Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Today, we went to Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel to take a little hike. We got to see some really cool bullfrogs, like the one on the left. They were hanging out, hoping for a fly to wander by for lunch. We came across a really cool treehouse, too. We didn't realize how high up we were until we looked out over it. What a breathtaking view. Connor was a little scared when he realized how high up we were, but a hug from daddy helped.

Fun with family.....

Connor has been at my parents' house since Thursday on a little vacation. As you can see from the photos, he's having a blast. He got to ride pappy's tractor, and play in the pool with cousin Melina. He was a little disappointed he didn't get to actually swim, but with all the rain we've had lately, the pool was too cold for him to actually get in. Nevertheless, he had a blast. He comes back later today from his fun vacation. Maybe I can have a fun vacation at grandma's house next? :)

Is anyone else falling for this?

So, I was watching the news this morning, and they were talking about the
latest person to appear on a show called "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant." Here's a link to the show if you want to look at it:

http://health.discovery.com/tv/i-didnt-know-i-was-pregnant/about.html


The basic premise is, women who didn't know they were pregnant until they literally went into labor. As I was listening to it, I couldn't help but say "yeah, right." Help me out here, ladies. Do you think you could have not known when you were pregnant? I could see if you had irregular periods to start with, the absence of one might not send off alarms. But hey, how about the growing belly, the sore boobs and the swollen feet? Oh, and don't forget the nausea. While some women are lucky and don't have it, most do in some form. And those are just a few of the signs and symptoms. I really doubt these women didn't have any of them.

To borrow a phrase from my husband, I find it hard to believe.

Showing kindness to others

We've been studying the character of Christ as revealed by the fruit of the spirit in church for the last few weeks. It's been a good series. Among the "fruits" we've explored has been love, peace, joy and my recent favorite, kindness.

An author of a website on the very topic defined kindness as: having a good or benevolent nature or disposition; desiring to do good to others; the sincere desire for the happiness of others (the thinking).

The author makes an important point, and that is that kindness is not only accomplished through deeds, but through thoughts as well. Outwardly, you can do all the kind things you want, but if you're not thinking kind thoughts, you're not truly being kind. I think that's important, because it's easy to act kind, but if you're not thinking kind thoughts, you're not truly being kind. And it's also important to remember that anyone can perform acts of kindness. But if they aren't doing it for the right reason, then they are missing the whole point of kindness.

During our nearly 9 months of unemployment, we've had a lot of friends and family exhibit the type of kindness that has really warmed my heart. Not only have their actions shown it, but so have their thoughts. We've also had a few people on the other end of that spectrum, which has not made our situation any easier to bear. For those who have exhibited the true Christlike type of kindness, I extend a grateful thank you. All that you have done has been greatly appreciated.

In that spirit, I want to encourage each and every one of you to practice random acts of kindness today and every day.

Jump around.......

One of the things I did with the autism mini grant money I got for Connor was to sign him up for classes at a place called My Gym. It's down on Harts Run Road near Shaler. Great little place. Today was our first day. He is signed up for fitness classes for his age group, and also, they have free play time once a week for an hour, so we stayed for that, too. He had a blast. You can see in the photo (that's him in the orange shorts) that he was having no trouble following along. Leah and Ryan, the instructors, were great with the kids. Connor is looking forward to going back next week. He made some new friends and had a ton of fun. And he jumped himself right into a nap, which shocked my socks off! He hasn't taken regular naps for me for nearly 2 years now. When he does, it's because he's physically tired (like today), or because he's sick. But he jumped himself right to sleep, so I can live with that! :)

Way to go Pens!

So, I didn't watch the first period. No score. My husband told me I was being dumb, that you only get a game 7 like this once in a lifetime, and he told me I needed to watch. So I did. But just to be safe, I sang a special "Go Pens" song first that my son and husband had made up earlier that day.

I told my husband that I wanted to see the Pens win because of Hossa. It was what he deserved. I don't like to gloat, but the man made a bad decision. Although, if he had signed with the Pens, many of the talented players they had on their team this year would not have been signed because the team would have exceeded its salary cap with Hossa. Hossa's loss was clearly out gain.

Anyway, I highly doubt my song had anything to do with the remarkable outcome of this game. This team is talented, period. I look forward to seeing them do more next year. They are going to be the team to beat, that's for sure. Congratulations Pens!

What the Pens need to do to win....

Listen up, Pens. I have just discovered all the motivation you need to kick some Red Wing butt tomorrow night. Get yourselves a copy of The Farm Team, read it, then reflect.

We found this gem of a book at the library today. It is hysterical. Written by a Canadian author, it's about a mish-mash team of farm animals (living somewhere just south of Winnipeg, Canada) who are determined to bring home the Stolsky Cup. Sound familiar yet? They face a team of mean animals with claws and teeth, who---to put it nicely---cheat, cheat and cheat some more----in an effort to win the Stolsky Cup. The farm animals stick to their morals and end up winning. This story had us laughing from start to finish.

So Pens, in between all your last-minute practices on the ice, find a copy and read it. If this book doesn't inspire you to bring Stanley home, nothing will. :)