The Byers Family

Mike's roping!

2011-06-23T13:55:00.001-05:00

Mike spent the winter roping every Tuesday and Thursday at the SSR in Bondurant and loved every minute of it!

Country Bikes!!

2011-06-23T13:46:00.002-05:00

We got these 4-wheel bikes with big rubber wheels to use out here on the gravel roads! They work great for the kids and they aren't falling off of them getting hurt!

Easter at Living History Farms!

2011-06-23T13:41:00.002-05:00

Steve, Katie, and their family came back for Easter so we went to Living History Farms and had a GREAT time! Here is just one pic of all of us together! Grandma Betty took the pic for us.

Cousins.....

2011-06-23T13:22:00.002-05:00

How many pictures does it take to get all kids looking at the camera and smiling???? Apparently more than we had time for.... laugh out loud!!!

Lincoln, our little bucket calf!!

2011-06-23T13:08:00.002-05:00

Responsibility for the kids!!! Yes, every morning and night the kids have to bottle feed Lincoln! He has been a great addition to our animal family. The kids love to turn him out in the indoor arena and play with him! Who needed another calf to keep him company when you have two kids that love to play with him! They play for hours and hours!! Lincoln is a great little guy!!

Dance Fever 2011!!!

2011-06-23T12:52:00.002-05:00

Kaya has spent the last 3 years in dance and loves it soooo much!! She is in ballet, tap, and (her favorite) hip hop!!! This year she is going to summer dance camp and then dancing at the Iowa State Fair!! She can't wait and loves to perform!!!

Colfax fun show!!

2011-06-23T12:36:00.002-05:00

The kids had such a GREAT time!!! Barrel racing, Pole bending, Flag race, and the Candy Bar race was the excitement for the day!!! We are so proud of how well they are both riding this year!! We are also very lucky to have Rocket, the horse Mike is riding, added to our horse family this year! Willie, my barrel horse, (not pictured) has also had a fantastic year of barrel racing!! He won $140 this weekend of the Colfax show!! Going to give a barrel bash in Cedar Rapids a try this weekend and see how well we do (per Mike's suggestion...lol Mike never suggests to go to a barrel race!!) Here is just a few pics of the kids enjoying what they love to do most! They rode about 10 hours this weekend and begged for us to let them ride more! I see lots of riding in their future! Happy Trails to ALL!!

Scrapbook Pages!!

2011-01-23T15:40:00.006-06:00

First Snow Day...

2011-01-13T20:33:00.003-06:00

January 11th was Kaya's first cancelled day from school because of the snow which meant both kids were home to do school with me!! Lilly, the cat, was a little distracting for the kids! I had to take a pic because it was so cute! Needless to say, the cat had to go to her room so the kids could get their work done. We were lazy and spent the day in our pajamas while working on our projects! The one good thing about getting snowed in.....no one will stop by.

2011-01-12T12:14:00.002-06:00

We cancelled our home phone so if you need us please call our cell phones. LeAnna....515-681-6151 Mike....515-681-5721

Science Center with our GREAT friends....

2011-01-03T10:20:00.007-06:00

Kaya looking at a 'cute little turtle'!

Teamwork!!

Clay and Kaya posing for a pic!

Mike and Clay making a rocket. Once they got it finished they took it over and got to shoot it down the rocket alley.

The gang...Clayton, Alyssa, Kiera, and Kaya!! Cute pic of all of them and those are hard to come by. We spent our Sunday at the Science Center with The Fick Family! We started out watching Polar Express at the IMax theater and then spent the rest of the afternoon playing and exploring. The kids had a blast and they got to run off some of their winter energy. It was nice to go somewhere indoors during these cold winter months. We always love our days when we get to spend it with Brent, Denise, and the girls.

Happy Birthday Clay!!!

2011-01-03T09:53:00.010-06:00

Dan, Diane, and Derek!

Clay and Cary Veach.

Grandma and Grandpa Byers with Clay.

This pic makes me laugh! Clay and Kiera crack me up!!

Heather Dove and Maddox.

Birthday Boy!!

Denise and Alyssa.

Grandma and Grandpa Hauf with Clay.

Kaya and Grandma.

Clayton's 11th Birthday!!

