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