Christmas Eve 2019

This year's picture of the crazy kids on Christmas Eve...

My major goal for my holiday vacation is to organize the photos folder on my PC since it has gotten so confusing that it is hard to figure out what to post. Once that is done, I will start updating regularly again.

Halloween 2019

Better late than never! I was finally able to get the cord to attach my phone to the laptop so I have all of my October photos accessible now. As such, here is our Halloween!

We were a little late in getting a pumpkin this year, but we made up for it by getting the biggest one we've ever had. It weighed in at about 54 pounds. You can see the sheer size of it compared to Lucas as he cleans it out.

Because of the size, and more specifically, the thickness, of the pumpkin, we had to keep the design relatively simple. Even so, I think it came out pretty well. Lucas did a good amount of the carving for the first time. I think the only part I did was the mouth.

As the name of the blog implies, Lucas will always be our baby. Though I didn't realize he'd take it literally this Halloween!

Baby got back.

Now that I have uploaded all my pictures, I am going to be focusing on organizing them, which will make posting a lot easier. There are a LOT of unposted photos so expect to see a bunch of stuff before the end of the year.

Gretzky!

I guess there is truth to the saying "when it rains, it pours." Lucas continued his great season by scoring yet again in the Cows' 4th game of the season. He took it from the point, and although it looked like it might go over the goal, it somehow took a weird bounce and ended up dropping in behind the goalie. We're still not sure exactly how it happened, but a goal is a goal!

Believe it or not, that ties him with another kid on the team for leading goal scorer. Crazy, considering he went four years without a goal. I was talking to his coach, and he is encouraging the defensemen to play offensively if they can, and it is apparently paying off.

On top of that, he was a +2 in the latest game, bringing his season plus/minus to +4. Once again, his defensive line prevented any goals so he has yet to be scored on this season. Having said that, his goalie had some fantastic saves in the game.

Oh, I suppose I should also mention that the Cows finally won their first game, 3-1. So they are now 1-2-1. All the games have been close so it's been a good season to watch so far.

On the opposite side of the coin is basketball. I'm a tad biased since I hate the sport of basketball and find it tedious to watch. I'd rather watch Lucas play baseball, and that's saying a lot.

Anyway, his basketball team won their first two games, termed exhibition games, and then the teams were reorganized based on their play. Now this is what I don't get. Both of his games were close--within 4-5 points--so you wouldn't expect the team to change much. However, they ended up gutting the team, moving the three best players. So that's why before halftime in his latest game, his team was down 18-4 at one point.

The final score was a little better, as they pulled within 11-12 points, but it was still a blowout. I didn't need much to push me away from basketball, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. I've decided I will walk Beatrix during his games, and Marilu can sit and watch the games since she doesn't feel the same way as I do about basketball.

Ok, gotta be up early tomorrow. Until next time...

Finally!

The drought is officially over! This past Sunday, Lucas scored his first hockey goal in what feels like forever. It was actually his second year of Novice, which would put that goal in either winter 2015 or spring 2016, but that's still a long damn time.

Not only did he score, but it was probably the best-looking goal in a game that had a lot of ugly bounce goals. Lucas got the puck in his zone, didn't see anyone to pass to so he headed up the ice. He got around 2 or 3 opponents and after entering their zone, he blasted a wrist shot over the goalie's shoulder. To say I was excited is a massive understatement.

Unfortunately, his team lost 5-3, but he played great. Not only did he get the goal, but he was a +1. The only goal scored for either team while he was on the ice was his own. I knew he would play well since he is in House B for a second year, and he's definitely meeting my expectations, possibly even exceeding them.

Lacrosse wraps up this weekend, and he's entering his second weekend of basketball (they won their first game by 5 points on Sunday) so it will be a busy sports weekend. Marilu and I are heading down to New York to see a concert on Saturday so it'll be my mom experiencing all the fun.

Oh, in non-sports news, Lucas got a 97 on a math test this week. I think that may be his highest mark on a test in his school career so it's been an all-around good week for him.

That's all for now.

Cows First Game

Real quick hockey update. Lucas's team, the Cows, had their first game this past Sunday morning. They lost 2-0, but it wasn't a worrisome loss. The teams were matched up pretty well, and both goals came by the same kid on the same shift so I think it was just a momentary lapse of concentration. Lucas wasn't on for either goal so his plus/minus for the year is even. I'm actually planning to keep track of that this season since I always talk about it, and it would be interesting to know what his season total is.

He also had at least a few shots on goal. He and his defensive partner Cameron play a lot of Fortnite together, and I think they came up with a few designed plays during their online gaming. On each faceoff in the opposing zone, as soon as one of them got it, they would pass across to the other, who would then take a shot from the point. None of them went in, unfortunately, but the plays looked good.

He has another game this weekend, at which point I will update again. Hopefully, I'll stay healthy as I have been hit with just about everything over the last couple of weeks, culminating in a return of my shingles from 2016 today. Yeehaw.

Hair Donation

As promised, photos from Lucas and Marilu's hair donation. First up, the before shots!

The various stages of Lucas's hair being prepped.

Lucas said he felt like Medusa here.

Argh, a rat tail! Kill it!

