Connor has the weirdest taste.....

Connor's feet seem to grow a size every couple of months, so we go through a lot of shoes. Today, we had to buy some new ones. He has been on this kick for awhile now that he wants green tennis shoes. At Walmart, they have shoes that are pretty much made in every color. So far, we've had red and blue and gray/white. Last time we were there, he noticed they had green ones, too. I have been cringing about it, because green doesn't really look great with everything. So today, when we went, he was asking about green shoes again. So we compromised. We bought one pair of regular shoes (the blue, white and black ones) and then he got to pick out the green canvas ones. They were only $5, so I could live with that. He is excited about his green shoes. He wants to wear them to school Wednesday. Since it's St. Patty's Day, I guess it will be appropriate. I guess I shouldn't be surprised he likes green since he does have an Irish first name. LOL!

Spring has sprung!

So, my mother told me yesterday that my post was depressing (hi mom!), so I decided to write something a little more positive today.

When I got up this morning, I noticed that the tiger lilies and skunk cabbage plants were starting to grow in my back rock garden! Yay! A sure sign of spring.

It's not the best picture, but here are those plants growing. I am avoiding walking in my yard right now, as it's basically a swamp from all the melted snow and rain we've had in the last two days.

These guys have been around all winter, but they tend to start coming out more when spring has sprung, looking for food they don't have to dig through frozen snow to find.

And this little cutie above actually let me walk right up to her and give her an apple. They are so hungry that I think they'd come in for dinner if I opened the door. So I cleaned out the fridge the other day and got rid of old fruit and veggies that weren't fit for human consumption, but that the deer loved.

The last sure sign of spring will come when I see my groundhog family that lives under the shed in the back yard. When they start coming out, I know it's a done deal.

Happy Spring!

Leaving on a jet plane....NOT

Well, I didn't think it could happen twice. I should have known better. Luck just does not seem to be on our side this month. Last weekend, Isaak's flight from Minneapolis was delayed so long that he missed his connecting flight. So he ended up not making it home at all. We rescheduled for this weekend. Connor was upset and did not have a good week this past week because he was missing daddy. I just kept telling myself "just a few more days, and he'll get to see daddy." Yeah, right. I should have known better. Isaak texted me from the airport this morning, saying his flight was totally canceled. Midwest Airlines claims it was due to weather, but I call BS on that one, since no other flights into the Milwaukee Airport were canceled (that is where his layover was). And since it's spring break right now, every other available flight they had to Pittsburgh was booked solid (or so they say). Whatever the reason, the end result is, no Isaak this weekend, either. Connor literally went ballistic. I wasn't far behind him. This is so frustrating. Assuming we actually get something to work out for next weekend, it'll make a MONTH since we've seen Isaak. This really stinks. It's definitely a double-edged sword with this job. So grateful he has one, but stressed out that it means that we hardly see each other. :(

Please pray for me and Connor that the next week goes quickly. As hard as this is for me, it's even harder for a 4 year old, who doesn't really understand what a canceled flight means. All he knows is he misses daddy and can't see him again. I just pray we don't have a third flight canceled for next weekend. If that happens, I swear, I am driving the 16 hours to Minnesota!

The Wheels on the bus......

Today was day 3 of Connor's new preschool. It was the second day he took the bus. He is loving riding the bus, especially because there are other kids on it. Here he is, waiting for the bus. He was all smiles. The bus doesn't come until 7:45 a.m, but he was ready to go and nagging me by 7:15! :)

Here he is, sitting in his seat on the bus. There's another little boy across the aisle, and that's who Connor is looking at. He was sure to say good morning to everyone.

And here's the bus leaving. You can't see Connor so well, but he was waving bye to mommy.

I'm really glad the new school and riding the bus is working out for him. I was a little leery after all of our bad experiences. I think God is working in our lives and is leading little Connor in the right direction.

School success AT LAST!

