Hockey camp started out first thing Monday morning. I was prepped and prepared to drive the kids to St. Polten. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get there. We got the kids all signed in and Deagan's group was first up on the ice. I helped him get dressed, and sent him out on the ice. He hadn't been on the ice in several months, so I was unsure of what to expect. There was a step down onto the ice from the box door, and Deagan tackled it like a pro. He jumped down the stair and landed perfectly. Then immediately lost his balance and fell. Well, at least his first fall was already out of the way and he could move on. As it turned out, Deagan was probably the youngest and for sure the smallest player at the camp. He did really well even though the instruction was in German and most of it was far too difficult for someone his age. He skated around the ice as fast as he could and tried to do all the drills that he was supposed to. He worked hard and played harder! Dane too, did really well. He worked so hard that by the end of the week, he was completely exhausted and every muscle in his body was sore. After watching so many hockey games and practices, you get to recognize your own kid on the ice despite all the gear, helmets, and glass in the way. You no longer have to look for their number, you can just recognize them by the way they skate, hold their body, and play. There was so much improvement by the end of the week, that after watching the last scrimmage, and noticing one player that looked really good and even scored a goal just as the whistle blew, I had to double take when I realized that it was Dane. I hardly recognized him!
The drive home the first night went really well, until the GPS told me that she altered my route because of traffic congestion. I went with her on that one. She told me to turn left at a light. I did. Then out of the corner of my eye, I noticed red sign with a white line through it. It means do not enter. I was going the wrong way down a one-way road! Now, I couldn't curse the GPS too much, as it was only recently a one-way due to construction. There was a car coming the other direction, however. I pulled over as much as I could, and braced for the worst. Then a miracle happened. The other car just flashed his lights at me. There wasn't a single honk. No yelling. I couldn't believe it!! I promptly turned the car around, and made my way home on a different route.
Dan surprised me on Tuesday. I had an appointment at the house that I needed to come back home for, so the plan was to drive all the way down to the hockey camp, drive all the way back for the appointment, and then drive all the way back to pick up the boys, and all the way back home. I was willing to do it, but I felt bad for Danyon, Dyllan, and my rear ends having to sit in the car for 5 hours on Danyon's birthday. Dan decided to work from home that day, and he drove the boys over. That left Dyllan, Danyon and I time to have fun at home. We played games, we read books, we swam, and we baked Danyon's birthday cake. We made vanilla cupcakes with Caramel Cream Cheese icing and chocolate ganache on top. Danyon didn't understand what to do with his candle, so I had to eventually blow it out for him. He knew he wanted his cupcake (as he screamed when I took it off his tray to take out the candle and take off the paper), but he wasn't really sure what to do with it. He stuck his finger in the icing. He licked it off. He decided that it was pretty good, as he did that a few times. The other kids had started eating their cupcakes, and he noticed that they were holding theirs. He picked his up, and it was all over from there. He had icing from his hair to his belly button. There was even some stuffed up his nose. He thoroughly enjoyed his cupcake. Dan had to give him a bath when he was done so that he could unwrap his presents without sticking to all the wrapping. He loved all his new toys, but his favorite is the Zebra on wheels that sings, has lights, and he can push it around to help him learn to walk.Wednesday, it was back to hockey camp. Dyllan and I busied ourselves during the day by going grocery shopping, playing UNO, watching a movie, playing Frisbee, and watching the boys play hockey. That night, we had a surprise for Dyllan. Dan had ordered her birthday cake from a lady in the Czech Republic. He knew her from a friend at work. So we piled Dyllan, Deagan, and Danyon in the car (Dane was so tired that he wanted to stay home and sleep), and we drove to the Czech Republic. It was a beautiful drive. There were a couple of lakes and forested areas. The towns were cute and quaint. We picked up the cake, which was a strawberry cream vanilla cake, decorated with Marzipan. There was a girl in a dress sitting on the cake. The lady really paid attention to detail, as even her fingernails were painted. It was fun to have a cake that was entirely edible.
Thursday was Dyllan's birthday and I felt bad that she had to spend the whole day in St. Polten. So, we made it fun for her. I took her shopping to a mall where she was able to get new earrings and new shoes. After shopping her off her feet, I took her to lunch to McDonald's (her choice), and then we went back to the rink and watched a movie, had manicures, and played UNO and Frisbee. It wasn't her first choice of things to do on her birthday, but she admitted that it was pretty fun anyway. She of course, had the most fun eating her cake and opening presents. Her favorite was a doll (American Girl type).By Friday, the boys were walking around like zombies. I can see why the camp is only 4 days instead of 5. I don't think they could've handled it for one more day. We did a little cleaning to catch up from a week of neglect, and then we invited friends over to swim and to party all afternoon. It was a fun day. The boys gladly hit the hay a little early that night.
Also on Friday, Dan left for the U.S. He said he had some work meetings, but I'm pretty sure that he just wanted a few bites of a really good steak. I told him to eat pizza for me, and to enjoy the shopping! I have to admit I'm jealous. It would be so nice to see all our old friends, and it would be nice to go to a Walmart and just know what kinds of things you can find there. We sent him with a huge list of supplies to bring back for us. We are anxiously waiting for his speedy return. Oh, and it will be nice to see him again as well!
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