DRUM ROLL PLEASE............

We had a great weekend in Missoula. The parents that went were great, and everyone is always willing to help me out with Elliott. We left at 6:00am on Friday, and the roads were great, so we made good time, and I actually remembered to pack toys for Elliott, and Ethan had his DS and my iPod, so they were both really good. We only stopped in Bozeman to get them out of their pajamas. We got to Missoula, checked into our hotel, and headed to the rink. I was nervous for our team, and especially Ethan. He was the youngest player at the tournament. The rules were for 2001 and 2002 birthdays, but we got him in because he is a good player and can keep up. Much to my surprise, he did. He definitely held his own. We played against Helena on Friday afternoon on an outdoor rink and won! I was so pleased with the teamwork that went on, it was a great way to start the tournament. Friday evening was filled with swimming and dinner, then bed. Saturday we had an 8:00am game, we played against Spokane, and I was surprised to see the kids win that game too! Unfortunately, we had a long afternoon that we tried to keep the kids occupied but not drain them before their afternoon game. We were not successful. The kids were worn out, and dragged butt on the ice. We played against Whitefish, and ended up in a tie. This was still enough to get us into the Championship game on Sunday. The team we played was Twin Cities, and all the parents and coaches expected them to be a very difficult team to beat. It was a very tense first period, but once we started scoring, we were unstoppable. Our goalie was a brick wall! I can't explain how exciting it was to be at that game. You could feel the excitement from the kids. They played an amazing game and came out on top. I get butterflies in my stomach all over again just thinking about it. They all got 1st place medals and the team got a 1st place trophy. Ethan wore his medal the whole rest of the day, and I'm not sure that he didn't sleep with it last night.

Here is Ethan right before their first game. He wore #1 and played mostly defense. I cannot believe the improvement he has made from last year. He played awesome and stopped so many pucks from crossing the blue line. It made my day to not have to say that he scored a goal on our own goalie again. I am a very proud Hockey Mom.
Elliott was always ready to go. I think he just liked riding the elevator, but it was too cute to see him crawling down the hallway of the hotel.

Saturday morning, Elliott was supposed to be getting ready, but chose to model for us instead.

This is actually a rare sight. Elliott normally crawls all over the bleachers and bangs on them etc, but on Saturday morning's game, he sat and watched and cheered. It was so nice to see him enjoying the game for once. Please note: it didn't last much beyond this picture.

Elliott noticed me taking his picture and decided he didn't want to watch anymore.

Playing D. He is the closest one.

This is more how he "watches" the game. He was shaking the fence behind the bleachers, and getting into stuff.

Again, playing D, yes I know he is not lined up right. He got there.

He is the one in the middle. He's so little.

This is the score of the championship game! Incredible!

Getting his 1st place medal. He was SO proud.

There will be a better picture of them later. I didn't get on the ice with Elliott.

He didn't stop smiling for hours!

Thank goodness for tired kids! Elliott slept for almost 4 hours and Ethan slept for 2! Notice he still had his medal on.