2010-12-29T20:38:00.003-06:00

Tuesday was Clay's Birthday so he got to decide what we did. We spent the day going to movies at the movie theater in Pleasanthill. The first movie we went to was Yogi Bear and then the second movie we went to was Tangled! Both were adorable movies!!! It was just me, Clayton, and Kaya and we had a GREAT day! After that he wanted to go to Grandma Diane's and he then chose to go out to eat at Villiage Inn in Altoona with Grandma and Grandpa and me and Kaya!! He also wanted me to Thank everyone that called and wished him a Happy Birthday over the phone!!! It made his day with each call!! Thank you!! This Saturday we will have Clay's party at his favorite place to eat....Bandanas in Ankeny!! He can't wait to celebrate with all of his family and friends!! Lets just hope the weather holds and his party doesn't get snowed or iced out! It seems every year it gets canceled! I can't beleive I am a mom to an 11 year old!!! Pictures to come soon of his Party!!!

Beautiful Iowa Weather!!!

2010-12-27T18:50:00.003-06:00

I am not a real big fan of the cold and snow but this is what we woke up to this morning!! Just gorgeous!!

Santa likes milk and cookies....but what about Rudolf!!

2010-12-26T19:41:00.002-06:00

Kaya and Nathan really enjoyed making baggies with oats and hay for Rudolf!! I loved getting to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with my brother and his family!! They are AWESOME and I am really blessed to have such a great brother!!

Yes, it has been snowing in Iowa....ick!!!

2010-12-26T19:35:00.002-06:00

Not as much snow as last winter but enough for me!! Kaya can't do much with her broken arm but Clay sure enjoys moving snow around with the tractor!!

Kaya's cast....

2010-12-26T19:28:00.002-06:00

Before getting the cast......

After getting the cast!! Hot pink with lots of fairy dust!! I haven't put pics on the blog for awhile. kaya broke her ulna and radial neck after she fell/jumped off a chair!! YIKES to say the least!! She just recently got her cast off and in about a week will be able to take her splint off!! I don't think she will be playing on the back of a chair ever again!!!lol

Christmas 2010!!!

2010-12-26T18:53:00.010-06:00

Baby lauren!

Nathan Hauf!!

Adam Hauf...all smiles!!!

We had a Fabulous Christmas weekend with lots of family!!!! We have lots to be thankful for and feel very blessed!! Life is good at the Byers' house!!

Lauren Ann Hauf

2010-11-09T12:11:00.002-06:00

Lauren Ann Hauf was born October 26th 2010. What a blessing she is! We got to meet her this last weekend and I have a ton of pics that I will post later. This is a pic of Kaya holding Lauren for the first time!

Happy Halloween!!!!

2010-10-31T14:57:00.009-05:00

2010 Barrel Racing Spooktacular!!

2010-10-19T14:16:00.006-05:00

The kids and I had a great time dressing up in our costumes for a costume contest!! It was neat seeing the adults and kids let loose and have fun!! The first two pics are of Clayton and Kaya doing PeeWee barrels! The enjoyed that too!!

Kindergarten goes to the pumpkin patch

2010-10-19T14:10:00.002-05:00

Kaya and the entire kindergarten went to Carrol's Pumpkin Patch in Grinnel for a field trip. We spent the whole day there. Kaya got to ride the bus while a van full of us mom's followed! What a great trip!! In this first pic it is of Mrs. Rowe's class!!

Center Grove Apple Orchard

2010-10-19T13:54:00.009-05:00

We love going to the orchard! This fall has been just perfect for outdoor activities!! Our season passes have been well worth the money! We love meeting Denise Fick and her girls there!! More pics to come!!

Willie WON the 3d saddle!!!

2010-10-19T13:43:00.003-05:00

I started out the barrel racing season with a lame horse, Iris, and had to put her down due to a horrible injury. Then, I bought a new horse, Willie, a horse that I have had my eye on for at least 2 years!! I must have known long ago what a cool horse he was!! Him and I had a great season together, starting 1/2 way through!! He took me to the top of the 3d in the D4 NBHA district! He will win his first saddle!! I am so blessed to have Willie in my life!! What a great horse he is!! A heart the size of Texas!! He takes great care of me!!

The State Fair 2010!!!

2010-08-19T17:31:00.006-05:00

Kaya's first day of Kindergarten!!!

2010-08-19T17:25:00.001-05:00

Charlie and his buddies....Toot and Lilly!!!

