Carving the Pumpkin

We have not always carved pumpkins as a part of our Fall and/or Halloween traditions. I was just remembering today that the first time we carved a pumpkin with our girls, Callie was Chloe's age (about 7 months). This is our third year carving a pumpkin. The girls really enjoyed it.

Here is Ryan showing Chloe inside the pumpkin. (I don't think she was that impressed.)

Here is Ryan helping Callie get some of the "yucky stuff" out of the pumpkin. She did not last long. I think she got just a little bit and then she was done.

Here is Cassidy cleaning out the inside of the pumpkin. She did most of the digging. She seemed to enjoy it. Ryan had to finish cleaning it up and carving out the face.

Here are the girls with the finished product. I think they did a pretty good job, it looks great! I think it was more difficult to get all three girls looking and smiling at the camera at the same time. This is the best picture I could get and part of Callie's face is covered by the pumpkin stem.

Cassidy's Birthday

We had Cassidy's birthday party last week. We decided this year that we were not going to have a big party like we've had in the past. We had a few family members over and Cassidy invited one of her friends. I think everyone had a good time.

You can see a picture of Cassidy's cake. I was quite disappointed when I called early in the week and was told by our favorite cake maker that she could not have a cake for Friday. I decided to call her back and see if she could do it for Thursday and she said she could. Cassidy wanted a butterfly cake. I think the lady did a wonderful job. Her cakes always taste so good. She does a great job making them.

Cassidy had a great birthday this year!

Just Swinging

Our Girls Just Swinging

We went outside the other night and put Chloe in the swing for the first time. She really enjoyed it. The girls all had a good time. Hopefully there will be many evening this Fall to enjoy time outside.

Holiday World Trip

We went to Holiday World today. We had a good time. The girls really enjoyed themselves. They rode a lot of different rides. We took pictures of them on a few of the rides.




Chloe even got in on the fun. She rode the Star Spangled Carousel. For about half the ride, she was laughing and was happy, then she got upset and wanted off. I was standing next to her, so I just held her the rest of the ride.

Tiramisu and rambles

Our neighbor Becky came over tonight for supper. She brought with her an Italian desert called "Tiramisu." I don't get out much, so at first I thought she must be making reference to an old Johny Cash song (Boy Named Sue). Apparently this is a very popular dish, and in its original form it is made with rum. Being the teetotallers that we are, she brought non-rum variety. It had a sweet cake with a taste of coffee inside.

Alright, let me ramble a bit. Amy took the kids to Chucky Cheese today, and I stayed home and worked on the yard. I'm sure some of you have noticed that I have not been writing a lot lately. This is just a very busy time right now. I'm working on National Board Certification, and that is keeping me pretty busy. When I do have a chance to sit down at the computer, I just want to read political stuff. Which reminds me; recently I wrote to the chairman of the republican party for our county. I wanted to know why it seems that our state has basically conceded to the democratic party in this election. He basically said that it dealt with the fact that no one wants to give any money locally. A few days later I got a letter in the mail asking me to give money. What else to say... I'm thinking about investing in gold. That would make for a good post. Keep watching for that one, and thanks for reading!

The Funny Things Kids Say

The other night I was putting the girls to bed. They sometimes have small arguments when they go to bed. They share a room and sometimes Callie gets on Cassidy's bed or Cassidy gets on Callie's bed. It is nothing really. I was tired and didn't want to listen to them argue. I told them if they couldn't get along, then I would have to separate them. (Of course, I was not sure how I would do that because the other bedroom is Chloe's.) Cassidy wanted to know how I was going to do that. I told her I don't know yet. Callie looked up with her sad eyes and said, "You are going to SALE us?" I quickly told her no and left the room. Cassidy understood what she said and was chuckling. I had to leave because I couldn't contain my laughter. It was not only what she said, but HOW she said it. After laughing a bit, I went back in and reassured her that I would NEVER sale her.

The girls are so funny. I know there have been many other funny things they have said and done. I am just so afraid I will forget them all. I just had to share this one.

Never Forget

We can only hope that we will never experience another event like 9/11. I can't really believe its been seven years. It remains so vivid in my mind. Watching the television images, seeing the looks on my student's faces. Coming home and hugging my wife. The anger I felt. The sorrow. I wanted to join the military right away, and sometimes I wish I would have.

I hope we are a safer place today. I hope my children never have to experience feeling I and the rest of the nation felt on that dreadful day.

Watching Governor Palin's Speech

It was quite a joy to watch John McCain's running mate give the speech of her life last night! When I first heard about his choice, I wasn't quite sure what to think. But after reading up on her, I don't think he could have picked a better candidate. She is strong, well spoken, and conservative! Yes, she has a few family issues, but my goodness, what American family doesn't? Who better to be a heart beat away from the President than a woman who can relate to everyday people! During her speech, I remember thinking, "This is exactly the type of role model I want for my three daughters!" Good luck, Sarah Palin, you've got my vote!

Struggles of a New Year

I'm sure a lot of you have noticed I've not been posting very much lately. To be honest, I'm just incredibly busy. Going back to school each year has its challenges. In fact, I heard one teacher say the other day, "This is like starting a new job every year!" And, that is not too far from the truth.

So far, I have the most students I've ever had--147! I have one class that has three kids with the same name in it. I do my best to learn all their names as quickly as I can, but they all have until Tuesday of next week to switch classes. Just today I got two or three new ones. And already, I've had a student who I think is being abused, one who took refuge in my room because a group was going to beat him up, and one who came in to tell me her friend died of a drug-related heart attack. Wow, the things these kids go through! Somewhere along the line, I hope to teach them science this year!

Visiting the B17

Yesterday I took Cassidy to visit one of the last remaining strategic, long-range bombers of WWII. The B-17, nicknamed the "Flying Fortress," was instrumental in the campaign wages against the Germans and other enemies during the world. The bomber had the ability to fly high in the sky, defend itself, and gained an almost mythical reputation for its ability to bring home its crew despite heavy damage. Of course, to a five-year-old, it was just a really cool airplane.

The next picture was taken as the airplane flew over our house! The four powerful engines made a roar that was unlike anything else. I'm sure it would have been a frightening sound to hear, especially behind enemy lines in the 1940's. Below that is a close-up picture of the plane in which you can make out its name, "Sentimental Journey."