We'll miss you, Bailey and Alanzo!

We had a wonderful summer with two awesome high school kids. Bailey and Alanzo helped us with the kids and outdoor work. They are awesome kids, and great role models. We will all miss seeing them every day! You two come back to see us often!

Fair

The kids love the fair. They did really well on their projects. Joel brought the overall best poultry of the fair (a black cochin cockeral) and Christian brought the overall best rabbit of the fair (a black New Zealand doe). They both got several trophies and ribbons on their livestock, and on their static projects. Taylor got several trophies and grand champions on her clothing and static projects. They had a great time, and I had a great time watching them. (minus the washing of 30 chickens) Thank you to Grandpa Dennis, Blake and Jessica for helping us with that while Chris was in the hospital!)

Summer Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to Joel and Abbigayle! Joel turned 12 on August 2nd. He celebrated by having his buddies go spend a day with him at King's Point Water Resort in Storm Lake. Abbigayle turned 7 on July 2nd. She celebrated with her friends at our home. We had a birthday carnival with Sassy the Clown (Emma) and carnival games, pony rides, face painting, snow cones and a huge slip and slide. Both parties were a blast!

Happy 40th Wedding anniversary, Mom and Dad Gabrielson!

This August my parents celebrated 40 years of marriage. They are wonderful parents and it really is great to have parents who are still so in love with each other. Love you! Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

The twins and their ponies

The twins love their ponies. Malorie's pony is named Star, and Maggie's is named Brownie. They are awesome riders and cute little cowgirls! Top picture Malorie and Star with Maggie and Brownie following, second picture Maggie and Brownie, Third picture, Malorie and Star.

Emma

Emma traveled to Wichita for 2 weeks, and then went to deaf camp at Iowa School for the Deaf the day after she got home. That was hard on mom! Iowa School for the Deaf is in Council Bluffs. The campus is amazing! Though we hope for her to stay in a mainstream school as her hearing goes, we do really like the 4Plus program that she could attend there after graduating from High School. It would allow her to take college classes at a college nearby, and they would help her find a note taker and help her learn to live in a hearing world on her own with limited hearing. She is doing awesome! She is very smart in the classroom, so she will do great! In the pictures, there is one of her and her godmother Terri from Wichita, one of her and her roommate at deaf camp (Jessica) and one of the signs posted at the Deaf School. They are all over campus. The camp was a great experience.

Dance

The girls and I had fun at the dance recital. They did such a great job and they looked so pretty. I took ballet with Taylor to help work on our bond. She has struggled to form loving attachments with our family since she was 5 1/2. It was a lot for her to change families, parents and gain siblings. Dance really helped a lot. We have tried seeing an attachment therapist for years, and we just had to try something new. The girls danced tap to "Blue Suede Shoes" and Ballet to "Ben" by the Jackson 5. Taylor and I danced to "In my Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride.