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Where is this month going?

It is so amazing how time flies! The holidays are right upon us and we are busier than ever. This semester is winding down for me...which means only two more classes until graduation in July! Casey is VERY busy grading research papers once again. I think he asks himself every day during this time why he chose English. And Boston, well, Boston is Boston. Crazy, energetic, and BUSY! He likes to keep moving and keep his little mind thinking. He currently does not enjoy sitting in a high chair at all. Going out to eat is pretty much out of the question. He keeps us laughing every day with his new words (most recent- Ah man, Cookie, Juice, and the infamous, Uh- oh...which ultimately means he did something.) We are looking forward to Thanksgiving at the Kuhnle's for Thanksgiving day, shopping on Friday (well, not Casey and Boston), and Greenfield for the weekend. We hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and that we all reflect on the blessings we have this year. Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween '09 was a great time. Boston got to run around in his Frankenstein costume, eat candy, and stay up a little later than usual. When you think about the things that make life worth living, these three criteria just about sum it all up. Our first Halloween experience this year was the Great Halloween Zoo at the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo on Monday the 26th. Boston got to hang out with his two best buds, Carson and Madalyn. Once he figured out that people would give him candy just by giving them a little orange piece of paper, he was on the move. He was so much on the move, in fact, that we had to take a bit of a breather when he thew up his Twizzler. Candy + juice + running = upset tummy. He didn't let it phase him, though. One of the highlights for me was the haunted train ride. Boy scouts would run out of the woods to try and scare us as we trekked on by.





The actual trick-or-treating took place on Saturday. We started off at Cara's parents in Decatur, then to my dad's in Ft. Wayne, then my mom's in Columbia City, then back to Ft. Wayne for our neighborhood festivities. It was a tour de treats. When we got back to Ft. Wayne, we took Boston to Forest Park Blvd., which is just down the street from us. Forest Park is notorious for their awesome hand outs, which would explain the vans full of kids unloading by the...well, by the van load. Boston didn't want to partake in the trick-or-treating, though. He just wanted to stroll up and down the sidewalk looking at all the cool costumes.





Happy November, and enjoy that extra hour of sleep you got this weekend. That was better than any fun size box of Milk Duds or Reese Cup. We hope all is well. And for those of you complaining about a lack of recent updates (I'm talking to you, Lauren McComb and Josh Scheidler) I hope you are pleased with my latest submission.

Skeleton Man

The scary skeleton man was running around our house tonight. Boston thought it was pretty cool that it glows in the dark. We're getting ready for Halloween around here. Cara bought some hay, a pumpkin, and a few gourds. She bought some mums a few weeks ago, but they're dead already. They look extra spooky now. Check out more photos on the photo page!

Why is there a toothbrush in my guitar?

It's not a question I often ask myself. It's really not a question I thought I would ever ask myself. Everyday as a parent I find myself saying, "Huh...I never thought of that happening." This morning I opened my bathroom drawer to brush my teeth as I do every morning after my shower. I couldn't find my toothbrush, though. That kid steals everything, so I knew who the caper was. My problem was that I didn't know where he would have put it. By this time Boston was already awake, so I checked his room first. Nothing. Then I went into our bedroom. Nada. Computer room? Nope. (So I thought.)

I settled for one of our spare toothbrushes (before having a child who is mobile I never thought it necessary to possess a "spare" toothbrush) and decided to continue my search after school. I mentioned my oral hygiene problem to Cara, who immediately asked, "Did you check Boston's room?" We both looked, again to no avail. After baby boy's bath I picked up my acoustic guitar to strum a few chords while Cara dried little man off. When I turned it on its side to sit it on my knee it sounded like someone had tossed half a dollar's worth of change into the thing. Cara looked at me and said, "Was that your toothbrush?!?" I looked through the sound hole; it was my toothbrush. When I took the strings off to rescue my treasure I also found 8 guitar picks which Boston had deposited earlier in the week. It looks like my guitar will spend more time in its case these days. At least I can call the toothbrush search and rescue team and tell them their services will no longer be necessary.

New Shoes

Boston got his first pair of Chucks over the weekend. We went to baby Footlocker Saturday since sandal season is quickly coming to an end. It took him a little while to get used to them, but he finally got the hang of it. Everything else is going great. School is running smoothly, and Cara may be getting a new job. Stay tuned for details...

Back to School

Get your pencils sharpened. It's back to school time again. We started Wednesday last week (8/12) and the kids came back on Thursday. Things are going pretty great so far. I felt like I got hit by a truck by the end of the day Friday, though. I'm not used to skipping my 1:30 nap. I need to get back in the routine of staying awake all day. I have a brand new room this year, which is pretty sweet considering I didn't have a room at all two years ago.

This was my first classroom. I had to use a different room nearly every period and push everything around on this sweet Rubbermaid cart.


Last year I had my own room, and it was pretty big compared to some of the other rooms. I also made a few of the more experienced teacher a little jealous because they I also had a window, which is apparently a high commodity in the teaching profession.


This year takes the prize, though. Not only do I have a brand new room, but I also have a computer for each kid in the class. I am able to look at whatever they are typing from my computer and comment on their screen, which they think is kind of creepy. I can also take any one of their screens and put it on the LCD projector to show student examples or to just embarrass them. There was a kid Friday playing solitaire and didn't think I knew. I put his screen on the projector and gave him the, "just so you know, I can see everything you're typing." That turned out to be the fastest game of solitaire to date.


