#5

It's hockey season again.

I LOVE WATCHING THIS GAME!

Okay .. especially when Eli is playing.  This is his 4th season.  The league he's on is from 3rd-5th grades.  I have to say ... that's a big age gap when you're this age.  But it's almost like he "arrived" this year .. being one of the oldest on the team.  It's so fun to see how better he's gotten over the years.
This year ... he's scored at least one goal in every game except the last two (how does that happen?)

The best is that he LOVES playing.  Passionate about it.  Doesn't want to be late to practice.  Or miss a game.

I don't miss any games.  And I stand on the ends by the goalie .. at the fence .. for the best view.  I am thinking that's not where I should stand.  Because the only people that really stand there are the parents of that goalie.  And I like standing at the other teams goalie end .. because then I can see when my kid makes a goal.  Anyway ... like the normal parents sit in the stands.  But I'm pretty comfortable not being the "normal" mom.

I yell.  And I scream.  And I can't help it actually.  I try to control myself and then I get all sweaty.  And I do think it's annoying to the parents who stand behind their goalie kid ... as I yell words of encouragement to our team who makes a goal.... next to the parent who is consoling theirs.

I love Eli's coaches this year.  The assistant is a kid who's about 19.  And obviously hockey is a passion of his.  He beats on the board.  He yells.  He hugs them.  He is always so proud of them.  Even when they lose .. he is just so encouraging.  Always telling them the things they did right.  How hard they played. One of the first games they played .. they were losing pretty bad.  Then in the last five minutes they scored 4 goals.  It wasn't enough to win.  But at the end of the game .. by his reaction .. you would have thought they just won the Stanley Cup.  Was really awesome to watch the kids reaction ... they totally stayed positive even through losses .. because of his attitude.  It was contagious.  A good lesson for the kids ...

I didn't get many awesome pics.  Mostly because I'm too excited during the games and too busy yelling to remember to take pics.  Whoops.

He's #5 again ... this has become "his" number.

Great season ... I'm proud of my boy.  He played hard ... and what's more important is that he loved every minute he got to play!