Busy month

October has been fun month. Megan returned to work towards the beginning of the month and it’s been nice going to work with her again. Taking Alex and Leo to daycare was odd but they did really well and we like our daycare. Otherwise the boys did well eating and growing and we even got them out to a couple of volleyball games. Leo and Alex were Baptized this month! Both my sisters’ families made the trip out here with my mom and Megan’s parents and sister-in-law. It was a nice day and feels good to have done. We made a couple of trips to Lincoln but the last one was much tougher. Alex had to have surgery on a hernia this week and it was also opening weekend for pheasants and quail.  That meant we had to pack two dogs and two babies in a small SUV; good thing we have a car topper. The surgery went well and Alex is healing. Other than bathing there’s really no care instructions which is nice. Ollie got to hunt three days last month. I took him prairie chicken hunting and basically just succeeded in making sure he wasn’t gun shy. On the last weekend he got into more quail and a few pheasants. Ollie was definitely interested in birds, he actually ate a quail…. By the 2nd day he succeeded in flushing his first bird. He stayed close to me and other than when he didn’t want to fetch the quail he came when he was called so overall I was pretty happy with him. Charlie did great both days, he flushed lots of quail and found all the ones I shot.

In school we had parent teacher conferences. Those went well and I got to talk to many of my students parents. We also had the Bishop here to dedicate our new chapel. It’s very nice to have the Blessed Sacrament in our school each day and have the opportunity to pray for each other and the world. As for my classes, the 7th graders learned about genetics and started evolution. We made monsters and models of DNA. In 10th grade we learned about cells and cell division. We ended the month with some fun projects over mitosis and meiosis. In Dual Credit we finished our unit on animals and started learning about fungi.

I wasn’t sure which month to put this on but Nov 1st was a year since my dad died. It’s been a weird year all around. I’ve missed him, wished he was here, was grateful for all he did for us and tried relive some memories. I’ve had lots of different emotions throughout the year and lots of “first” that have been hard: the first time I went hunting, the first time I had a medical questions about myself, the first big decision we had to make about our kids, the first time a student asked a question in class that used to be a simple email away. It’s been tough adjusting but everyone around me has made it better each day. I know I will never be free of the random events that bring dad to mind but I also don’t want to be. Thank you dad for all you’ve done, our prayers and hearts are with you.

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When September Ends

Hello everyone, another month has gone by in our lives and this month has been very different than the last. Alex and Leo are doing great and Megan and I are getting better at being parents. Right now they still eat, sleep, and poop a lot but they’re doing more each and every day. It’s been great being parents and adds a whole new dimension to our lives as a family. It’s very different being parents and having our schedules dictated by when they eat and not just whatever we think. Megan has been doing a wonderful job of taking care of both of them during they day and her parents even came and helped for a week. It was nice to see them and really nice to have their help for that week. We’ve taken them out as much as we can, Mass every weekend, a UNK football game (well half time anyway) and a KCHS volleyball game. That was fun to see how my students, their parents, and some of the staff members reacted. My mom came one weekend to do some odds and ends at our house which had been neglected since we got home. We got some pictures taken of them, which came out great and will probably be sent out in a Christmas letter among other things. Overall it’s been both fun and challenging being new parents but Megan and I are loving it.

In school, classes have been going well. Seventh and tenth graders are both learning about the cell. Seventh grade built plant cells out of shoe boxes and tenth did small creative projects on different organelles. Dual Credit Biology is going well. We’ve done some interesting labs and are currently doing an outside of class lab where the students will monitor which bird feeders and types of seeds birds prefer and then do some statistical analysis to see if there really is a significant difference. They’re approaching completion of the new foyer, office and chapel. It looks really good and I can’t wait till Megan gets back and can use it. Homecoming week was fun as always, however it was a little different since I only have 15 seniors. We finished the month with a pond water lab where the students got to see all the single celled microbes that live in Yanney lake.

