Kitzmiller Family Reunion

Today was the Kitzmiller Family Reunion. We had it in a new location (private park in Blacklick, Pa.). It was a lot of fun. We saw some old faces, and some faces we haven't seen for quite awhile. I took nearly 200 photos with my new camera. If anyone is reading this and is a friend on Facebook, you can view the whole album there. Following are just a few photos from the fun parts of today.

There were lots of games today, including one that was only for the guests who were 65 and older. They had to toss a ball into a portable potty chair. The winner was my Uncle Alvin. His "prize" was to wear the King Potty crown. Some prize! :) He was a good sport, though.

My Uncle Ervin and Aunt Mary have still got it! Those two polka danced and put us all to shame!

It wouldn't be a Kitzmiller Family Reunion without volleyball.

The balloon relay race was fun for all. You had to run to the chair, blow up a balloon, then sit on it and pop it. The first team to have all its players pop their balloons won. My Aunt Eleanor had the whole process down to a T and showed the younguns how it was done!

During the potato sack race, poor Tyler wiped out. Between being beaten up by Melina and this wipe out, he'll probably have a few bruises tomorrow.

The kids and adults had fun with the water sponge relay race. They had to soak a sponge in one bucket, then run to the empty bucket and squeeze the water out of the sponge into the bucket. The first team to fill the empty bucket with sponge water won.

And last but not least is my dad, chatting away with relatives we haven't seen in ages.

All in all, it was a fun day. The weather was great and the food and family wasn't bad, either. ;) See you crazy Kitzmillers next year!

New neighbors, fun use for a couch and movie night.....

It's been an interesting week for stuff. We've been up to a lot....and I've been working again. So I apologize for the infrequent posts. I know it's quite a change from the norm. But sadly, this might be the new norm for us.
In the photo above, I caught Zorro making himself quite at home on Connor's old Thomas the Train couch. I was just wondering if it was time to donate it, as Connor has outgrown it and never uses it anymore. Then I found Zorro happily napping on it. I'm pretty sure he'd be annoyed if I got rid of "his" couch. I guess this is what we call recycling here in our house. :)

We had "movie night" the other night. We watched Disney's Robin Hood. I don't think I've ever seen this version, and it was quite amusing. Connor laughed and laughed and laughed. Hubby and I did our fair share of laughing, too.


We also appear to have some new neighbors. This isn't the first time I've posted pics of mama and twin baby deer in our yard.........

.....but it is the first time we've ever seen daddy buck with them! He showed himself this morning, and what a nice buck he is! They were all in the yard together, but I only had time to get daddy this morning. Unlike the babies and mama, he was a little more spooked by me. He did pose nicely for a photo, though, before bounding off. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Been busy......

This cartoon is a perfect description of how I've felt for the last three weeks. I started a new job, and to say it's kept me busy is a mild understatement. It's been a good kind of busy, but still, by the end of the week, I've been lucky to remember my own name. :)

Connor is adjusting well to me going back to work. He is excited for his upcoming birthday and visit with grandma and grandpa Berg. Between those two things, it's mostly all he talks about these days.

Now that things have settled a bit at work, I'll try to update my blog more regularly. I know there are certain people (hi mom!) who get slightly annoyed when I don't provide them with new and exciting photos of Connor. :)

What a heartbreaking job......

See this kitty? He turned up here in early July. Because he looked so much like Zorro ---the feral we rescued last year --- it made me suspicious. Well, after much interaction, this is definitely not a feral cat. He was entirely too social, and his nails were very well groomed. That's not the sort of thing that happens without some human intervention. So either he was lost, or someone dumped him (which seems to be a popular thing to do in this neighborhood). I was excited yesterday because I thought we had found his owner. In fact, I truly believe we had found his owner, but the woman wasn't sure when she came to look at him, so she didn't take him with her. The poor thing was so lovable and just wanted people to pay attention to it. We knew we couldn't keep it. We love animals, but we're not a cat farm here. So we called several animal agencies, and the only one that would take him (because they weren't already full to capacity) was the Western PA Humane Society. They said they would put his picture on their website as a lost pet and hope for the best. If no one showed up to claim him after a set time frame, they would put him up for adoption. I have no doubt he'll get adopted, as he had a wonderful disposition. It just angers both me and DH that people are so careless with animals. Animals depend on us to take care of them. They are not disposable items you can throw out with the trash when you no longer want them. I wish people who were too irresponsible to properly take care of them weren't able to end up with them in the first place. But then again, I feel that way about some people with children, too, but that's a rant for another time.

For now, all we can do is pray this kitty finds a good home. If anyone out there is looking for a nice kitty, head down to the Humane Society and give him a look-see. :)

Mama and baby deer say hello

Two weeks ago, when I was out walking at 6 a.m., I came across a mother deer and her twin fawns. They came out of a wooded section in my neighbor's yard, and crossed right in front of me. The fawns were very interested in me, but mama deer was not. In fact, she was quick to warn me to stay back with a grunt and a hoof stomp. I considered it a rare moment to see twin fawns like that so close and figured it wouldn't happen again.

But this morning, I looked up and saw them in my yard! Two babies, and their mama. We've had deer in this neighborhood a lot, but I've never had the pleasure of seeing two twins like this. Maybe they'll become regular visitors.

Connor vs. the Wii

With the rainy and then super hot days we've had lately, we haven't spent a whole lot of quality time outdoors. Connor has become fascinated with the Wii. And said to say, he's actually better at playing the games on it than I am. :)

He particularly likes the boxing one where he gets to hit the bag. In between every round, when the music plays, he does his own dance. It's really quite entertaining.

I could be wrong, but I think he gets his great left hook from me.

Camping Out........

Connor and daddy decided to camp out in the yard last night. We got the tent last August, and Connor wanted to sleep out in it then. He made it all of 25 minutes before he wanted to come back in and sleep in his bed. :) So I wasn't sure what to expect last night. He had his Lightning McQueen sleeping bag and his flashlight, which he found entertaining. Later, they watched lightning bugs. Connor finally went to sleep around 10:30, so he definitely needs a nap today. At least now we know we could go camping for real since he'll sleep in the tent. Yay!