excited they are by the little things!  We got up fairly early Saturday morning to make the drive to Lansing to pick up GG and bring her with us to the cabin.  GG planned on staying with us a few nights to see the boys and then D's dad planned on bringing her back home before we finished our stay.  We got to GG's around lunchtime and the boys were in heaven.  We grabbed lunch at Mancino's and then got back on the road.  They talked nonstop the remaining 4.5 hours of our trip up north.

We arrived at the cabin around 5:30 pm and D's dad and step-mom had burgers and hot dogs waiting for us.  We unpacked the car and just took it easy the rest of the night, enjoying the bonfire and UP air.  On Sunday, the boys decided to go rock hunting on the small beach in front of the cabin.  The water was still quite chilly but neither boy cared and at one point, even though we didn't pack swimsuits or water shoes, both boys were nearly completely in the water. D and I made a trip to Meijer to pickup crocs and water shoes (no swimsuits though!), so the boys could enjoy their rock hunting in the bay.  Later in the day we took the boys to see the Point Iroquois Lighthouse and the beach along Lake Superior.  We also took D's dad out for Father's Day dinner at the Back Bay Grill at the casino.  The boys were shocked they could get into a casino but we thoroughly explained to them they could not to touch a slot machine as we made our way back to to the restaurant.   

Monday we got up and the boys were back to looking for rocks.  That afternoon D's dad planned on taking GG back home so we soaked up some time with them before they left.  In the afternoon, we reserved tickets to go on a Soo Locks boat tour.  Declan had been on a boat tour on our last trip to the UP back in 2021, but didn't remember it and Connor who wasn't born yet, was just excited to get to go on a boat.  We headed into the Soo around 1:30 pm to watch freighters go through the locks, check out some of the shops and then take our Soo Locks boat cruise at 3 pm.  The boat tour was awesome!  We took a different one in 2021 but this one we got to go through the Soo Locks on the US side going upbound and then go through the Canadian Locks going downbound.  The tour was informative and fun and I'd definitely go on that tour the next time we visit the UP.  After the boat tour, the boys wanted to play mini golf so that's where we headed.  Of course, with two active boys, someone had to get hurt and like most of the time, it was Connor.  He hit his lip on the end of Declan's putter and cut right above his lip opened.  Thankfully he was fine, but I'm sure he's going to have a scar because I didn't have a first aid kit to take care of it until we got back to the cabin a few hours later and even then because of the placement, it was hard to put antibiotic cream and a band-aid on it.  We had ice cream at Zak & Mac's after mini golf and that seemed to help Connor feel better.

Tuesday, with it being on the 4 of us at the cabin, we got up early to start our day.  We drove to the Pendills Fish Hatchery first and learned about what the hatchery and Department of Natural Resources does to keep the Great Lakes filled with different kinds of fish.  Afterwards, we continued our drive up to Whitefish Point to go to the Shipwreck Museum.  We went to the Shipwreck Museum in 2021 also and it was very educational and since both of my boys love learning about shipwrecks, they enjoyed the displays and short film about the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald. We also got to see the lighthouse at Whitefish Point and also go out to the beach and search for more rocks.  It was nearly lunchtime then so we decided to continue our journey and head towards Tahquamenon Falls and grab lunch at the brewery at the Upper Falls.  The boys enjoyed a lemonade while D had a brew but they did have to "cheers" for a great day.  After lunch we walked to see the upper falls and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery.  I'm always in awe at the Falls.  It's a natural wonder and it's just so picturesque.  After taking in the falls, we headed back to the cabin.  It had been a long and adventurous day and we were all worn out.

Wednesday we all got up early again and decided to make this our day to visit Canada.  The boys both got their passport last fall and were itching to be able to go somewhere and use it.  When we were on the Soo Locks boat tour on Monday, we saw the Bush Plane Museum from the tour.  We decided that would be one place we had to check out during our time in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.  We crossed the border around 9 am and headed to the museum.  This was one of the coolest museums I have ever been to and was well worth the price of admission!  They had all sorts of bush planes (and others!) in the hangar and the displays of information were fantastic.  I learned so much about the history of the planes as well as how the planes fight wildfires throughout Canada and what it takes to become a bush plane pilot.  It's funny because we've always seen the museum from Sault Michigan but never thought about visiting it before, but this time, I'm so glad we did!

