Boettcher's on the Web

Facebook | My Photos - Hockey and more

2008-09-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

We went to the Red Wings prospects game last night and we finally downloaded our pictures onto our computer... Here are some of those photos.

Smashing Idea - washingtonpost.com

2008-09-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Smashing Idea - washingtonpost.com

A well-written article that sums up the whole Large Hadron Collider news in a palatable fashion.

Arden Pictures and a big update!

2008-08-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the job situation is settled which means the housing situation is getting settled. This allows us to go downstate so we can get the other car registered and therefore we get to pick up some more of our stuff from storage in Kalamazoo. All this is happening in the final week of summer.

Bryan is starting his orientation into his old school district, but this time he will be on the other side of the battle lines (in the trenches). Michelle, Arden and Sydney are getting through the days with the help of many random happenings in town. They could, on any given day and time, be at the park, out for a quick bite, at the chiropractor or a breast-feeding or mommy group.

Arden is growing bigger and holding his head up well. He also "coos" like a pro and he makes a funny laugh sound when he inhales after a good "coo." Sydney is getting more accurate with his yeses and noes. He is still very thoughtful but losing some patience when it comes to being the other brother. He had a big night tonight because he wore his big boy undies and went number 1 in the toilet (also know as going number "e to the (i)(pi)" in the Boettcher family).

Click on the title of the blog or click here to see more Arden pictures.

New photos from new camera

2008-07-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

We are in TC, living with Bryan's Grandparents while we wait to hear about a job. Two teaching prospects still exist, we'll keep ya posted. Bryan is painting with his step-brother to earn some extra cash, Michelle is exploring local parks and catching up with old friends when she can. We have been enjoying family outings on the weekend with Bryan's family (see new photo album, Summer back in TC).

We hope all is well, e-mail us your photos or just say hi. We miss all or our friends in GA and NV.

Sydney visits the Atlantic Ocean

2008-06-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

We took a family trip to Savannah to visit the ocean before we set sail for the inland lakes, so to speak. We will be leaving on June 30th, but as of now we are uncertain as to where we will land for good. We know we will be in TC for the first few weeks of July, but after that we are still looking.

Bryan had a brief phone interview to be continued next week at the high school in Mattawan, MI that looks promising. Packing has hit some speed bumps lately, namely being tired and the mental effects of such condition, so we are looking forward to having some help arriving starting the week after next. We are hitting the home stretch and getting excited, nervous, anxious, etc, but enjoying life with two boys. Here is a new photo album of Sydney's first visit to the ocean.

Arden Ellis Boettcher Photos

2008-06-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

A new photo album on Facebook that is open for public viewing.

Facebook | My Photos - Arden Ellis Boettcher

Birth Story

2008-05-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Michelle is on the phone again telling the birth story to a friend. It is 9:45 pm so fortunately we will not pay for these cell phone minutes. However, we will not be to bed for quite a while longer... The birth story is very exciting, but it takes a while to get the complete description of the magnificent day. Michelle will surely post the story here, eventually.

I am posting this to confirm that the new baby's name is Arden Ellis Boettcher. Here is the whole family the morning after Arden was born. Sydney loves his new little brother. He constantly wants to hold him and pet him and give him kisses.

Our New Baby Boy

2008-05-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

His name is not 100% decided. He was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 18.5 inches. He was born at 9:33 pm on May 21st, 2008. And here he is.

We Have Baby!

2008-05-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Born at 9:33 PM on May 21st, 2008.

More details to follow...

Don't Believe Hollywood

2008-05-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Labor is not really exciting for the first few hours. We have been timing contractions, but so far none have been really intense. They're coming every few minutes, but Michelle hasn't had to stop what she's doing during them. We have been doing housework, sweeping, and doing laundry to keep moving and keep busy, but that is winding down. If you know Michelle, we're running out of things to clean.

This morning we went for a walk to get things going. It was so nice. The sun was coming up, everything was clean and green from the rain last night, and we laughed at everyone who was on their way to work. Now we are expecting our chiropractor to show up and adjust Michelle, as well as the midwife's assistant, who lives down the street, to check the baby's heart beat and make sure that all is well. In the meantime, Sydney is trying to avoid falling asleep. He was up with us at 5:30 this morning, so it is definitely time for a nap!

A Birthday Begins

2008-05-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Michelle's water broke this morning at 5:10 AM. I will try to keep the blog updated when Arden is born and post pictures here in the next day or so. Thank you for your well wishes.

Thank you birthday well-wishers

2008-05-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Sydney enjoyed his presents and cards. He was especially excited to see that Elmo wanted to wish him a happy 2nd birthday. BTW, I will keep the blog updated ASAP when the baby arrives and have some pictures here first. Stay tuned!!!

