The Muench Bunch

 I went to an orthopedic to find out why my shoulder has been bothering me for the past 6 months. I wake up some mornings and it feels stiff  like I injured it. It doesn’t hurt bad and I have never taken any pain medicine for it, but it just feels bothersome. It cracks and creeks and pops when I move it. I feel it every day. After viewing k x-rays, I was told I have arthritis between my clavicle and shoulder bone. Eventually the  doctor  would give me a cortisone shot and eventually cut a chunk of the bone out. Not much to look forward too.   Jayden rode her horse everyday for the first week and now every other day. He is such a nice horse and she is enjoying him so much. I am so relieved and so happy for Jayden. He is an answer to a lot of prayers.

On a daily basis, Jacob googles cars, trucks, and semis to draw. He can identify every semi coming down the road before you can see it on the grill. He knows the common freightliner, Peterbilt, and Kenworth. He also can point out some of the odd ones, Volvo, Mack, Sterling, and some I have never heard of. He is always right. When driving on the interstate he makes it a contest with Jayden and Luke. He always wins.

Here we are in spring and the low has been in the teens each day this week. Spring where are you!? So glad for the indoor arena. Jayden has been riding her new horse every single day. I think they are bonding. He seems to be everything that we had hoped for. He has a great temperment. He is quiet and gentle. He is smooth and easy to ride, well broke, and nice. He goes slow when you want, but kicks it up for running barrels. Jayden is not used to such a tight turning barrel horse and has gotten lots of bangs, bumps, and bruises on her knees. She takes it all in stride and toughens up when she whacks her knee and knocks over a barrel. The two are getting used to each other. We did not see any signs of lameness and the horse is offically ours. Jayden is so happy with him and she finally has a horse of her very own. My prayer is that he will be safe for her and stay sound and do well. I would love for this to be her all around horse that she can run for several years. 

 Luke went to bed without eating any supper and had a bad stomach ache. We had him sleep in our room close to the bathroom with a bucket. He slept until 5:30Am when he made it into the bucket. He was pretty sick all morning with it coming at both ends. This is the third time Luke has had this. He didn’t eat much the rest of the day and just laid around. I also try to keep the bug from Jake. I cannot imagine how bad that would be for him.

Today was a big decision making day. I am not good with big decisions. I always pray that God will make it very clear to me one way or the other. Well, he doesn't always make it that clear to me, in fact most of the time my decsions are not obvious and could go one way or another. Today, with Jayden & Jake we went to the ISU vet school to have Ace, the horse vet checked. The owner’s willingly brought their horse to go through a complete check over at the ISU vet center. Ace stood perfect and let them do anything and was quiet and relaxed. The took him and did flex tests then trotted him on pavement. At first everything was going great. Ace was a little sore acting when trotting in one direction. I had hoped this horse would pass with flying colors. The vet helping us made it so hard. We decided to go ahead with x-rays in order to rule out what may be the problem. The x-rays showed tiny bits of wear in the navicular, which would be common in any horse over the age of 10. I talk

 Jake really gave us a scare today. After church we had lunch then headed home with plans to ride horses. Jake started spitting up blood. I grabbed a bucket and told Mark we need to go to the hospital now. I grabbed my information from post-op, glanced over it and read that he needed to drink ice milk. I grabbed some before getting in the car and called the hospital. Mark and I were in a panic. He was driving fast and I was holding Jake’s bucket trying to keep him calm. He was crying and getting upset. An on call doctor called me back and instructed me on what to do. We stopped and got some ice chips in water at Casey's. Jake was to hold the cold in the back of his mouth. Once we got to the hwy 141 the bleeding had stopped. Jake had about ½ cup of blood. We waited and debated what to do. The doctor told us to go home and have Jake sit in a recliner and keep icing. Mark thought we should go on to the hospital, but we waited. This was exactly what the doctor had told us could happen

 Jayden likes to spend time searching horses on the internet. Usually she will show me a horse and I just look and shake my head with very little interest. I got burnt out on horse shopping and have dreaded the idea of having to go look for another horse. This ad Jayden showed me had a very good write up and pictures and videos. The owner was in Iowa, and I called and asked questions. I decided he was worth looking at and if I waited he would be sold.   I kept telling Jayden not to get her hopes up. I was pretty skeptical. He kind of sounded too good to be true and I was determined to find out what was wrong. Jayden and I took the day and drove 3 hours to Cedar Rapids. We both rode Ace, a brown horse. He had a great disposition, very quiet and smooth to ride. He seemed to go at whatever pace you asked. He could slow trot and lope and yet pep up to run the barrel pattern. Jayden looked very natural on him and comfortable. The owner's were very kind and told us as much as they could

