Christmas 2009 and Connor's new room.....

It's been a busy couple of days. Today, we moved Connor into his new bedroom. We still have a few things to finish (like the inside of the closet and all the baseboard trim), but those are things we can do while he's in there. He's excited and worried about being in the new room all at the same time. Tonight might be interesting.....

CHRISTMAS 2009

Connor got a turn-table train set. It's all he's been talking about for 3 months. He was so excited when he saw it that he didn't care about the other stuff under the tree for about 2 hours. :) The elves --- the ones who stayed awake until 2 a.m. assembling that thing --- were very happy he liked it.

Mom and dad opening one of their gifts.....

Connor giving me the tea and creamer that goes with my new cappucino maker that Isaak bought me! Yum!

Connor and daddy trying on some new gloves and hat Grandma and Grandpa Berg sent......

Connor testing out the new beanbag chair gram and pap Kitzmiller got him.....

We all had a great Christmas this year. We're especially thankful Isaak made it out of Minnesota before all the snow hit. His plane was delayed nearly 2 hours, and we were so worried it'd be canceled. But thank goodness, he made it! And thanks to Beth for sitting with Connor while I was at the airport at 1 a.m. You're a great friend, Beth!

Rest in peace, Rain Man.....

I'm sure most of you have heard of --- if not seen --- the movie Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. The movie was loosely based on the man pictured to the right, Kim Peek. To learn more about Kim, go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Peek

Mr. Peek died yesterday at age 58 from a heart ailment.

Having a son with autism, I am very saddened at the loss. Mr. Peek was an incredible man. I actually had the pleasure of meeting him when I first worked for the Butler Eagle. He visited Butler Senior High School. I was amazed by the sheer intelligence of this man. His memory was incredible. You could read him a story, and he would repeat it word for word after only hearing it a few times. His math skills scared me. And despite the social issues with which he struggled because of his autism, he still managed to get out there and show the world that autistic people are not to be pitied, but to be admired.

The world has lost more than just another autistic person this week. It has lost a great mind. Rest in peace Kim.

More snow fun......

Connor couldn't wait to get out in the snow again this afternoon and play. He likes pulling his sled up and down the hill all by himself. I was OK with that today, as my poor back hurt from shoveling yesterday and pulling him up the huge hill in our yard several times on his sled.

But after we sledded, Connor decided to help shovel the driveway with mommy. He managed to clear one square foot, but every little bit helps. :)

Windows and bruises......

I should never be left unsupervised. Yesterday, I fell. The pic of my elbow isn't exactly how black and blue it is now. The lighting makes it look lighter. My mom saw it today and couldn't believe it wasn't broken. My right leg from my hip to my knee is sold black and blue, too. Connor was hollering about needing the bathroom NOW, and I ran out of the kitchen and tripped right over one of his toys. Fell flat on my......well, you know. I couldn't get up for a good 5 minutes. Was glad I didn't need to go to the ER. But after my finger incident earlier, I'm not so sure I should ever be left unsupervised. :)

On a happier note, this is one of the new window frames/sills that I had installed today. A nice guy named Jim Scheid did the work. He built the sills himself and they are some seriously nice craftsmanship. This guy does great work at great rates, so if anyone needs a good handyman or woodwork done, I highly recommend him.

Why I should never be left unsupervised.....

So, at 6:30 this morning, as I was trying to change the blade in my razor, I cut a huge hole in my thumb. Still not quite sure how it happened, and was astonished at the damage I managed to do. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the cut is about half an inch across and really, really deep. It's one of those things where you can peel the skin back it's so deep. I was panicking, because I would have had to call my neighbor at that hour to come stay with Connor while I went to the ER for stitches. Thankfully (and by the grace of God), it quit bleeding. It's pretty sore, but I think we can get by without stitches.


But this is just one more reason why I should never be left unsupervised........

Merry Christmas friends!

