H. E. Double Pixie Sticks

Friday ended a very busy week for us. Soccer is in full swing right now and for us this means planned activities Mon-Thu. It's almost depressing in a way to start your week knowing that 80% of it will be gone before you have time to breathe again. This week, however, we also started Hockey [you guessed it] on Friday. I dearly love hockey and I love to coach my children and their mite teams so this was actually a great way to end the week for me! Perhaps it is because I got such a late start with my own hockey career that I cling to it so desperately in my children's early years. I can't be sure why but I do know that I can barely contain myself in the stands when they are on the ice; I've simply got to be there with them. My youngest son Sam is a first time skater this year; a long awaited and celebrated event in our household. He is 3 years younger than his older brother, but is very nearly his equal in size. He is incredibly physical and we are waiting with baited breath for him to discover his prowess on the ice. At 6 he may just become the Derek Boogaard of Champlin Park.

We attended the Taste of Hockey clinic that CPYHA puts on for children who want to get an idea of what it is like to play hockey. In 5 one-hour sessions kids who don't have equipment and perhaps have never skated before get an opportunity to put on some stinky, borrowed gear and experience the thrill of falling, skating, falling, bumping, falling, shooting, and having fun [while falling]. It is most excellent for everyone and in the end CPYHA may just obtain a few more players. The association, the coaches, the kids, and the community all benefit mutually. [Maybe I should go into PR]

Sam did very well for himself having already mastered the basics of skating in the Snowplow Sam skating classes. So proud was I that he made it the whole hour with enthusiasm and fun that I took him to Dairy Queen for a treat. Having learned the lessons of inadvertently starting traditions I explained to Sam that this was a special occasion since it was his first ever hockey experience. See Lick-Em-Like-Beckham - Karmental is one of my hockey friends and given my many references to her own blog in a small number of my posts it's plain to see our experiences have much in common. If I could only find a vagina shaped rock this syncopation would be utterly complete.

The schedule this evening was tight so Sam, with a small Blizzard in hand, sat in the backseat happily spooning away while I drove him to a Relay For Life event that my wife Bird and both the boys were attending. We arrived, parked, and finished our ice cream before attempting to find Bird and Justin. Out of the car only about 10 paces Sam starts doing the pee pee dance! With not a restroom nor a Port-A-Potty in sight I let Sam relieve himself on the nearby lawn out of sight. Urinating in public is apparently a long forgotten treat as Sam was beside himself with glee while doing his business in a manly stance straddling the curbside. But he was fast and tidy so I didn't complain. In hindsight the Pissing Bandit at work could probably take a lesson from my kid. We finally managed to join the family in the stands at the opening ceremonies and watched as the survivors took the first lap around the track in the Relay For Life. Then it was time for the teams to partake in the relay which began an entire night's worth of activities. I having been very busy at work and with all the sports hadn't even thought about being part of this event. Now that I was here and had nothing to do I felt out of place (everyone else had matching t-shirts). I selfishly chose instead to enjoy some much needed time alone at home. I'm spending part of it now blogging.

It seems while enjoying a long, hot shower Bird was unable to reach me by phone and instead texted me. When I got out of the shower the following text conversation ensued:

Just bout lost Sam
He was eating a pixie stick and couldn't
breath
Did he swallow the sugar down the wrong
tube?
And I assume he's ok now?
I don't know, but he wasn't breathing for about a
minute
I got to some water asap
He dumped that candy fast
Yes

First off, I now know that this is completely serious as Sam has never dumped candy before EVER. If allowed he would eat himself into a diabetic coma. At this point I decided it would be faster and more prudent to simply call my wife to get the scoop. As it turns out he was eating a blue pixie stick and most likely he inhaled some of it. He was suddenly getting no air AND Bird didn't know if his lips were blue from the candy or the lack of oxygen. Thankfully my wife isn't slow on the uptake, and certainly not when her children are at risk. She drug Sam to the nearest person holding water and practically wrestling it away from this stranger had Sam start drinking. He immediately started spluttering but breathing again. I believe he got rid of the pixie stick stating "that candy was bad stuff."

They are still there and I'm glad they were able to shake it off and continue enjoying themselves. I'll wait until they come home and then I'll give Sam a big hug.