 Luke Went to bed without any supper and his tummy was hurting. It is a good thing I set a bucket next to his head, because he used it! He slept about an hour then woke up to tell me what had happened and some got on the floor. This was a first in all my parenting years and of course now that our carpet is new it would have to happen. It was a lot and I had to put a rag across my face not to gag. It was so bad. Luke threw up several more times into the wee hours of the night. Poor little guy,. I hate seeing my kids sick. I just want our family to get healthy and stay healthy. This winter is never going to end.

 Today Jake had his tonsillectomy. Jayden stayed home and got Luke up and off to school. This is the second time she has done that. She is so responsible and helpful. Mark and I took Jacob to Des Moines and checked in at 7AM. He was prepped, his nurse missed getting his IV in which was not a good situation. Jake was panicking before she even started. Jake was in surgery around 8 and done by 8:30. It went really fast. I prayed and tried not to be anxious. I was glad when it was over and I got to see him awake and alert.  He sat in the recovery area and watched cartoons for a couple hours before we headed home. At home, Luke had prepared the chair for Jacob to sit he. He put his blankets and stuffed animals for him in the chair. I thought that was so sweet. It was a gorgeous rare warm day. It got into the 60’s and the sun was shinning. Jake was feeling pretty good, so I sat a couple lawn chairs out in the driveway for him. He walked around and watched the water flowing from all the me

 After church my friend Carolyn asked if I had heard about all the commotion during church. Then she filled me in. Evidently Luke was a missing child. For church today I wanted Luke to sit in with us during baptism because he had not seen one before. My plan was to have him go to childcare after the baptism’s were over. Jayden had him checked in on the computer system with a nametag ready. After baptism Luke really didn’t want to go to childcare so I let him stay with us. Since he never went to the classroom, I did not think anything of him still being checked in. After the kids have worship time they go back to the classroom and with Luke's name on the list, they panicked that he was not there. In a church like Cornerstone, with hundred’s of children, they take security very serious. In no time, the church was on lock down and security men were searching the church for a little blonde 6 year old boy. Several of the staff and searching parents knew us well enough to go into the se

 Grandpa Wahlert met Jacob in Ft. Dodge for his 4-H rifle class. Jacob got to shoot a 22 for his first time. I think Jake and Grandpa are both enjoying their time shooting. It is fun to hear Jacob tell about their day. I think it is neat that he is getting to share the experience with Peeepaw. Jayden and I went shopping for clothes and shoes. In all the years of shopping, Jayden has picked up my idea of what is too expensive and what is reasonable for different clothing items. It was fun to see her decide a pair of shoes were too expensive or shorts that were too short. I think it is important to know how much things cost and to have value with money. Most kids don’t have any appreciation for money and just gett what they want and price is really not a factor. She also pays attention to dressing appropriate. I am proud of her, she is really growing up. Back in December, she got her driver’s permit and is slowly learning to drive the Tahoe. She is nervous and has driven a lot on gravel

We got some new snow this week and Jacob earned an activity through school work. We decided to take the kids skiing one last time. They enjoyed is so much last time and this time Dad could go and we also invited cousin Rylie. It was much colder this time around. The temperature was not too bad, but the North wind blew hard in your face as you skied down the hill. This time was easier as the kids new how to do the rope tow. By the end of the day Luke skied down the bunny hill twice all by himself. Rylie picked it up fast and Mark took Jayden, Jake, and Rylie on the big chair lift and hill. Jayden and Rylie stuck together and skied the rest of the time on the big hill, still in snow plow mode, but well enough to maintain control. Jake fell the first time down and was so discouraged he never tried again. It was hard on him to see Rylie do so well and Jake just quit trying. He didn’t end the night on the happiest note. We skied 4-8 then went to eat pizza in Boone. Rylie stayed the night a

Jayden had all her school done and was bored. i told her to go and write a poem. She really does have a talent for it. She wrote this cute poem about winter. It kind of sums up how we all are feeling. This winter just keeps dragging on and on. I feel like we have been stuck in January and can't get out. Winter Song to the tune of "twinkle Twinkle Little Star" By Jayden Muench Icy Roads, And Snow Drifts Too I Like winter How bout you? Polar Vortex, Negative 10 Ice Coated Power Lines, Snowdrifts tall as men Winter Winter go away And take away the snow today. Snow filled backyards, Long Haired horses Cold Cats, Winter Hats, Go away. Slippery Sliding Sidewalks too, closed School, Snowflakes, Frostbite too Winter Winter go away And take all the ice away I miss flowers, sunshine, rain T-Shirts, Flip Flops, Barefoot kids. Swimming, Jumping, Or just being warm Come on Winter please leave soon Winter Winter Go away, and Tell Spring to come our way. Frozen Fingers, Falls on Ic

Today was my birthday. I am at an age I wish to keep forever. For some reason turning 40 just sounds dreadfully old. I have one year to hold on to my youth. Ok so maybe not my youth, but my non old ladyness. My family made my day special with an outing to Ames. My parents met us at Taekwondo to watch Luke practice. Then everyone met up at my choice of restaurant, Hickory Park. They have great food and a variety to choose from. I have always liked their Hickory smoked sandwiches. My parents, Karen, and Orrie joined our family complete with ice cream and gifts. Mark got me a big bouquet of flowers too. It was a nice way to spend a birthday.

 Luke’s teacher conferences went well. He is doing great in all subjects, just needs to improve his handwriting.  All three kids had the hardest time with hand writing, I don't think their mother ever got it down pretty. Luke's teacher also told me that Luke is quite the ladies man. She said all the girls really like him. She said they like to cozy up to Luke and he has even been caught holding hands. She said he is well liked by all the kids, but especially the girls. I found a t-shirt recently that I just could not resist. I am sure his school teacher will get a good laugh too, says, “Sorry girls, mom says no dating.” Luke grinned from ear to ear when we showed him. It's probably a good think Luke will be shomeschooled in the future.

3/3/14 We are breaking more records for extreme cold in March. It got down to -16 in parts of Iowa. Luke woke up with a croupy cough, so I kept him home. Another day of homeschool for him. He has had lots of those this winter. If you give a kid an airplane…they spend hours of play. Mark and I brought back a small airplane set as a souviner for the boys. It had an airplane, bus, and fuel truck, matchbox size. That was all it took and the ideas were flowing. They set up an entire airport. They had it all from control tower, hotels, parking lot, hangar, and all. Even Jayden was in on the set up. It kept them busy for days. 

The kids all stayed with Karen and Orrie while we were in Florida. During their stay, a lot went on. Thursday night they went to their 4-H horse project meeting. The Anderlik’s came each night to check cows. The first night Jake went out with Uncle Tim at 2AM to check cows. The next night all the kids along with Abby and Maggie went out and got to see the first baby calf born. It was around -15 degrees and has been cold all week. The calf was named “Frozen”. I am glad the kids got to experience a live birth. Hopefully that will fill in some questions. The kids were pretty excited when they told us all about it. Grammer and Po were stomach sick for  most of the time, so Jayden was the lady of the house . She is such a helpful and responsible young lady.

Mark and I made a last minute getaway vacation to Clearwater beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. We left on a Thursday and flew back on Sunday. The kids stayed with Karen and Orrie. Our first day in Florida was quite chilly. Yes it was much  warmer  than Iowa that we left in -10. Florida was around 60 and and overcast. The beach was empty and with out jackets on I was very cold. The Hyatt hotel was nice and the beach was so cool. The sand was white and felt like flour. Each morning we woke up and walked on the beach. There were lots of walkers and joggers. Each day was a little warmer and the sun was shinning. We spent our afternoon on the beach in our very own cabana. If you set it at just the right angle to block the wind and stay in the direct sun, it felt pretty good. It felt like an 80 degree day. However if you left your little cabana it was pretty chilly with the breeze. The water was freezing cold, but it was still awesome to hear and see the waves while soaking up the sun. E

Just My Opinion- Media  So I was having a conversation with someone and they told me they bought a 32” television for each of their 4 kids. Each kid has one in their bedroom. Then, for Christmas, each kid got their very own Ipad. These kids are all under the age of 15. And of course most people have a DVD player in the car. Wow! This is wrong to me on so many levels. If someone gave me free ipad’ s and televisions for my kids, I would not accept them. In fact I declined the offer for birthday/Christmas gifts several times. First, kids shouldn't get everything that they want in life, especially expensive things. Let them”want” for awhile, its good for them to have to wait and want. If they want it bad enough, they can work for it, get a job, earn some allowance. There is nothing better than the satisfaction of getting something cool that you worked hard for. We are spoiling our kids when they get the latest and greatest of everything, If you have everything, it gives you very littl