2016

2016 was a very busy year...

JANUARY & FEBRUARY meant trips to Nebraska and Minnesota to cheer on the Wayne State College Wildcats! (Dena's brothers have been coaching the women's basketball team there for the last 8 years.)

Kylee received a much anticipated letter congratulating her on being admitted to the University of Iowa Athletic Training Program.  She was ecstatic and relieved (after a very grueling application process) to find out she was one of 18 to be accepted out of 100+ applicants.

MARCH highlights included Kaden being confirmed as a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Hubbard and Kaydi being crowned Hardin County Little Miss Pigtails.  

Chad and Dena spent spring break chaperoning Kaden's 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C.  Experiences included Gettysburg, Mount Vernon, National Archives, Ford Theater, Smithsonian Museum of American History, Jefferson Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, a Capitol Tour, Library of Congress, Holocaust Museum, Lincoln Memorial, the White House, Marine Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, Pentagon Tour, Pentagon 9-11 Memorial, Museum of Natural History and Air and Space Museum.  It was also memorable as we were able to meet up with Dena's cousin Randy and wife Rebbie.

 Kylee spent spring break in San Antonio, Texas seeing her boyfriend Gerrit VanMaaren graduate from Air Force Basic Training. 

APRIL started another year of spring planting for Chad.  He continues to farm with his Dad and brother Brent.  He stays busy with his pig nursery, cow-calf herd and farm ground.  He's still the secretary for the church voter's assembly, a member of the county pork producers and a 4-H leader.

MAY meant Kaden's graduation from 8th grade and no longer riding to school with his mom.  (Although he didn't mind as it meant he got to sleep in longer than if he would have rode the bus all those years!)  May also included a trip to Missouri to visit Chad's sister Tara's family and attend our nephew Konnor's confirmation.  May ended with welcoming our first niece, Riley Nicole Zoske, to the family.

JUNE= SUMMER VACATION   I'm always thankful that summer brings more time with the kids because I swear the schedule is even busier than the school year.
Kaydi attended several basketball camps including one in Wayne.  She enjoyed spending 4 days with her uncles Chris and Kelly.  When they weren't in the gym, time was spent at the swimming pool, parks and watching many movies.  She's already asking to do it again this summer.  June also meant Vacation Bible School, t-ball games, swimming lessons, library story time, lego club and parades representing the pork producers for Kaydi and baseball games, drivers education, volunteering at the library and countless hours of mowing for Kaden.  Kylee spent her days working at the pool as a lifeguard.

At the end of June, Dena and her parents, along with Kylee, their friend Justin, and Kaydi road tripped to Biloxi, Mississippi, to visit Gerrit where he was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base.  We enjoyed site seeing in Memphis, Tennessee, Biloxi, and New Orleans.  We spent time on the beach, watched dolphins play alongside the boats and learned about the local history including Hurricane Katrina.  As much as we loved this trip and area, we are extremely grateful that Gerrit is now stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska.  Thank goodness it is within driving distance from Iowa City!

With JULY came 4-H and county fairs.  Dena judges at numerous fairs and volunteers as the Hardin County Youth Committee Chairperson.   Chad volunteers as a leader for the Tipton Grant Toppers Club.  Kaden continues to show steers and Kaydi continues to love all animals and showed a pig, bottle calf and her dog Oreo.

At the end of July, Chad, Dena's Dad, and Kaden went on a week long Canadian fishing trip.  They stayed at Lukinto Lake Lodge near Longlac, Ontario and fished at a different lake each day.  Both the weather and fishing were good.  They ate fish every day and brought home their limit of walleye and many fishermen stories.

AUGUST = Back To School
We moved Kylee back to Iowa City to begin her second year at the University of Iowa where she is double majoring in Athletic Training and Dance.  Her hip seems to be doing ok; it hurts the most when she stands for long periods of time.  Thankfully it hasn't given her the problems that it did two years ago as she has stated many times that she can't survive without dancing.  She also continues to run for enjoyment.  This fall she LOVED having practicum experiences with the Iowa football, basketball and gymnastics teams.  Spring semester will find her with the Iowa City West High basketball and wrestling teams, the Iowa field hockey and tennis teams and at Apo Inc. working with prosthetic patients.  We know she will do well with these athletes and patients as people always bring up her friendliness, smile and positive attitude.

The day we moved her into her sorority we had a spur of the moment surprise.  Chad's cousin Borge and wife Sean invited us to their home in Homestead for supper.  We greatly enjoyed this evening visiting their family.

August also meant back to school for Dena who began her 21st year as a teacher at Hubbard-Radcliffe Elementary.  She has 34 preschoolers that she loves to spend her days with.   Evenings are spent keeping up with Kaydi.