My son rocks!

2008-04-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

My son is the greatest. Not only does he now say some colors (blue and orange) but he is digging the nighttime routine. I'm proud of it because I came up with it (this is Bryan writing this, BTW). After dinner we wash our hands then head to the sun room. In the sun room is our hammock and we sit there playing with finger puppets and reading Richard Scary books ("big books" Sydney calls them). When he is done with the hammock we brush our teeth together and then head to the changing table to put on pajamas. Then we will read a book on his couch if it seems necessary and I put him in the crib before too long. Tonight the whole process took about 35-40 minutes and he didn't make a peep after I left his room.

The reason this is so great is that five days ago he cried himself to sleep from 8 until 8:30 or later. We started this routine the next night and he has been in bed before 8pm almost every single night... Tonight he went down at 7:40 with no fuss at all! I love my son, he has been trained well by his Mom and knows how to follow a routine.

As for Michelle and I, we are ready for a baby to be born. I'm ready for school to be done (3 weeks and two days) and hoping to hear from TCAPS soon for an interview. I will keep all posted on the details, but as it stands we plan to move back to TC in mid-July. Love all...now for some Sydney pics...

Inspiration from a Friend

2008-04-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

A co-worker of mine just started her own blog (check it out here) devoted to life with her 3 children. As you know we are expecting our second child on or around June 4th. We will of course be keeping details posted here. For now, we are getting ready for our home birth. We have all the necessary supplies minus a big tub for a planned water birth.

I really wanted to post a recent picture of Sydney today as my friend posted several pics of her kiddos playing on her new blog. So here are some shots of Sydney in action. Click on the picture to see a larger version that you can save if you like.

A weekend for Barack

2008-01-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

We drove to Orangeburg, SC on Saturday to help get out the vote for the primary. Michelle was calling registered voters until 10 minutes before the polls closed. Then we found out immediately after 7 pm that he was the projected winner. It was very exciting and caught on tape by Michelle standing on a chair.

Obama in Atlanta

2008-01-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

We stood outside Ebenezer Baptist Church this morning in sub-freezing temperatures for two hours, but it was worth it to shake Sen. Obama's hand. He gave a wonderful speech (see full text) and took time to greet all of us shivering visitors who waited outside. He looked us in the eyes and shook our hands, even Sydney's. He commented on how "bundled up" Sydney was (yes, that is an actual quote from Barack that you won't get anywhere else, a Boettcher's on the Web exclusive). After he shook my hand, then Sydney's, he know there was a momma for this child and he found Michelle standing behind me and reached in to connect with her for a moment. We believe that he is sincere in his words and we got to see how sincere he can be in person even when he has been on the trail for over a year now.

Funny note: we shook hands with Barack Obama exactly one year before the next presidential inauguration. No prognostication meant here, just thought it was worth a mention.

See the picture of where we were standing this morning to see Sen. Obama.
Obama addresses overflow crowd at Ebenezer Church | ajc.com

Who’s Afraid of Barack Obama? - New York Times

2007-12-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Who’s Afraid of Barack Obama? - New York Times

This article really breaks things down beyond next Spring. Gave me some things to think about. Tip- it gets good towards the middle.

Saturday

2007-12-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

Our morning could have turned out a lot worse. Sydney picked up another cold from his last day at daycare and is starting to get sniffly. That means that he doesn't sleep well. This morning he woke up at 6 am, and we exhausted all of our tricks before we surrendered and got up. Luckily he was in a completely silly mood and let us gather our whits around coffee while he ran around the house squealing like a loony toon. We just finished our breakfast (banana-nut pancakes!), and he is still full of energy even though we didn't let him have any syrup. Banana pancakes are soooo good. I have a recipe I'll share with you from a vegan cookbook because this is the stuff that world peace and brotherly love are made of.

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 very mashed banana
1 1/2 c (any kind) milk plus 1 tsp vinegar (let it sit for 5 minutes)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c pecans (or any kind of nut)
Canola oil or cooking spray for pan

mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then pour wet into dry and mix (not too much). Fold in nuts. Let mix set in fridge for 10 minutes to thicken up. Grease pan, make pancakes.

These are soooo damn good! Bryan demanded that I blog about banana pancakes and is holding my breakfast hostage. I have finished my assignment, so I'm gonna go eat now.

Blue skies up ahead?

