It has been too long. So much has gone over the past many months. It's full force summertime and I have been busy with a capital B. This week has been refreshingly slow due to both boys being out of town. Kobe is at Camp Mennoscah with his Mennonite buddies, and Caden is currently in Vegas. He went to Arizona with Tim, Kristy, and Jess, Nana, and Papa Ford to watch a couple of Giants ballgames, and then to Vegas for some extra fun.

Caden has had a really crazy summer. Boys State was all last week at KSU. He came home on Fri and had to take the ACT on Sat. Then turned around and left again on Wed for AZ. The rest of his summer includes LIFT camp, basketball, and more basketball. His calendar is pretty booked. Would have liked him to get a job, but there is literally no time.

Kobe will go on the Middle school road trip in July, but is otherwise busy with basketball and softball all summer. I pick him up tomorrow and I'm sure he'll be glad to see me. 7 days without tv, ipod, computer, phone is probably about to kill him. Kobe and I took a trip to DC/NY the end of May. Same school trip that I went on with Caden. It was exhausting but great!

In Feb, I started working Fridays at Prairie Star in Hutch. I absolutely love it. It's a nice change of pace considering it is a governmental dental clinic versus a private practice. I only work 1/2 days so that's nice also. Looking forward to another trip to Vegas with my office at Dr. Jensens. 11-11-11 is the date, sounds lucky, you think?

That about covers the most recent doings around here. I will now attempt to note some not so recent moments that are worth remembering...

Both boys had good basketball seasons. Kobe started on the 7th grade team and usually led in points and rebounds. On most occasions he was the tallest kid out there. Caden played primarily on the JV due to 8 Sr's on the team. He got some varsity court time, and really helped the team out during the Rupp tourney while 1 player was injured. It was unfortunate that he didn't get more opportunities, but he still had a great attitude and was a great leader on his JV squad. Looking forward to next season for sure!

-Caden had a successful track season, with increasing PR's in all events. He received many medals this year! Jr Prom was fun. He took a good friend and went will several other couples to dinner. We helped with after prom at All star sports till 4 am. Took a couple trips during school, St Louis with Wildcat Singers, and Dallas with the Band. Being chose for Boys State was exciting, and even though he's not big into politics, he had a great time and made lots of new friends. He even signed up to be on staff next summer.

In Feb, we had a pretty significant blizzard, and Kobe fell walking home from school. Making a long story short, he took a ride in an ambulance to Hutch, and had surgery to fix a broken left ankle. Dr Lairmore placed a plate and 4 screws. Poor kid had 6 weeks with no weight bearing, and since crutches were scary (for me), we opted for a knee scooter, which Kobe mastered in no time. He could really get around on that thing...faster than his normal, healthy walk! Had a few weeks walking with the boot, then on the last day of school had 2 pins removed. He actually went to school for an hour with no restrictions. Our trip to DC was only a week after, so all the walking was a little bothersome and painful, but he did well. The plate and 2 pins will stay forever...which he thinks is cool. Needless to say, Kobe was the track manager and will have to wait till next year to participate.


Our school district has been under fire the past couple of years due to budget cuts. The board voted to close Mt Hope grade which had created some emotional debates amongst towns. It is sad to see a school close, and with a new board coming in, it will be interesting to see what is the final result is.

Until next time...

Kake play of the week

Haven is up for the KAKE football play of the week. Voters have till Thursday to submit votes. http://www.kake.com/highschool/headlines
Caden is in the video, during the play and the TD celebration.

Haven Wins!!!

Tonight, Haven football won it's first game in 2 years! We beat Belle Plain 27-18. The game began last Friday night on the 10th, but was postponed to tonight due to weather. We were up 20-12 at the half. So, it was a great ending to a huge drought for HHS football. Caden did great, and the boys were very excited.

Went to Pizza Hut after. After eating I discovered a fly in the cheese shaker that I had been using all night. We all got a big kick out of that. Honestly, I didn't even care, cause, We Won A Game!!!

Good job boys! Finally a payoff to all the hard work and dedication. Well done!

The weather was perfect

for some football tonight! Kobe's first game of his MS career started with a huge win over Hillsboro. 36-14! He started at center and played an entire game of offense. He played defense for the 5th quarter and showed some intense drive as he took out some of their lineman! It was nice and cool out, around 65 degrees.

Looking forward to Caden's opening game tomorrow night against Kingman. They are talking about him over there...possible double team coming his way.

I am blessed with great kids and their God given talents!

Black and Gold Scrimmage

Spirit night was last night. Booster club hosted a big carnival, silent auction, and raffle. There was a hamburger feed, performancse from the chorale and band, and a dance. Both boys scrimmaged. Kobe went against the 9th graders and won! He was pretty excited. I think he enjoyed throwing down a Jr. Caden did well with a recovered fumble. Overall a good showing. Michael won a Sony Reader for me, which was awesome!!! Been wanting one of those.

Today was our varsity volleyball pre-season tourney in Pratt. Saw many good things, but unfortunately didn't get the wins we wanted. Needless to say, I am exhausted from 2 days of little rest and lots of business to handle.


Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Back to school

School has started! Caden is a Jr and Kobe is in 7th gr! I am so shocked how they have grown up right in front of me. My eyes see, but my mind remembers how small and helpless they used to be. Now, they could probably survive on their own...well, for at least a week. Once the food ran out and the underwear was all dirty, desperation would set in! Anyway, football is also underway. Had a cooler week to start, thankfully. Temps in the upper 80's all week, with some rain. Sat, they both had their scrimmage. Along with the O line, Caden will also be playing Def end and special teams. He had a good showing on defense at the scrimmage. Kobe will more than likely start center, and has been exhibiting a great attitude so far. I wondered how a daily practice would work for him, and so far, no complaints. He showers and crashes everyday when he gets home. Ha! I am coaching volleyball at the high school this year. I have the C team and it works pretty good with my work schedule and the boys' games. The other coaches are great to work with which makes it fun! We have another week of practice before matches/games start. Friday night is Spirit Night with the Black and Gold Scrimmage and lots of fun activities hosted by Booster club. Sat, the varsity squad has a pre-season tourney. I'm excited to see what we can do.

Looking forward to a busy season with 2 football games a week and 2 volleyball dates a week. Michael and I are also directing Cubbies again this year. A replacement wasn't able to be found, so I was led to continue. It will be a little stressful during VB, but we will make it work. Maybe next year we will be able to take a break.

End of another season

This week was the end of the kids' church softball seasons. Kobe is on the 12 and under team, while Caden moved up to the 18 and under league this year. Both of our teams placed 3rd and ended with double header wins the last night! It was a great summer!

We are in the middle of re doing our entire yard. Had a well put in on Wed. Will kill all the grass, level the yard, install a sprinkler system, seed, and landscape. We are bartering services with a friend who needs a roof. He runs a landscaping company. This has helped with the expense of it all for sure. Can't wait to see the final result.

We are praying about what to do with our roofing company. This summer has hit us pretty hard. Business is non-existent and we are contemplating closing shop. The extra income from the company gave us comfort, and at this point we are beginning to feel the pressure. Just unsure what to do. It costs every year for insurance and licensing, and when we aren't doing any jobs, it doesn't pay to even be open. So, we will see! In the end, we know God will provide.