To Do List

I ran across this list today. Obviously I had written it out either before Pete came or sometime shortly after it.

Hollidqzzle Parade - Never quite made it. Too busy with hockey or too cold
Duluth - He went with the hockey team for a holiday tournament. Not sure how much he saw of it other then the rink.
A Christmas Carol - Never made it, again, hockey (are your starting to see a trend)
Chlcago - Yes, we went in October. Had a great time, Michigan Avenue, Hancock Tower etc. Great weekend!
Wild game - Pete went several times and really enjoyed it
Gopher game - don't remember if he did this, but he did skate at Mariucci where the Gophers Men's hockey play.
Winter Carnival - Nope, of course our kids have never been there with the exception of a quick drive by when they had the huge Ice Castle.
State Fair - We did this the first week he was with us. Looking back, it was probably pretty overwhelming for him. This teeming mass of humanity. Did see a stuffed Buffalo with a sign around it "Hi, my name is Pete"
MOA (Mall of America) - definitely, Pete has probably been there more times then I have.
Ice flshing - Nope, of course we have never been ice fishing either

I guess we have done quite a few things with Pete. He has also been to several school dances, including the prom, been in the homecoming parade, played in the Jr. Gold State Hockey tournament (second place!), gone to more movies then he probably watched all his life and met some really great people. All in all, not a bad year.

A Word by any other Name

after living with Pete for 9 months now, I can say I understand 95% of what he is saying. Which is pretty good since I can only understand my own kids 90% of the time. Case in point. Yesterday afternoon, Ross dropped Pete off at the Mall of America. It was getting close to dinner time, so I called him (of course he didn't pick up) and asked him when he would be home and if he wanted to go to dinner with us. He text messaged me back and said he was at a movie, pick him up at 6:30 p.m. I called him back and asked him what entrance. If you have never been to the mall, it has about 125 entrances, none of them clearly marked. He texted me back and said "Where Ross dropped me off". I called Ross, and he couldn't really remember, thought it was by the Lego display. Called Pete and asked him, where he was - by the big MOA sign. Great, now we are down to two entrances. We finally did connect, after about 500 laps around the mall - who needs to worry about gas mileage.

I was reading this article about the Finish Language . I had to laugh at the sentence The word for "no" is "aye", which means yes in English. My husband Mark is Canadian so he says "aye" all the time, usually a catch all for "what did you say" or "you've got to be kidding" or " whatever". Come to think of it, Aye means the same in just about any language.

Rugby Old Chap?

Yesterday, I spent the morning, in the cold rain watching a Rugby game. I heard one of the players say quite seriously "What a great day for Rugby." Since Rugby was started in England, it was a true statement. I am not a neophyte to the sports world. With two teenage sons, I have been to more sporting events and watch more sports on TV then I care to admit. I am not sure how Rugby was able to stay off my radar screen for so long, and quite frankly, I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

Rugby first came into our lives several weeks ago. At the dinner table, Pete announced he wanted to play Rugby. I have to admit, my husband Mark and I exchanged the same glance that countless parents have given each other the - "he must get it from your side of the family look". My apprehension deepened when I read the waiver that mentioned serious injury or death. Oh, my. After getting his parents permission (when he got the broken leg or concussion, we wanted to be able to point to them as the consenting)

The game of Rugby started in Rugby England at Rugby School when William Web Ellis picked up the ball in a soccer match and dared his opponents to tackle him. What a concept. True to its origins, this is basically what rugby is about. To be honest, it reminded me a lot of when my son was 5 years old and playing soccer. You couldn't always see the ball, but you always knew where it was because of the mass of kids that moved around the field like a lumbering bumble bee.

It was like a slow moving choreographed dance, this mass of manhood, running in the rain. By the end of the hour, the sparkling white shorts were an ugliest grey color. Coming to the car, covered in mud from head to toe, the only white showing was his huge smile, I realized that Rugby truly was a boys sport - a sort of catch me if you can and then throw me down, so to speak. I may never understand the rules, but I do understand the camaraderie and the pure enjoyment the players bring to the sport.