2007-10-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

Holy moly, folks! I'm feeling sicker than a dog these days. Where did that phrase come from anyway? Most of the dogs I've known were pretty healthy most of the time, and were only too happy to clean up after themselves when they were sick. Not me! This morning breakfast ended up in the kitchen sink, and I couldn't stand the house after that. Sydney and I spent the day out and about, even napping in the car in the driveway, because I didn't want to smell the house. (It's an old house, and I think it has a smell.) So, that's all I'm going into about morning sickness because most of my old tricks from last time (Sydney) don't work too well, so I'm going to try ignoring it and see how that works. From here on out, in case you should inquire into my health, I'm doin' great and feeling gorgeous! My theory is that if enough of us put that thought out into the universe, it has to manifest itself sometime.

Ennon ma unohda, Siiri, minun email osoite on michelle@bryanandmichelleb.com. I didn't check the dictionary again, so I hope I'm not inventing new Finnish words like "pissapussi". Remember that one? Good times. Well, email me because I have to tell you about my dream in Finland and many other things to catch up on. I really enjoy that part of pregnancy. The awesome dreams. They're crazy and exciting and intriguing and emotional and a good excuse to sleep. I think I'm going to sign off now because I'm starting to "talk" for the sole purpose of "hearing my voice". I'm a little bored because Bryan is doing his homework. Good night!

Hyva Suomi!

2007-10-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Kiitos, Siiri. Menneme Scandinavian Festivalille huomenna. Paljon suomeen kieli, ja makkara, ja pulla, ja olut (ei oo minusta :-(, ja Suomalaiset! Ihana!! How was that? I didn't even check the dictionary once. I bet you can tell. I still view Finland as a koti to me, and one day, I'm actually going to have enough money to go back! When I'm done having babies and going to school. I still remember Mixu telling me that I'd never come back, and I have a deep desire to prove him wrong. I'm still that stubborn about some things. Well, I just wanted to say, Ma rakastan sua. really.

This post has been brought to you by the letter 'B'

2007-10-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

Sydney was talking up a storm today! I was sitting on the bed folding laundry, and he was looking at some books on the floor. I love these simply effortless domestic moments that I get to have sometimes with him. He brought me the box for one of his sets of books and was very excited. He was pointing at a corner of it saying, "ba-oon!" It took me a second, but then I realized he was pointing at a balloon. Then he pointed at an apple and said "baah". Close enough. Apples can look a lot like balls. He also correctly identified a boat. Did you hear that Ed and the Starner-Greiners? He can say "boat". I think it's because I took him to the harbor so many times while we were in Michigan. There's also a picture of a baby tub, and he was a little taken aback when I told him that it was a bath until he spotted the rubber ducks. That was a lot of words for one day! I'm trying to teach him how to say Obama, but that's mostly for my own amusement. I should probably say something about the other members of our family...
Bryan seems to be doing better. A personal day before a weekend followed by an inservice day without students tends to do an educator good. I've been feeling dizzy and nauseous, but I'm taking it all in stride. It just means that hormones are flowing in increasing amounts of blood, which is the way it should be. According to my pregnancy update, the baby's heart is beating. I've been philosophical about the purpose of our hearts and our perception of the heart individually and as a societal whole, and I've concluded that I should use mine more. So love to you.

So, we have some news...

2007-09-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

We wanted to be sure, so we did two tests. Due date is early June, which is good because school will be out. We're planning on another homebirth because the last one went so swimmingly. I think that's about it. I was asked to read a book before Wednesday, and I'm still on chapter one. Gotta get started on that. We went to the zoo today which ended up working out well as it was educator's day, and Bryan got in for free. Sydney was reasonably impressed, but a lot of it was boring for him until the zoo train came by. Elephants don't have wheels, you know? Love to you.

Facebook | My Photos – MI Family Adventure

2007-09-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Facebook | My Photos – MI Family Adventure

Getting back to you...

2007-09-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Bryan and I have been busting things out here. We've been really struggling with making our new place a home, as you do after a move, and the sleeper sofa this morning was a big plus. We found it at a garage sale down the street and actually wheeled it to our house on a dolly. Way too easy for our comfort because we like to have to rent trucks to drive to the other side of Atlanta to buy something we don't really like. Cheap and down the street just doesn't seem right. Just kidding, we're thrilled.

Bryan is on a roll! He has moved several things that have been lying around and bugging me up to the attic for now, raked half of the front yard because it hasn't been done in a few years and is really just a 2 inch layer of pine needles and ivy, and is cleaning out the carport as I write this. Me? Obviously, I'm sitting on my butt playing with the computer. Really, I have half the house swept and picked up and dinner half way made. We're having company tonight. Father Eric. We'll see how this goes. We've become rusty entertainers since the days of the pink house. How do you make people feel comfortable if you can't chain smoke on the back porch and jam with guitars and harmonies? At least Fr. Eric is an Indiana boy, so we could possibly relate on a Midwestern level. Anyway, I've been lazy, and the house has gotten gross lately. It's a good thing that we have company coming or we'd still be sitting on our tushies wasting another great weekend.