Those of you who know me know that we've had a bit of a rough time finding a good preschool for Connor. Private preschools say they can handle his special needs, but it never works out that way. After a few days, they are complaining that he doesn't hold his scissors right, or that he doesn't make eye contact, among other things. When I explained those are things autistic kids do, I was usually met with the "I know what autism is, and you can't blame autism for your son's behavior" line of crap. It was frustrating for me and frustrating for Connor.

I have been fighting to find him a good place for awhile now, because he needs to work on a few skills before he starts kindergarten this fall. Preschool is the perfect place to work on those skills.

Today, Connor started a DART preschool, at the Bradfordwoods Elementary School. The preschool is run by the Allegheny County Intermediate Unit, and consists of both special needs children, and neurotypical children from the community. Connor was so jaded from his other bad experiences that he wasn't thrilled about going this morning. But once he got there and realized that they not only wanted him there, but were not upset by any of his behaviors, either, he had a blast. When I came to pick him up after class, he said "Mom, I love school. Can I come back?" I nearly cried. In 2-1/2 years and three preschools, he's never said those words to me. God bless the teachers and staff there. They have my child's best interest at heart, and they are going to love him for who he is, instead of making him feel bad for who he isn't. And for that, they earn an A+ in my book.

Now we hate you, now we don't.....

I recently had the opportunity to read the Feb. 8 edition of Canadian Sports Illustrated, which featured Pittsburgh Penguin captain Sidney Crosby on its cover. Inside was a very detailed story about his rise to hockey fame. As I read on, I couldn't help but become more and more disturbed by the words on the page.


Most of us hockey fans know Crosby left Canada at age 15 for Faribault, MN, to continue training for what he hoped would be a future in the NHL. But what I didn't know (until I read this article) was the full reason for his departure from his beloved Canada: the kid received death threats from not only his fellow hockey players, but from parents and adults in the stands as well! His family began to fear for his safety, so they felt the best course of action was to send him out of the country. Could you imagine?


From the article: "I remember being in Pee-Wee, a guy trying to break my leg," Sidney says, swinging an imaginary stick to demonstrate. "It wasn't even during play: I was going to a face off, and a guy just two-handed it right at my knee -- like a baseball bat."


He also went on to tell SI that when he was at tournaments and sitting in the stands, waiting for his team's turn to play, he quickly learned not to wear anything that would identify him by his name. If he did, he would outright receive threats, from both parents and other players.


That story brought me to tears. I couldn't imagine being his parents and having to make that kind of decision. Kudos to them for how they have handled it. I'm not sure I would have been so gracious had that been my child receiving death threats.


I also couldn't help but wonder what was going through Crosby's mind Sunday after he won the gold for Team Canada, and his countrymen were shouting his name and praising him. Did he think back to those times when his fellow Canadians were not so kind to him? I know I sure would. It's sad, really. They drove him from his own country because of his talent, but now they chant his name in pride. A bit hypocritical, if you ask me.

I'm not harping on Canada, here, really. My husband is Canadian and I have found most Canadian people to be kind and genuine. It's part of the reason this story shocked me so badly. Here in the US, we have our fair share of parents who take their kids' sports way too seriously, too. Some of you have probably experienced that yourselves. It's one of the reasons I struggle with whether to even let my son play organized sports when he's old enough. I genuinely feel sorry for those people who must resort to this sort of ugliness, no matter what country they live in. And I think it speaks to his character that Crosby, despite all he went through at such a young age, grew up to be a pretty level-headed and kind young man. What a wonderful role model for our kids.


If you want to read the Canadian SI story, go to this link: http://sidcrosby.blogspot.com
Scroll down until you see the entry on the article. If you click on each page the author has scanned, it'll enlarge enough for you to read it.

Fun at grandma's house......

Connor had a mini-vacation at gram and pap Kitzmiller's house for 4 days. As you can see from the photos below, he had a blast...........

Here he is, riding the pap horse.........

And finger painting with gram..............

And showing off the gobs he made with gram.......

And making icing for the gobs...........

And making homemade buns........

And cuddling cousin Melina.

He was sad when he came home, but I'm glad he had a great time.