Connor has been asking me to have a Christmas party with his little friends for a few weeks now. So Saturday, we did just that. It wasn't anything too formal, just the kids and some games and fun. Above, they were playing a cute game using The Gingerbread Man story. You wrap up inexpensive books and have the kids sit with them. Someone reads the story. Every time the word "ran" is said, the kids pass their present to the person on the right. It was a lot of fun.

Ice, ice baby....

This is what the street in front of my house looked like at 10 a.m. this morning. And no, that's not water. It's ice. Solid ice. We didn't even know there was this kind of ice until we decided to leave for church. Then we turned on the TV and saw all the accidents and the weather issues going on around us. Needless to say, we didn't go anywhere. And I was very happy it cleared up in time to take Isaak to the airport this evening. It would have created quite a problem if it had not. I say bring on the snow. I'd much rather deal with snow than this kind of mess!

Making himself at home

As you can tell from the photo, Zorro (aka--feral kitty) is making himself quite at home in my house. He's not supposed to be on the couch.....but then again, he's not supposed to do a lot of things he does and gets away with because I'm a sucker for a cute, furry face.


His new thing is to be wherever I am. It was cute the first couple of days, but now it has become hazardous to my health. I have tripped over him repeatedly, which could end badly for him if I were to actually fall on him. He weighs 10 pounds. I weight 118.


He also has been rather excited to realize he's allowed in bed with me. My other cat knows if the old quilt is on the bed, he is allowed up on it, too. Zorro just knows that my other cat is on the bed, so he figures he'll come up, too. It would be OK if he didn't think my feet were shifty and needed to die. The first time it happened, it was 4 a.m. and I was awakened from a sound sleep by something pummeling my feet. That something turned out to be Zorro. He pretty much does it every night now and doesn't stop until he feels my feet have been sufficiently killed. :)


All in all, it's been fun having him inside. I'm glad I was able to finally rescue him from the outside world. Heaven knows on days like today, when it's windy and cold outside, he'd have been miserable out there.

Bambi and Thumper really do exist!

These photos were sent to me from my mother-in-law. I think they speak for themselves!

Winter in Minnesota.....

Isaak took a 4-hour hike around the St. Paul area the other day, and sent me this photo from his cell phone. Daytime highs there have been about 15, with the nighttime lows dipping below zero for the last week. This weekend, the high is to be in the negative digits. He got to experience his first blizzard there last night, and said it wasn't fun driving home from work in it. Keep him in your prayers, as I have a feeling it's going to be a rough winter there.

Deck the halls, the walls and the yard.....

Today, Connor and I (along with my mom and dad) put up the Christmas tree. We also put up some decorations outside, including lighted reindeer and a smaller lit tree-like wreath on the bannister. I couldn't get a nice shot of all that lit up, so I didn't bother trying.

It was a lot of work and now I'm tired. I'm hoping my formerly-feral kitty Zorro doesn't decide to climb the tree. I know my other cat, Gabe, won't, as we've had him 6 years and he just lays under it and sleeps. Zorro is the one I'm worried about. But I've already warned him that if he crashes it, he has to fix it again. He looked worried. :)

Thanks mom and dad for all your help!

My dad's buck!

My dad got a really nice 10-point buck yesterday during the first day of deer season. He was so proud, too, because last year, he had a harder time getting a deer and ended up with a doe. He got it on my uncle's farm. We're looking forward to eating some deer meat the way only my mom can cook it! Yum!

If you're hunting, be safe out there! And good luck!

All Aboard!

So we've lived here in Gibsonia for 5 years now, and we've never been to visit the local Western PA Model Railroad Museum - which is literally 4 miles from our house. Last night we decided to go for something to do. Connor loves trains, so this was right up his alley. He enjoyed seeing all the trains going by in the miniature towns (which were very realistic models of their real counterparts). He was especially amused by the places where he could see them going underneath the model set to loop back around again.


And of course no trip to the museum is complete without playing with the train sets they have on the first floor for kids. The museum guide suggested we start upstairs for that very reason. And he was a wise man. :)

If you've never been there, it's worth the trip. Here is their website if you want more information: http://www.wpmrm.org/

First snow!