As far as the house becoming a home, we still need to do some painting, more furniture purchases, hang pictures, and I'm going to reupholster our dining room chairs. Easier thought than done because I have a million staples to pull out! I just have to remind myself that it's an investment in the future because the next time I want to change the look of the dining room, it will be much easier! So, you are still more than welcome to come visit us because we miss our friends and family. Love to you!

Calling everybody we love!!

2007-09-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Guess what! We just got a sleeper sofa, so that means that you can now come and stay with us!! Hurray! We'll get more sleep-over supporting furniture and have a real shindig. That's all for now. We have a set of honorary grandparents watching Sydney today so that we can get all kinds of things done today, and I must remember to take advantage of absent little feet on my soon to be clean floor and little hands not in my mop bucket! Love to you!!

Newsweek America's Best High Schools

2007-09-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

America's Top Public High Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools

Decatur High School, where I am now teaching, is ranked as the 1154th best school in the country. It sounds better if you say, "top 5%."

Anyway, I wanted to brag. However, it was apparently ranked in the 600's in 2003. Whatever that means.

Photos – Sydney's Album

2007-08-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Facebook | My Photos – Sydney's Album

Photos – Atlanta Botanical Gardens

2007-08-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Facebook | My Photos – Atlanta Botanical Gardens

I did it!

2007-08-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

I made it home without getting lost! Just thought I'd let you know like I promised. It's slightly late, or maybe it just feels so late because Sydney's teething still. Poor kid. Well, think happy thoughts for him to forget what his mouth is doing and for us to get the most refreshing night of rest ever! I'll try to remember to post about Sydney helping the bees at Fernbank. Love to you.

What Michelle and Sydney do all day...

2007-08-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

I know you've been dying to know. What do Michelle and Sydney do all day long together? Well, Bryan hops on his bike to head to school around 7 am, and that's pretty much where our day starts. I'm just kidding about giving a detailed account of our day. Sydney has been transitioning from two naps to only one lately, and that's been just another fun mother thing to figure out. We've been spending the morning out of the house, coming home for lunch, and then it's nap time! That seems to be working well.

This morning we went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I really like being there. I feel so calm and patient. They have a children's garden, and we saw that part for the first time today. I so wish that I was little again! You have to cross an enchanting tall bridge that is covered with vines and flowers to get to it, and because Sydney's favorite parts of the garden involve water, he was so happy to see a fountain play area under the cover of a wisteria canopy.

I wasn't completely prepared for a swim, but I let him play in it anyway because we had a change of clothes for just in case times. For once, I was Responsible F uture-thinking Mommy, and it paid off! He approached the water timidly, at first, in his own little scientist way, pointer finger first, but it didn't take him long to really get wet. It's a flat circle that has drainage grates cut into artsy shapes on the perimeter, and half of them shoot a stream or a fan of water up about two feet into the air. There are also several "sunflowers" that shower water from the wisteria foliage when a big button is pushed on a neighboring wall. Sydney got caught under one when some girls pushed it. He was startled but didn't cry probably because they were girls, and has a thing for cute girls. He looked so sweet running around the fountains with his little overall pockets pooling water.

When he was done with that and in dry clothes, we went through some trails in the woods. We got a little lost, but we enjoyed ourselves. I spend so much of my time wandering around the gardens thinking that I should take a picture of a flower for Sabina, or have a picnic with my grandma, or show Zavier the giant bug art display, or figure out the different species of gardenias (which are blooming right now -talk about heavenly scent!) with Vicki... I miss everyone in my life right now. I'm not even picky about location or current level of intimacy. Maybe I'm starting to get old because I'm thinking that I was young yesterday and didn't appreciate everyone as much as I could have. Along the lines of youth being wasted on the young. But honestly, on a side note, thank you to everyone who has crossed my path, became my friend, brought a smile to my face, planted an idea, or even taught me a lesson. Wow. Check out the blessings of loneliness! Anyway!!

Tricky Mom here found a circle path around the air conditioned orchid exhibit with two water hazards for Sydney to look at. I let him push the stroller around it for about 20 minutes until he was medium well done. I'm liking this morning activity time. I'm also learning how to navigate Atlanta. I'll keep you posted on when I can actually make it home without getting lost. Ponce de Leon is a tricky street! Anyone who has driven in Atlanta can tell you.

