Thursday, October 18, 2018

Jackson is 24

Sunday, October 14 was Jackson's 24th birthday.
He spent the afternoon with us, helping coach Hudson's football game and hanging out watching football on TV.  Grandma and grandpa came over to have birthday cake--which Naomi baked for him--after the game.  He was lucky enough to have pink frosting.  



After having cake, we took Jackson out for dinner.  It was nice having the chance to catch up with him and talk about his future plans.  I'm pretty sure I reminded him that Iowa has several graduate programs for Athletic Training, but I think he has his heart set on going out of state.  

When I was my father’s son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,

He also taught me, and said to me:

“Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live.
Proverbs 4:3-4

Volleyball 2018

Katie and Naomi both played Volleyball this fall. 

Naomi played on the 8th grade team.  She is an awesome server, and plays mostly middle hitter.  It was fun to watch her team play this year and see all of the improvements they made along the way.


Katie played for the fresh/soph and JV teams, and was promoted to Varsity at the end of the season.  She has only seen varsity time in two sets so far this season, but we are proud of the effort she has put in.  She made 4/4 serves with 3 aces, and had two kills out of three attempts.  Not bad for a rookie.



"She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her."  Proverbs 3:15


Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Colton's Football Prowess



Last week Colton was chosen as one of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier's Preps to Watch.


We are proud of the way he has played this season so far and look forward to advancing in the State Playoffs.

I have copied and pasted the article from the October 18, 2018 edition of the Grundy Register.

