Hand Me Downs

I am the youngest of the 3 girls in my family, so growing up I used to have lots of hand me downs. There is something so great about taking things that are "old" and passing them on to someone who thinks that they are new and exciting.

My husband grew up in Chicago and LOVES sports. He has always been a lifelong fan of the Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks. Since the day our first son was born, Robby has been carrying on the family tradition of passing on a die-hard addiction for our Chicago teams. Bobby has enjoyed occasionally sitting on the couch with Robby or Boppa cheering on our team. However, the addiction really didn't sink in until the Hawks entered the playoffs this year.

Robby would turn on the television each game to tune it to his Hawks and Bobby would sit for extended periods of time next to him asking questions and getting to know the game/players. As the Hawks advanced to the next level, Bobby's enthusiasm grew. He could frequently be found in the living room re-creating a Hawks game using his Little Tikes hockey sticks and puck. I would hear him saying "Housa passes the puck to Byfuglien. Byfuglien passes it to Kane. Kane shoots and he scores!!! Blackhawks win and defeat the _______ (insert the team they were currently playing against)!" After each win, he'd have a thousand more questions for Robby. Robby would patiently answer each one and play countless games of pretend hockey with Bobby. Bobby would end each session by saying "I hope the Blackhawks win the World Stanley Cup."

Nana visited Chicago a few weeks ago and came home with a Patrick Kane t-shirt for Bobby. He asks almost every day if he can wear it. Today, Bobby will wear his shirt in celebration of the Hawks winning the Stanley Cup last night! He stayed up late to watch the Blackhawks take possession of the trophy. He watched the tradition of each player hoisting and kissing the trophy. As I write this, Bobby has started playing another hockey game. I just heard "Kane shoots it and scores!"

I am thankful to my husband for this hand me down. It has been fun to watch my boys bond; their excitement has filled our house for the past few weeks. It's a tradition that I hope continues in the Lofgren family for generations to come.