So, this is a long post, and that was just the morning. The afternoon usually comprises of me getting hot and tired and frustrated with dinner because I don't want to have to use the stove or the oven. I've actually been cooking dinner during nap time and reheating it at dinner time the last few days. Before then, we came up with an excuse to eat out. I've never lived anywhere where I wouldn't use the oven because it was too stinkin' hot! Now I'm bitching, so I'll stop. I wish Lent would come so that I could give up negativity again. That was nice.

Well, that's the end of my ramblings, thanks for checking in. Love to you.

Clinton, Obama spar at labor union debate | Reuters

2007-08-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Clinton, Obama spar at labor union debate | Reuters: "you shouldn't always say everything you think if you're running for president"

I just had to say something... This quote is from Hillary Clinton, responding to something that Barack Obama said.

Bryan

Michelle's first blog

2007-07-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! This is Michelle's first blogging experience if you don't count looking over Bryan's shoulder with suggestions. I'll figure out how to put pictures on later when Bryan is done mowing the yard. We have a huge yard now. It's completely green with everything but grass. We have many big and small trees covered with ivy - some bearing pears, figs, and apples we were told, two blueberry bushes, a newer deck to overlook our expanse of greenness, and a secret alcove with hammock set ups. Bryan sat out there one afternoon with a book and decided that we might want to add a mosquito net to our belongings.

Sydney is doing well. He's going through a growth spurt, and he's putting away all the food we give him except my curried split pea soup. Not a fan, I guess. I've been dabbling in vegan fare, and I'm liking it. I found a fun vegan cooking show called the Post Punk Kitchen. It's two girls in their Brooklyn apartment on public television. You can see some of their shows at www.theppk.com Funny, funny. Okay, back to Sydney...

He's talking now! All lights are called stars, which is so cute! He was calling me Michelle for a while, but seems to have switched back to Mama. Bryan is definitely Dad. He also says dog, cat, hi, tree (sometimes), duck, door, "what's that?" and "what's this" which sometimes comes out sounding a lot like the s-word. We try really hard not to laugh. He's turning into a little monkey climbing on boxes and the sofa. We're still nervous about him doing this because we're new at this parent thing, and his balance isn't top notch.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is coming to visit Atlanta around Halloween, and we're going to take our little Buddha man to see him when he gives a public talk in a park somewhere around here. Atlanta is really big, and there are so many things to do. We have a membership to the Fernbank Museum where they have two HUGE dinosaur skeletons and several flying reptiles (several meaning around 24). There are lizards and snakes on display that look really sad to be trapped in a glass box with fake vegetation. I don't like the zoo for the same reason, so Bryan will have to take Sydney, and I'll stay home. Fernbank has other attractions for children, and they offer discounts to teachers - Hurray!

Well, I have many other things to update everyone on, but I'll save them for another time. Sydney isn't impressed with the office anymore, so it's time to move on to another activity. Love to you.

Facebook | My Photos – June & July 2007

2007-07-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

A photo album from the past two months.

June & July 2007

An Evening Rainbow

2007-05-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

An evening rain, combined with wind gusts blowing rain down the mountain, created this surprising rainbow that silhouettes our metal bull sculpture......Don't ask, it came with the house.

I know all about math...

2007-04-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

YouTube - What You Know About Math?

Sydney enjoys his peas.

2007-04-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Oh Nevada...my wonderful State...

2007-03-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Arming our teachers?

A Nevada legislator has proposed a bill that will allow teachers to carry concealed weapons at school. The worst part? Nobody is up in arms about this (no pun intended).

2007-03-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Download the full size print or order a copy on snapfish

Consequences of cutting the education budget

2007-03-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Representative,

I am a former Michigander now seeking to return as an experienced teacher, but education budget cuts have influenced my decision to accept a job in Decatur, GA. I moved from Michigan 2 years ago because I did not have enough experience to get a job as a teacher in my home state. Since then, I have grown to become a valued math and science teacher at my current high school. While student teaching in Michigan, I earned MASB awards for the SCI-MA-TECH program in Traverse City, I helped bring in over $30,000 in fund raising for the advanced technology program and even wrote about $4,000 worth of grants for Michigan high school students to work with new technology. This was before I even had any teaching experience or advanced degrees. Now I have a few years under my belt, and I'll be starting my PhD in January at Georgia Tech instead of U of M. Please feel free to browse my on-line resume by following the link attached.

I am gravely disappointed in your ability to govern. Why are you cutting the education budget? What are your reasons? What could be more important or useful to improving Michigan's economic state than educating our future citizens? I came from Michigan schools, and now I will be taking my passion for inspiring young minds elsewhere. I can't even begin to fathom who is your priority because it's obviously not your constituents. I'm appalled and I'll be writing several local newspapers in your district.

