New Beginnings and Fantastic Finishes

7:20 am
The day started early for the Millins with a game in nearby Dracut (and a subsequent 9-1 shellacking by East Boston). When Danny and I returned home, the Four-em was a happening place.

9:00 am
Our friends and neighbors were on the ice with Caroline and her friends. Jimmy and Carl Shaw, for the first time in their lives, skated on ice skates - a present from Santa. I can't tell you how happy that makes me; knowing that the Four-em was where skating began for two little ones. Jimmy and Carl did fantastic, and are well on their way to becoming great skaters. Carl also picked up a hockey stick and did his best impersonation of his old man by stopping pucks in the crease. Jimmy stuck to skating and kept at it, blowing me away with how well he did for only his first day.

11:00 am
Danny, Chris, Thomas, and Mitch take to the ice. They skated for 4 1/2 hours! And this is after all 4 played in the 7:20 game. They played 2 on 2, took penalty shots, played goalie, ate pizza, crashed, and took it to each other all afternoon. They are bigger, stronger, and faster this year, and the ice seems to be a little smaller because of it. They have made HUGE strides in a short time, and are all very good hockey players.

3;30 pm
The dads came to pick up the boys and nobody wanted to get off ("they just got here!" said Danny). The ice was all chewed up (over the course of the day, I must have scraped enough snow off the ice to fill 2 wheel barrows), and looked like it had taken a beating -that's just how we like it here at the Four-em.

6:00 pm
The 4 Millins chowed down on Chinese food.

With the warm weather arriving tomorrow, that will be it for skating in the backyard for a while. All of next week shows temps in the 40's and 50's. But, it's ok. Today was the end of the cold spell and a great ending to a great day. Look at more pictures by clicking on the 2007 Four-em slideshow on the right.