Sunday at the Graham's

Have been busy getting ready for Marybell's toy give away. We are giving some really fun gifts away this year,including 8 trampolines, 2 swing sets, 2 motorized ford escalades. We did take some time out for family pictures. At the last minute the photogher canceled. We were all dressed in our Sunday best . Thank goodness Becca's Mom Kathy was here and came to our rescue. She took some at our house and the tree lot. Here are a few. Did not realize how hard it is to get everyone together at one time and one place. After pics we went trap shooting. It was Nessa's first time and boy did she kick the boy's butts. I am not joking, she rocks. We then did a little target shooting with everyone's pistals. The last to shoot was Chase with his new 44 mag revolver. While shooting metal targets a bullet rekicheted (misspelled) and hit him in the hand.He spent the next 5 hours in the emergency room and still has the fragment and a few stitches for his trouble. Hope we see our Santa and his helper in the next few

weeks.

Great Family & Friends

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and remembered to count their blessings, big or small! We had a busy few days. On Thanksgiving day, Clint, Brittany, Rory, Evan, Dakota and a family friend, Nick Becker, was at our house for dinner. Everyone ate too much and then had a lazy afternoon watching a movie.

On Saturday Bud, Kim, Mike, Payton, Kyle, Travis, Kerry & Chance came to cut up wood. A few friends of ours, Chad, Junior and Ben were also here to help. Clint and Chad had marked trees a week ago, so they knew ahead of time which trees to cut down. They all started very early and quit when it got dark. Tasha, Kim, Kerry & I made plenty of food to keep the guys full. It was a long day and alot of hard work was done. Dale even managed to drive the tractor some in the morning. No one was injured, but there are alot of sore muscles today from all the hard work. We are guessing that the wood pile could possibly last us until February.

We have alot to be thankful for this thanksgiving and after the year 2010, we know what great family and friends that we have.

Love
Kath & Dale

Chance

You know I couldn't let a little thing like a black eye get in the way when I wanted to take pictures. Besides, I have a feeling this is what things are going to look like around our house for quite some time to come!

Now before you start thinking everything we do is sports related, he did get a book out to read! His farm book, of course.

He is growing up so fast, but we are enjoying every minute of it.

Grandma Bev and Great-Grandchildren

We had most of the great grandchildren at our house Saturday. (We were missing Kadelynn and Chance.) This was the best picture I could get. Hopefully someone else has better ones.

Trick or Treating

Here are Mario and Luigi aka Nate and Cael trick or treating at Nana and Grandpa's. We had gone to a Halloween parade and kids party earlier in the day and they took first place in the costume contest!! They were totally cute!! And we put the costumes together ourselves! Not a whole lot of money spent! That is the best way to do it.

Of course here is Payton! He of course had to pick something scary!! He loves to completely scare anyone he can and laughs his butt off about it!! He borrowed this costume from my nephew. The first year my nephew wore it Cael was about Nate's age. Cael took one look at him and slammed the door in his face and ran to me screaming!!!!

We didn't end up trick or treating last night. Payton and Cael had trick or treated Friday night on the square in Williamsburg and made a haul. And between Grandma Shirley and Nana, they made an even bigger haul!! We have plenty of candy to last for a while!!

Plowing Party--Woohoo!!

While we were checking out campgrounds along the Mississippi this weekend we ran across a plowing demonstration where they were using antique tractors and plows.  Bud was thrilled to reminisce about his life as a farm boy back in the day!

Here is a guy driving exactly what he used to plow with--a G John Deere and a three bottom plow.

Of course the BEST way to do it was to stand up, which is how Bud remembers plowing.

Now, there's your little "slice of Iowa in the good ole days"!

Keepin' Busy

Wow, it's October already!! We all have been busy...Travis is either at work or in the fields helping with harvest. Kerry keeps busy at work, home, and helping on the farm where she can. And Chance, he keeps everyone busy!!James' girlfriend Kelley was nice enough to take family pictures for us a few weeks ago. They turned out great!

We are stilling trying to make time to get in as many Hawkeye football games as we can. Trilby has been great...she watches Chance for us while we are at the game.
Chance spent some time tailgating with us last Saturday before the game. He enjoyed seeing his Nana and Grandpa Bud, Aunt Trilby and Aunt Tasha and his cousins. He also loved talking to everyone that walked by!