First day of school 2010

It can not be, please not already, is it really, time for school!

Our summer went by too quickly.

It really does seem like just yesterday that Wendy

and I were planning our summer swim lessons and

camps, and here it is, school!

We had a great summer, but all good things must

come to an end.

Now is the time for books, backpacks and football!

Claire is a big 3rd grader this year. I am so proud

of how mature she is getting, and yet, a little sad

at the same time. I know that the little girl I put

on that bus today will not be the same little girl

that gets off the bus on the last day of school.

I love you Claire!

Ella, my little Ella, is a 1st grader. An official student!

I am still shaking my head as I type this, in

disbelief that my baby is a kid.

But, the great thing is, despite my fears and

worries, she'll do great!

She is so excited about school this year!

She can't wait to make friends and learn so much!

This is going to be a great year for Ella.

Although, I hope just a little bit of that "baby Ella" hangs on!

Happy Birthday Ella

6 years ago, God blessed us with Ella.

Ella is my little angel. She truly is happiness

wherever she goes. She makes people feel good.

She loves and cares very deeply.

She is kind and caring and full of love.

She is sassy, and funny, and clever.

She is defiant, and mischievous, and a drama queen.

She is strong and courageous.

She faces challenges and pains that would make

many want to crawl under the covers.

But through it all, she smiles, and hugs, and loves.

Happy 6th Birthday Ella Grace!

Good friends!

Lots of love

Family Hugs

Good times!

Presents and Pasta!

The swim bag rite of passage

Summer trip 2010

One of our highlights of this summer was our annual motorhome trip with Grammy and Boppa.
This year was extra special because Dave came along too!

All 7 of us loaded into the motorhome and set off for a week long trip to South Dakota!
Despite the close quarters, we all had a wonderful and educational time!

We explored, hiked, played, bear-watched, snake-watched, swam and shopped!
Something fun for everyone!

Avery was a great co-pilot,
although most of the time she
was confined to her seat!








Our first stop was the Badlands~

Avery's favorite visit was Bear Country.
We all enjoy watching the bears
roaming everywhere. One even came
up and scratched on our motorhome door.
That was NOT Avery's favorite part!









Mount Rushmore was awesome.
We spent the day there, and then
came back at night for a wild light
show and some great night hiking!














Reptile Gardens was the surprise
hit of the trip. We had a blast
watching the snake and alligator show!








Old McDonald's Farm is always
a family favorite!

Last, but not least, Wall Drug.

A good mining trip is a must on

every family vacation!

We are so lucky to have a Grammy and Boppa that

love to cram into a small space and share the wonders

of the open road!

I can't wait to do it again next year!!

Last days of summer

The last days of summer are upon us,

so we decided to squeeze as much fun out of them as we could!

Dave and I loaded the girls up and headed to Adventureland for the day!

We had a great time together and really enjoyed having 3 kids all old

enough to ride the rides! For the first time in 8+ years, no one had to

"stay behind with the baby". Of course, after about the 5th spinning,

flying, shaking ride, I was wishing for a baby!

Just a few days later, Grammy and I took the girls to the Iowa State Fair.

We had a great time riding the city bus from the Capital to the Fairgrounds,

seeing all the animals, eating, riding the sky-ride, eating, playing in the

butterfly garden, eating, farming on Little Hands on the Farm, eating,

riding the camel and horse and eating.

After only 9 hot and sticky hours, we were on the bus on our way back to

the car!

We hope everyone had a great summer, full of love, laughter, and food! : )

What's new with you??

As I like to do every now and then, here is our "what's up with us" letter....
I'm mailing this to family (with updated pictures of the girls, finally!),
but I'd thought it'd be nice to post on here as well.

Enjoy~

Greetings friends and family!

We hope this finds you well! It’s been a hot and rainy summer this year, but we’ve managed to still have a bit of fun here at the Rousehouse!

Our summer has flown by with camps, swimming and vacation!

The girls each had some great camp experiences this year. Both Claire and Ella attended Living History Farms camp and “Her”story American Girl Doll camp. They had a great time learning about history and doing enough crafts to last them a lifetime!

Claire also attended her very first overnight camp this summer! She spent 3 days and 2 nights at Riverside Bible Camp in Story City. She was with several of her good friends and they all had a blast! Claire can’t wait to go for a whole week next year!

As you know, swim team is always a big part of our lives and this summer it got even bigger! Ella joined the Walnut Creek Dolphins! Even though she isn’t quite 6 yet, she’s doing a great job! She and Claire even raced on a couple of relay teams together, taking 1^st place! She is having a great time on the team; making friends and swimming her little heart out!

Finally, this summer found all of us, plus Grandpa and Grandma Wangerin, in a motor home bound for South Dakota! We spent a week exploring the Badlands, enjoying Mt. Rushmore, playing with the alligators at Reptile Gardens and roaming with the bears at Bear Country. We all had a blast, especially Avery, who still talks about the bears constantly! I will admit, I was hesitant about having 7 of us confined to such small quarters for so long, but I had no need to worry. We did great! The girls were so incredibly good! They slept great and played well together the whole time. The grown-ups played nicely too! It was definitely everything I dreamed family vacations should be and it measured up to the memories I had of my own childhood trips!

As the summer is winding down, we are looking forward to Fall and the start of school!

Claire is going into 3^rd grade, full of confidence, with a very good head on her shoulders! We look forward to watching her continue to excel at school, friendships and swimming!

Ella will be entering 1^st grade this year! It’s hard to believe she is ready, but she is! She has been working hard this summer on her reading and writing and she can’t wait to wow her new teacher with her hard work! It will be fun to watch Ella continue to mature this year at school and on the team!

Avery is growing like a weed! She talks non-stop, I mean really, non-stop! She is going to be 3, but she acts more like a 4 or 5 year old! She is very excited to be starting dance class this fall! I often look at her and wonder where my littlest baby went! I continue to enjoy every minute with her; laughing most of the time!

Aves is truly my little buddy and I’m so grateful to have her in my life!

Dave is working hard at Hummel’s Nissan. He is enjoying his work there and really feels like he’s found a “home” in the business! He is still trying to accept the big “40” that is coming down the pipe for him next month!

I am having a great time; enjoying the balance I’ve found between staying home with the girls and working as a part-time Academic Advisor. I love having those 15 hours/week to sharpen my mind and enjoy some adult conversation, but I also love being able to serve as VP of the girls’ school PTO and volunteering in their classroom. I am very excited to start teaching an Orientation to College course at DMACC, online, this fall. Teaching at the college has been a life-long dream of mine, and I’m excited to finally be getting the opportunity!

We hope that life is treating you well. We often think of our family, both near and far away, and wish we could find more time for visits. But, until we see you again, God Bless You!

Keep up with us on our blog at www.rousehouse5.blogspot.com and let us know how you’re doing!

Love,

David, Janelle, Claire, Ella, Avery and Puppy Jack

Praising Jesus all night long!

Last week Dave, Ella, Avery and I drove our Claire
up to Story City for her very first overnight camp!

She, along with several of her closest friends, spent
3 days and 2 nights at Riverside Bible Camp!

The trip up, Dave and I, relived every milestone of Claire's
life, from birth to present!
Claire, while not nearly as nostalgic as Dave and I, laughed
and giggled with her friend Katie in the back seat.

Once we arrived at Riverside, Claire lugged her fully-loaded
duffel bag up to Zion Cabin, grabbed one of the top bunks, and
off she went!
The goodbye was short (a bit buggy and hot for my taste)!
Big hugs, short kisses and pleas to remember sunscreen and
we were off!

On our way home, the families left behind met at Hickory Park
for a little moral support.

Well, 48 hours later, we arrived to pick up a smiling, happy,
not-sunburned, slightly eaten by bugs, amazing big girl!

She had a blast! She loved the campfires, the swimming, the
bonding, the eating and the bunking. She wasn't even bothered
by the thunderstorms God lulled them to sleep with the night
before!

The best part: on our way home, Claire asked if she could start
a bible study at our house, because she had loved theirs so much!

Thank you God for your spirit in our children! Thank you for
giving us gifts like bible camp and the best friends to share it with!

The girls arrival at Zion Cabin

Claire's bunk

Some great friends to celebrate with!

Praising Jesus everybody!

Two awesome counselors!

Iowa Games

Claire had the awesome opportunity to participate in the Iowa Games this year.

They are held in Ames at Iowa State University.

It's quite a production. The entire campus is crawling with athletes of every kind. There is an opening ceremony, parade and awards ceremonies!

The swimming events were held at Beyer Hall, which is Iowa State's Swimming Center. Just having the chance to compete in a "big pool" is cool enough, let alone doing well!

Claire competed in 6 individual events and 4 relays. 1 of the individual events she had never done in a meet before and another she hadn't swam all summer.

Well, despite the nerves, the venue and the blistering heat, Claire kicked some swim fins!

She finished in the top 3 (good enough for a medal) in 9 out of 10 events. Her non-medal finish was 4th place by a hair!

And the best part, she loved it! She once again had the opportunity to try something new. To show up, with nerves and fears, and go out there and do her best! And, have a great time doing it!

I was so proud of her. There was no one else her age from our team there, and only a handful of older swimmers that she knew. I was not allowed to be on deck, or in the clerk of course with her. So, I gave her a hug, told her I was proud of her, and sent her off. What a great feeling to watch her come walking through those doors, suited up and ready to swim. She looked so small, yet so big at the same time. My heart swells every time I watch her grow. Every time I see her walk through fear and come out the other side braver, stronger and proud!

As a proud mother bear, I try to protect my children at all times. I try to pave the way for them, blocking any danger or hurts along the way. But then, God reminds me that I have to let them go too. I have to let my girls experience life and discover what God's plan is for them.

While letting her swim at the Iowa Games may not seem like that big of a deal, it's huge to me. It's huge because it's one more opportunity for me to step aside and let her "step up" and do something outside of her comfort zone. Now, would I be this mushy if she'd lost? Who knows! But, I'd like to think so. I like to think that under it all, I'm just happy when my girls come up on the other side. Whether it's the other side of the swim lane, the other side of a health crisis or the other side of hurt feelings. I hope I can always be there waiting for them, probably with a camera in hand!