Dog Heaven

This week we said goodbye to our four-legged pal, Basie. He was such an awesome family dog and will be greatly missed, but it was time to let him go. He outlived his original prognosis (he was diagnosed with mouth cancer last fall) by a year so we feel fortunate for that extra time we had with him.

Miles said to a family friend just this morning that "Basie is in dog heaven playing with Boots."

Well said, Miles.

Visiting the Big Guy

Miles loved seeing Santa and filling him in on his wish list.



Jilly did not share his enthusiasm.

National Boards

I am happy to report that we now have two National Board certified teachers in the Caruso household. After two+ years, I found out yesterday that I passed! More than it being a reflection on my teaching abilities, I am proud of the fact that I saw it through to completion. Believe me, there were MANY times along the way I thought about just giving up.

Thank you to all our friends and family who have supported me through this long, crazy process. I couldn't have done it without you!

Boys and their toys

Vince is pretty excited that Miles is finally big enough to have toys that are fun for both of them to play with. A couple days ago they were out exploring the neighborhood with remote control cars. This morning they built (well, Vince built while Miles watched) some sort of Star Wars lego vehicle. (You can see how technical I get on that one!)

It's really fun to see them have this guy time together.



Starting the process



The finished product.


Happy, happy boy!

Five Years Old

Miles turned 5 on the 5th of November. He enjoyed several days of celebrations--birthday festivities at Barb's on Friday, his official birthday party on Saturday, and treats with his classmates on Monday. It was the birthday that just kept going!










It's hard to believe that we have a five year old now. Miles amazes us daily with his memory for details and his enjoyment of learning. He loves being a big brother (most of the time) and his favorite things these days include watching "How to Train your Dragon," anything Star Wars, legos, and GeoTrax. He's really blossoming socially in pre-K and we're glad we elected to give him another year before starting kindergarten. We feel very lucky to be the parents of such a great little guy!