Living it up Yooper Style!

Stanley arrived as I was about to start dinner on March 18, and he is the best kitchen helper! Right away he started to saute veggies for me! I wish he could have hung around longer to help me cook some more.

Stanley showing off his excellent cooking skills! I didn't know he was so great at it!

 While we were cooking my wonderful husband Eric came home. Stanley was anxious to meet him, so anxious in fact,

that he jumped right in his pocket! It was a pretty great place from him to hang out.

Stanley, Eric and I sat down to dinner. Stanley was thrilled to even have his own plate of Pierogies. He seemed to really like them, he even asked for seconds.

Stanley enjoying pierogies with carrots, onions and peppers.

The next day, Saturday, Stanley came to work with me. It was a busy day at the bakery, he ventured around quite a bit, he met my boss (sadly, no pictures of that), helped with the dishes (he dried, he thought it would be better to stay away from the sink and all the water), helped me flip crepes, and most importantly, helped me with a wedding cake! I bet you didn't know it, but he's got wonderful decorating skills. He gave me some input on this cake, since the bride never actually told me what she wanted, just an idea of what she was thinking.

Stanley with the wedding cake. He couldn't help trying a little, too.

On Sunday, Stanley and I slept in a bit while Eric made breakfast. we all had a big ol' pancake breakfast and lazed around the house. Eric took the time to teach Stanley a few chords on the guitar. Stanley is slowly starting out, but he's definitely got an ear for music. He danced along with everything we happened to have playing, from The Beatles to Muse to Avenged Sevenfold.

Stanley playing Eric's guitar, it was a little big for him. ;)

After they played for awhile it was about time for me to take a nap. Stanley was a little surprised at how much I sleep, but he definitely understood, I think Holli told him all about how tired you can get while pregnant. He's a good nap buddy and he keeps nice and quiet, even if he wakes up before you.

Monday Stanley finally got to meet my cat Butters. They, unfortunately, didn't get along so well. Well, Butters wasn't a fan, Stanley was perfectly nice (as always!) and did what he could, but Butters was a bit scared of him. Poor guy felt a little guilty, but I told him that it was okay, Butters is just skittish around strangers.

Buddies they are not, Butters is practically shooting laser beams at him. This was as close as she would let him get before she ran away.

Monday night we also had Pasties. (He ate a lot while he was here...). I thought that if there's one thing you can't miss, food wise that is, in Marquette, is a traditional Cornish Pasty. Steak, potatoes, rutabaga, and onion all in a flaky crust. Stanley thought his pasty was great, he didn't even think I was weird for putting ketchup on it!

Pasty time!

The next couple days were pretty insane! I was in the mall fashion show and Tuesday was rehearsal (no pictures allowed) and Wednesday was the show. Sadly, there are no pictures of this. Eric had my camera and Stanley was with him, but he totally forgot to take any. This still makes me a sad panda. Stanley had fun though, even though he was just peeking out of my bag. I was exhausted and went to bed pretty soon after the fashion show, so Stanley had a bit of a quiet day.

Thursday was Stanley's last day here. He wanted to see some of the sights around Marquette, and since it's still snowy and I can't get to one of my favorite hiking spots, I took him to Presque Isle, where Eric and I got married. From here on out Presque Isle will just be known as "The Island."

While we were on The Island I showed Stanley the breakwall, which is a wonderful walk out to a light house in the summer, but a treacherous walk in the winter, we we stayed close to shore.

Tons of snow on the breakwall, lake Superior was rather choppy that day, Stanley enjoyed watching the waves with me. I told him all about our wedding day and the pictures we have on this wall.

Next I showed him the view of the Superior Dome. When the Superior Dome opened in 1990 it was the largest wooden dome in the world. It's quite the structure, and Stanley thought it was pretty neat, even if it does look like a UFO in the distance.

The Dome in the background across the bay. Stanley seemed to love being around Lake Superior!

Finally he saw the Ore Docks. He was pretty fascinated, and wished there was a boat around so he could see them in action. Sadly, the shipping season hadn't started yet, it started the day after he left.

Sadly it's a dark shot, but we were looking at a very Sunny day!

When we got home it was time to pack him up and send him on his way! He had a great stay and is welcome back any time!

Stanley Runs Amuck Through Texas! Holli Hooten - Week 7

Stanley arrived just as we were getting home from the grocery store.  He was so sweet, and just made himself right at home helping us unload groceries!  I wish all my house guests were so helpful!  After we unloaded groceries we let the girls (my dogs) inside and went to lay down for my afternoon nap. 

 This is where Stanley met his BFF, Akeelah.  They immediately fell in love.  He just could not believe that we would have a pony for him to ride!  He rode around on Akeelah's back all over the house.  Then, when I couldn't take any more fun before I fell asleep, Stanley and Akeelah cuddled up in the bed too and joined me for nap time.

 The res of our day was uneventful, and we all just hung around until everyone went to bed.  I woke up at midnight, because midnight is when I must feed and I found Stanley awake too.  He decided perhaps a midnight snack is just what he needed to help him sleep.  Little did I know, Stanley is a really big fan of pimento cheese.  He cleared me out!  I'm not sure how he keeps his figure if he eats like this everywhere!

