I have to admit I had not intention of joining the ice bucket challenge…that is until I had a great idea. I could challenge people to donate to a charity of their choice, instead of just ALS. I think people should do things that they are passionate about. Here is my Ice Cream Bucket Challenge. 

This post is for all of my students who love science and robotics. There is some pretty cool stuff out there. I can't wait till someday when some of you are the scientists who are creating things like this. 

You don't often get inspirational speeches from people in Hollywood, but I saw this and thought I would share it. You have to work for your opportunities. Being "sexy" is a whole lot more than looking good. It really has a lot more to do with who you are. I work on a daily basis with kids who are entering into middle school and there is so much drama. Be someone who is smart, works hard and cares about other people and you will find plenty of opportunities will come your way.

My little guy is officially walking as of just a few weeks ago. With everything he learns, it makes it a little more fun being a dad!

One of my summer projects has been to make a promo video for Open Hand, Inc., which is a not-for-profit organization. The organization provides micro loans for entrepreneurs in Haiti, among many other things. A micro loan is a small loan given to a person, so they can start a business. Most businesses are small in nature. They might use the loan to buy materials so they can start making pottery, for example. Once they have made the original purchase of materials, they can purchase more material with the profit they made from selling the original items. By providing micro loans, rather than simply giving away handouts, people who are stuck in poverty can begin to take care of themselves and their families. One of the many problems the extremely poor face, is how to provide for their families. Many have sold members of their family into modern day slavery, because they had no other way to provide for their family. More than 2 million people a year enter into slavery. The goal of Open Hand is to provide a way out for many of these families, by loaning them money and helping them become self-sufficient. Once the loan is repaid from their earnings, the money is then loaned out to another family in need. You can find out more about what they do by visiting their site www.open-hand.org.

Here are a few of the latest photos of my adorable kid. I've been messing with the settings on my camera, so if you notice a difference in picture quality, that's why. Of course, with his super cute smile you probably won't even notice picture quality.

Here are a few glimmers of spring. After a week of frosty mornings, life is about to burst forth again!

One thing that is great about Christmas is that families come together from all over the place. I have siblings that live in four different states and yet at Christmas we converge on my parents house in Ohio and celebrate. This year was particularly fun, because there were six grandkids to keep things interesting. It was also our first Christmas with little Lincoln. Having all the little kids around reminded me of how much fun Christmas morning. It also reminded me of how important family is. We might move into a different house or community, and our friends will likely change over time, but family will always be around, for better or worse. It makes making memories even more fun, because you know that ten years from now your family will remember those good times. However, very few of my friends were my friends ten years ago. Things change. I've moved around. In addition to having all the kids around, we had an epic gingerbread house competition. Some of the results were more interesting than epic, but boy did we have fun. There are a few images included in my December video included below.

I completely forgot about my blog page, but I noticed recently that several of my students had been asking to see Lincoln, so here you go. November was a big month for Lincoln. He had a movie debut in his honor. He also learned that he had toes, he learned how to eat real food over Thanksgiving break and he discovered the beach. He also sprouted his first tooth, began rolling over on a regular basis and started laughing. The movie below captures all of those highlights from the month of November along with a few others. I also want to mention that the movie below was made using my phone and an awesome app called Splice. If you don't have the app you should get it, because it is fantastic for compiling family memories in a very quick and easy manner. It's also great for making school projects.

Well, I've been many places and seen many amazing things, but I have to admit that one of the most awesome experiences I've ever had was becoming a dad this summer. I've imagined being a dad many times and having a little munchkin that looked and acted a little bit like me sometimes. Right now, my little guy can only do four things (eat, sleep, cry and poop), but soon I'll be able to teach him how to do the many things that I loved doing as a kid. I guess one of the most exciting things about being a dad is that I get to relive childhood!

As you will notice in scrolling through the pictures of my first few weeks with my little guy, I pride myself in capturing his emotions: crying, yawning, stretching or just looking like a baby. Right now, he can't even seem to focus his little eyes on me. He is completely helpless and I am so thankful that I will be teaching at a school closer to home this year, so I can be there to help him (and my wife).