Rebels down Cougars for district title
 The Grundy Register ACKLEY – The Gladbrook-Reinbeck football program is no stranger to big games late in the season. This year’s 8-man Rebel group feels different, though, perhaps precisely because of their lack of varsity experience coming into 2018. G-R fought off a second-half charge from AGWSR, putting some distance on the Cougars in a 44-19 win in Ackley that clinched the district title and a postseason spot for the Rebels in their first season of 8-player football. This season has also been the first taste of varsity football for many of the Rebels. “This means a whole lot,” G-R quarterback Jackson Kiburis said. “We come up as underclassmen, and we watch the classes that have graduated before us in the past and it means so much to carry on that tradition for us and for our coaches. It’s great to play Rebel football.” Kiburis finished with 15 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown and also completed four catches for 141 yards and a score on a 60-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Wyatt in the first quarter. Colton Clark was the standout in the ground attack, running the ball 24 times for 175 yards and four touchdowns, including two touchdowns in the second half that scuttled AGWSR’s hopes of a second-half comeback. The Cougars had a large hill to climb, falling behind 28-0 in the second quarter but getting a bit of relief when Brody Roder picked off a busted G-R pass play and returned it for a touchdown to cut G-R’s lead to 28-6 with 42 seconds left in the half. AGWSR football head coach James Koop laid it out for his players in the locker room. “’If you’re going to play like [the first half], just stay in the locker room,’” Koop said. “’If you’re going to play like the team I coached for the last five weeks, that got better every week, then let’s go.’ … That was the worst first half we’ve played all year.” The Cougars came out with some fire as Titan Opperman connected with Chase Harms for a 34-yard pass play that set up an Opperman touchdown run three plays later to narrow G-R’s lead to 28-13 with 9:42 left in the third quarter. G-R punted away after a three-and-out on the next drive, but got a huge stop on 4th-and-1 from G-R’s own 10-yard line to keep AGWSR from driving near the Rebel endzone once again. The Rebels were backed up, though, and G-R couldn’t find a first down and this time the Cougars came up with a block on the punt attempt, recovering the ball near where they had turned it over on downs moments earlier. “They came out with some energy,” Olson said of AGWSR. “And when the field position is bad. as a playcaller you start to [overthink]. I’m new to this game, too. We could’ve done some things a lot better.” Opperman didn’t let this opportunity pass by, running in a 2-yard touchdown with 2:41 left in the third quarter. The two-point run attempt to make it a one score game was stopped by the Rebels, however, keeping the score at 28-19. Kiburis immediately broke off a 45-yard run on the first play of the next G-R drive, setting up Clark’s third touchdown of the night in a Rebel response that took exactly 60 seconds to push the lead back up to 36-19 with 1:41 left in the third. G-R’s defense adjusted for AGWSR’s next drive, and a combination of that and penalties against AGWSR prevented a response as the Cougars had to punt before the end of the third quarter. “Our defensive coordinator Brett Bengen did a good job of making adjustments,” Olson said. “We had five guys basically banged up in this game, knee issue here, shoulder issue there, and the guys sucked it up. … It came down to Bengen adjusting, maybe a bit of luck and just the physicality of making [AGWSR] earn some of those drives.” The Rebels burned four minutes of clock to start the fourth quarter and punted the ball back to AGWSR. Once again, G-R’s defense came up with a stop to take over on downs, and this time Clark got open in the run game, streaking across the field for a 37-yard touchdown run and the final score of the night for the Rebels. “Our line was able to block the defense and give Jackson time to get passes out or block so that I could get out running,” Clark said. “Without them, that wouldn’t have happened. … Once we were working as a team to get the ball moving we figured that we could get this going.” “The guys have stepped up,” Olson added. “Kiburis has stepped up, Aidan Walters is doing a great job making calls with the O-line, Tyler Beenken hasn’t said a word all year but he shows up and does a great job, Sam Mussig at center, Kale Hasslemann, Jace Petersen, they’re all getting it done up front, and Colton Clark’s a really special player.” AGWSR’s Zach Crain and Jacob Haley both left the game with injuries in the second half and Koop indicated that there may be some reorganization in the lineup for the Week 9 game against Twin Cedars. The Cougars can still qualify for the playoffs with a win at Twin Cedars and a Colo-NESCO upset of G-R in Week 9, which would make AGWSR and G-R co-district champions and both automatic qualifiers. Otherwise, it’s unlikely that AGWSR would be able to get a postseason spot based on the new Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) that was introduced this season by the IHSAA to deterRebels down Cougars for district title AGWSR's Chase Harms tries to make the catch, battling with Gladbrook-Reinbeck's Keagan Giesking during last Friday's game in Ackley. (Jake Ryder photo) G-R 14 14 8 8 — 44 AGWSR 0 6 13 0 — 19 Scoring summary G-R – Jackson Kiburis 13 run (run failed) G-R – Aiden Wyatt 60 pass from Kiburis (Keagan Giesking run) G-R – Colton Clark 26 run (Giesking run) G-R – Clark 9 run (Giesking run) AGWSR – Brody Roder interception return (kick missed) AGWSR – Titan Opperman 4 run (Christoffer Hansen kick) AGWSR –  Opperman 3 run (run failed) G-R – Clark 13 run (Giesking run) G-R –  Clark 37 run (Wyatt pass from Kiburis) Rushing G-R – Clark 24-175, 4 TD; Kiburis 15-84, TD; Eli Thede 1-25; Giesking 10-23. AGWSR –  Opperman 20-91, 2 TD; Jaden Penning 15-46; Cale Culver 2-(-4); Chase Harms 2-(-4); Roder 1-0. Passing G-R – Kiburis 4-6, 141 yards, TD; Giesking 0-1-1, 0 yards. AGWSR – Titan Opperman 5-21- 1, 68 yards. Receiving G-R – Clark 3-81, Wyatt 1-60, TD. AGWSR – Harms 3-58; Penning 2-10. Tackle leaders (solo-ast-total) G-R – Giesking 4-7-7.5; Kale Hasselmann 3-7-6.5; Sam Mussig 4-5-6.5; Jace Petersen 4-4-6; Thede 4-4-6. AGWSR – Tanner Weichers 8-5- 10.5; Opperman 7-7-10.5; Zach Crain 5-8-9; Harms 7-3-8.5; Roder 5-6-8. Interceptions: G-R (Kiburis); AGWSR (Roder, TD). Fumble recoveries: G-R (Thede). mine at-large postseason qualifiers. All of those factors, plus a chance to finish 2018 with one more win than last season, should be used as motivation for the Cougars next Friday, Koop said. “I told the kids that if they didn’t like losing district title games, that should motivate you in the weight room in the offseason. … But we responded in that second half, and we have to build on that,” Koop said. “We have to get back to what we do best. We might have to figure out some different positions for people due to injury, but that’s part of football, too.” Kiburis and the Rebels will have a chance to make it an outright claim to the district title on Friday in Gladbrook. “We need to focus on Colo-NESCO, and that’s all the next four days of practice should be about,” Kiburis said. “We need to keep getting better every game.” 

And here is a link to the news coverage from KWWL


"Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life." ~Proverbs 12:13


Macklin's 8th Birthday

Macklin's birthday comes at a busy time of year for us.  We are smack dab in the middle of Football, Volleyball and Soccer seasons.  We have somewhere to go every night of the week, and weekends are just as bad.  That makes it difficult for us to plan a party for him anywhere close to the actual date.


 This year he had to wait until September 29th to find a free evening to have some friends over to celebrate.  He was able to invite friends from his class in school as well as his soccer teammates.  


We ate sloppy joes, played some games, and they spent plenty of time running and screaming through my house.  I'm still finding nerf bullets.  


What a fun age...still little kids, but growing up so fast.



We love you Macklin!

"My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;" 
Proverbs 3:1


Hudson's Final 5th Grade Tackle Football Game


I did not take another picture of Hudson during his game on Sunday, because it was cold, rainy, sleety and snowy.  I was toasty warm in my Under-the-weather Tent while my boys exhibited their manliness and suffered in the elements.

Hudson's team won the game, finishing off the season 4-1 (I think).  Hudson scored 5 touchdowns and two interceptions, and tackled a kid so hard they had to call the ambulance.  Turns out the kid was okay and he didn't have to leave in the ambulance.

We're super proud of his hard work and dedication to the team.  He gives it his all when he is on the field, and he listens to his coaches and tries to do what they ask of him.

Shannon enjoyed being an assistant coach on his team, along with about 8 other dads.  Not a bad ratio for 8-man football.  Jackson was also seen on the sidelines most Sundays as a guest coach.

Can't wait for next season!

"When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,
And when you run, you will not stumble."  Proverbs 4:12

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Chase's Fan Club

Chase played in his Homecoming soccer game Saturday against Calvary.  His team won 3-0.  He scored one goal.

After the game, his fan club asked him for his autograph.  They also gave him their autographs.  I love the way he makes them feel important.

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good."  Proverbs 15:3

Papa Ken and Greyson

Papa Ken and Greyson spent some time together hanging out together in the backyard.  It was a contest to see who could swing higher!


Papa Ken earned points on the dismount.


We finished off the evening sitting around the fire on our newly painted and stained deck.

"Without wood, a fire goes out;
without gossip, a conflict ceases."  Proverbs 26:20




Macklin's 8th Birthday

On September 11th Macklin celebrated his 8th birthday.  Grandma and Grandpa and Alex, Moriah and Greyson came over, and the big brothers were there, too.  

He helped decorate his cake.  It was one of our more unique cakes. I don't think we've ever had one with eyeballs on it in the past.  

Greyson enjoyed singing and blowing out the candles with Macklin.

Macklin is a super smart guy who is growing up way too fast. He still loves to snuggle, and is kind to other people.  He thinks of ways to do nice things for me, and always has something funny to say.  He does a great job at school, too.  He's been a dominating force on his soccer and flag football teams this season, also.




Macklin got out of school early on his birthday to go to Ankeny and watch Chase play soccer, then we went to Olive Garden for dinner, and finished out the evening with some shopping at Target.

We're planning a birthday  party with his friends next weekend.  

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall [b]direct your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

Thunder and Lightning Football

Hudson started playing tackle football this year.  So far he has played in the Jamboree and has had two games.  The consensus is that he is kind of a beast on the field.  