We woke up to quite a surprise this morning - SNOW! Isaak had just said last night that he wanted some snow, and God must have heard him, because we woke up to see this!

It didn't last long, though, and it didn't stick, but it was still pretty to see!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing."

~Hannah Whitall Smith

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Cats, cooking and dumb deliveries...

It's been an interesting day. Connor and I attempted to make no-bake cookies. No matter how many times I make them, or how well I follow the recipe, the darn things NEVER SET. They are mushy and gross. But we still ate them. :)

Our new mailman (who is a woman) doesn't appear to be any better at mail delivery than the last one. He wasn't able to deliver anything to the right address. The new lady has been OK with that, but she seems to have no common sense when it comes to what will actually fit in the mailbox. The above package was a Christmas gift that is somewhat fragile. The box is marked "FRAGILE." So what does she do? Cram the box -- which is bigger than my actual mailbox opening -- in there anyway. I had to cut the front of the box, remove the item inside, and then pull at the box until I got it out. She's darn lucky the item inside survived, or I'd have been more than a little bit scroogey with her.


And lastly, my cats, Gabe and Zorro. They are still touch and go with each other. Sometimes they tolerate one another and other times, it's a cat free-for-all wrestling match, complete with hair pulling and paw batting. They actually managed to eat in the same room without bloodshed, so I considered that a small victory.

Connor Berg, future civil engineer.....

There are many engineers on the Berg side of the family. In fact, my long-running joke is if they all got together and started their own engineering firm, they'd have every discipline of engineering covered. :)

Connor loves his trains. That's no surprise. He is constantly setting up his tracks in new and exciting ways that leave me saying "how on earth did he come up with that one?" Today, I walked into the livingroom and was shocked to see what he had done with the box that one of his trains came in. If you look at the second picture, you can see it. He opened it at each end, inserted his tracks, and made his own covered bridge. Now, I admittedly would never have thought to do that, and am shocked that a 4 year old mind would come up with that idea. I guess Connor might follow in the Berg family footsteps. Can anyone say "Connor Berg, future civil engineer?" :)

Farmer Connor......

Connor spent the weekend with my parents again, being spoiled and having fun. :)

One of the things they did was to visit a farm. My mom and dad know the people who run it, and they agreed to let Connor come check out the animals. They had (among other things) a young calf who would let you ride it, a young colt, chickens (which Connor loved and is now telling me that he'd like to have) and some cats and dogs. As you can see from the photos, he had a great time.

Giving thanks every day.....

An old schoolmate of mine (whom I correspond with on Facebook regularly) challenged me the other day to post something on Facebook every day I was thankful for until Thanksgiving Day. Sounds easy enough, until you actually try it. It has to be something different every day and no repeating.


In this day and age, it's so hard to keep focused on being grateful for what we have when the world seems to be going to - pardon my French - hell in a hand basket. The economy has been down and doesn't seem to be rebounding, and a lot of families are suffering right now. Some people have been separated in order to make ends meet, and others are still struggling to find ways to get by.


It's easy to focus on the negative and forget about the things we should be thankful for instead. So every day, I am posting on my Facebook page one thing I am grateful for that day. I challenge you to do the same. If you don't have a Facebook, then just make yourself a list, hang it where you'll see it, and add something new every day. In no time at all, it'll have you thinking positive.

"The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything, the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing...."

~Hannah Whitall Smith

What a weekend!

Well, on Friday I turned 36. I don't feel 36 yet. But I suppose sooner or later, I will.

Later that night, Isaak came home from Minnesota for a visit. He had a really nice birthday present for me, too. He bought a pair of tan cords, a really nice white knit sweater and some boots. I was shocked. I didn't think he had such good taste in clothes! Thanks, honey!

Today, my parents are celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary. I can only hope Isaak and I are lucky enough to make it to 47 years (and still like each other)! :)

And this morning, I got to see Bucky -- this is one of our two bucks who hang out in our neighborhood. He has a really nice rack on him. We have another one, but he's much smaller. It's rutting season, so we're staying far away from them right now. They are aggressive and crazy and only have one thing on their deer minds. :)

Dear God......