I hope you're happy,

Bryan Boettcher
bryan@bryanandmichelleb.com
http://www.bryanandmichelleb.com/boettcherpedia

New Video - Sydney eats his Squash

2007-03-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

Sydney eats his Squash
Sydney was having a fun time with his bowl, and then he discovered the squash that once graced its insides. He had much to say about his good food.

A Grand Night Out

2007-02-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Michelle and I went to see Michael Franti tonight. We were surprised to discover that Keller Williams was opening. The venue was perfect, like the over-sized lounge style clubs where you see Tom Jones or Howie Mandel, whose pictures graced the walls. We were guests of our friend Sarah, along with Sarah's family and both Sarah's and our midwife, Suzanne. Oh, I almost forgot our friend Flat Journey who was making her first trip out west.

It is Cow birthing season and the ranchers in Genoa have decided to put their cattle right by our drive home. Michelle has already seen two cows being born, but both times missed the chance to take photos. Michelle is working at the Democratic Presidential Candidate's forum in Carson City tomorrow. As you may or may not know, Nevada is an early caucus this year. She will be working at this event where, "Democrats scheduled to appear include Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel" (WashingtonPost.com) as well as Joe Biden.

I am teaching about right triangles in math, and sound & light waves in physics. I am planning a live fire demonstration in physics of a Ruben's Tube, a device that the auto-tech class is constructing for my class (yea for collaboration). Sydney is a funny kid. He ate sweet potatoes tonight and got the chance to drop them on the kitchen floor. That got him tuckered out, and he is sleeping soundly. Tomorrow, Sydney gets to spend the day with Dad who is taking the day off so Michelle can play politics. Besides, he needs to use his personal days because they don't carry over.

Sometimes I feel like my life isn't exciting enough, but then I sit down and think about it and damn is this fun!

Bryan

Sydney's First Blog

2007-02-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

./ . vh njjuui90l;j,

Syd Vids

2007-02-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

nvboettcher's profile on YouTube

Check out Sydney videos. Now featured are "Sydney takes a ride," and "Sydney attacks my camera."

Who is Who

2006-07-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

Like father, like son. Can you tell who is who?

2006-05-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

All is well with baby Sydney. He has been eating all day and night. Here he is with daddy having some bonding time.

2006-05-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sydney Cole was born at 6:30 AM PT on May 12th, 2006. He is 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 inches from head to toe.

2006-05-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

Two days before the birth and two weeks left 'til the due date.

A Hammock

2006-04-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

We are less than one month from the due date and we are ready for the home birth. We received our hammock in the mail (a very belated birthday present for Bryan) for the primary reason of keeping Michelle comfy during the birth. It will be something to lean on during labor, and make many different comfy positions easier to acheive. Our midwife is visiting our home today as another preparation for the birth. We should be completely ready once Susanne gives us any last minute suggestions of anything else we can do to prepare for a flawless home birth experience.

Also, good news to report from Bryan. We were told this week by the principal that Bryan will be teaching the Principles of Physics next year. He will be teaching one class period with his other four being the same classes he taught this year. This also means that Bryan's classroom will be getting a change of scenery. No more portable trailer classroom. He will now be teaching in the main building near the lounge, the copy machine, the main office and all the anemities a teacher could want. There is even a hallway where annoying students can be sent to relax.

That's the news from Nevada, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.

Spring Break

2006-04-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

The high school has been on spring break since April 10th. We have been relaxing at home and gearing up for the last month of this pregnancy. We had a rough night on the 10th as Michelle was in great pain and we went to ER to make sure everything was OK. All was well and she just needed a chiropractor, whom we are able to see since we met our deductible in the ER :) Oh, and the cool thing...Since doctors are always paranoid, Michelle had an ultra-sound of her kidneys to make sure it was back pain instead of kidney pain. The ultra-sound showed her kidneys are fine and that the baby is a boy! So now we know and we have started buying blue things ;)

Since then, Michelle has been stuck on the couch as her back is giving her grief, but no worries because our friend, Heidi, has loaned us all four seasons of Alias. We have been enjoying a relaxing spring break snuggling on the couch and tuning into our DVD player to get caught up on the past four years of this show. The show is ending this season and we will be visiting Heidi on Wednesday nights starting tomorrow to see how it all ends. That's about as exciting as it gets. And trust me, this show is exciting enough for a pregger's hormones. The side effect of watching this show is that all the adreline prevents premature labor.

