The Muench Bunch

On another Halloween celebration we started at Mawgee’s then went to see Auntie Alice. This was the first the kids have gotten to see her after her operation. Then we went to Webster City and visited the nursing home. The kids trick-or-treated along with Alivia. This time Jacob decided he was dressing as a fireman. We also stopped in the field to show Pepaw and Wade the costumes. On the way home we made a loop to see Teresa Ott. We also stopped in at Artis and Bob Bakley’s home. Artis is a sweet elderly woman that loves the kids.

Jake said he was going to be a firefighter again this year, so I was excited as I already had his costume. The night of Halloween, he had this new idea that he was going to be a “cool Dude”. We managed to come up with a simple outfit that made him happy. He wore a baseball hat backwards, sunglasses, and a button down shirt with the collar up. Jayden helped make sure he looked cool. He was thrilled and had the talk to go with it. Jayden was dressed as a cheerleader with piggy tails and all. Luke was an adorable over stuffed pumpkin. His costume was a size 24 months, so he looked very puffy and cute. He is my little pumpkin for sure. I took the 3 kids to Dayton where we went up and down 3 blocks in an hour. That was enough for all of us. Jake ate his candy as fast as he got it. We ended up last at Karen and Orrie's. Mommy and Luke also got to attend Jacob’s school Halloween party. It was fun to see the kids in costume. They go on a little parade through the school.

Luke’s front teeth or so cute and he has this big silly grin that we get such a kick out of. He is also starting to stand up and cruise. He is so proud of himself.

Harvest- I can’t say that I was looking forward to harvest this year. I knew it would be hard on everyone. The first year of harvest without Uncle Donald. The memories were all around everyone. The combines, the semi’s, the grain leg. It just wouldn’t be the same and it would be tough. We also would be short the help of the Uncle’s. How would we do it all without the extra help. The kids ride in the combine whenever they can. Jake likes to ride, but he gets bored fast and doesn’t usually last very long.

Mommy's having lots of fun with her camera.

The Spillman’s invited us to a multi family Halloween party. IT was held at the Winkler’s where they have an old schoolhouse on their farm. They fixed it up for the kids to decorate pumpkins and do activities. They also had tons of food and soup. All the families there wer people we knew. I took the kids as Mark still had field work to do. It was a cool crsip day, but the sun was warm at times. Luke sat on a blanket and napped in his stroller. The kids had a great time playing, eating and running in games. They also started out with a hay ride. What a great family fun time.

Jake loves to be outdoors and is an adventurous kid. Give him some sticks and some dirt and he is set. I enjoy seeing how his mind thinks. He has a ton of energy and never seems to tire out. Here is a photo of Jake with Grandpa Wahlert taking an afternoon rest. You would never catch Jake napping. He has never fallen asleep since age 2 ½. He is also very silly and likes to make us laugh.

My Aunt Alice was in Rochester Minnesota recovering from her surgery. She is so far from home and without anybody there with her. Her neighborhood friend went for a visit and Mom and Dad have been up to see her too. Today my Dad and I drove up to see her. It was around 3 hours to get there. She seemed in pretty rough shape. The nurse told us we could take her for a walk and sit outside. Alice was hesitant, but we did go out for a short time. It was nice to see Alice and I am so glad I went to see her. On the drive home, my Dad decided to take the scenic route and took an extra hour getting home. Ugh!

The Dayton Wranglers hosted a spring and fall youth rodeo. I am so glad to have something like this so close to home. I have to say, however with young kids, it is very hard and very long. I had the Anderlik girls babysit Luke. The morning started out with the little kids 6 and under events which I had Jake in. These were all non-horse events, dummy roping, goat tail untie, and stick horse race. Rodeo is my thing, and I wanted Jake to be a part of it. He did whatever I told him to do, but he was more interested in digging in the dirt. He was clueless when it came to the roping. That was my fault as I should have been working with him at home. I felt bad for him, as he wrapped the rope around himself. These events took over an hour in the arena and I knew we were in for a long day ahead. A friend let me borrow her car and I took Jake back home. I knew it would be way too long for him to stay. It was a nice warm sunny day and there was a really big crowd of kids. There were so many age c

This time of year, Jake wants to be in the field every chance he can. He rides in the combine some, but mostly likes to ride with Dad wherever he is, usually the semis. It has been a long fall and wet so far. He has been doing a lot of farming in the house with his toys. Jake does great with Luke. He gets a kick out of him and likes having him near to make him laugh or watch him crawl. However, when Luke gets into a toy or something Jake doesn’t want him too, look out. I fear when Luke is walking. Sugar and Jake do not mix well. You can tell when Jake has had a lot of candy, he is like a wind up toy that won’t quit. He literally runs laps through the house. We continue to battle anger issues with Jake. He gets so so angry over everything. He yells and throws fits. We have a hard time, but are working with him.

My Aunt Alice has been battling cancer. She had one major operation 18 months ago and went through chemo and has been doing really well. We all thought she was going to be fine. Recently she went back for a check-up and discovered she needed another surgery. This time she was going to Rochester Minnesota. She had extensive G.I. surgery and had 4 masses removed. She had to have part of her colon removed and an area around her diaphragm. This surgery was very hard on her. It is so awful that she has to go through all of this. We are praying for her strength and recovery. She is such an awesome person and it breaks my heart that she has to go through this alone.

I adore Luke and enjoy him so much, but he is by far my hardest baby. Now that he has figured out crawling, he crawls to me and whimpers and wines. He seems to always be generally fussy. I don’t know if it is pure boredom or if something is hurting. I had hoped being mobile would help him become more content. It has been fun watching all his stages of crawling. It is so sweet. He can go now with tons of determination. He isn’t fast yet, and sometimes gets an arm hung back and falls on his face. He still generally takes 3 naps a day 9AM 2PM and 5PM. This last week I have been trying to wean him from the 10PM bottle. It is not going well. I am feeding him a bedtime snack of cereal, but he still wakes around 1PM and sometimes more than once. It’s getting chillier outside, so we can’t go out much and when the big kids are gone to school, the day drags and Luke is fussiest.

Near Ellsworth, there was a family that made their own little pumpkin patch fall activity center. Knowing that Aunt Alice was soon to have her big surgery, we wanted to spend the whole day with her. My mom, Carina, Alivia, the kids and I went with Alice. There was a lot to see and do that the kids enjoyed. There was toy tractors to ride, a pool of corn to crawl in, bales of hay to climb, a bale of hay with a saddle and roping, a maze through trees, and of course the pumpkin patch. They had some gigantic pumpkins too. Jacob had his first experience with chickens and I don’t think he liked it. He was chasing one, when it turned around and chased him back. I don’t think he will go near a chicken again. It was a fun day for all. There were lots of hugs goodbye and we will be praying for Auntie Alice.