WILD hockey

Getting ready to watch warm ups before the game.

Waiting for the WILD to come out on the ice

They were so fast, so big, and so coordinated!!

Dubnyk #40, the WILD goalie

All six of us went to the WILD game and had an amazing time!

Finn enjoyed the game for the most part, but thought it was just a little too long.

GOAL!!!  The WILD won with 12 sec left in OT.

First game for Finn (and Mom)

Liam and his tunnel

Luke and Finn

All four boys working on their snow fort

We had a very nice weekend and enjoyed a special family outing to the WILD hockey game. I haven’t ever been to an NHL hockey game and neither had Finn. Luke, Liam, and Aiden have been to a few WILD games, but it is usually only once a year. This was a Christmas gift for all of the boys and we had a blast. Finn thought the game was just a little too long, but he was entertained. There was a lot of music, lights, and food to keep him occupied.   The boys are already asking when we can go back so it might be a new tradition for us. 

We received close to a foot of snow last week. It didn’t come all at once, but we had a couple snowfalls of 4 inches or more and ended up with quite a bit of snow by the end of the weekend. The boys enjoyed some time working on their snow fort, sledding, and snowboarding.   Its always fun to play in the snow, but I am more than ready for spring.

President's Day Weekend

Outdoor Ice practice for Aiden's team.  Luke tagged along this time.  That's Aiden in the middle in green jersey and Luke at back with blue (Kentucky-thanks Jennifer!) sweatshirt.

Luke on the ice

Luke and Liam's Team

Liam and Luke lining up for a face-off

Liam

Nice edges for Liam

Bowling with Friends

Luke's first broken hockey stick after a slap shot in the backyard

Movie on President's day.  Each of the boys received a movie and candy for Valentine's Day from Mimi and we are watching Aiden's movie, Inside Out.

We enjoyed a long weekend for President’s Day with a few extra days off from school. We went bowling within friends and swimming at the community center along with our normal hockey practices and games for the weekend. It was very nice to have a few extra days off from school. 

Luke and Liam’s game over the weekend was extra fun. As most of you know, Luke tried out as a goalie this year and has been sharing this position with his goalie partner, Owen. 

While he has really enjoyed being a goalie, he has missed being able to skate. Thankfully, he has continued to skate on our rink which he has enjoyed. On Sunday, however, he was able to skate out in the game since it was not his turn to be goalie and since we had a player out of town.   The other part that made this fun was that he was as on the same line as Liam so they got to skate together. We were hoping they would score together as well, but that didn’t happen this time. Nonetheless, it was fun to watch!  

Fun Weekend

Taking a break from skating for lunch in the basement.  Mom and Dad didn't want to take off all the skates and then put them back on to go out again!

Checking out the outdoor practice facility for the Minnesota WILD

Aiden and Luke got a puck

Wild players

Autographs from Charlie Coyle, one of the WILD players

Picture with Charlie Coyle

Autographed pucks and a glove for Luke!!

We had a fun weekend with lots of hockey related events and a little time off from team practices to skate in the backyard.  The weather has been quite cold lately, but the boys (especially Luke) don't seem to mind.

John took Aiden and Luke to an outdoor practice with the Minnesota Wild NHL hockey team.  They were able to watch the players practice in the outdoor facility and even managed to get a few pucks and get them autographed by an NHL player, Charlie Coyle.  Finn had a cold and needed to stay home and rest while Liam decided he really didn't want to stand outside in the freezing cold for an hour so the rest of us hung out at home.  Super fun for Luke and Aiden to watch the practice and kudos to Charlie Coyle for hanging out so long to sign autographs.

Super Bowl LII

Go Patriots!  Finn was rooting for the Patriots and was a little sad when the Eagles won

Special dinner date with Dad

Finn is doing some bowling with Dad

Luke, Liam, and Aiden with John at the Super Bowl Experience

Fun exhibits!

Iowa exhibit

Aiden checking out some exhibits

Lombardi Trophy

Paddington 2 with friends

Our weekend in Minneapolis was pretty exciting with the Super Bowl in town.  There were lots of celebrities that were found throughout the city at various restaurants and other areas that we frequent on a regular basis.  We didn't run into anyone, but it was funny to hear that Jimmy Fallon went to dinner in a town about 15 minutes from us.

The weather certainly didn't disappoint, if you were hoping for typical Minnesota winter weather, that is.  The temps were bitter cold and it snowed on both Friday and Saturday.  John took the boys downtown to the Super Bowl experience on Saturday at the Convention Center and they had a blast getting to see the Lombardi trophy, and testing out their skills running, throwing, and jumping at various exhibits.  They saw lots of football memorabilia and really enjoyed the day although they were exhausted by the end.

The high school in Maple Grove (that the boys will eventually attend) had several girls on their dance team who got to dance in the halftime show with Justin Timberlake.  Overall, the weekend was a fun for us and such a neat experience for several of our friends and neighbors who attended the game and the concerts over the Super Bowl weekend.  I think the big boys will remember the weekend for many years to come.