Fall Fun

We've been keeping busy and having fun this fall! The kids are always up to something outside. The change of weather usually doesn't stop them from being outdoors. Ethan keeps busy building or "fixing things in the shop. They all like to build forts and playhouses in the barn or sheds around the yard. Of course the leaves are great fun as well!

Elijah found a pair of Mark's old glasses and thought he would give them a try. Hmmm, does he look smart or naughty? :)

We ran out of firewood so Mark and the kids cut up an old tree next to the motocross track. Hopefully we can cut a little more before the snow flies!

For whatever reason Anton continually attacks this poor plant. Now that he's a "speedy" crawler I had to relocate it.

Anton hanging out in the leaves watching the kids play and sampling whatever he could find on the ground.

I tried to get a group shot of the kids, but it didn't really work out.

We've had several guys out riding over the past few weeks. Everyone is enjoying the weather while it lasts!

Riding Along

Harvest is complete for our family! I'm very thankful to have Mark home in the evenings again, at least until anhydrous starts. :) The kids and I rode with him in a few times and enjoyed extra time with Mark. Anton and I rode with Mark to Cargill in DesMoines last week. Riding in the semi is a great way to get a tired boy to sleep!

Karl and Alex working on getting us load of corn.

It's more work than you'd think to pack up 4 small kids to go ride in the combine or semi. As you can see from this picture it looks like we're packed for a mini-vacation. (This picture doesn't even include the diaper bag) :)

Ethan enjoys helping Mark so much! I am certain that he will follow in his fathers footsteps and one day be farming too.

Elijah playing by the semi at sunset.

Can you tell these kids missed their dad!

A beautiful Iowa sunset.

Farm Tour Hosts

Last weekend our family hosted two foreign exchange students from the University of Iowa as part of a farm tour. A group of 20 or so students attending the university of Iowa tour farms in the Pella area for the day then meet up with host families for a potluck in the evening. We have done this three or four times now and it's always been a rewarding experience! The kids think it's fun to give up their rooms for someone else and love sleeping downstairs for a change of pace. We took our two girls to church and Sunday school with us and then home for lunch. After that we gave them a quick Ranger ride through our coalmine. I highly recommend if you get the chance to host an exchange student that you do it, it's great fun!

Samuel from China holding the kitten and HerShing from South Korea.

Ethan's Stitches

Last night Amelia got the best of Ethan. :) Well sort of. The kids made a little "teeter-totter" with a 2x6 and Amelia jumped on one end sending the other end flying up and whacking Ethan in the face. I didn't think I could put his lip back together myself, at least not with out leaving a huge scar on his face. So we headed to the doctor at 7:30 last night. He ended up with 3 stitches and of course his only top permanent tooth was knocked loose. We'll just monitor that for now, hopefully it heals on it's own. He's doing great today and did great while they gave him stitches! On a side note, this is our families first trip to the doctor for stitches. When I told the doctor about our dirt bike riding hobby he said it probably won't be our last visit for stitches. :)

Ang's Shower

Last Saturday we had a shower for my sister Ang. She is getting married in November. We had a great time celebrating with her and lots of yummy food!

My Aunt Jean, sister-in-law Katie, Ang and I (the bride and shower hosts)

The VanDenBroek Girls

Ang got so many great gifts! I think I need another shower, after 11 years of marriage all my stuff is going down hill! :)

Ang and I showing a John Deere Quilt that our Aunt Jean made for her.

Harvest Festival

Friday night was our schools annual harvest festival, a family fun night put on by the school. This year I was in charge of the meal for the event. We had a wonderful turnout and great weather. The kids love collecting as many prizes and they can and participating in the fun games and rides! The obstacle course inflatable was a favorite this year!

I thought the kids would love to ride the horse or pony. This wasn't the case, Elijah was the only one we got on one, with a little help from Auntie Ang! He wasn't exactly sure of the situation as you can tell by his facial expression. :) Guess we'll stick to 4-wheelers and Rangers at our house. :)

Anton was content to just hang out while Mark visited with other parents.

One of the first things Amelia did was paint a pumpkin. She LOVES anything "crafty"!

Ethan played lots of games! I'm sure he had a plan to maximize his prize winnings, he came home with a bag full of goodies! :)

Harvest at our house

It always seems that Mark harvests the field around our house when I'm not home or during the night when the kids are in bed. This was almost the case again this year. But I decided to skip out of a meeting to stay home and make supper for everyone and take a few pictures. I'm so glad it worked out for us to ride along! It's so fun to walk outside the house and hop in the combine!

Karl, Kristen and Ethan are combining in this picutre. This was the area were we had an awesome plot of soybeans last year. This years corn crop didn't have exciting yields, but thankfully we had a crop. So many farmers lost crops to floods this year.

Mark, Elijah and Amelia in the John Deere.

I didn't have my camera with me for Anton's first combine ride. So I asked Mark to pose with him for his second combine ride. Mark is pretty good about my sometimes excessive picture taking. :)

Mark's brother Kurt came up with a great way to put our name on the side of the semi.

Kristen and Karl helping combine.