What really matters

Ryan had his end of the year hockey jamboree this weekend. Sadly, Mite #4 took (gasp!) last place. It's no fun losing, and I have seen my fair share of kids crying at the end of these tournaments. The goalies, especially, are hard on themselves. 

I consider this weekend a victory for Thad and I. Why you ask? Thad heard Ryan after the first loss go up to the two top players from the other time in the locker room and say, "Good game guys." I heard Ryan do the same thing as we were leaving after loss #2. We went to my mom and dad's to visit Grandma afterward, and I told him. He vehemently denied the whole thing.   

Grandpa Wayne made a good point. He said, "Ryan winning is easy. It's losing that is hard."

(Note: I have no idea what happened after the last game. I had to run the three kids home and whip up a quick supper so I could take Brady to the walk in)

I was so proud of my little nine year old for handling loss with such class. I can't make any promises that he will do that in, oh say, eight years if he is in the MN State Hockey Tournament, but this is good enough for now.

Ryan's third grade teacher, Diane Johnson, came to watch Ryan play yesterday. If you are a Thomas Edison alumni, you may remember her. She recently retired after 35 years of teaching. She had Thad even! She is long term subbing for Ryan's 'real' teacher who just had a baby. Thad said Ryan kept checking in between shifts to see if she was there. It's a gentle reminder just how much it means to kids to receive support and encouragement. 

Now we just need Brady to recover from the crud and an ear infection, keep the whole house healthy, and dig out of our upcoming blizzard to get to the cities for tournament time! AJ: I can't wait to see you!