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

One of life's simple pleasures is to relax and enjoy a good meal with the ones you love, and who couldn't use a little help in the kitchen after a busy day?

With the all-new Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes and Ultimate Helper mixes, you can feed your family a delicious dinner you know they're sure to love.  Each box comes with both delicious seasoning and a rich, creamy sauce.

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:

One lucky reader will win a prize package containing:

*1 box of Ultimate Hamburger Helper
*1 box of Ultimate Betty Crocker Ultimate Potatoes
*3-piece bamboo serving bowls
*serving spoon
*4 plates
Retail Value:  $55

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.

Olay Giveaway

• Introducing Beauty’s Next Big Trend! Olay CC Cream provides instant Coverage plus Correction to fight 7 signs of aging, including uneven tone, age spots, and wrinkles! 

• This all-in-one triple stream formula combines a daily anti-aging moisturizer, SPF 15 sunscreen and sheer tint for younger-looking skin.

• Total Effects fights the 7 signs of aging:
• Fine lines and wrinkles: reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Uneven Tone: balances and helps even out tone
• Age Spots: reduces appearance of discoloration
• Gentle Exfoliation: Improves surface cell turnover
• Dryness: provides nourishing moisturization
• Moisture Barrier: strengthens skin’s natural defense against moisture loss
• Luminosity: recaptures youthful luminosity 

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

The Olay Total Effects product, information, and gift pack have been provided by Olay.

 

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.

 

Crayola Products Giveaway!

 I LOVE Crayola products and my children do too!  We were thrilled when we got the chance to try two of crayola's newest items.

 Here's Kaydi using the Crayola Marker Airbrush.  It was a little difficult for her (age 5) to power the air-pump but Kaden (age 11) and Kylee (age 16) had no problems.  The girls have spent many hours creating with it.

Crayola Digital Light Designer

*With Crayola’s Digital Light Designer, kids can draw with lights to create, animate and play

*The Digital Light Designer uses LED technology as the medium to bring kids’ colorful ideas to life on a 360-degree domed drawing surface

*There are three different modes of play, including Draw, Animate, and Play

o   Draw - Using the digital light stylus, kids can select colors and line width to begin free-drawing anywhere on the domed surface, switching between eight different colors

o   Animate – Kids can activate their creations with amazing special effects, making them spin, change colors, melt, or even mix up the drawings

o   Play – With 8 different interactive games and activity apps, kids can spend hours creating or just doodling with Rainbow Draw, magically duplicate their creations with Mirror Draw, create funny animated faces, play interactive mazes, and more

*The Digital Light Designer includes the 360-degree domed drawing surface, digital light stylus, and easy-to-follow instructions

Crayola Marker Airbrush

*With the Crayola Marker Airbrush, kids can create amazing airbrush effects on paper, fabrics, and windows

*The Marker Airbrush is kid-powered and works with a simple hand pump, and can be used with any of Crayola’s Classic Washable Broadline Markers, Washable Broadline Window Markers, or new Bright Fabric Broadline Markers

*Simply attach a Crayola Broadline Marker, pump it up, and spray – no batteries required!

*Kids can use the Marker Airbrush to create free-hand airbrushed drawings or use the stencil sheets to create professional –looking masterpieces

*The Marker Airbrush includes the Airbrush Sprayer, 8 washable markers, 4 bright fabric markers, 20 sheets of paper, and 4 stencil sheets

Do you love Crayola as much as I do?  One of my readers will get both of these products to try also.  To enter, please leave a comment sharing your favorite Crayola product and who you would share these products with.

HURRY - Giveaway ends Thursday, January 10, at 6:00 pm (central time).  One comment will be chosen using random.org. 

Disclosure:  "The Crayola products to try, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by Crayola.”