Unexpected.

Todd's father (Aug), passed away in 2004. Amongst all the things that had to be dealt with, we sold Aug's truck shortly after his passing. A couple from Clay Center purchased it. Aug had been a trucker for years and it was something he enjoyed. There were several weekends when Aug would pass through Abilene and have supper with us.

Todd was in Clay Center last weekend and stopped at a local gas station. While he was there he noticed a magazine promoting Clay County. On the front was a picture of Aug's truck. What a nice surprise! It brought back several good memories for us.

Hannah's Art

Hannah loves to draw. Here is one of her latest creations.

Parent Teacher Conferences

We had parent teacher conferences this week for Mallory and Matthew. Mallory is enjoying 3rd grade. She has a new para this year. They have bonded well and I think we'll see some great strides with Mallory. Mallory really likes music, but science and math frustrate her. Matthew is adjusting to Kindergarten. He is in a really good class of kids. I've attached some pictures from his journal. Matthew likes recess and centers. Centers are when the kids break out into various activities. He particularly likes the play-doh center.

Airplanes

Squidward from the SpongeBob cartoon.

Trip to Hays

Saturday, we took a day trip to western Kansas. We drove to Ellis and had a picnic at the city park located next to Big Creek. The kids had fun running around and crossing the bridge. We made a visit to the train museum and the kids enjoyed watching the miniature train display. Afterwards, we traveled to Hays and toured the Sternburg Museum and Fort Hays. It was a day well spent and one that the kids won't soon forget.

Mallory enjoying the day at the Ellis City Park.

The kids enjoying the train display.

Matthew and Hannah standing on the miniature outdoor train track.

Mallory balancing items on a scale.

Matt & Hannah inspecting teeth.

Hannah.

Matt & Mallory

T-rex

Matthew comparing his wing span.

I want to ride my tricycle.

Hannah received a tricycle as a birthday gift in April from her Grandpa and Grandma Frese. She was pretty excited about it and this fall she has really taken off with riding it.

Finally updated!!

It took a little time but our blog is finally up-to-date. I'll try to do better at posting regularly.

Volleyball in AV

Hannah

Amber's Team


Mallory

Gina and Maxton

I traveled to Alta Vista with my friends (Jackie Walsh, Terry Kiser, and Beth Kiser) and our 9 kids. My sisters were organizing a sand volleyball tournament (sounds kinda crazy for October!). But anyway, they needed some more players. The weather was perfect. Our feet were sore by midafternoon from running and jumping in the sand barefooted. The kids spent all afternoon at the park and played and played and played. My friends and I played on Amber's Team with her husband (Matt) and our cousin (Jeremy). My little sister, Brandy, had a team with her husband's family. Neither team won the tournament, but we still had a great time!

Horseplay

The kids were riding on each other's backs, pretending that they were horses. They had a blast! Their laughs are infectious.

Daddy's Little Helper

We planted some grass seed this fall. It seems like it's a never ending task at maintaining a lawn. Hannah likes to help. She had fun spreading the straw.

Let's Pretend.

Hannah has quite the personality. Besides playing with her babies, and mimicking everything we do, she now uses everyday objects as part of her play. On this particular day it was raining. Hannah used a dish towel and pot holders and made herself a raincoat.

It's Fall!

The kids and I love this time of year. We spent the morning of October 4th getting our fall decorating done. We got the scarecrows down from the attic and bought some mums and pumpkins

Independence Farms

Mallory has finished up with therapeutic riding for the year. They may sneak in a session or two in November if the weather is warm. Riding sessions will not start up again till spring. Granted the drive every Sunday can get tiresome....the look on her face when she gets on that horse makes it all worthwhile.

Hannah-Banana

Rainy Day

What is it about kids, puddles, and mud! The kids had a blast playing in the water after a good day of rain.

1st Day of School

Matthew reminded me today that he was 38 days into school and I had not put his picture on our blog. Matthew started Kindergarten this year and Mallory is in 3rd grade. If Hannah had her way, she would be in school too! Mallory gets to ride the bus to school and I take Matthew and two of his friends to school every morning.

Trip to the Farm

Our friend, Jackie, has horses just north of Enterprise. If Mallory has had a great day, Jackie will let her go with her to the farm for chores. Mallory got to ride one of the horses while she was there, but she insisted on wearing a helmet (which is one of the requirements for her therapeutic riding).

Lil' Artist

Matthew spent an afternoon at daycare drawing planets. He loves everything about the universe.

Abilene Smoky Valley Railroad

Todd began volunteering on the excursion train here in Abilene. Todd has always had a fascination with trains plus this gets him involved with the community. The train runs from Abilene to Enterprise and back. The great thing about this opportunity is that Matthew gets to help his dad. Matthew has went several times on the train. On one such trip, Matthew began talking to a gentleman from the northeast (around New Jersey). The man got such a kick out of Matthew that he took some pictures on the trip and then e-mailed them to us.

Brandy Villalobos

As crazy as it sounds, my sister, Brandy had brain surgery at the end of July. She had a 6x9 cm cyst that had been filling with fluid. The defect actually occurred before she was born, it just took 25 years for it to be a problem. With as large as the cyst was, we found it a little funny that she had been working on 1/2 a brain for so long. Who knows...she could have been a rocket scientist. But anyway, this summer was a little scary for everyone. It's not everyday that you have a family member that goes through something like that. I was amazed at our families strength during that time. The surgery involved draining the cyst and placing a shunt so that fluid would not accumulate again. Brandy was back to work in less than 3 weeks, which is amazing. Looking at her now, you wouldn't believe what her summer had entailed.