The Muench Bunch

 Mark and I took a long awaited day to Brushy Creek. We talk of going all summer and usually we cram it in last minute before the weather turns bad.. We enjoy going, it is so peaceful and relaxing. Brushy Creek has always been a favorite trail ride area. It is very scenic and the trails are so nice and groomed. I rode my favorite Tex and Mark rode Traveler. It was the most amazing day. The sun was shinning and the air was warm. We had a picnic lunch on a blanket before heading out on the trails. It was a nice day, just the two of us and our trsuty mounts. Brushy creek

 Jayden had two away volleyball games this week and two home the week before. The coach has the 8th graders divided into two teams. Jayden is on the second team of girls. So far they have won most of their games. Jayden serves underhand and does well.  She has done some setting too. Tonight I took the team photos.

Today was a cool crisp fall feeling day. I took Jake and Jayden to Ames for Jayden’s final step with her tooth, the crown. The whole process for one tooth costs a fortune. $950 for the root canal and $1000 for the crown. Wowza! That is as much as braces these days. We went straight back home and started school work. I have been trying to find something for Jake and I to read. I chose one that I wanted him to read, understand, and have an impact on him, a book he would never forget. I chose, “Kisses from Katie”. A book I read and could not put down when I read it. A book I wish everyone could read. A book about breaking your heart for what breaks the heart of Jesus. I read the first two pages to Jacob and explained that she is a young single lady that has adopted 14 girls. He looked at the picture of Katie, age 20 with her 14 girls and said to me, “Wow, she has a heart, a big heart.” I think this will be a good book.   Here is a drawing by Luke. I think he is taking after his brother.

Today was not a happy day for the kids. They discovered our little precious kitten we call “Mouse” was found dead. We cannot understand how she died or why. There were no signs of anything wrong. She was a sweet kitten and once again we only got to enjoy for a little while. These kittens are hard on us as we see them come and go and ache when they are gone. The kids know that she was not healthy when we found her and bottle fed her. She had a much longer and happier life with us than she would if we had not found her. She was happy with us as we were with her.  That night I took the boys out to bury the kitten. They helped me pick a spot and dig the hole. They were very mature about it all. Jake made a little temporary sign with "Mouse" on it. 

Today was the fall Youth Rodeo and I was asked to help with the timed events. We got rain on Thursday and Friday, however I think the Datyon arena is like a sponge that soaks it up and doesn’t dry out. It was deep and messy. We arrived at 8AM for a great church message given by Steve Spillman. I got the timers set and waited for things to begin. I don’t usually help with the youth rodeos and today was complete chaos. Apparently there was no help. I was slopping my way through the arena setting up a barrel when the announcer, who was trying to help,  gets his feet stuck and falls completely on his back in the mud. This was in front of the entire crowd waiting for things to begin. Then it took a long time to get the electric timers going. It was pretty embarrassing. I ran across that arena setting up, getting hats, bell boots, and it was not fun. I am glad the day went better for the kids. Jayden carried the American flag in the beginning.  She ran barrels, poles, knocked one, fl

 This week was crazy, here it is in review. Monday school, Jacob to art class, evening volleyball game. Tuesday school, serpentine horse practice. Wednesday Luke’s  no school day kids and I work at the shop, evening to Ames for youth group 180 and boys swim lessons., home late. Thursday Mark has his field day at the shop 10-4, took Jayden to volleyball practice. Friday doctor  appointment in Des Moines then went shopping with Jayden, hurried back to volleyball practice. Then out to dinner for parents anniversary. Saturday morning play catch up and Mark, Jayden, and I rode horses along the creek. Tonight we went to Travis and Amber’s wedding reception. Whew!

9/20/13 I had my annual appointment post surgery in Des Moines. Jayden went with me so the tow of us could have a long awaited shopping day. She waited in the waiting room where a lady was hosting a hobby in the lobby event. Jayden had fun making a craft while I met with my doctor. From there it was nothing but shopping. We had lunch in the food court and hit the mall. We had a successful day of shopping. Jayden is in that really hard stage of too old for little girly clothes and the junior sections and adult size xs are too big. Today we had pretty good luck finding cute tops and even a dress. We had to hurry our day along so we could be home in time for volleyball practice. Then it was off to my parents 45 th Anniversary dinner in Paton. Wade’s family and our families along with Karen and Orrie all went to Paton’s new restaurant.  We had long wait even with reservations we didn’t get done until 9PM. My parents celebrated their anniversary taking my boys home for the night. Not prob

Colorado has been drenched in rain causing massive deadly flooding. The area hit is the Boulder area, which the damage and destruction is massive. Boulder flood 2013: Facts Deaths: 4 People unaccounted for: 0 Homes destroyed: 345 Homes damaged: 557 Commercial properties damaged: 33 Commercial properties destroyed: 3 Total properties assessed: 5,592 People evacuated by air: 1,102 People evacuated by road: 707 Miles of county roads damaged: Approximately 150 Cost to replace damaged county roads: $100 million to $150 million Source: Boulder County Office of Emergency Management Boulder flood 2013: Rain by day Mon., Sept. 9: 0.25 inches Tues, Sept. 10: 1.02 inches Weds., Sept. 11: 1.92 inches Thurs., Sept. 12: 9.08 inches Fri., Sept. 13: 2.44 inches Sat., Sept. 14: 0.01 inches Sun., Sept. 15: 1.94 inches Mon., Sept. 16: 0.49 inches Eight-day total: 17.15 inches Monday dawned as one more beautiful late-summer day. But clouds began to build o

 We got our first rain of the summer. It was a lovely sound and smell. It was the last serpentine practice for the summer. The rain made the arena kind of messy. Two of the girls could not be at practice, so Jayden got to fill in and practice the entire night. She went through the routine 5 times, more than she has done it all summer. She had so much fun. I know she was wishing she could have done it all summer. its hard for a mom to see. Tonight she felt part of the team and smiled all night.