Monday was my doctor's appointment, where Stanley came and got to hear Zakk's heartbeat.  Unfortunately the staff at my doctor's office wouldn't let us take any pictures...  Meanies.

Tuesday was another slow day.  We did some laundry.  Stanley had some trouble hanging out towels with his prosthetic arm.  Apparently the lack of feeling means he can't tell when he is pinning himself with the towels.  He was a good sport about it though, and we got all the clothes hung out in no time at all.

 Thursday I was 28 weeks, which means it was belly picture day.  Stanley got really excited, so we looked at how much I have grown over the last 28 weeks and he asked if he could get some pictures with my big belly. We had a lot of fun.  Here are just a few of the ones we ended up with.

 Not only did Stanley get to see Abilene, TX this week, but he also got to join us for a trip to Liberty Hill, TX!  This is when we first arrived.  My mom has goats, and he did not know what on earth to make of them.  My mom told him that goats like to eat everything, so when I asked him about a picture with them, he opted to stay on the porch and just get a picture of the field.

 While we were in Liberty Hill, Stanley got to join us for a birthday party at Build A Bear with my nephew and my baby shower.  We had so much fun at both, but because Holli is a failure and let the camera batteries die, we got pictures of neither.  :(  Ayden and Stanley really enjoyed making a Build A Bear though, and Ayden even let Stanley give his bear's heart a kiss before we put it in.

Once we got the camera charged, we took Stanley on a tour of my parents' property.  He was pretty amazed by everything, but there was one thing in particular he could not stay away from.  Stanley LOVED my Dad's Deuce and a half.  He and Ayden climbed all over the truck and when Stanley asked my Dad if he could drive it, my Dad broke his heart and said no...  Then said that Stanley could be his truck ornament and stuck Stanley on the front.  Stanley thought he was the king of Texas.

When it was time to leave Liberty Hill and go back to Abilene we stopped to get drinks and Stanley found one he just HAD to have.  He got the RealTree Camo Outdoor Energy Drink.  He thought SURELY after drinking this he could be an honorary redneck. I was so proud.

Once we got back home, it was time to pack Stanley up and send him on his way.  Akeelah will really miss him.

Flat Stanley's Adventure in Lodi ~ Christine Snell - Week 6 - Lodi, NJ

Flat Stanley was very excited when he showed up at my house during my February vacation from school/work.  He came right out and was introduced to Madison.  Madison took the time out of her day to explain to him what teething was and gave him an up close view of a baby’s mouth as a tooth was coming in.   After he got a little practice at being a teething toy, he quickly got a bath as he was not thrilled to be covered in drool. 



"I'm going get you"


Yummy





After bath time, they both thought it would be a good idea for everyone to go to bed for the day.  Flat Stanley was nice enough to hang out with his friend Tigger and read Maddie a story.

The next few days we hung out at the house, watching tv, playing on the computer.  Flat Stanley likes Cityville almost as much as I do.



During this time he decided to take a few naps with the cats.  Flat Stanley can be very lazy, and decided it was nap time whenever I had to go and complete some chores.  He did help me check the washer and make sure I got out all the clothes to put into the dryer!

"Nope, you got it all!"

Cole, Flat Stanley and Sinatra

On Friday, Flat Stanley, Madison and I all went to the mall.  He was feeling very generous and bought three autobiographical books about himself for my classroom library.  He thought that since everything was on sale at Borders, due to them closing, he couldn’t pick just one book.  While at the mall, he unfortunately had a freak accident and sadly lost an arm.  Luckily my husband works in prosthetics and orthotics and was able to make him a prosthetic arm.  Flat Stanley chose such a colorful fake arm so that in case he lost it again, it would be easier to find. 

Flat Stanley with 2 of the 3 books he bought (pre-accident)

On Monday, Flat Stanley decided he had enough of his lazy vacation and he really wanted to come to work with me.  He was very eager to start his day as a 2^nd grade teacher.  He never realized just how much energy a person needs to teach a room full of 8-year old children.  By lunchtime, he was ready for a nap so he went in my purse for a quick snooze.  Flat Stanley took some time to hang out with Tattling Turtle, his new friend.  He found that he could see everything that went on while he was in the back of the room.  He also spent some time running my Smartboard and he introduced all the new vocabulary words that went with our reading story. 

Checking out the books in my classroom library

Reading the Posters on the front board

Running my multi-media center

Hanging out with his friend, Tattling Turtle

Before he left, Flat Stanley insisted we get a picture together.  My family and I had a great time hanging out with Flat Stanley. Madison was very sad to see him go, she had to hug him before he left, but I am sure that he will continue to have fun on his travels. 

Flat Stanley and

Madison didn't want to let him leave!

Flat Stanley on the plains! Athenais P- week 5, Minot ND

Stanley arrived on the chilly North Dakota plains on Wednesday February 9. He was complaining that his flight was so slow and it caused him to miss the Superbowl game that he had been looking forward to. I apologized to him and told him that if he was good, he could watch the Grammy Awards on Sunday. He happily agreed.

