The Muench Bunch

 I found a recap of the year 20221 that I thought I would share. It came from the Tuttle Twins. January- Joe Biden inaugurated as the oldest President in history. Kamala Harris becomes the first female V.P. In the next 100 days, the Biden White House enacts 60 executive orders, laws pass without the consent of voters or legislators.  February- Record breaking winter storms hits Texas. Residents lose power across the state due to issues with the government grid. The state's office of energy management is criticized for cutting off people's power and heat during freezing temps. March- The federal government starts promoting "vaccine passports" as a way to get life back to normal. Many raise concerns that these passports could open the door for a "social credit system" while taking away liberties and privacy.  April- Biden's "American Rescue Plan" takes effect, which costs taxpayers $1.9 trillion dollars. The treasury prints more fiat money to com

2018   July 7th Jake had a youth group retreat for the incoming freshmen. The kids all went to Saylorville lake for something called "glamping". I t was described as glamorous camping with games and food. All they were told to bring is pillow and sheets. I was picturing a nice cabin. They slept in tents on the hard ground. Not only was the ground hard, it got cool in the night. I felt so bad as most kids knew to bring a mattress or something to sleep on. Needless to saw Jake slept a couple hours. He went to bed at 3 and was up at 5. If he even slept on that hard ground. I picked him up early in the morning from church and he no more than got in the door and Dad wanted him out helping rake the hay. I was planning on having Jake go in and take a long nap. That never happened. He drove his Farmall M for 5 to 6 hours sleep deprived.  This was the hay that got rained on, so we round baled it for cattle. Then in the evening, we had a party to attend. Birthday Fun.. .Andrew celebr

  . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Here's goodbye to 2021 and on to 2022.  Bring on the New Year! . . . . .

 It makes me sad to see my girl roll on down the road with her truck and trailer leaving Iowa. Inside her boyfriend sits beside her in the passenger seat. The boyfriend that she is moving near and planning a future with. She doesn't have a plan or know the plan, God only knows. She is ready to take her next step in life into the big unknown. She is such an amazing young lady with so much potential. She has always been so gifted and talented, with so much to give in this world. She has the whole world before her, with big choices along the way. In the back seat lays a dog with a watermelon sized belly just waiting to have pups. I hope she makes it to her destination before they come. I am guessing in the next couple days there will be pups. The trailer she pulls has everything she needs packed into the living quarters, boxes with clothes, kitchen items, business inventory, and supplies. The back is empty, no horses for now, at least not until she gets settled. The truck she drives i

 This is Jake's last year wearing Dad's shirt and tie for a photo. He is 18 and will graduate in May. He fills the shirt out and has grown into a handsome young man. The little Jake photo is him at a year old. Oh how the time has flown! Luke is catching up to Jake and may be our tallest child when he finishes growing. It would be fun to have Mark try the shirt on now, I am pretty sure he would have some trouble squeezing into it. 

  When Jayden told us she was coming home for awhile, everyone envisioned different things; months, years, maybe even for good. We all had our hopes and wishes. I know my daughter to well, I was estimating 3 months. It turned out to be 20 days. It went fast and we all soaked in our Jayden time. It was like a feather of joy floated happily through our house for a brief time and then it floated away. While she was home, she helped me in so many ways. She cleaned, cooked at least a meal, ran to the store, wrapped a ton of presents, and helped bake goodies. We binge watched Christmas movies, Pan Am episodes, and a few Grey's episodes. We went shopping, worked at Overflow, and ate out. We talked a lot, talked about all kinds of things. In the evenings, we would read a book together. Not like you would think, we were silly and read children's stories. It was like going back to when the kids were little and I was reading their bedtime story.  We read some of the Christmas storybooks t

 On Thursday 12/23 Titus got to finally go home from the hospital. The day before he was discharged, he got his little Christmas Santa stocking photo taken. They turned out so precious! He had his feeding tube in for the photo, so I did a little  photoshop to remove it in the photo. He looks so sweet. What a wonderful Christmas gift. Bridget and Andrew got to meet him on Christmas morning. What a sweet gift for their entire family! 12/26/21 Sunday after church we drove to Eagle Grove to meet  our new grandson Titus for the first time. He was so precious and tiny. He slept so peacefully and Ali gave him a bottle right at 3 hours, even while he was sound asleep. I was surprised he would take a bottle while being sound asleep. He slept most of the time we were there, opened his eyes up briefly after a diaper change, then drifted back to sleep. He is so cute and makes those sweet little baby noises.  Blake is a proud and protective papa. We were to wear masks while holding Titus and only t

 Now that the kids are older, we all rise mid morning and take our time with our family Christmas. It was wonderful to all be home together and I wonder what it will be like in the years to come. For now, I will enjoy my kids home around the Christmas tree. We opened stockings and gifts, then had breakfast. I had Pioneer Woman knives on my wish list and got a knife block from MArk and a few other knife sets from Jake and my mom. I sure have a nice collection now! Jake got a new suit that Mark took him and picked out. Luke hinted that he has never had a photo album of his own. Little did he know I had been working on one for quite a while with all his activities and hobbies. Jayden  Later in the afternoon we went to Orrie and Karen's for the Muench tradition Christmas. Lots of family, lots of food, and lots of presents.  Ali had her first family photo with Titus in their Grinch pajamas with the Olson side. What a special gift to have him home, safe and sound. Praise God

 On Christmas Eve Eve Jayden wanted all of us to open the gifts she got for us. She puts a lot of thought into finding a customized gift for each of us. She really enjoys giving her special gift giving. She is very thoughtful.  Christmas Eve morning we were all up preparing for our Christmas with Wahlert family at our home. I spent most of my time in the kitchen preparing. The kitchen is not a place where I feel right at home like some people. Nothing goes like it should or turns out quite like I hope. I try, that is the best I can do. Mark volunteered to grill the steaks, so that was a huge help and he did a great job. He also bought and prepared scallops. I fixed smashed whole potatoes that were seasoned, creamed corn casserole, and sweet potatoes. I wanted to make the sweet potato dish with marshmallows on top in memory of Aunt Alice. She made those almost every Christmas. My marshmallows all melted into a liquid. I attempted a layered jello salad. I was alternating red, green, and