Jacob loves to spend time with his grandparents. Mawgee and Peepaw like to have him stay and he likes the individual attention. We always say, Jake would have been happiest an only child. He loves to explore with Peepaw, anything from wandering on the farm looking at old machinery to going to Brigg's Woods park and exploring the trails. He likes that Grandpa has old tractors and he likes to clean them inside and out. He cleans out the trash and shines them all up on the inside.

A week ago the high was 97, today the high was 70’s. Yesterday we had Carolyn and her girls over to ride and tonight Tony came to rope and ride. Winnie has turned out to be a great horse for us. i am so glad we have her as so many beginners have safely ridden her. She is an ideal babysitter horse. I love weeing people get on that are unsure and a little scared. After a short time they are riding solo and smiling. It has been nice weather for riding. Still no rain after months. We have not had rain since sometime in June. We had some dark clouds and were hopeful, but nothing. We have had several friends over to ride horses this summer. Jaynie came one weekend, and Maggie the next. With Jake on a horse too, the kids played follow the leader with Maggie. Another day, Racheal N. came and rode in the wind. We are watching the indoor arena being built in the background. It will be nice to be able to ride in the bad weather too.

I got some photos of the kids. It didn't go quite as planned, everyone was uncooperative and the sun made the kids squint. I still got a few to share.

 In the evening we went to an Asgrow seed corn customer appreciation party. We were planning on attending the Agrigold one where they were having a nice sit down meal and meeting, stay in a hotel and go to the ISU vs.IA football game, all paid for. We passed that up to take the kids to the Asgrow one. They had inflatables for the kids that were a blast! They had tropical sno, Jimmy’s food, and live band. These seed corn dealers really know how to throw a party. 

 Today we invited Mark’s cousins daughter Kallie Mae to attend church with us. She is also attending Iowa State and we wanted to get her plugged into the church and college ministry. We found Torrie at church and she sat with us too. We took Kallie out to lunch at Hickory Park. She is in her 3rd year of college, first year at ISU. Jake had his cowboy hat on today and rode with Kallie teasing her all the way about her car. 

 Jake had been wearing a black felt cowboy hat that we had in the basement. It was old, cheap, and fake. I really needed to get a decent cowboy hat for if he was going to start wearing it out and about. Then, it dawned on me. My black cowboy rodeo hat. That hat has could tell a lot of stories. It went a lot of places and was in a lot of rodeos. I wore that hat all through college rodeo and through the years. It has been through a lot, rain, sleet, mud, and many states in rodeos. It has been to team pennings, rodeo queen contests, and cowboy balls. I told Jake about the hat and gave it to him. I think he thought it was pretty neat. I put some extra padding in the hat band to help it fit for now, but it wasn’t all that big. He looks pretty darn good in it. Since I am the one alwyas behind the camera, today I got some photos of mom and her boys.

 Two weeks of homeschool and I am getting a feel for what it will be like. It is different and it is not easy. I do enjoy it and I am happy the kids are here and I get to teach and learn with them.  Here is a typical day.  At 6:45 I drag myself out of bed and start waking Luke up. He is usually very sleepy and it takes awhile to get him going. By 7:15 he is usually in a good mood and raring to go.  I am then trying to get Jayden and Jacob to rise by playing classical music really loud in the hallway. Luke is outside waiting for the bus by the time he pulls in at 7:25.  He is the first one on the big yellow bus and I wave as he drives away. He has really liked school so far. Jayden and Jacob have about an hour to get moving, make their beds, get dressed, eat breakfast, feed animals and have a little free time. At 8:20 we are at the table with a morning devotion and prayer. By 8:30 they are to be at their desks and starting their work for the day. Each one has a list of subjects and w

 I took the kids to the Labor Day parade. Then our family had lunch at Chuck and Linda’s. Today was the first day under 90 and it was nice out. We rode horses and Tony, Amanda, and Cash came over. The kids sure do like having Cash over. He is quite the character. 

 My mom met us at our church with the boys after the service. Tonight was our family night to attend the Dayton Labor day rodeo. I set up chairs at 4 and we went back for the 7:00 show. The night started with the serpentine. This year it seemed chaotic and it was very hard to notice a pattern. I had hoped since Jayden was very little that someday her and I would do the serpentine together. I have been looking forward to it. After hearing all the drama that goes on with the adult serpentine group, I am not sure we ever will.  It was fun to watch the rodeo, we enjoyed sitting on the hill and watching.  Luke was very intent on watching all the events. Jayden saw the Widmer’s both mother and daughter run. Their times were smoiking fast, right in there with the top. They are the ladies that put on the camp Jayden went to this summer and talks about all the time.  It was a good night of rodeo.