2010-08-19T17:20:00.001-05:00

Adventureland 2010....HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

2010-08-09T08:48:00.011-05:00

Despite a temp of 95 and a Heat index of 112, the kids still had a great time!! Lots of water and some water rides kept us cool!! Kaya was so excited because she was tall enough to ride the Outlaw and Tornado!! Clay was excited to ride the rides with cousin Dan!! Both Clayton and Kaya want to go back on a 'cooler' day!

Silly Rodeo Kids....

2010-08-07T14:01:00.005-05:00

Kaya put Clay's hat on.....

Charlie's first Rodeo!!

Maxwell Parade!!

2010-08-07T13:51:00.003-05:00

Kaya, Katie, Dan, Morgan, and Marshall enjoying the parade together!! Clayton and Mike were driving the tractor in the parade!! Clay was having the time of his life and waving to everyone!! What a great morning!!

Science Center.....So Much Fun!!!

2010-08-07T13:29:00.005-05:00

Kaya's birthday present....a puppy...named Charlie!!!

2010-08-01T19:00:00.003-05:00

Mike having a blast....!!!

2010-08-01T18:44:00.005-05:00

Mike hasn't picked up a rope in 15 years and this weekend they had a benefit for Tad Legget at the Maxwell Rodeo pen. Mike entered the roping and made it to the short go with 2 other guys!! He is having a total BLAST!!! The kids were soooo excited to see their dad actually rope and CATCH!!! He was so grateful for the use of this GREAT horse!!

So cute!!!

2010-07-27T14:19:00.003-05:00

Kaya's kitten, Lilly, sleeping in the baby carrier!! Such a sweet kitten!!!

Trip to the zoo.....

2010-07-27T13:53:00.006-05:00

Lisa and I took the kids to the zoo and had a really good time!!! Next week we are going to the Science Center!! I looked at a calender and realized summer break was almost over and we really haven't done much besides ride horses, swim, and a couple weekends we camped in the trailer. I have a feeling the next 3 weeks are going to be crazy!!!

All 4 kids wanted to ride the camel at once!! Marshall, Morgan, Kaya, and Clayton!!

The baby camel wanted to kiss Kaya!! LOL

Building fence with Papa Bill.....

2010-07-23T09:58:00.003-05:00

Clayton and Mike!! Clay is never too far from Mike!

I found these pics and thought I would put them on the blog!! The kids helping Papa Bill build fence to keep the cows in. Clay all decked out in his 'workin' gear and Kaya in her boots....how cute!!

Riding in 'motion'....

2010-07-23T09:45:00.002-05:00

I love these two pictures of Clayton and Kaya riding. Kaya is trotting KayCee all by herself and Clayton is trying to make Andre' lope!! It takes a lot of kicking to make Andre' lope and Clay is giving it his all!!! Too cute!!!

Kaya with Grandma and Grandpa Byers

2010-07-23T09:39:00.001-05:00

Cute picture of Kaya and Grandma and Grandpa Byers at her dance recital!! What a great picture of all of them!!

4th of July fun!!!

2010-07-23T09:18:00.004-05:00

Uncle David, my mom's brother...his wife, Marsha....then Aunt Nancy, my mom's sister. Uncle david and Marsha drove from Texas and then picked up Aunt Nancy in Nebraska and then drove to my mom's house in Iowa for the 4th of July!! It was so AWESOME seeing family that I haven't seen for a really long time, like only 2-4 times that I remember in my life. Clayton and Kaya loved meeting them and loved that they brought dogs!! The 4th of July was so special having them there....and was even more special that my brother, his wife, and the twins came!!! I didn't take but maybe 7 pictures the whole weekend because I was having so much fun. I hope we can find a date next summer and meet up again!!!

Kaya had fun meeting her Aunt Nancy, my mom's sister, for the first time!!

Clayton and Uncle David, my mom's brother!! Clay had sooo much fun with him all weekend over the 4th!! Great times with FAMILY!!!

Toot and Lilly....two new kittens!!

2010-07-23T08:37:00.006-05:00

Clayton and Kaya couldn't wait to go pick their kittens up at Brent and Denise's house. Clay named his kitten 'toot' and Kaya named her kitten 'smokey' until we realized it was a girl so she changed it's name to 'Lilly'. How exciting for them!! I remeber having kittens as a kid and love seeing Clayton and Kaya enjoy and develope a love for animals!! I am writing this post the day after we got the kittens and they are wanting to go out to the barn every minute to check on them. I love it!!

Willie and I....having LOTS of fun!!!

2010-07-19T11:41:00.001-05:00

In Loving Memory....

2010-06-26T20:50:00.005-05:00

We have lost 2 of our most beloved pets this year. My barrel horse, Iris, and our dog we got before kids, Rodeo. They have been greatly missed.

Summer Barn Buddies!!

2010-06-26T20:48:00.001-05:00

Summer fun with KayCee and Jasper!!!

2010-06-26T20:40:00.005-05:00

Sorry, No blog post for a while....

2010-06-15T12:41:00.002-05:00

I haven't updated my blog for a while. Things here at the Byers house have been busy to say the least. Kaya has been busy with preschool and dance classes Monday and Tuesday nights. Clay has been busy with School and Educational Resources and trying to keep track of when Mike is going to be home. Clay lives for his Dad!!! Besides work, Mike has been riding colts for other people and trying to clean up the farm. He had a big steel dumpster delivered and filled it up...we are just waiting for it to dry so they can come pick it up. This place is really starting to look nice!! And as for me, I've been making sure the kids make it on time to all their activities. Some days I run all day and finally make it home to crash in bed after I get home from my Farrell's class. Mike and I have really had to tag team these last couple of months!! Also, this Spring we found out through several vet appointments that my barrel horse/trail riding horse, iris, is no longer able to be ridden :( This has been a BIG disappointment to me! She was a great horse and has been missed around the farm. I do get to see her and pet her but need to find a horse to replace her. She was not only a great barrel horse but we took her with us on the trails. The kids have been begging to go on a trail ride so I hope to find a horse soon that can fill her shoes, which is going to be hard to find!!! So as you can tell....we have been busy!!! Hopefully things will slow up this summer, they already have!!! We look forward to trail riding, swimming, going to the park, the zoo, the science center and just plan staying home!!! I will try to post more later!! Happy Trails...Happy Life...LeAnna

Swimming.....

2010-06-15T12:32:00.003-05:00

Monkey See, Monkey Do!!!

2010-06-15T12:24:00.004-05:00

Riding here at the farm.....

2010-06-15T12:14:00.003-05:00

Dance Recital 2010....

2010-06-15T11:58:00.005-05:00

Scrapbook pages...

2010-03-06T13:01:00.015-06:00

Snow Fight.....and.....Snow Fun!!

2010-02-21T18:52:00.006-06:00

Papa Bill helping build a tunnel!!!

Me, clayton, Kaya, Adam, and Nathan!

Kaya got smashed by a snowball also!!

Clay getting smashed by Uncle Steve!! The snow went down his coat and inside his shirt!!

Making the best out of ANOTHER snowy day...

2010-02-14T19:44:00.004-06:00

It seems like lately that it snows, and snows, and then snows some more, and now February and the kids have had it! Confined to the house while the clouds are showering us AGAIN with white fluffy flakes. So, as I am watching the kids run like crazy around the house driving the other crazy, I decide it is time we just brave the cold, the snow, and the wind, and just get OUT of the house!! Even I wanted OUT of the house, and I hate the cold!! They wanted to sled so I strapped them around my waist with a horse lead rope and took off running with them!! They laughed and I got a great workout in!! Mike took pictures because he thought I was nuts!! After I took each kid down and back up the road I pushed them down the hills in the back yard. Clay got cold first so he went in with Mike but Kaya stayed out another hour making snow angels, sliding down the slide, and sledding. It was nice to get out of the house and it wasn't that cold. I am sure there will be lots more snowy winter days as I continue to dream of warm weather, horseback riding, and swimming!!!

Clayton and Cary...

2010-01-31T17:37:00.003-06:00

Lovin Country Life!!!

2010-01-17T14:55:00.010-06:00

The kids and I have been wanting to go outside in the barn and ride for quite some time but since it has been so cold out we haven't been able to go. This morning when we woke up and it was 33 outside we all bundled up and went out and boy was it fun!!! We cleaned the barn, brushed all of the horses, and then saddled up the kids horses and they got to ride. Kaya rode all by herself, which was a first since she was bucked off last year. Clay rode all over and Andre' loved every minute of it!! I think Andre would move into the house if he could, he loved us all out in the barn!! We are truly blessed to have Andre' and KayCee, they take such great care of the kids!!

Clayton and Kaya laughing at Mike!

Andre' looking so good. We have kept a blanket on him all winter and he looks amazing!!

Clayton and kaya loving their horses!!

Maxwell Rodeo.....

2010-01-10T11:39:00.002-06:00

Adventurland With Dan and Katie....

2010-01-07T16:09:00.004-06:00

Snow Buddies!!!

2010-01-07T14:52:00.004-06:00

Curious George Live!!!

2010-01-03T12:29:00.005-06:00

Snow Buddies!!!

2010-01-03T12:10:00.009-06:00

Alyssa Fick, Clayton, and Kaya playing in the snow. Thank goodness it wasn't freezing out and they could enjoy the snow. Now, the actual temp is below zero and way tooooo cold to go outside. They all had lots of fun!!!

Wishing for green grass, warm weather, and riding.....

2010-01-03T12:02:00.002-06:00

Silly Kids!!

2009-12-29T08:25:00.004-06:00

Just let me watch your kids!!LOL I will let them play with swords, machine guns, and let them punch eachother!! Oh, and, we will have lots of fun!!

Christmas Eve Day.....

2009-12-29T08:00:00.005-06:00

Presents under the tree, Christmas music playing, coffee with eggnog, friends, family, and togetherness, that is what we did this Christmas!! The kids also sang Jesus Happy Birthday Christmas morning after Santa visited. We had a wonderful Christmas!!

Christmas Eve the kids were soooo excited!!

My cameras date is off a day. My camera has been doing wierd things lately, lets hope it isn't going to just quit working.

All dressed up and yes, we had somewhere to go!!!

2009-12-20T20:12:00.003-06:00

Not very often do Mike and I get dressed up and go out but it seems like now that I am coaching at Farrell's we at least go out every 10 weeks for our graduation party. The dress I am wearing has a story, a funny story. Here it goes....I was in Chicago shopping with my brother's wife, Katie, and we ended up buying the same dress. Long story short, I ended up with her size 6 and she ended up with mine. She took mine back and I decided to try the one I had on and thought I ate tooooo much for Thanksgiving dinner!! Thank goodness I checked the size because I really didn't eat tooooo much and was happy to find out hers fit!!! So, I had to wear the dress, a little tight, but it looked cute!!!

Santa Claus......

2009-12-20T19:36:00.006-06:00

Since Clay has been little, very little, he has loved this Santa Grandma Betty puts under her tree. There is a button on the Santa you can push and it tells you the story, Twas The Night Before Christmas!! Sooooo Cute!!! A memory I will always hold in my heart!

Christmas, a little early, at Grandma and Grandpa Byers...

2009-12-20T18:46:00.006-06:00

We had Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Byers today. The kids had a blast!! They started asking me the minute they woke up this morning, "When are we going up to Grandma and Grandpa's house!" Finally at about 1:00 we made it up there and spent the afternoon with them. We opened up gifts, had a wonderful lunch, and then played. Now, we are home and put the doll house up and got the batteries charged for the tractor. We haven't seen Kaya since the house went up and Clay loves his tractor!! I hope the weather stays good so they can make it to St. Louis to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with Mike's sister, Jen, and her family!!

Trying to stay warm....

2009-12-10T14:33:00.002-06:00

Kaya had just gotten out of bed and came out on the couch to cuddle up with a blanket and my standard poodle, Lexi, jumped up to lay with her. I thought this was a cute picture!! Lexi is wearing her Christmas sweater!!

Iowa Blizzard 2009!! What were you doing??

2009-12-09T22:24:00.005-06:00

The drifts were so high they were taller than the tire on the tractor. They went from the back of our house all the way to the barns! Thank goodness the horses were snug as a bug in the barn!! The picture on the right is the fence behind our house. That is where the drifts started! It took Mike most of the day to dig us out and still the schools are canceled again tomorrow! Getting 15inches of snow really slowed Iowa down!! Just think, it is only December! What will January and Febuary bring??!! I hope not much!! The kids and I stayed toasty warm by the corn burner and played games. Clay did go out with Mike in the heated tractor some of the day and loved every minute of it!! He thinks it should snow everyday so he can ride in the tractor!! As I sit here in my warm home I wish everyone safe travels throughout the winter season! Until next time, LeAnna

Steve's Birthday....

2009-11-27T19:08:00.002-06:00

Thankgiving 2009....

2009-11-27T17:28:00.003-06:00

Tinker Bell....

2009-11-08T19:37:00.001-06:00

Dreams do come true.....

2009-11-08T19:03:00.003-06:00

I am finally getting to do some of our Disney World Trip. These are the first of many pages!! This was one of Kaya's favorite memory of the trip, Bippity Boppity Boutique!! Fairy Dust everywhere and hair and make-up done and then to top it all off we went and had lunch with the pricesses after we got dolled up!! It was a very magical day!! I will remember it forever and Kaya and Clay are already asking to go back!!

Halloween 2009....with Steve and Katie...in Waconda, Il...

2009-11-06T20:46:00.006-06:00

Center Grove Apple Orchard 2009....

2009-11-06T20:01:00.003-06:00

Live in the Moment.....

2009-10-25T16:53:00.003-05:00

Kaya's 5th Birthday Party pages....

2009-10-18T00:02:00.002-05:00

Playing at the Park with Ellie and Audrey...the twins were sleeping in the van...

2009-10-17T22:32:00.003-05:00

Kaya and Blue....our one and only MULE....

2009-10-17T20:05:00.001-05:00

Fishing in SWEATSHIRTS in July...

2009-10-17T18:37:00.002-05:00

slip-n-slide digi-scrap pages

2009-10-17T11:32:00.002-05:00

Adventureland May 09....

2009-10-17T00:43:00.002-05:00

The last of the Easter 2009 pages...

2009-10-16T23:10:00.002-05:00

Playing in the leaves at Living History Farms....

2009-10-16T22:12:00.002-05:00

Easter @ Living History Farms....

2009-10-16T20:18:00.003-05:00

Kaya and Morgan...acting like little models...

2009-10-16T18:03:00.001-05:00

Kaya's Valentine's Day Party at preschool 2009

2009-10-16T17:24:00.001-05:00

Kaya's 5th Birthday Pool Party!!

2009-10-12T15:26:00.007-05:00

This is a two page spread I did of Kaya's 5th Birthday Party. The kids had tons of fun swimming in Grandma Diane's Pool. More pages will come of the cake and presents!!

I used multiple kits for these pages, one kit from NitWit called summertime, and the other was called tropical popsicle (I don't know where that one came from, I forgot). I must have

gotten that kit before I knew to save all the info. about kits. I am trying to get better at giving the right people credit for the kits I used. The template is a two page spread I downloaded from Time to Scrap blog, Thank you Denise for this great template!!

Living The Life

2009-10-11T11:35:00.001-05:00

The 8:30pm Farrell's Team!!!!

2009-10-09T12:01:00.002-05:00

This is just something I put together for my 8:30 team at Farrell's. They worked so hard these last 10 weeks and had AMAZING results!! I am so proud of them!! I am going to put this in a 5x7 magnetic frame and give it to them at our awards dinner Saturday night!!

Reiman Garden scrapbook pages...

2009-10-06T16:15:00.003-05:00

I used the Family Fun kit from Scrappable.com.

The weather is icky outside, Kaya is sick, and we are done with school today so I thought I would get a couple pages done for the kids scrapbooks. I am not completely done with them but thought I would post it since I have not done many pages lately. The kids sure had a great time, and I wish the weather was this nice out. Oh, maybe in say 8 months!! :(

Going on a leaf hunt....

2009-10-04T20:14:00.007-05:00

We spent a great fall day with friends, Lisa, Morgan, and Marshall Day. We went on a leaf hunt on a trail in Maxwell. The kids got some good exercise while having fun looking for pretty leaves and then we brought them home and let them make a craft project with them. We also had a bon fire and let them roast marshmellows and make smores. Then we ended the afternoon with the kids playing and me, grandma Diane, and Lisa all relaxing with some red wine. The first picture below is of Clayton and Kaya rolling down a hill, I caught them in mid-roll. The rest are snap shots of all of us enjoying the beautiful day. I hope this is the first of many nice fall weekends, lets hope the weather stays this nice for awhile!!

Zoo Fun 2009...

2009-10-03T20:53:00.004-05:00

Picture Day...

