Have a Yule that's Cool

Christmas favorite things:

Picking out a tree
12 days of Christmas gifts from Bella
Ryder! All we want or need this Christmas
Trent building his rink
sub-zero temps (for the rink)
"Sparkly lights" -- Gabi
Mary's song on the CD player in the car "This is Jesus's mudder's song!" -- Gabi
The "big kids" catching the vision of what Christmas is all about
Teague reading the 12 days of Christmas stories each night
Granny is coming to town!!
Cancer days are long forgotten as we hug our boy full of health and strength and wisdom
New friends
The classic movies: Grinch, Elf, Christmas Vacation, and It's a Wonderful Life
Wondering what Trent could possibly be surprising me with?
Thinking of others
Dark evenings so I can't see that I haven't dusted
Ryleigh already negotiating how early she can wake us up on Christmas morning
Ryleigh waiting for Santa's letter back to her
This:




Quote: "Cleaning a house while you have children is like shoveling while it is still snowing!"

Like winning Lord Stanley

This weekend we went to Missoula MT for a hockey tournament. It was Teague's team, the Spokane Jets. His first year, his first tournament. They earned their way into the championship against Idaho Falls (who beat them earlier in the tournament 9-4). It looked as though they would lose a hard fought battle again as Idaho Falls carried a 4-2 lead into the final 10 minutes. But the Jets soared in those final 10 minutes scoring 3 goals, the winner with 25 seconds left to hand Idaho Falls their only loss of the tournament and earn the championship!! Teague said it felt like he had just won the Stanley Cup.

I never knew that coaching could be so rewarding and that I could feel so happy for that group of 16 kids who worked so hard and were so excited. It was fantastic to see Teague feeling that sense of belonging with his teammates and accomplishing something difficult to do. Every second I see him on that ice is like a miracle to me and I know that it is just the beginning of many more miraculous memories to come. It was difficult not to think of the last time I saw Teague pointing skyward when he was going through a battle of a different kind. This time he points his finger skyward with joy in his heart for the success he felt...this time like any 10 year old boy would feel.