Kaydi turned 9 in August and is in 3rd Grade at Hubbard-Radcliffe Elementary.  She stays very busy with gymnastics, volleyball, t-ball and basketball.  When she's at home she's busy crafting, baking or reading to her dogs.  She asks daily to see her baby cousin Riley.  People always comment about her humor and genuine kindness.

In SEPTEMBER Kaden turned 15!  He has passed all immediate family members in height except Chad but I'm sure by the time I write next year's letter he will have his Dad beat.  Kaden is a freshman at South Hardin High School.  He stays busy with 4-H, FFA, basketball, baseball and working on the farm.  He faithfully follows the Cowboys, Cubs and Spurs.  (wonder where he got this from?!  I think he talks to Dena's brothers more than she does!)  He's very quiet (compared to his sisters) and easy going; that is until he and his Dad start laughing and joking around.

OCTOBER belonged to the CHICAGO CUBS
Chad and Dena, along with Dena's brothers,  enjoyed a quick weekend to Chicago to see the Cubs win game 5 of the World Series.  Besides attending the game we loved taking in the Wrigley atmosphere before and after.  BEST GETAWAY EVER!!

November - more trips to Ames and Wayne to cheer on the Cyclones and the Wildcats along with games for Kaden and Kaydi.  We also went to a women's Hawkeye basketball game (gasp!) to see Kylee work her first event as an athletic training student.  Speaking of Kylee, she turned 20 in November.  Can't believe she is no longer a teenager.  Where has the time gone?

We hope this DECEMBER finds you having a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

CHAD & DENA:
Not much has changed for us except the miles on the vehicles!  Chad continues to farm with his dad and brother.  He still has the 4,000 head swine nursery, cow-calf herd and crop farming.  He's also the secretary of the church voter's assembly.
Dena's been teaching at Hubbard-Radcliffe Elementary for 19 years.  She has 31 preschoolers (morning and afternoon classes) and never a dull moment!  She's the cross country representative for the South Hardin Athletic Boosters.

In the little free time we have when not going to the kids' activities, we try to make it to some ball games - cheering for the Cyclones and the Wayne State Wildcats, where Dena's brothers coach the women's basketball team.

4-H continues to be a family activity.  Chad is a leader for the Tipton Grant Toppers and Dena is the chair for the county youth committee.  Everyone was very busy with the Hardin County Fair.  Kylee takes numerous projects, her and Kaden both showed steers and Kaydi participated in the Clover Kids, Bucket Calf and Adopt-A-Pig programs.  This past year they also participated in the Winter Beef Expo, Hamilton County Fair and State Fair.

KYLEE: 18!  a senior at South Hardin High School
What's the saying, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans."  That quote seems to be fitting for Kylee's year.  Her year has been filled with the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows.  Last year (her junior year) was filled with everything expected.  She spent her time being extremely active with basketball cheerleading, competitive dance, running, and hurdles.  She was dancing approximately 15 - 20 hours per week and running daily to train for cross country.  Kylee never has been able to sit still and knowing what she knows now, probably wouldn't have changed a thing.  Fast forward to this past fall, at the first cross country meet, she knew something wasn't right with her hip.  A few days later at Nutcracker auditions she was in excruciating pain.  In the following weeks, a hip labral tear and femoral acetabular impingement was discovered from a MRI.  She was told she would not be running or dancing this year and her hurdle days were over.  It was one of the very few times in her life that she wasn't smiling.  (Kylee is known to always be smiling no matter what.)  She continued to be a part of the cross country team.  She did run at the conference meet with South Hardin taking the championship but it was very painful and also caused her breathing difficulty.  South Hardin eventually won districts and went on to state but Kylee watched as an alternate.
Kylee had hip surgery over Thanksgiving break and seems to be recovering very well.  She is told she has a long road of recovery ahead of her (physical therapy for 6 months) but if you know Ky, she's not going to let it slow her down and she's quite motivated to get back to the activities she loves.
Now to tell you about the highs of her year.  In October she was crowned homecoming queen.  She was so genuinely surprised.  Also in October (with the help of a cortisone shot and ibuprofen) she auditioned at the University of Iowa for the Dance Major Program.  November was filled with surprises in the mail.  She was accepted into the Dance program at Iowa.  She is so excited to become a Hawkeye and is planning to double major in Dance and Athletic Training.  (Chad and I are thrilled that she knows what she wants to do and will be staying in state.  However, we will not be purchasing any black and gold or displaying any "house divided" items anytime soon.)  At the end of November she received another congratulatory letter in the mail.  She has been selected to represent Iowa as one of America's Homecoming Queens in the Liberty Bowl parade, pre-game and half-time show.  We will be leaving for Memphis, Tennessee the day after Christmas.

