Cam the Hockey Player!

Over the weekend, we had a major milestone in the Walker household... Cameron started playing REAL hockey on REAL ice (as he calls it)!  He is playing in the Initiation Program in Midstate Hockey League, which is the league that Mama, Uncle Paul and Uncle Matt all played in.  On Cam's team is his cousin Joe and one of his coaches is Uncle Chris.  The Initiation Program is a learn to skate, learn to play hockey program.  Everyone there is a first or second year beginner and the kids range from Cam's age up to ten or so.  Most of the kids are smaller like Cam, but there are some bigger kids trying hockey for the first time.

Trying on equipment the night before

The rest of the equipment - what a cutie!

Cameron LOVED it.  He had so much fun and was so excited to go back the next day.  We were also so proud of him - he tried so hard and improved so much.  He didn't get frustrated, he didn't get upset, he just kept working.  It was amazing to see, especially when he came off the ice beaming at the end of practice.

Watching the zamboni before practice starts.  Cam's team is Tim Hortons.

 

 

Cam and his teammates ready to get out on the ice - Cam is right in the middle

After skating around a bit, they stretch out.  Cam is the one just to the right of the cone

 

Close up of Cam stretching out

 

Cameron improved so much from the start of practice on Saturday to the end on Sunday.  He went from walking along the ice rather than skating on the first day and was starting to glide and push off by the end of the second day.  Falling down was another hurdle - it took him a few tries, but he can now get up all by himself like a pro.  He tried every single drill they showed him and didn't give up until he got it right every time.   It didn't phase him if he was the first or the last one done, he just made sure he did everything.  It was so cute and I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest, I was so proud of my boy!

My little Timbit - number 55 ("Exactly the number I wanted," said Cam)

He loved the skating, the stretching, the drills, the races and the games they played (Musical Pucks and Duck, Duck, Goose).  Cam's favorite part was definitely hitting the pucks around and I think he is hoping to have more time for that next week.

Some of Cam's team - you can get a good idea of the size difference.  Cameron is on the far right.

 

 Hooray for pucks!

 Getting off the ice after a great practice

Relaxing in the locker room after practice

It is going to be a great season - stop by and watch a practice if you are in town!!

Halloween Fun Part 4 - Halloween Night

The final installment in our Halloween posts is the actual night of Halloween.  It was a really fun night.  We went over to Nana and Poppa's house to trick or treat, since trick or treating on our street wouldn't be very fun (considering we are on the only house on the block!).  Poppa picked up pizza on the way home and we ate that for dinner.  While we waited for Nana to get home from work, the kiddos helped Poppa hand out candy to trick or treaters and light the pumpkin.

I love this picture of the kids watching at the window - they are looking for trick or treaters coming up to the house

Very excited to get to give out candy

Lighting the jack-o-lantern with Poppa

Pumpkin kids!

Look at the light!

Once Nana got home and ate her dinner, we got the second set of costumes on the kids and were ready to go out trick or treating ourselves.

Cameron the ghost (without his ghost face) waiting for everyone else to be ready

Sweet little Tigger Leah - so cute!

Cam and Leah ready to get going - enough pictures Daddy!

Family picture

Our first stop.  Leah was amazed that she was allowed to pick something, then cried when we told her she had to leave.  Eventually we convinced her to go when we told her that she would get more at the next house.

House number two

It was Cam's job to ring the doorbells, since Leah wasn't tall enough to reach most of the bells

They LOVED this house, the next door neighbors, because they were allowed to take as much as they wanted

Mama and Leah - Mama is smiling for the pictures, Leah is trying her hardest to get to that good stuff in her pumpkin

Cameron checking out the graveyard at one of the houses

Nana and Tigger Leah

Mama and her big boy

Walking up to Nana and Poppa's house together - I love how they are holding hands

 Cameron helped Leah (in her rotund Tigger costume) climb up the step

The ghost and Tigger collect their final goodies

A certain Tigger baby is very tired out - Trick or Treating is tough!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun Part 3 - School Halloween Parade

On Halloween, Cameron and Leah's school had a Halloween parade.  It was adorable, as it is every year.  Everyone from the tiny infants up to the kindergarten kids parade around the gym in their very cute outfits.

Leah the pumpkin riding with her friends in the wagon

Leah the pumpkin with her friend the watermelon

Cameron the ghost with some of his friends

 After the parade, we went back to Cameron's classroom and they sang a few Halloween songs.  It was very cute.

The kids also each got a cookie.  Leah really liked hers!  It was a big cookie, so Mama and Daddy sneaked a few bites so that Leah didn't have all that sugar.

 Cam eating his cookie - we actually let him eat all of it.  :-P

Mama and her pumpkin baby

Halloween Fun Part 2 - Zoo Boo

On Friday night, we went to Zoo Boo at the Syracuse zoo.  The kids enjoyed it, but it wasn't as good as last year.  They still had fun and Cameron only noticed a few things that were not the same (aka not as good!).  It was a chilly night, so both kids wore lots of layers under their costumes.

Leah, the slightly rotund Tigger

Cameron as Pooh Bear.  Neither he nor Leah were as grumpy as they look in these pictures!

Tigger and Pooh Bear

Leah the vampire penguin - she quite liked poking her head through the circle and was trying to chew on the foam edge

Cameron riding on a dragon

They had face painting.  As you can see, Cameron picked the wrong face painting artist.  I think I could have painted a better lion.  :-P

I love this picture because it shows how roly-poly Leah was in her multiple layers

There were some games there, which both kids really liked.  Here is Leah throwing a frog onto a lillypad.

 This was a tic-tac-toe game where you had to throw beanbags.  After throwing his beanbags, Cameron used his wand to turn over the rest of the blocks

Cameron had a looooong conversation with this prisoner in the jail.  It has led to many follow-on conversations about when people go to jail, how long they stay there, what they do there, how do they get out, etc.

Cam and Leah with a mummy

There was a bubble artist who walked around the zoo blowing bubbles.  That was definitely Leah's part, she probably would have liked to follow that guy around all night and pop bubbles.

Checking out the fish