Things otherwise are great. Boston is talking a lot more than he used to. We can't really make out what he is saying most of the time, but that doesn't stop him from giving us the details. He also thinks he is too big for two naps a day, which doesn't work out very well. If he talks through either one of his naps we pay for it about an hour before bath time. I have never seen someone so small get so angry. When he is in a super-grumpy mood when we put him to be we will usually hear a "thump" on the door just as we close it. That is the sound of Boston throwing his bear at us from his crib. All in all, he is more fun now than he ever has been. The pool is a blast, the park is fun, and just hanging out in the back yard is a good time.

We hope all is well everywhere. Drop us a line when you can, and we'll do the same.

Hangin' at the Fair

Mom and Robert took the three of us to the Elkhart County Fair over the weekend. We got to see some animals, ride some carny rides, and eat some deep fried fair food. Scroll down to take the photo tour...

Taking the tractor trolley to the fair grounds.


Checking out some animals.



Looks like it could rain...


Grammy says, "Let's try the duck pond!"


Hmmm...which one should I pick?


This looks like a good one.


Winner!


Cool prize! Boston loves balloons.


Wow. That looks fun!


My first carnival ride.



Grammy won some stuffed animals from the crane.


Boston and I went through the fun house. He thought the vibrating floor was pretty cool, but didn't like the air shooting at us. The slide at the end made up for it, though.


This was probably Boston's favorite part of the entire day. I was a little nervous putting him on the train by himself, but he sat still with his arm on the little arm rest the entire time.





When he got off the ride we asked him, "Boston, did you ride the train!?!" He was pretty proud of himself.


Look at the scary animals!






Time for lunch. Boston ate a bunch of our cheesy spiral potatoes and then stole some of Robert's pizza.


After lunch time comes nap time.


Maybe next year we will be brave enough for goat jerky or gator on a stick.

Having a Good Time

As we move on into July the three of us are still taking the summer one day at a time. It's pretty nice. The days Cara doesn't have to work we get up and say, "What should we do today?" and play it by ear. The days Cara does have to work Boston and I either hang in the backyard or see what Grandpa is doing. Boston got a couple more molars in last week, so he was a bit snotty and slobbery. We had lunch today with Grandma and Grandpa Kuhnle and Boston stunk up the joint and ruined his outfit with a monster poop. Other than an occasional bodily fluid mishap, this are running smoothly. Cara is still plugging away at her Masters, and I have been chipping away at some lesson plans. As of today, school is officially one month away. As great as the summer has been, I am looking forward to going back with the renovations that are going on at Carroll. I will have a brand new room with 32 student computers, LCD projector, and, probably the thing I am most excited about, a coat hanger. Last year I had to hang my coat on the key that stuck out of my filing cabinet. It feels great to move on up in the world. We hope all is well, and feel free to stop by any time. Boston sends his kisses!

Splash Park and Greek Fest

The three of us went to Memorial Park the other day to check out their splash park. It was pretty cool. Boston thought it was alright, but I think he likes being in control of when he gets wet. It didn't help that the sun was hiding, and the water was a bit chilly. Hopefully it will start to get warmer this summer so we can hit the pool.







We are also getting ready for Greek Fest, which is quickly approaching. I will be playing all three nights (Thursday June 25th - Saturday June 26th) from about 5-10 each night. Try the octopus if you're feeling especially brave. Opa!

Old MacDonald

He is not solely a dancing machine any more. Boston has broadened his horizons lately and has taken up singing. Check out his debut performance:

School Is Out!

I am officially on summer vacation, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Since graduation on Thursday we have just been hanging out, going to the park, and enjoying the summer weather. The three of us went to the zoo yesterday to see the new African exhibit, which was pretty awesome. We don't have many plans this summer and hope to keep it that way. Zach asked me last night if I was teaching summer school...good one, Zach. I am teaching three new courses next year, so I'll have to study up, but that will be the extent of my strenuous school work.

Here is a characature that a student drew for me this year. You can see she made a point to emphasize my shiny bald spot and massive caterpillar-like eye brows.



Don't forget to check out the photo page!

Prom, Bikes, and Pools

We had an "enchanting" evening at the Carroll High School prom a couple of weekends ago. Casey signed us up to be official chaperons. We had a great time seeing all of his students and man, were they excited to see Mr. Stansifer looking good! :) The next day we chaperoned the Cedar Point trip for any of the prom goers who wanted to take a charter bus to Cedar Point. We had fun there too, but were feelin' a little nauseous after a couple of roller coasters. I guess it's the age catching up with us. Boston stay over night with Grandma and Grandpa Kuhnle and had a great time. I don't think he even realized we were gone! :) He is walking all over the place...trying to see how fast he can get away from us. The video was taken today. He thinks Bob the builder is dancing, not jackhammering, so he insists on 'dancing' with him. We also were blessed with a gift from our neighbors. They have two little boys who have grown out of their pull behind bike cart. So they passed it onto us. We went and bought Boston is first bike helmet and have been tooling around the neighborhood. He doesn't last too long before he wants it off his head. Yesterday while Casey was home, we blew up his new turtle pool. He was very excited to splash around today. We can't wait for Casey to be finished with school! He will have 2 months off this summer to just hang out! Hope everyone is doing well! Enjoy the new pictures! :)