Holding their bags of donations. I believe Marilu had one 7" braid while Lucas had a bunch of 6 inchers.

And finally, the after photos!

Really proud of them, and thanks to everyone who donated to the Children's Hospital!

Some updates

I was planning to post pictures this week of Marilu and Lucas donating their hair last weekend for the children's hospital, but then I ended up getting really sick mid-week and kind of forgot about everything for a few days. I'm just now remembering on Sunday night, just as I am about to head to bed so the pictures will have to wait since they aren't on the computer yet.

What I will update you with is some sports news. Hockey sortouts wrapped up last week, and Lucas was assigned to a team on Thursday. The "bad" news is that he is still is House B (we thought he has a shot at House A), but the great news is he is back with our favorite coach. Craig was his coach 2 and 3 years ago, on the Coconuts and the Emojis. That news alone is enough to make us excited for the season. Thankfully, there is no sign whatsoever about Coach Dumbass from last year.

It's still going to be a couple of weeks until games start, but they did come up with a team name. In keeping with the wacky names, Lucas is now a member of the Cows.

In other sports news, Lucas had his sortouts for basketball today. Unlike hockey, everyone plays in the same division, but they do the sortouts to try and get balance on the teams. I think the basketball season will get underway in the next week or two.

I will do my best to have the hair donation pictures up tomorrow.

Junior High!

I know it's been a long while, but hot off the presses, here are this year's "first day of school" photos.

It seems hard to believe, but Lucas starts grade 7 at the high school today. Where has the time gone?

A big part of the delay in posting has been due to my photos folders being in a state of complete chaos. One of my goals for September is to get them cleaned up and orderly. Once they are manageable again, I will be posting more frequently. We are entering sports season--this year, field lacrosse, hockey, and basketball--so there will be plenty to see.

Ta-ta for now.

Lots of news!

I have to go to bed soon since I'm getting up WAY too early to bring my mom and Kevin to the airport, but so much happened today that I need to do some updating.

Before I get to today though, let's revisit Lucas's Sunday lacrosse playoff game. They were the #2 teams at the end of the season so in the first round of the playoffs, they faced the #3 team. Although they beat that team quite handily during the season by the score of 6-2, they got off to an ugly start, trailing 0-3 after the first period.

Thankfully, they found their groove, shored up their defense, and ended up winning the game 4-3, thanks to 4 straight goals by our top scorer and smallest kid on the team, Cooper. Here are some photos from that game. Lucas (#67) is easy to find since he wears his blue compression pants (or what I call man leggings) to every game.

The long break between second and third period.

#64 was our pint-sized big goal scorer.

Congratulating his goalie after the win.

Okay, back to the present. Today was Lucas's 6th grade leaving ceremony. Apparently, "graduating" from 6th grade is a thing. I kind of roll my eyes about it, but when in Rome. Whatever the case, it was actually a nice ceremony, and I'm still trying to figure out how the heck Lucas is old enough to be going to junior high next year!

Entering the ceremony...

Receiving his certificate.

And leaving.

On top of all that, the lacrosse peewee championship game was tonight. They were up against the only team that beat them this year. That team was coming in strong, having won their first playoff game 14-1. So how did it go? Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words so here you go...

The champs!

It was a crazy game with his team taking an early 2-0 lead, but the other team kept finding a way to stay in the game. Lucas's team never fell behind though, and they ended up winning 8-6. Even better news is that Lucas scored his second goal of the season in the game (his first was in the last regular season game). He played very well tonight, and we were super proud of him.

So quite the day. Graduate sixth grade, spend most of the afternoon in a swimming pool at a graduation reception, and cap it all off with a lacrosse championship! Why can't they all be like that?

12th Birthday Party

Earlier today, Lucas had his 12th birthday party. It was his first actual party in a while since he had a sleepover last year and 2 years ago, we cancelled his party due to his behavior in the weeks leading up to his party. So it was good to get back to the basics.

This time around, we had it at a place called GlowSport Nerf Gun Battle. Just like it sounds, it's a facility that hosts Nerf gun battles in a neon and blacklight arena. I wasn't sure what to make of it when Marilu first made the reservation, but I'm glad we did since Lucas and the boys (9 of his closest friends) had an absolute blast.

I've included some highlights below.

Everyone met up at our place first, and then we drove in two separate cars to the facility.

The way the battle worked is that Lucas's team (team orange) played against another team. It turned out to be a perfect matchup as it was another 12-year-old's birthday party.

Once they entered the arena, they were issued Nerf guns from the Gun Store. There were 3 different levels of guns, with the kids earning higher levels as the game progressed. It's a really neat idea.

As the birthday boy, Lucas got to use a gun tier higher than the other kids.

Some shots of the kids strategizing.

The blacklight does wonders for Marilu and her false tooth. :)

After 90 minutes of battling, the boys sat down to some well-deserved fruit, chips, pizza, and cake.

Finally, we returned home and Lucas opened his gifts. At this age, the majority of them are money, which will probably go toward getting a new computer and monitor, something he has been saving for since last year.

Lucas's actual birth day is tomorrow, which is also Father's Day. We will be having dinner at The Keg, a steakhouse here in Ottawa. I will try to get some of the videos I took today up by the end of the weekend. Until then!