A few days ago, one of the cute squirrels that lives in our yard got hit on the road. It always bums me out when this happens, because I like to watch our squirrels and rather enjoy having them around.

However, this was an opportunity to drive home a lesson to my son, who has, as of late, been running from our yard right out into the street without so much as a pause. People do not drive slowly in our neighborhood, and I was afraid it was just a matter of time before he got hit by a car.

So, my mom showed him the squirrel and told him that the squirrel didn't look both ways before crossing and now he was dead. I'm not entirely sure my son understands the concept of being dead yet, as he's only 4. But when I explained that the squirrel couldn't eat, play or sleep anymore, and that his squirrel mommy and daddy were very sad, he seemed to sort of get it.

Last night, as we were saying our bedtime prayers, he insisted on saying a prayer for the squirrel. It went like this: "Dear Jesus, please make sure the squirrel is in squirrel heaven and help his mommy and daddy not to be sad." Pretty profound for a 4 year old.......

Thanks, dad!

My dad spent nearly six hours in my yard yesterday, cleaning up leaves and grass with his commercial lawn mower. Nearly all of our leaves were down, so it was quite a mess. I think he did a spectacular job! As much fun as it is to rake leaves and jump into them, it's a lot of hard work to clean up a yard the size of ours, and I dread doing it every year.

THANKS DAD!

Just throw them off!

Have you all seen the story about Southwest throwing a 2 year old and his mother off a plane yesterday because the toddler was shouting "Go, plane, go!" and "I want daddy?" I've tried to post a link, but it's not working. I'm sure if you google it, you'll find it easily.


I've read several versions of this story so far, and I don't know what makes me angrier about it: the fact that it happened, or the rude and ignorant comments readers have posted after the story (including, my favorite, "toss them off at 30,000 feet!")


One has to look no further than this story and its reader comments to realize what is wrong with this world. We have no compassion, no tolerance and no understanding for others anymore.


I know how this poor woman must have felt, because I had quite the flight last weekend to Minneapolis. Connor and I had sat on the runway for over an hour because our plane was delayed. He got a little upset toward the end and started crying. I was well on my way to calming him when the flight attendant FROM HELL approached me and started yelling at me to get my child under control. She also yelled at Connor to be quiet. I calmly told her Connor has autism and he was overstimulated (even showed her the letter from his doctor), and screaming at me and him did not help, but rather made it worse. Still, she kept on. It actually took another passenger to tell this flight attendant to back off for her to do so. But she harassed me the entire flight, even after Connor was calm, sitting in his seat and being well behaved while watching a movie. It was amazing.


The flight home was better, but thanks to that one flight attendant, I likely will not fly agian for a long time.


No one wants to hear a cranky child, but chances are, if people had offered some help and kindness, the whole outcome of this event could have been a lot different. What a sad, sad world we live in.

Halloween Party Fun

Connor's preschool had its Halloween Party today. The kids performed a bunch of songs they had learned this month, and got to put on a little parade in the costumes. They played some games, and also ate way too much candy. Connor had a good time and surprisingly, isn't too wound up after all that candy!

Minnesota zoo.......

On Sunday, during our last full day with Isaak, we decided to check out the Minnesota Zoo. We got in for free using our Pittsburgh Zoo membership, because they are a reciprocal zoo. It was pretty cool.

Their zoo was fabulous. It sits on roughly a quarter of a 500-acre reserve the zoo owns. They don't have as many animals as the Pittsburgh Zoo, but the ones they do have certainly have more room to roam. I like our zoo here, but have always felt sad that the animals are so crammed into their enclosures. In Minnesota, they had a lot of room to roam.

They had a monorail you could ride to see a portion of the zoo. We decided to do that, and it offered a great view. I got some of the best photos from the monorail.

The weekend is over and Connor and I are back home. But I do feel confident that if we make the move, we'll be happy there. Minnesota isn't Pennsylvania (where I was born and raised and have lived my entire life), but it is a pretty nice state, too. :)