 

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Lysosomes Rap Video

Life will never be the same

Hello everyone I have some big news for you. Megan and I adopted a set of twins this month. Alex Franklin and Leo Edward were born in July and came home to Nebraska this week. We started the adoption process 4 years ago and have been waiting ever since. It was a crazy month and the beginning of a crazy life. Megan and I found out we were chosen for a set of twins in late June but didn’t tell anyone until they they were born. They were born in South Dakota and were a bit early. We spent 6 weeks in SD with them and most of it was spent at the NICU. If you’ve had someone in the NICU you know how hard that can be; there were many advances and retreats during their time there but eventually they both got out. In fact Alex got out about a week and a half before Leo so we had to take care of him in our hotel room.  The doctors and nurses there were great and I learned a ton of things I didn’t know (like how to change a diaper).  Learning to be parents has been interesting to say the least and having two has been a lot of fun. We could not be more excited to have the family we’ve been wanting since we got married and can’t wait to see them grow.

Since we spent the month in the NICU not much has happened besides the twins. We did however start a new school year last week and that has been going well. I have a good set of classes this year and my students seem nice, of course I’ve only had them a few days.

On a final note I am going to start making these posts a monthly thing instead of a weekly thing.

Detasseling

Hello all, I know I missed last weeks post but I’m going to blame the on the fact that detasseling started last Friday. Yes we’ve been detasseling for a week now and we’re still having fun. No but really it’s not too bad; we get to be in a field to see the sunrise, find tadpoles, find killdeer nests, find other wild animals and meet lots of people. Some of my students from KCHS are in our crew and it’s been interesting to see how they work out there. Really it’s a pretty fun time other that the heat, wet, and tiredness. Megan and I watched the July 3rd fireworks show from our street and then we spend the 4th with a few friends and shot of some fireworks that night. On Wednesday I had game night with some friend and played a bored game. That’s pretty much how exciting our lives are during the summer.

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Happy Birthday to me

Hello all, this week was our family adventure. We started out by going down to St. Louis to see my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. While there we went to the science center, a history museum and a Cardinals game. The science center was really neat and the game was good after the sun went down. It was fun going with my Uncle Jeff and Jeniffer. After that we headed to Megan’s parents in Kentucky. We went to a LST memorial; it’s a big WWII ship that transported tanks and other vehicles right up to beaches. Then we went to a dream car museum and saw lots of neat cars. Other than that we’ve been having around playing games and watching the deer in their back yard. Today we’re heading to Cincinnati to see Megan’s Grandma and some other relatives. We’ll also go to a Reds game tonight. To top of tonights game and my birthday there will be fireworks after the game. Megan has taken a few pictures so here are some highlights.

Simple week

Not much happened this week in Kearney , I had a safety meeting for detasseling but otherwise we really didn’t have anything scheduled. This gave me time to read, play video games and be with Megan. We went fishing one night and caught some bluegill. We also took the dogs on some walks. The biggest news this week is the fact that we are leaving today for Kentucky. We’re going to go spend a week with Megan’s parents. But on the way we will stop in St. Louis and see my uncle and his family. We’re both very excited minus the whole 12 hours in a car thing.

Science on the Platte

Last weekend was the Nebraska State USAYESS Shoot. As a team we did pretty well, we took home some team medals and individual medals. It was a pretty fun three days. On Monday and Tuesday I went to a conference at Rowe Sanctuary to dive deeper into the Nebraska state science standards. It was a very informative couple of days and it gave us lots of time to work together with other science teachers and try to figure out how we are going to meet these standards. Our dogs have been good. Megan and I are trying to walk them more often and I think they like that. The only issue is we have to walk them around dawn or dusk in order for it to be cool enough for them. Tonight we have dinner with our friends from our adoption group and tomorrow we have a wedding for one of my cousins. It should be a fun weekend.

June!

It’s June first! I like June, my birthday is this month and it’s the one month between School and detasseling that I don’t have to work. I still do work on stuff, I’ve started my dual credit class for the fall and I have a workshop next week but I don’t HAVE to do anything. We were at my mom’s last weekend for my Godson’s graduation party. It was fun and I saw a few relatives so that’s always nice. We also stayed at mom’s for Memorial Day and went to an outdoor Mass at the cemetery my dad is in. The Bishop said the Mass and there were lots of people there. Then we visited my dad’s grave and my grandparents’ grave. Back in Kearney we haven’t done too much until last night’s shooting practice. We have State YESS today through Sunday. It’s the last of our state competitions and only a few of our shooters are going on this weekend. The rest of the month will be fun. We’re headed to see Megan’s parents and take in a couple of baseball games. Have a good June.

