Go Union!

Another hockey season is upon us. This is Ella's "3rd" season and last night was Union's home opener (Jason is the assistant coach). She has a brand new Union jersey and we painted U's on her cheeks to celebrate the night. I may be a little biased, but she was the cutest little cheerleader at the rink.

Pre-game....all smiles in Daddy's office.

 You may recall that I have written in the past about Ella's love-hate relationship with hockey games...more specifically the national anthem. She has a history of crying, freaking out actually as soon as the anthem starts. I went into Friday's game with a new attitude....renewed optimism that this season will be different. Ella is an independent toddler. She's walking and starting to talk. She is ready to take on the games!

Another hockey season, same result: TEARS!

HA HA HA...I may have over-estimated things a bit. The meltdown started with the introductions, reached a fever pitch by the national anthem, and by the time the first puck dropped, the U's on her cheeks were partly washed away by tears. The crying (freaking out) lasted pretty much the entire first period. We regrouped in the coach's office and I thought we could redeem ourselves for the second period.....NOPE! More tears, and complete misery ensued. We didn't even make it ten minutes into the second period when I raised the white flag. Less than halfway through game 1 and we were done!

There's another game tonight. Call me crazy, but we are going to try again. Since hockey games will likely be a part of Ella's life for a very long time, I have to TRY to at least get her to cope. Wish me luck!

Happy 4th of July!



Ella and Jason loving the balloon ride at
Hoffman's Playland

 Ella is an adrenaline junkie. She loves the rush of speed. Hanging upside down insights belly laughs in an instant. The faster she swings at the playground, the bigger the smile. You would think she was fearless...that is until the National Anthem plays at a hockey game (or even on tv for that matter). You know when Ella is in the house, she's the one wailing at the top of her lungs. Jason knows instantly when we are at a game, as soon as the anthem starts, so does Pnut! It's a blood curdling, scared to death scream. You can usually hear her from anywhere in the building. I've tried everything, earmuffs, cuddling her close, singing along, sitting in the lobby....once she starts, the screams don't end until the song does. I am usually sitting with the same crowd of people at games. When "Oh say can you see..." begins, heads turn to Ella. It's become a joke among those closest to us. Why does she hate the National Anthem?? I've resorted to skipping the start of games in an effort to minimize the meltdowns.



Ella and Jason singing the Canadian Anthem
during the Stanley Cup Finals

 You could argue that she doesn't like the loud noise, but the Canadian anthem is a "happy" song. No tears when "Oh Canada" blasts through the arena. She sang along with Jason every night of the Stanley Cup finals (decked out in Canucks gear of course), yet when it was America's turn to salute, Ella's face turned from joy to horror. I guess those Canadian roots run deep :-)

Here's to hoping you have a Happy 4th of July! I am sure we will have a nice day...as long as the anthem doesn't play!