After years of coaching hockey, Dave finally has a hockey player! Arabella is officially signed up for the Des Moines Youth Hockey Learn to Play Program. She's had skates for a while, but we got all the rest of her equipment this weekend. She could not be more excited... and Dave cannot wait to see her out on the ice in all her gear. We tried it all on today in the living room to make sure it fit... I decided this is the perfect time for a photo session... now we'll never forget the first time she ever put on her hockey equipment!
She seemed very excited about the hockey gloves... not really sure why, but she spent a lot of time just looking at them on her hands... turning her hands over and over and pulling them on and off.
The stick was too tall for her, so Dave (being the super smart hockey guy he is) just measured and sawed it off... and here I thought we'd have to get a new stick!
She doesn't actually have a mouth guard yet... but this is her showing me what it would look like if she did.
Clearly some of the equipment is too big for our little peanut... She didn't seem to mind... even after her breezers kept falling down. The helmet is an extra small and is on it's tightest setting and it's still too big for her... Room to grow I guess! (This is the point where Dave decided this photo session is getting a bit ridiculous... note the "this is serious hockey business and you're taking pictures" look on his face... Come on Dave... someday you'll be glad I took these (well maybe not this one - haha)!
Once we put the skates on her with all her gear, she found it quite difficult to stand up... either that or she realized how much fun it is to fall down when you're protected by all the padding. Lots of giggling went on during the *attempts* to get her to stand for pictures.
After Dave sawed off the top of her stick, he taped it up... then told her that we could write her name on the tape so everyone would know it was hers. He was less than thrilled that she wanted to use pink sharpie... but he was eventually worn down by the cute begging of a four year old girl. Once that was done, she decided she wanted a heart on her stick... Poor Dave... you don't stand a chance with this kiddo! She's got you so wrapped around her little finger!
I think the heart looks nice. And it shows her where the front of the stick is.
She still can't fit into these 'gently used' skates... and has to wear the adjustable skates we got when she was two... but someday, these will be her skates!
