Spring break - the Blackhawk store

While walking around in Chicago we accidentally stumbled over the Blackhawk store downtown.  As their biggest fan, Mathias was in hog heaven.  In addition to every which article of fan gear they also had displays of actual gear worn by actual players. It was very fun and M walked away with a t-shirt featuring #88 (Kane). Thanks, Aunt B for the birthday money!

Spring break - the game

The main purpose of the Chicago trip, and the birthday present, was the matchup of Minnesota Wild and the local Blackhawks. We're a bit divided in the family but everyone wore their fan attire. 

We had fantastic seats in the front row, courtesy of Uncle Lenny. We were seated in row 1, not far from the Blackhawk bench.  There were plenty close up viewing of the stars on the ice. The boys each got s puck from the warmup. 

At the end of a lot of hockey - 3 periods, overtime, and s shootout - Minnesota walked away with the victory. While Mathias wasn't thrilled with the outcome, a fabulous time was had by all. 

Spring break - Dylan's

Downtown Chicago there is a store that stocks 7000 different varieties of candy. Imagine our shock when it turned out the boys really liked it! And yes, we walked out with several weeks worth of candy. All of which is now gone...

Spring break - Chicago

Our combined birthday/spring break trip took us to Chicago. We spent a day walking around in the Windy City, which lived up to its reputation. The boys really enjoyed visiting, even though it was cold and they didn't really want to walk that far. One of the favorite stops was Krispy Kreme donuts. 

A quiet celebration

The Plan for the birthday was set. Waffles for breakfast, French toast for dinner, and a chocolate ice cream cake.  Well.. The evening before Mathias started feeling not so well. Before the night was through he had a high fever and a pounding headache.  He ended up staying home and sleeping most of his birthday.  Around dinner he rallied a bit to have s bite to eat and a piece of Blackhawks cake (and open a few presents). No exactly as planned... There are rumors of a weekend surprise! 

10. Yes, 10!

As of 5:42 this morning Mathias is 10 years old. We're not quite sure how that happened either... But he is quickly growing up into a likable determined young man. Happy birthday, big boy!

End of first season of Squirt Hockey

After an intense couple of weeks of almost non-stop hockey practices and games, the season has ended. The Squirt C team lost a lot of games during the season.  But they managed to win 2 out of the last 4 in the conference tournament. Coming in ranked 13 out of 13 teams in the conference, they certainly exceeded the expectations in a final season blowout. The team fought hard and everyone was proud of their effort.