a Martin sings 

Rudy the Superstar ih his wife-beater 

Connor & Rudy wish you Happy Holidays 

view of harps from above 

Harps at Great Wolf Lodge 

KIRA is SEVENTEEN!!!

Can you believe that our Kira is 17? It seems like just yesterday that it was a snowy winter day in Pocatello when our baby girl was born. Now she is driving and planning for her college days. For her birthday, we went out to Eugene, Oregon to visit U of O. Kira is thinking ahead and wanted to know what a neuroscience program such as U of O wanted in its incoming graduate students. She was thrilled to find out that some of the schools she is thinking about for undergrad are well thought of. Kiki's first choice at this time is Macalaster, College in St. Paul. Lucky for all of us, we still get our girl for one more year. I am not sure what the boys will do when she is gone, except that Trevor already has plans for her room. Wishing you all well this holiday season.

Happy 17th birthday to our sweet Kira 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR NATHAN. HUSBAND, DADDY AND COACH. WE LOVE YOU!

Lordy-Live Look who is now 45! 

The hat dance 

Hat fun during Thanksgiving 

The Fuchs celebrates his birthday with his carrot cake the girlies made for him. 

Mom, Neil & Gramma 

November is Upon us

WE are all well. Linda's surgery went fine, but the goons in the surgery suite managed to pinch her foot to the bottom of the surgery table for at least 4 of th 5 hour procedure and she awoke screaming, "my foot, my foot!" There was quite a pressure/compression sore that was more painful than the procedure! She also had a goose-egg the size of a ping-pong ball on her head that remains unexplained, but all in all she is off meds, fairly clear headed, and on the mend. Wonderful colleagues have kep the family well-fed throughout this time, and she will be off work until end of Thanksgiving.

All Fall sports have ceased, (Trevor's TaiKwanDo continues) so we are in a nice lull. The election results were very depressing for us but we will never give up the good fight. We maintain that the Religious Right is NEITHER. We will continue to fight for justice, equality, tolerance and truth. Peace.

The Spencers

Trevor (not Halloween) it is his blue-belt sparring outfit! 

Halloween Goons: Nadar (cow), Trevor (brain boy), Connor (Fire Ninja) and Jawad (black ninja) 

Finishing Run for the Schools! Mom and Connor 

WEEK In REVIEW

fast week, lazy week. Test and paper due for Linda, Regionals for Kira's team (they qualified), Horn Olympics for the boys, and wrapping up season for Nathan. We all run in the "Run for the Schools" tomorrow. Should be fun

Kira crosses the bridge in Cedar Rapids Noelridge Park 

Three Sillies by an apple tree 

Apple Orchard on a clear, crisp Autumn Day 

October Flies By

Wow are the leaves falling now! We had a nice week that turned windy and rainy and cool. Kira ran Thursday for what she thought was her last meet, but her coaches kept her as an alternate, one more week to be on the team. She will practice with varsity, but will not run next Thursday at Regionals unless needed. It would not be a good deal if she needed to run, because her times aren't on par with the other girls on the team. I think, however her work ethic is inspiring for others, which is why she is still on the team. State is in two weeks, and I wish she could still be included for that, as it appears a title is imminent. The team itslef is ranked 3rd in the Heartland region---it is fantastic. http://www.dyestat.com/3us/4xc/NTN/5HL/index.htm

We picked some pumpkins last week and apples at the orchard and enjoyed ourselves. Decorated the house for Halloween, and the boys got an awful haircut from thier mother. I was informed that now that Trevor is older, I am no longer allowed to chop his hair. Probably a good strategy. Kira also met with an admissions person from Marquette University (Wisc). Nice meeting for her. WHOO BOY are those private schools pricey!

Trevor and Connor completed thier IowaTests of BAsic Skills this week. Connor was quite frightened of taking tests all week, but Trevor told him that it is not so bad, because during the week there is no homework and "you get treats." The advice turned out to be true, and it wasn't so bad for either boy.

Hope you all are well, family and friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARRY

Today my brother in Florida is fifty-something. He is batteling lung cancer, and I don't really know how he is doing, because the little rat has some phone number block on his phone and my number cannot get through. I guess I didn't pass the phone test yet. Anyway I hope he is feeling better and the chemo is not making him too sick. I cannot even imagine him without hair, as both he and my brother Mark are known as the "Hairy Apes." Trevor is getting to know this genetic part of the family with moustache and man-hair legs. I just can't get over his puberty. Kira really never did maintain varsity status for cross country. She did run two varsity races, but has been doing the JV thing. Today she ran a good race again a the MVC super meet, taking 8th place overall in JV. I think 8 out of 144 is very good. Looks like she will only have one week left and it isn't clear she will get to go to state, but the top 7 on her team sure will. She is sitting at #10 on her team so far. Connor is hanging in there. He tends to accumulate "late slips" at school, for what I am noting are very silly infractions. He gets his homework done, but he's not always adept at getting it back to the right place at the right time. Poor guy, it gets frustrating for him. Nathan is busy with his JR HIGH X-country team--two weeks left of that season. I am really not enjoying my classes this fall, and really want to get that dissertation thing out of the way and be done with all this. BLA BLA BLA
Hope you are all well. WRITE COMMENTS!!!

GQ man Neil (who, by the way will be moving into new digs in Palm Springs soon) 

Kira wins the JV Meet West High Invitational on the UI Course 

Kira Runs at the Clinton Invite 

Check out a Website

This is the website for Linda's work place. Our Cochlear Implant Center is affiliated with the U of I Child Language Research Center through my boss, J. Bruce Tomblin. If you click on the website you will link to the staff page (I'm last, Dr. T is first). Also if you explore the cite, you will see some of my pubs!!http://www.uiowa.edu/~clrc/html-pages/team.html
http://www.uiowa.edu/~clrc/cochlear/index.html

Connor and crew at the Slumber Party 

Rudy helps Connor celebrate Birthday # 9. 

Another Week, Another Birthday

Our Sweet Connor turned 9 this week. He has grown up so much this past year and has really matured. He struggled with reading last year, but with lots of work and patience from some great teachers, he is near grade level!!!Congrats to you Connor.

Trev got the cast off already and is just in a splint. Kira ran a varsity race on Thursday in Ft. Madison, and she came in 7th overall. Good girl. Her team is tough as nails this year and today the Varsity girls ran in Lawrence, KS and took FIRST. Thier rankings will be high. Take care everyone!

The road is never long if you have a friend.
Connor & Solaire near Pikes Peak, IA

Connor makes a get 

NEW MONTH--NEW CHALLENGES!

September Song. We are hoping that Francis in Florida does not do too much damage, especially to my brother Larry's area! We are sick of hearing Bush junk and are hoping America sees the light. We are putting the little bumps behind us, and we are going to celebrate Birthdays!!!! On September 8, my sweet mama turns 80, and on the 14th our Connor turns 9. Trevor was elected to "Patrol Captain"and we are pround of him, Connor is a soccer maniac, and Kira is trying to recaputre her varsity spot in CC. UP to DATE!

Lady, Lady, or Grandma turns EIGHTY. This is a drawing from a portrait of mom that was taken circa 1944