After the Bush Plane Museum, D wanted to take the boys to look for hockey equipment.  He thought we would find a deal on equipment for the boys so we headed to Northern Exposure Sports. We ended up finding Connor a curved stick for fall hockey and Declan got new elbow pad and shin guards.  The store also had a shooting room where you could test out sticks and shoot pucks into a net.  My hockey obsessed boys were in heaven!  A few hundred bucks later, we were done buying hockey gear and were hungry for lunch.  The boys wanted to see what McDonald's in Canada was like so after convincing D it was ok to have McDonald's and stop hunting for a restaurant found only in Canada, we pulled into the closest McDonald's for lunch.  Connor opted for a grilled cheese Happy Meal and Declan got a snack wrap Happy Meal - neither being found here in McDonald's here in the states (or at least not here in Missouri). I got a McChicken with chili sauce (also not found here in the states) and D settled for what he always gets, a ranch snack wrap meal.  All in all, it hit the spot for lunch.  Before heading back to the states, we decided to stop into a Walmart Supercentre to look around and see if they had we should bring back with us. We ended up with a few hockey pucks for skills, a stickhandling trainer and Declan got a shirt that said Canada on it.  I asked Connor if he wanted one too and his response was, "no, then people will think I'm from Canada.  I'm from the United States."  Typical of Connor but I had to laugh. We made it back across the border in the late afternoon and decided to check out the Valley Camp freight museum in the Soo and see a freighter pass Rotary Park.

While we had hoped to stay at the cabin a bit longer, D made some trip adjustments and wanted to spend time visiting his family before we had to get back to St. Louis, so we packed up Thursday and drove down to see D's dad and step-mom for a few hours before spending the night at GG's house in Lansing.  When we got to GG's, D's sister also stopped in so the boys could hang out with their cousins for a bit.  It's not very often they get to play together so it was good to see them.

Friday we drove to see D's mom and step-dad in Grand Rapids for lunch before starting our trek back home.  We planned on having a delayed Father's Day celebration with my dad on Saturday so we opted to stay in a hotel Friday night in Champaign, IL.  Another hotel for the boys but it wasn't as nice as the Springhill on our way up, but they enjoyed watching re-runs of Saved by the Bell that evening and eating our leftover pizza from the night before.

We left Champaign around 10 am on Saturday morning so we could be to my brother's house in time for our get-together.  Along the way, we decided to stop in Effingham, IL and visit the Cross at the Crossroads.  I've seen the 198 foot cross on many drives at I-70 and I-57 highway intersections and it was neat to get to finally stop in.  The volunteers at the Visitor Center were so welcoming and we enjoyed the detour.  We got to my brother's house right on time and we had fun seeing the family and celebrating my dad.

It was a fun and busy week.  We packed a lot into our time off but I'm hoping we made memories that my boys will remember.

Here is a photo dump of our fun:

2026 Half Year Update

 Here we are in early June and I'm getting my second update in for the year and what a busy year it has been so far!

Declan finished up first grade on May 21st and is well on his way to second grade.  He did amazing this year and we're so proud of all of his accomplishments.  He learned to read chapter books, learned so much in science and social studies and improved his math skills.  His I-Ready test scores improved from the beginning of the year to the end and he was above grade level during his final evaluation in May.

We're also proud of his hockey accomplishments.  Declan got to play during the intermission of the St. Louis Blues game on April 9th.  It was a short two minute game but seeing him playing where the professionals do was very exciting!  Also, after the regular season, Declan tried out for the St. Louis Sting AA program.  AA is a step up from his STP program and we weren't sure with only playing one season of hockey if he would make the spring Sting team but he worked extremely hard during his tryout and made the 8u Sting team.  He was one of only 4 blue kids (lowest level of STP) to make the team.  We were beyond proud of how hard he worked to make the team with kids who have been playing longer than he has.  He's done fairly well playing this spring and has his final two games this afternoon.  He'll be going to hockey camp starting tomorrow for 6 weeks and will be improving upon his skills so that he is ready for fall STP tryouts in August.

Connor is thriving as well.  He's doing amazing at preschool and impresses us each day with all of the things he's learning.  He's been switching between soccer and cooking classes at preschool depending on what the schedule allows for and is just the life of every party. This spring he was taking more hockey skills classes at STP and his instructor thought he was much older than four by how well he listened and followed directions.  Once he finished the STP skills class, he started the Little Blues Learn to Play class and we're nearly finished with those - just one week left until graduation!  He's intense and is ready to play on an STP 6u team.  We just got him registered for fall hockey on Friday night and he got to pick his number.  Connor picked #97 in honor of his idol Connor McDavid.  We asked numerous times just to be sure and he never wavered - 97 was the number he picked months ago and he continues to pick any time we ask what number he wants to be.  I love his commitment and desire to be the best player he can be.

As for me, I'm learning more and more each day with my new job.  The first month was extremely overwhelming and I struggled to understand the ins and outs but with each week and more access, I'm feeling more comfortable and learning how to manage my team and workload. I like getting to work from home on Mondays and Fridays and go to the office Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I still work about 9 hours a day but being closer to home or at home makes it worthwhile.

In my spare time, I've been trying to read for fun and have been taking the boys to the library for all of us to pick out books.  Me and the boys are participating in the Summer Reading Challenge and we are hoping to take a vacation to Michigan in a few weeks to relax at the cabin.  We've not been to the cabin in 5 years and this will be Connor's first visit.  It will be good to unwind and take it easy for a bit, minus the 13 hour drive. :)

Anyway, here are a few pics of our fun over the last few months: