Fun at Idlewild.......

Here we are, Raggedy Andy and Raggedy Ann.....er wait....that's me and the hubby! It was just one of many fun times we had today at Idlewild Park. We spent the entire day there. It was a great little escape.

Melina got me on the Scrambler. I was so proud that I didn't get sick. I just can't ride the rides like I used to......

Connor loved riding the horses. He would have stayed on them all day if we'd let him. This pony's name is Patrick. He was named by his owner's grandson, who loves Spongebob Squarepants and named the pony after Spongebob's sidekick.

Is that a little pig? No! Wait! It's CONNOR!

Daddy does his best impression of the crooked man from the crooked house.

Connor and gram hanging out with Ricky Raccoon while we waited for our turn on Mr. Rodger's trolley.

Connor and gram rode the carousel together. It was a great day for everyone. Thanks gram and pap for the fun trip to Idlewild!

Fun on the railroad......

Yesterday, we decided to visit the Kiski-Junction Railroad in Schenley and take Connor for a real train ride. He loves trains, and this place was close enough and we'd heard it was a fun time. Connor and daddy waited anxiously for the engines to start so we could take off.

Here's Engineer Bob, getting on the train and firing up the engines.

Connor was thrilled when the conductor came around to punch our tickets.

During the ride, we saw quite a few boats on the river. The folks on this boat were waving at us.

Here we are, cuddling in our train seat.

Connor loves bridges and tunnels. So he was thrilled when, shortly before our hour-long ride ended, the engineer took us over a rickety-looking old bridge that is used by Conrail. We spent a good 5 minutes sitting on that bridge while the engineer told us about the area. I looked straight down one time......and that nearly made me sick. Connor, he loved it. Mommy, not so much. Me and heights --- especially those that have a large body of water directly underneath them --- are not my thing.

Here's another one of Connor and daddy, enjoying the view from the bridge.

When the ride was finished, the engineer asked if Connor wanted to come up to see the engine. I assured him there would be no doubt Connor would want to see it. I'm betting if he could have, Connor would have driven the train. :)

I highly recommend the railroad for a fun afternoon outing. To learn more, visit their website at: http://kiskijunction.com

A big thank you to DART!

Connor's last day of DART preschool was today. He is holding a book he was given by his teacher and aides in the photo. He was so excited to get it that he insisted we read it the minute he got home today.

He could have attended DART the last two weeks of July after a small break, but we've opted not to send him in favor of preparing him for elementary school. Ever since kindercamp at Hance in early June, he's been confused between going to DART and going there. So for consistency's sake, we're going to focus on getting him used to Hance instead.

I just wanted to send a shout-out and a hearty thank you to Miss Meghan, Miss Carole and Miss Paulette for all their hard work and dedication to helping Connor grow and succeed in the few short months they've been his teacher and aides. Without a doubt, DART has been the best preschool experience Connor has had in 3 years. We'd tried 4 private preschools without success. It was discouraging to see Connor struggling in an environment where his needs were not only not understood, but not met either. DART has been a totally opposite experience. Miss Meghan's enthusiasm for working with children with special needs, as well as the understanding of how to properly deal with those needs, was a blessing to us at a time when we needed it the most. Thanks to her and the hard work of the classroom aides and therapists, Connor went from hating the very thought of school, to being sad on the days when he didn't have it. That is a major accomplishment! And for that, and many other things, I gratefully thank the DART staff for all they've done for him. God bless you all!

That's what dads are for!

Yesterday was father's day. That's my dad in the picture above. Long before I was a married woman with a child and a husband, my dad was the go-to man in my life. If I needed a Mr. Fix-It, he was the guy. If I needed someone to help haggle a car deal for me, he was the guy. If I needed someone to beat up a date who treated me badly, he was the guy. JUST KIDDING! JUST KIDDING! Guys knew better than to mistreat me, mostly because they liked my dad. :) What I'm getting at here was that there wasn't anything my dad wouldn't do for me. And that's still the case. He's always there, ready to help out. What can I say? He's a great dad. I love you, dad!

And then there's this handsome guy (OK, guys, if you count Connor) here. He has been a great father to our son, teaching him many of the things young boys need to know......how to find bugs, how to hit a ball, how to play hockey, how to love the Lord and treat everyone with respect. Those are the important things in life. He's a great role model for our son, and for that, I give him props.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my father-in-law, Ron. My husband learned his daddy skills from having a great father himself. Thank you, Ron, for teaching your son to love the Lord, to treat women with respect and for helping prepare him to be able to lead his children someday.

Happy Father's Day!

Maybe we could go straight to first grade....

Connor has been writing sentences for awhile now. But up until recently, he would ask how to spell words. Not anymore. For the most part now, he can write simple sentences all by himself......and I think his spelling is better than mine!