He runs hard and he doesn't go down easy.  He's thrown some passes, but mostly plays running back on offense and linebacker on defense.  He scores touchdowns and stops touchdowns.

I haven't done a good job taking pictures of him playing, but I did  get this shot of him coming off the field at the end of his first game, and a picture of him following his game on Sunday.



Maybe this week I'll remember to get some action shots.

"Then you will walk safely in your way,
And your foot will not stumble."  Proverbs 3:23

Monday, September 17, 2018

2018 HOMECOMING

Homecoming Week was the same as most years.  The high school and elementary school each assigned dress up days for the students to participate in.  Colton and Katie dressed up for a few.  Katie wore this one day.  I think it was Decade Day, and she was dressing as a toddler.

Thursday evening was Homecoming Happenings.  Colton was selected to the Homecoming Court.  Although he was not selected as King, we are still proud of him and the effort he made to get Dakota on the Court.

I'm pretty sure he had the biggest fan club in attendance.


Shannon got to be a troll in the parent skit.

The football game on Friday against Melcher-Dallas was a complete blowout.  Colton scored three touchdowns and had two fumble recoveries in the first quarter.


Saturday night was the Homecoming Dance.  Colton and Ingrid went together. 




Katie and Drake were a couple, and traveled in a group of several teens.  They went to Peppers for dinner before the dance, and afterwards, came back to our house to have a bonfire. Brooke's sil did their hair and makeup before the dance.




"For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck."  Proverbs 1:8

Friday, September 7, 2018

Homecoming 2018 Prep

Homecoming 2018 is approaching quickly.  

Colton was selected to the Homecoming Court.  The King and Queen will be announced next Thursday at Homecoming Happenings.



Colton asked Ingrid, G-R's new foreign exchange student from Norway, to be his date for the homecoming dance.

Today Katie was asked to the homecoming dance by Drake. The really exciting part?  She gets to keep the soccer ball!



"A faithful man will abound with blessings,
but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."
Proverbs 28:20

Friday, August 31, 2018

Game Day Breakfast

We hosted the G-R Rebel football team at our home this morning for breakfast.  They have a game tonight, but no school today, so the coaches like them to get up and not lie in bed all day.  

We made scrambled eggs with sausage and ham, cinnamon rolls, and chocolate milk, white milk, and orange juice.  

We were hoping to have them eat outside on the deck, but it was kind of windy and rainy-ish, so they stayed indoors. 

We're hoping for our first 8-man win tonight vs. Turkey Valley.




  Do not eat the bread of a miser,
Nor desire his delicacies;
Proverbs 23:6
       

Thursday, August 30, 2018

FBBC Eagles Soccer

Chase is planning to play soccer again this season at FBBC.  His first scrimmage is this Saturday vs. DMACC.  We're looking forward to seeing him back out on the pitch.




"For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;"
Proverbs 8:35

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Changes

It occurred to me last night that with the start of the new school year and Colton, my favorite middle child, being a senior, our parenting gig is halfway over.  

The kids have been enjoying reading back through the old blog posts from years ago, and I don't want to have that end.  Facebook kind of took over as my go-to daily recorder of things going on in our lives, but it makes me sad that I've missed several years here on the blog.  I'm hoping to get back into posting things here so we have a record of events to look back upon in years to come.  

To start us off, I'll post our First Day of School picture.  Colton is a Senior, Katie a Freshman, Naomi is in 8th grade, Hudson is in 5th grade, and Macklin is in 2nd grade.  

Colton also played his first football game of the season last week.  Our district dropped down to 8-man football this year due to low enrollment.  We were scheduled to play Don Bosco, the defending 2-time State Champions.  It wasn't a pretty game, but with a few tweaks and position changes, and a whole lot more experience, I'm confident that if we meet up with the Dons again at the end of the season, we will look like a totally different team.  Colton's fan club consisted of Alex, Katie, Naomi, and Hudson.  Shannon and I were also there.  Shannon has been taking stats for the team for a couple years, and I make sure the refs make the right calls throughout the game.

Until next time...

Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares. Proverbs 1:20