KADEN:  13!  7th grader at South Hardin Middle School
Kaden continues to be our farm boy, wanting to do everything he can with Chad when he's not busy with football, basketball, and baseball.  He enjoys riding grandpa's ranger and 4-wheeler around, exploring the pastures, fixing fences and going fishing.  His favorite teams include the Iowa State Cyclones, Wayne State Wildcats, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Cubs.  He has very firmly stated that he will NEVER become a Hawkeye no matter how hard his sister tries to convert him.  A surprising fact is that he often spends his Tiger Bucks (rewards for good behavior at his school) to volunteer in the preschool (Dena's class) for an entire day as often as he can.  He is a natural with little kids!  He also loves everything and anything electronic - wii, i-pod, i-pad, beats, x-box, etc.  If you ever need to know the latest gadget, just ask Kaden!  His parents have been known to go to him for assistance!

KAYDI:  7!  1st grader at Hubbard-Radcliffe Elementary
Sugar and Spice comes to mind when we think of Kaydi.  She is so spirited and full of life!  She is the sweetest, most caring little girl but will tell you exactly what she thinks.  She loves all things crafty and sparkly; however, she enjoys playing in the dirt and would spend entire summer days with the dogs if we let her.  She believes the world could not possibly exist without paper, scotch tape, calendars and lip gloss.  These were the items she insisted on donating to the food pantry this month.
She is always thinking and planning and we're never sure where her thoughts are going to go.  Last week she informed us that she plans on going to the Cyclone school (yeah!) to learn how to care for animals.  We said "Great, so you're going to be a vet?"  She replied "No, I'm going to work at Petco!"  This comes as no surprise.  During the summer fairs she would spend hours walking the barns, checking out all the animals.  Kaydi also loves dance.  She takes ballet, tap and Irish lessons.  She was a Harlequin in the ISU production of the Nutcracker this month.  She played t-ball this past summer and will be playing basketball starting in January.

We hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

And the stocking were hung by the chimney with care...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

From Our Family To Yours 

NEW! Ultimate Helper mixes & Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes

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Each of these products comes in a variety of flavors including Ultimate Chicken Helper Cheddar Broccoli and Betty Crocker Ultimate Au Gratin Potatoes.  Below you can see the delicious Ultimate Hamburger Helper Three Cheese Marinara and Betty Crocker Ultimate Cheddar Mashed Potatoes.

Giveaway:

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Leave a comment to enter.  Winner will be chosen randomly October 11.

Hog Heaven!

This little miss was in hog heaven tonight when she attended her first 4-H Adopt-A-Pig meeting.  She was so excited all day - could not wait to meet "her" pig.  The meeting started with her writing a goal.  

She had more than one...

1. I want to learn about feeding the pigs.

2.  I want to learn how to walk the pig.

3.  I want to learn how to show him.

4.  I want to learn stuff about pigs.  I want to learn everything.

I have a feeling she'll have no problem writing 4-H goals in the future.

As usual, she had NO FEAR!  I think at one point she even kissed him.

She had him named before she even met him - Soapdy.

We have no idea about the name, but she has talked about it for weeks.

She's got 5 more meetings to go and then she'll get to take "her" pig to the fair, care for him and show him.  She cannot wait!!  We already have the big event written on her calendar as she's counting the days!

Big G Retro Giveaway

For a limited time you can relive your childhood by heading on over to your local Target® store’s cereal aisle, as Big G cereals have brought back their “Retro” themed packaging. To help celebrate the event, Big G has team up with Hasbro®, offering a $5 coupon on Clue® Vintage, Scrabble® Vintage, Parcheesi® Vintage or Risk® Vintage board games at Target!

• Don’t forget to go online & print a coupon for $1 off 2 General Mills cereals before you head to Target!
• Collect all 5 different throw-back packages that each include a $5 coupon for these vintage Hasbro® board games; available exclusively at Target® from March 15, 2013 to April 30, 2013 while supplies last. Coupon valid at Target stores from March 15, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
• Participating Big G cereals include: Cinnamon Toast Crunch® (16.2 oz.), Lucky Charms® (16 oz.), Honey Nut Cheerios® (17 oz.), Cheerios® (18 oz.) and Cocoa Puffs® (16.5 oz.)
• Participating Hasbro vintage board games: Clue® Vintage, Scrabble® Vintage, Parcheesi® Vintage or Risk® Vintage

Parcheesi for family game night!  I  had actually never played it!     Have you?  I loved adding this to our collection and you can too!  Enter this giveaway by leaving a comment sharing your favorite Retro cereal and family game.  The prize pack includes 2 boxes of Big G cereal, 1 retro game, and 1 $10 Target Gift card.

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills throughMyBlogSpark.

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Join the fight against the 7 signs of aging.  Olay has offered a $25 Walmart gift card to a reader to try Olay CC Cream.  I think you'll like it as much as I have.  Leave a comment TODAY about which one of the seven signs of aging you want to fight the most.  One will be chosen randomly

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NOTE: Olay does not represent or warrant the accuracy of any statements or product claims made here, nor does it endorse any opinions expressed within this blogsite.