It's Time for Hockey!

That scream you heard from my kitchen tonight??

It was from my girls when Chris told them our Huntsville Havoc hockey tickets came in the mail today.

You would have thought he had told them the Jonas Brothers were walking in the door. They squealed with delight, jumping up and down screaming.

AC is serious about her hockey. Tonight Chris was flipping through the channels and landed on ESPN showing football highlights.

"Daddy!" she said. "I don't want to watch football!"

"What do you want to watch?" I said.

"The NHL," she answered, I kid you not. "Put it on hockey, daddy."

She is not my child.

Speaking of my kids, LB and I made an impromptu trip to Red Robin for lunch today. We sat across from each other and played our usual game of "I Spy" while we waited on our food. As I watched her I said, "God, thank you for her."

My heart was so full of how much I love her, and that was just the best way I knew to sum it up.

Our food came, and she started eating her mac and cheese. She was eating like a champ.

In between shoving spoonfuls in her mouth she said, "Mommy, guess what?"

"What?" I asked.

"I love you," she said.

It wasn't sappy. She didn't say it sweetly or full of emotion like Ann Catherine would.

She said it so matter-of-factly, as if she was saying 'the sky is blue' or 'I'm 3-years-old.'

Because that's my Lily Baker. She means what she says and says what she means. No fanfare. No fireworks. Just "I love you" with a mouth full of mac and cheese.

Man, do I love her too.