P.S. - The school year and baby readiness is taking all of Bryan's time, so the blog is all that will be updated until summer vacation gives him the time he needs to give the website a baby makeover. Hey, at least the website background is blue in correlation with the recent news :) Belly Pics to come

2006-04-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

This week Michelle is in Michigan staying with her family and helping out with tax season. She is at 32 weeks! (shown here at 30 weeks) and she is looking great.

2006-03-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Here is an action belly pic of Michelle at seven months. She is shown making the first batch of soap for "The Two Mamas" soap making business.

Weekend Adventures

2006-03-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

We had an exciting weekend of good eats and driving adventures. After we got our tax return, we went out on Friday to Carson City for some Thai food. We stopped by the Thai Kitchen which consisted of a small room with seven tables. Through a set of open double doors was a sushi bar that was the business next door.

The atmosphere was perfect in the little restaurant with a Thai server who was six foot plus. Jackie Chan fighting Nazis on the television, a quiet asian was eating alone next to a relaxed older white male reading the newspaper. There was also a young couple on a date at the table next to us. We were far away from the Friday night drinking scene and not really missing it at all. The food was amazing, curried beef stew and a clay pot of spicy veggies with exotic fish remains. We went to bed happy and substantially substansified.

Our adventures continued on Saturday when we made a morning trip through the snowy Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Bryan is getting pretty good at putting the chains on his car tires. Anyone who says you need an SUV for winter weather has never driven a Saturn sedan with chains on the tires. The SUVs slowed us down!

We had a great meeting with our midwife giving us nothing to report, which is good news. We will start seeing her on a bi-weekly basis now that we are in the 29th week of the pregnancy (70 days until the due date). After our meeting we found the Log Cabin restaurant in King's Beach, the hometown of our midwife on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. The food was again delicious and eaves dropping on Tahoe area ski bums is always entertaining.

Other news, Michelle is free from her duties at the school. She quit her job so she can live stress free and actually have some energy to enjoy herself before the baby arrives. Our baby shower is next weekend (March 19th, we're registered at Target.com...wink, wink) and we are looking forward to more good eats and good times with our new friends in the area. All but two of our potential guests work at the school.

That's the news from Carson Valley where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

2006-02-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Eagle flying...

2006-02-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Eagle eating...

2006-02-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

In early February we saw an eagle flying around the edge of our town. We soon learned that this is a yearly event when several eagles converge unto the Carson Valley as a part of their migratory path. The cattle at the ranches in the valley are birthing at this time of the season and the eagles feed on the placenta. If you look closely you can see that this poor calf did not survive. You can also see that some of the cows did not want the eagle feeding on this particular placenta and shoed it away several times.

Boettcher Up-Date

2006-02-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Friday, Feb. 3rd

Michelle and Bryan's first married date night happened at Olive Garden in Reno. It was the nearest Olive Garden and it took an hour to get there, but it was worth the drive. When we arrived there was a 45 minute wait and a tired and hungry pregnant lady was ready to eat. The host was aware of this and brought Michelle a warm breadstick to hold us over, it was very nice. When we were seated we had the best waitress who happened to be the cousin of a coworker of ours at the high school. We had great food and felt like part of a Nevada community.

Thursday, Feb. 9th

We started a baby registry on Target.com. We stopped by our local Target this weekend to check out baby products with an experienced mom who is a friend of ours. It seems like only a month ago that we were creating a registry for our wedding and now we are asking for more toys to play with.

Sunday, Feb. 10th

Now we are sitting on our favorite couch watching our favorite team, the Pistons. It is another beautiful day in Nevada. The sun has been shining since school got out on Friday and the temperature during the day has been around 60 degrees.

Thank you to those who have left comments on our blog. We will posting more belly pics soon.

2006-01-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

Michelle's belly showing at five months

My Classroom

2006-01-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

As a first year teacher in a growing region, my classroom is of the temporary variety. They call it a "portable" but it's really a trailer. It is one of four trailers at Douglas High School, each one occupied by a teacher that is new to the school. It has newer desks and a nice view (the Sierra Nevada Range in the background) as well as a view of the soccer fields and the baseball field.

Funny story about the baseball field, since the outfield wall runs right along the back of my trailer. A new student was taking batting practice to show the coach what he could do with a bat. I became aware of this because he was launching every other pitch into left field and hitting my trailer. I was very confused as to what was happening as I was startled after school by many loud thuds on the outside of my wall. I went outside to see what was the matter and sure enough a baseball lands with extreme velocity right in front of me on the metal walkway. Needless to say, I stayed inside until he was done.

I'm afraid for the start of the season, but I can guarantee I will be attending some games from the safer side of the backstop.