2009-10-03T20:39:00.005-05:00

This is a picture I took before Kaya went to preschool for her pictures there. She was excited because we put her hair in curlers. She is always dressing up and playing princess.

Clay and Aunt Katie

2009-10-03T20:21:00.002-05:00

Clay loves his Aunt Katie and this picture was just too cute to not put it on the blog!!

We were playing at the park and they posed just at the perfect time for a great pic!!

It all started when I was twelve....

2009-09-09T15:18:00.004-05:00

When I was twelve my parents traded for a new yearling colt and I named him Andre' because he was so big even as a yearling. I was so excited because he was my new project. I did all the training on him and eventually started showing him. We won tons of classes at tons of shows. I can remember winning a class on him with one rein because the other one lost a chicago screw. The picture below is of my senior picture with him! I loved him, he was a great horse! And then, one day I decided I wanted a barrel horse. My parents made me sell Andre' so I could afford to buy another horse and as a dumb teenager I sold him and bought another horse to run barrels on. Many years went by and I got married and had two kids and was living my life. Then one day a lady from New York called and asked if I wanted him back. My name was the only one on the transfer and she thought I would want him back so he could retire here with me. A long story short, Mike and dad drove 24 straight hours and Andre' was back home where he belonged! Now at the age of 20 he takes excellent care of Clayton and Kaya. He is a blessing and I am so thankful the lady picked up the phone and called me. The picture below is of Andre' with Kaya, Clayton, Ellie, and Audrey! I hope we have lots of years left in the old boy because I don't think we could ever replace him!!!

Maxwell Rodeo 2009.....

2009-08-09T16:04:00.009-05:00

The kids had a great time at the Maxwell Rodeo this year. Mike is on the rodeo committee and helps put it on. The weather was great, a little hot, but we missed most of the rain. Kaya took most of these pictures with my old camera, she was having fun taking pictures of anything that moved!! A future photographer in the making. Clayton couldn't wait for the cowboys to get bucked off and chased by the bulls. He also loved the calf and team roping. When I told them we had to leave at 11:30 pm they both wanted to stay longer!! It was lots of fun for me watching the kids have so much fun!!

Kaya's 5th Birthday Party...

2009-08-03T10:29:00.013-05:00

We had Kaya's 5th b-day party at Grandma and pa Hauf's house. She had lots of fun with all of her friends and family. The pool was a big hit!! Enjoy the pictures!!

Birthday fun with Grandma and Grandpa Byers

2009-08-03T10:17:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Kaya's 5th Birthday with Grandma and pa Byers on her actual day. Presents, cake, ice cream, and lots of fun on the agenda.

1st of many scrapbook pages of our trail riding fun, to be continued...

2009-07-27T09:43:00.002-05:00

This is a digi-scrap page I did of Mike and the kids trail riding. I am still not done but decided to post it because I finally sat still long enough to do it. During the summer I usually don't find the time to scrap, we are always on the go. This summer we have discovered a new hobby, camping/trail riding as a family. We all enjoy it so much. Clayton and Kaya each have a horse/mule that we trust them on and they love riding on the trails at Elk Rock. We hope to venture out at some other places around Iowa, but right now we feel comfortable close to home. This is the first of many pages that I will do of the kids at Elk Rock. Enjoy!!

Family fun camping/trail riding......

2009-07-26T14:19:00.008-05:00

Mike and I took the kids to Elk Rock and enjoyed a weekend of trail riding and camping. It was Kaya's first trail ride on her new Mule. She had an Awesome time and was smiles from ear to ear. The mule did wonderful on the trails. Mike and I are very pleased, the mule did better than all the horses we took. Clay, of course, had a great time with Andre. Both kids can't wait to go back. We rode 5 hours Saturday and then 2 hours Sunday morning after breakfast. Most of all, they loved sleeping in the new horse trailer!! Giggles, Giggles, and more Giggles when it was time for bed!! They both had blow up beds with sleeping bags attached. Smores and camp fire stories was also a big hit!! We can't wait to go camping again!!

I-Cubs game fun...

2009-07-26T14:05:00.006-05:00

Mike and I took the kids to an I-Cubs baseball game last Thursday night. CLayton had so much fun and Kaya hated every minute of it. We sat right behind home plate, which was Awesome!! Clay was so excited because a guy four rows behind us caught a t-shirt and gave it to him. He is wearing it in the pic below. Clay can't wait to go back!!