Stanley took an intrest in history after helping me read for my Crusades class. I don't think he'll make a good historian, however, because he got bored and decided to take a nap on my papers instead. Maybe it was jet lag.

On Saturday, Stanley wanted to go shopping for a new flat screen tv with Jon and me. We took him to Best Buy, but he was scared of all the people and the bright lights. He decided that it was best if he took a nap in my purse.  He was very excited to open the tv when we got it home, though.

Sunday was finally the day he had been looking forward to all week long! It was the Grammy Awards!  Stanley had me make him a nice little seat close to the new tv so he could see better (I think it was so he could have a better view of Katy Perry.) Stanley was DROOLING over Katy Perry. He has decided that Katy, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, and Justin Beiber are his new favorite artists. He also shared in my disappointment that Lady Gaga did not win album of the year. 

Stanley also helped bake chocolate chip cookies for the history club bake sale. He especially liked licking the bowl and eating fresh cookies with milk.

On Valentine's Day, Stanley came to the bake sale so he could see what real college students are like. He was impressed and decided that he wants to go into academia when he grows up. He played in the cupcakes and got frosting all over himself, and met the history club president, Leah. They became good friends.

Stanley was getting tired by the time Valentine's date night rolled around, so he stayed home and retired early. But he wasn't going to pass up an oppertunity for his first Valentine's day picture!

On Tuesday, Stanley helped me wrap a birthday present for a friend. He loves the idea of gifts! He played hide and seek with me and won!

We also made him a hat and scarf for his journey back to New Jersey to visit Christine!

Week 4 - A Week in Liberty

When Stanley arrived here, he was complaining about the rough treatment that he had received by his flight attendants.  His luggage was lost, and all that remained was the clothes on his back.  I felt sorry for the old chap and assured him that I would try my hardest to rectify the situation.  However, he needed to realize that this would be a week of working hard and playing hard.  There would be no time for football, but that if he was a good boy, I would not force him to leave here naked.

He actually arrived the day before a dreaded vocabulary test.  I was feeling nice that day, though, so I did not make him take the test.  I did, however, make him study the words.  He definitely became immersed in his vocabulary studies.  He was there for quite some time unnoticed by all and a small joke for me to think about.

Because I let him slide when it came to actually taking the test, I thought it was only fair to have Stanley help with my grading.  He was very nice about it.  He agreed that I was far too kind to allow him to visit for the day with my lovely ninth grade students and not require him to work even half as hard as they did.
  He did an excellent job of grading.  Poor Stanley was shocked to see how few of my students knew the name of the Vice President of the United States.  Being born a Brit but quickly transplanted here, he learned those details quite some time ago.  However, it is important to point out that my Man Stan was only born a few weeks ago, and he still knows that our Vice President has a name other than "Some old guy" or "Hilary Clinton."

The weekend brought some relaxation for Stanley.  He spent some times with the cats.  Chloe afforded him endless entertainment.  They played a rousing game of rodeo.  Stanley said that he hopes that throughout his travels he can actually see a rodeo.  I told him the closest thing that we have to a rodeo in Tioga County is the ever-exciting tractor pull.  I know that they are incredibly dissimilar, but both are far too country for the average human being.  We do not have even tractor pulls in the winter, so alas, the best I could give him was a nice ride on the cat who was not thrilled with me offering up her back.

When Monday rolled around, it was back to the grindstone.  This time, Stanley became an active participant.  He sat in the front row.  It took quite some time for me to find a book small enough for Stanley to use practically, but once I did, he realized that To Kill a Mockingbird is the best book he has ever read.  He could not put it down.  Now, granted, this novel is the only book that Stanley has ever read, but he really enjoyed some of the symbolism and motifs.  In this picture, he is seen answering a question about one of the major themes in the novel: Courage.  He was definitely top of the class that day.  I am sorry that he will not be able to participate in further discussions of such a wonderful novel.

On Tuesday, it snowed.  On Wednesday, we got an inch an a half of ice.  Late in the day on Wednesday, however, Stanley and I went out to enjoy the bounty of white that Nature had granted us.  There was no school, so we were bored.  First, Stanley made a snow angel.  He was very proud of his snow angel.  He had to break through a layer of ice, which was not easy for someone with very little body weight.  I helped him as best as I could, but he was a stubborn little fellow.  Once he had finally created one, though, he was so proud that I just had to snap a picture. 

After that, he, Nate and I made a snowman.  It was a lot of work.  When we were almost finished, the neighbor came outside and handed us a snowman making kit--Just Add Snow--so our snowman turned out quite adorable.  Stanley was again proud of himself for contributing to making the "biggest snowman ever created."  I did not have the heart to tell him that the snowman that we made only seemed so large to him because he was so small.  He is quite sensitive about his size and that would have been the second time in one day that I pointed it out to him.

 Finally, it was Thursday and Stanley and I were preparing to say goodbye.  As promised, I would not let him leave naked.  I put back on his Packers jersey, and we went shopping through my office supplies for a pair of pants.   Armed with his book and his new duds, Stanley hit the road onward to his new adventure!