Sierra Nevada

2006-01-22T22:13:00.000-08:00

This is outside our apartment. You are looking at the rim of the Sierra Nevada mountain range which makes up the eastern border of the California Floristic Province (see National Geographic Magazine's Feb 2006 feature). Taken today, Jan. 22nd, 2006.

Winter Weather (finally)

2006-01-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

Driving with chains on your tires makes winter weather a minor inconvenience. Today, we traveled to Kings Beach, CA on Lake Tahoe for a midwife appointment where we encountered some snowy conditions on our way home. With chains on my tires, my traction was no problem, and all I ever had to worry about was being able to see through blowing snow. NO sweat.

I'm afraid I'm going to get used to winter driving with no traction problems...so watch out when I make it back to MI for winter weather. Now I know why some tourists drive like fools, they're used to having chains. Good luck driving this winter and get some chains for a fun day of driving.

2005-12-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning at the Boettcher's house

2005-12-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

Mishka is showing at 4 and a half months. This is her on christmas day in Nevada. We opened our presents from family in Michigan and had good warm meals. Hope your holidays were relaxing. Have a good new year

2005-12-14T23:14:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin

Dreaming of a Desert Christmas

2005-12-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

Our new home is treating us better. We have found good times to share with good friends. We are missing home and are sad that we will not be making a trip to Michigan this winter. Michelle wants to show off her belly to everyone in Michigan so belly pictures will surely be on their way. We both want to relax with old friends and see family, and we are hopeful that in time we will be able to make the travels. A school year can be trying on two young, hopeful rookies in the realm of public education. We wish you all the best and will be sending our gifts with much love. Bryan & Michelle

Baby Gift

2005-11-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

The first gift our baby has received (Bunny Slippers) was given to us by Uncle Mike and Aunt Joannie (relatives of my friend Will) this Thanksgiving weekend. We stayed at their home and had a wonderful turkey dinner. We played "Dirty Marbles" and nearly fell of our chairs with laughter. Our wildest imaginations couldn't have prepared us for such a wonderful time and our baby will have something by which to remember our first Thanksgiving as "The Boettchers".

The best thing on NPR this summer

2004-08-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

NPR -- The Middle East and the West -- A Troubled History

NPR presents a history lesson we all need to hear. The six-part series gives a brief history of about a 1000 year old clash between the Europeans and the Arabs. It starts with the Crusades and ends with Bush's crusade.

The Acoustic Planet Tour Opening Night

2004-08-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Keller Williams opened the show as only he can, and set the tone. His unique style blew my mind as he slowly jammed by himself, with himself via looped measures of guitar and drum sound effects. Each song slowly layered onto itself to become an exciting creation by the self-labeled freak. Keller never stopped playing straight through each song until it was his time to leave.

Soon enough a mandolin showed up from the Yonder Mountain String Band to play with Keller; then an upright bass, an acoustic guitar (as this was the opening night for the “Acoustic Planet” tour) and a Banjo. Slowly Keller faded into the background and was gone just as Yonder Mountain was getting into a groove.

At this point I heard the call of nature and went with my girlfriend across the auditorium. I passed the mixing board and was amazed at the non-stop performance by all five of the operators. Outside I beheld the view of Green Lake, and filled up my Nalgene for an adventure around the smoke-free campus to have a cigarette.

I returned as Yonder was being infiltrated by the Flecktones. Each instrument was replaced by it’s compliment Flecktone before Bela finally appeared onstage. Bela continued the jam from before and culminated in an amazing synth-guitar drum-solo by the pirate Roy Wooten. That song ended and the music had stopped for the first time since Keller took the stage.

Bela’s Bass player stole the show, in my eyes, by playing the crowd (the only section that was standing and dancing the whole show) and his bass in the most inventive and percussive ways.
The encore was necessary and included all nine performers first performing Keller’s own “Chillin’ like a Villain,” and then two more songs. The two songs featured a solo by each artist taking an opportunity to share the overwhelming energy on stage.

Leaving the familiar venue we felt as if the Pope and his Cardinals had delivered a three-hour sermon at our favorite church. Determining who was the Pope was a personal matter as they all shared the stage as equals having many opportunities to show their gifts. It was a gift they gave to us all, no one was denied an amazing experience and all left feeling that an enchanted tour had only just begun.

The night was perfect as it ended with a fabulous burger from Brady’s Bar then home to my visiting family playing poker in a happy home. Thank you to Keller, Yonder Mountain, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. The Acoustic Planet tour has already made it’s mark and will in several more venues in the Mid-West and the East coast. Check out the show if you can, and leave your worries at home you as they will take you to another world.