Remembering those who have fallen......

"Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored."
~Daniel Webster



"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
~John F. Kennedy

Welcome Home!

After nearly 9 months, Isaak is done with his contract job in Minnesota and is expected to arrive home any time now. The 16 hour drive was broken up over 2 days, unlike when he drove out there in one day. Connor is very excited to have daddy coming home for good this time. He has been saying all week "daddy is coming home in his black car, and he won't have to go back to the airport anymore." Amen to that. It's been a rough 9 months.

Connor was so excited he wanted to make a welcome home sign for daddy. He drew it all himself. Underneath the welcome home dad part is a road he drew, then decorated with stickers of trains and anything else he could find. I had the delight of figuring out how to attach it, along with a balloon, to our mailbox. Hopefully it is still there when Isaak arrives home. :)

Quack, quack

I've seen a lot of "wildlife" in our neighborhood since we moved here 5 years ago. We've had numerous deer --- including a really awesome Buck (10 points, people, 10 points!) --- a family of groundhogs, raccoons, rabbits, birds of every variety and even some opossum. But I have never seen mallard ducks.....until yesterday. We've had so much rain that my neighbor's driveway and a portion of his front yard looks like a little pond. Apparently, the ducks agreed. I looked out yesterday afternoon to see two of them, splashing away! They were back again this morning, having a morning bath. Then they were off. I guess we no longer have to go to the West Deer Park to see the ducks. We can just look across the street!

Still a work in progress, I guess......

It's no surprise --- at least to the people who know me --- that I've been having a bit of a hard time lately. I have a lot on my plate, and most of the time, I feel like I'm failing at 99.99% of it. A lot of the time, I feel like no matter how hard I try, I just can't get it right.




I was having one of those days the other day, when Connor did something that not only made me smile, but also quite frankly freaked me out a bit. He's been writing words and simple sentences for awhile now. It's usually from things he's seen or is copying directly from at the time. But on Friday, when I was having one of "those" kinds of days, Connor came and got me to show me something he had written. He said he had written it just for me. I'm not sure how well you can see his sentence, because it goes all over the place there, but it says : God is not finished with you yet.



Well, OK. 'Nuff said. :)

Guy fun......

It was a boys' weekend, with daddy and Connor having all sorts of fun.

Today, they were playing table hockey. Connor laughed hysterically when Isaak scored on himself. Score: 3-0, Connor. Maybe he could go give the Pens some pointers, eh?

Here is Isaak, doing his best to play hopscotch with Connor. Connor drew most of the squares teeny-tiny, which made it hard for Isaak's size 13 feet to fit in them. He gets a 10 for effort.

R.I.P. Igloo.....and thanks for the memories

Well, the last game to ever be played at the beloved Igloo didn't exactly end the way Pens fans hoped it would. But it does seem kind of fitting that the first team the Pens ever played (and lost to, by the way) at the Igloo would be the last team they ever play there. I don't care how nice or big or pretty the new Consol Energy Center is --- it will never replace the Igloo. I hope Pittsburgh finds a way to preserve this landmark, because it'll be an even sadder day in history if they raze it.

That being said, I have some great photos to share from the final game ever to be held at the arena.......

Here are some of the guys after the game. I felt so bad for them. They looked utterly defeated, in more ways than just the obvious. They didn't play up to par, that's for sure. But it still had to be hard to lose.

As disappointed as the rest of the team was, I'm sure that's nothing compared to what this guy was feeling. I think that picture says it all. Poor Flower. Sure does seem like he totally cracked under pressure, doesn't it? But it takes an entire team to lose a game, and he wasn't alone in his lack of effort. It's OK, Flower. Nous vous aimons toujours!

This really needs no explanation either. Look at those faces. Bummed. We totally feel your pain guys. Totally.

Even after some of the fans left before the game was over (shame, shame, SHAME on those people! I hate fair-weather fans!), the Pens showed their appreciation for the fan base by raising their sticks one last time in the Igloo. They are a classy bunch, that's for sure. Win or lose, they are still a great team. I hope they all have a restful and energizing summer, and come back ready to rumble in 2010.......

As for the Habs, they played a great game. Jaroslav Halak was unbelievable. I'm pretty sure he could have stood on his head, smoked a cigar and still stopped pucks. You have to give the man credit where credit is due. If this team advances to the Stanley Cup finals, Halak should definitely be considered for game MVP. Good luck to all the remaining teams, and may the best team win!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

The beautiful potted plant and card to the left are what Connor made me Friday at preschool. The kids had to help pot the plant, which Connor thoroughly loved. He now wants to plant our own garden. We just might have to do that. Hopefully, the bunnies and deer will leave them alone if we do.


They also made a nice card with a poem on it. It's next to the flower in the photo.


Connor, I loved you before you were even born, honey. Being your mommy is hard work, but it's the best job I've ever had! I love you!


I want to wish my own mother a Happy Mother's Day, too. She's an inspiring woman, an awesome mother and my friend. She's always there, and she has listened to me cry on her shoulder more than once in the last 36 years. If it weren't for her support, the last 7 months would have been very hard, if not darn near impossible. I love you, mom!


I also want to shout out to my mother-in-law, June. I know a lot of women who do not like or even get along with their mother-in-laws, which I find sad. From the moment she met me, June welcomed me into the family like I was her own child. She's been kind, loving and supportive. And let's not forget, of course, that she was responsible for providing the man of my dreams. :) Love and hugs to you, June!



And Happy Mother's Day to every mother out there!

Peek a bug.....

While cleaning the french doors on Saturday, I noticed a bug playing peek a boo with me. I turned this photo so you could see the image better, but the bug was actually sideways on the glass, staring in at me. It sort of looked like a fly, but I have never seen a fly with this much body hair before. Isaak says he thinks it was a horse fly, but I don't think I have ever seen one in my life.


Whatever it was, it sure wasn't shy. It wasn't intimidated by me at all, and just sat there, staring. It didn't even move when I tried to clean the glass where it was sitting. I guess it figured it was there first.


Whatever it was, it sure was neat. I'm glad I was able to catch such a good photo of it.