Nebraska City

Good morning, I’m writing today from the Lied Lodge in Nebraska City. Megan surprised me with a getaway for a couple of days. We got here last night and today are going to explore the Arbor Day Farms stuff. Megan has only been here once and I’ve only been once more in 4th grade. It’ll be fun to wander around. We spent last weekend in Lincoln with my mom and sister’s family. It was nice not having to rush back on Sunday for school. We also celebrated our 8 year anniversary on Tuesday. I tried to surprise Megan with a movie and wine tasting. The movie, Avengers: Infinity War, was good but the wine tasting was not what I was expecting although it was still fun. The rest of the week was pretty low key. It was my first full week off school and I tried to not think about it. I did however have a meeting yesterday to start preparing for my dual credit class next fall. That is going to take a bit of work to get off the ground but I’m really excited for it. I believe it’s going to be a lot of fun for both the students and me. This weekend we’re back to Lincoln to go to my Godson’s graduation party. After having so many grad parties in Kearney, going to only one this weekend will be different.

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER

Finals are done here at Kearney Catholic and we’re out for the summer. We’ve had a great semester in all 4 of my classes. It’s always a mix of feelings during this time of the year ranging from excitement to be done and sadness to leave. I think the students are ready to go and enjoy their summer breaks and the seniors are ready to go and start the next chapter in their lives. On Tuesday we had a ground breaking ceremony for our new chapel and office space. Megan had to move all her stuff out of the office and since I’m such a nice guy I have helped her with that. We also had an awards assembly at the end of the day. Graduation went well and I think my Commencement speech was well received by both the students and their parents. It was pretty fun to give and got me to go to my first high school graduation since I graduated in 2005. We also managed to hit most of the graduation parties and had lots of good food and cake. It’s been fun the last two years seeing all the childhood pictures of these seniors I’ve only really known for a year. I pray the seniors will do well in their next phase of their lives and I’ll see all the underclassmen back next fall. This summer Megan and I will be going to Kentucky to see her parents and going to a Reds and maybe a Cardinals game on the way. I’ll also be detasseling during July.

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Final Friday

The last Friday of the school year is upon us and we’re wrapping things up here at KCHS. The 7th graders took their human body test yesterday and started their semester reviews and the bio students did likewise today. Those tests went well, which is nice for our last one of the semester. The seniors have been in and out this week doing various things and it’s been interesting seeing which ones stop in to say hello. Graduation parties started last weekend but this weekend is the big one. Megan and I have a few tonight, lots tomorrow, and a few Sunday. Graduation is Sunday and this will be the first time in many years we’ll be going to graduation. I can honestly say it’s been long enough that I’m excited to go. I moved my fish tank so it doesn’t overheat by the window this summer. Next week we have class Monday-Tuesday and Finals Wednesday-Thursday. With the end of the semester approaching it’s nice to look back and see how far we’ve come. I can honestly say this year we made it farther in Biology than I ever have. It’s been a fun semester with all four of my classes.  At home one of the biggest things this semester was Megan and I getting a new puppy, who’s now 5 1/2 months old. Overall it was a good few months.

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Seniors last week and state trap

It was the last week at Kearney Catholic for seniors and as such it’s always an interesting week. There’s a mix of excitement to be done and sadness to leave, but overall I think the week went well. We finished up with a test in advanced biology and then some more labs in chem. I tend to have to miss the last days for the seniors for state trap. Our junior high squads shot yesterday and one of them shot very well with 95 out of 100 and ended up 10th! Today our highschoolers will shoot their 16 yard targets and line them up for handicaps tomorrow. In seventh grade and 10th grade were learning about the human body to wrap up the year, there’s lots of information about bones, muscles, and the digestive system etc. Next week is our last full week for students, it’s nice to see the finish line in sight. This weekend starts graduation parties and with Megan working in the office this year she will know people better. Well, wish us luck today and tomorrow.