He's starting kindergarten Aug. 26, but I suspect he is going to be very bored. Maybe we could skip right over that and head straight for first grade........

Do you see me now?

Connor got glasses today. We found out a few weeks ago that he was farsighted, and that his one eye was a little underdeveloped. Glasses were the only option, so here we are, with glasses. I was worried he'd fight us about wearing them, but he's had them on all afternoon and is doing quite well with them. He played Wii with them on, and I think his performance was actually better than it was without the glasses.

Maybe I'm biased, but I think he's quite cute in those glasses! He was always my little cutie, but if it's at all possible, I think he looks even cuter now!

God sure does have a funny sense of humor.....

Look what I found two days ago......Actually, it was hiding under hubby's car and when he saw it, he was concerned Zorro had accidentally gotten out and we both panicked, because we were sure he'd never let us catch him again. For those of you new to reading, Zorro is a feral kitty who started coming around last summer and who we eventually trapped, neutered and brought inside (much to the dismay of our other kitty, Gabriel). Well, when we located Zorro as still being in the house, we both got a little irritated. This cat looks too much like him to be a coincidence, and he showed up right about the same time Zorro did last year. So either someone thinks this is their cat dumping ground, or we have a small feral kitty colony. Or, a third possibility is one of the neighbors is letting their unneutered cat freely populate the neighborhood, which makes me really angry to even think about. Either way, God sure does have a funny sense of humor, because He keeps sending these cats to my house, knowing I won't just ignore the problem. In the event this is actually someone's cat, I've put out notices to the neighborhood association and to the lost and found page for the Humane Society. If I get no responses by the end of the week, I'm going to call Animal Control and/or just trap it and take it to the Human Society myself. I think I'm also going to contact our township to see if they can do anything about this. If we do have a feral colony, it needs to be addressed. I have a weak spot in my heart for animals, but even I do not care to deal with this problem --- at my expense -- every year.

Here is Gabe and Zorro, staring at the mystery cat, taking a nap on my front stairs. The look on Gabe's face is priceless. He's probably thinking "no way, woman human! You brought this one in, and I let it slide. But you bring in another one, and I'm going to have to put all four of my feet down!" LOL! No worries Gabe. Two is more than enough for me. :)

Water fights and bugs.........

It was another exciting weekend at our house. Connor and daddy decided to have a water gun fight. Above, they are filling up their guns. There was a "no squirting rule" while filling up, but Connor broke it every time. :)

Here's Connor, chasing daddy down.

And here's Connor, squirting daddy in a sneak attack from behind.

Connor starts back to school tomorrow, and he had a homework assignment to do over break. He had to make a bug using an empty water bottle and assorted decorations the teacher provided.

They should take their own advice.....

In memory of Gabriel.......

See that precious face in the photo? That was Gabriel Hinton. He was the 4 year old son of a friend of mine from Georgia. Gabriel was killed Saturday in a very tragic accident. An SUV being worked on in the family's driveway shifted out of gear and pinned him between the SUV and a lit grill. I'll spare you all the details, but my friend watched her child die, and that has to be the most horrific thing any parent can go through. As the mother of a 4 year old child myself, I cannot even imagine her grief. Friends have started a memorial fund for Gabriel, because his family does not have much money and did not have life insurance on him. If anyone feels compelled to help, please send me a message and I'll provide the details.

I wrote this for my friend, and I wanted to share it here:

Watching Over You

Do not cry for me, mommy

Though my years, they were too few

Fear not, for me, now that I'm gone

For I will remember you

Though my eyes no longer shine brightly

and my lips no longer smile

Do not cry for me, mommy

for we knew each other awhile

Remember our time together

although I've left you behind

Remember the love we shared

keep my memory fresh in your mind

Remember our love and laughter,

how our lives were filled with joy

I may have left this world, mommy

but I'm still your little boy

Do not cry for me, mommy

Though my years, they were too few

Fear not, for me, now that I'm gone

I'll be watching over you.

@Copyright 6/2/2010

Weekend fun at grandma's house.....

Connor spent a few days with gram and pap Kitzmiller, which he always enjoys. Yesterday, they went to the Memorial Day Parade in Blairsville. The cemetery just outside of town has a long-standing tradition of placing full-size flags to honor our fallen soldiers. It is quite a site to see. What you see pictured above isn't even a fraction of the total they erect for the event.

Connor decided it was best to feed the meter at the spot where he would be watching the parade from. You know, just in case.......

Connor found himself as the recipient of a T-shirt, which was being thrown to parade-watchers as a float went by. :)

Later, Connor decided to learn how to fish. In Auntie Annie's swimming pool. We're not sure if he actually caught anything. We were afraid to ask.

He also had fun playing catch with Uncle Emery. Apparently, he was pretty good with throwing and catching the ball. Maybe he should try out for the Pirates. They could use the help. ;)