Another before and after

About 15 minutes ago, Lucas got one of his most drastic "before and after" haircuts yet. He wanted to get it cut short toward the beginning of the school year in early September, but we made him keep it longer for his school picture, which was today. We said if he did that, he could get it cut however he wanted (within reason...no stupid mohawks, for instance). Lucas decided on a John Cena haircut, and if you're not familiar with the WWE wrestler, he wears it in a very short, military cut. Here's an example:

So without any further adieu, here's the before photo of Lucas with his wavy locks...

...and here he is with virtually no locks of any type.

I'm not a big fan of it since I like longer hair, but he's loving it. So I guess that's what matters. At least he won't be complaining about hair getting in his eyes when he puts on his hockey helmet anymore.

Hockey's Going Great!

No pictures in this post, but I wanted to give an update on Lucas's hockey season. I gotta say, this year's almost like watching a completely different kid from last year. He's been a much more confident and aggressive player thus far, so much so that in his first exhibition game, Marilu said, "I can't believe that's our kid!"

He's not the fastest player on the ice, and he probably will never lead the team in scoring, but what he does have going for him is awareness. Last year, there was a kid on his team named Noah, and every time he was on the ice, I felt more confident for the Coyotes since he was always in the right position, whether it was for an offensive or defensive play. I told Marilu that that's exactly who Lucas has reminded me of so far this year.

The icing on the cake was this past Sunday, after Lucas's second exhibition game. His coach gave out post game "awards" for the first time, which went to the hardest working player and the smartest player, and Lucas was awarded the latter. Now I realize throughout the season, just about every kid will be named one or the other at some point, but he legitimately did earn it in that game. Hell, he probably had a shot at the former since he was backchecking like a madman, breaking up all kinds of scoring chances for the other team.

Anyway, the point of this post is just to say that I'm proud of Lucas and how far he's come in just a little over two years. This season ought to be a fun one, and I'll be sure to get lots of pictures!

It's the little things

While I am not a big fan of the cooling fall weather, Lucas has been looking forward to making a pile of leaves that he can jump in. Yesterday, he got his wish.

Team Name

I'm sure everyone is waiting with bated breath for this announcement so without any further adieu, Lucas's hockey team named themselves the Zombies. The coach had asked for suggestions from the kids during the week, and there were 4 variations on zombies (Lucas being one of them with Zombie Squad) so rather than a drawn out voting process, that's what they are. You can now return to your holiday weekend, be it Thanksgivibg or Colombus Day.

More Random Stuff from the Summer

Some random pictures from the iPhone taken this summer.

Lucas chugging down a root beer at what I believe is Jack Astor's restaurant. They have their own brand of root beer and bring it to you in a bottle so that narrows the choices down. (I was just looking at the blog to make sure I hadn't posted the next picture, and I realize I already posted this one since it was from his birthday lunch. Oh well, double the pleasure and all that.)

Showing off the street hockey gear he got for his birthday. It's actually seen a lot of use this summer since the kids have been playing outside a lot, particularly since school started.

Lucas shows off his photography skills with this shot of Marilu.

The three of us in a paddleboat on Dow's Lake. I don't know if we got a defective boat, or if they are just naturally hard to navigate, but man, that thing was a serious pain in the butt. Beautiful day though.

These last three photos are from a short hike we did at Fitzroy Provincial Park. It's quite a step down from going to Gatineau Park, but it's a bit closer plus there was a beach where we spent an hour or two so all in all, it was a good time.

Since taking these photos, I've lost over 20 lbs and Marilu is down quite a bit too. Woohoo for healthy living!

Let's Play!

And so it begins again. Lucas's third year of hockey, second in Novice. After his first weekend of practices, he's more excited about hockey than he's ever been in the past. It probably doesn't hurt that he knows several kids on his team (to be named next week...the team, not the kids).

The kids posed for pictures after practice today since the team gets $500 from Dodge for showing off their nameplate. That's why the jerseys are on backwards. 

If you haven't figured it out yet, Lucas is #5 on the left.