Wesley and Leona Darrah

Wesley and Leona – September 14

Wesley – November 29

Leona – June 18

Lucas – November 23

Spring/Summer 2007

Hi !

Wesley’s job has changed a little bit. He is still driving for Grimes and Johnston Post Offices during the week, but on the weekends he drives the Corydon route. He starts the Corydon route at 4:30 p.m. and goes up to Des Moines and spends the night then comes back anywhere between 6 or 7 a.m. Right now we are just staying in Corydon.

Lucas is typical boy and loves to play ball, tractors, cars and go for long walks. People keep telling us that he looks so much like his Mom; some have never seen anyone look so much alike. He has a speech delay so we have a speech therapist coming two times a month. To help with his speech, and to get us out of the house we go to story time once a week. He also has fallen arches, which are making his ankles roll in and is affecting his knees. Mom has flat feet =) ! He will have to wear braces on his feet that come up past his ankles, hopefully for only six months. He is also not using his hip extenders. Maybe that is why the “Fowler ladies” have hip problems. A physical therapist comes twice a month and gives us exercises to do with him. So for living in a small town and being a stay at home mom we stay pretty busy.

The last weekend in January Wesley and I got away for a couple’s retreat in Ankeny. Every year our church has it the last weekend in January. It was a great time to get away for a little bit and fellowship with other church people.

On Mother’s Day, Lucas was goofing off. He had his blanket over his head and was walking around. He ended up hitting the coffee table. He split his lip open, which resulted in getting three stitches and a black and blue left cheek. The day before he hit his head on another piece of furniture and scraped up his nose, goose egg above his right eye and some scrapes on his left eye. No, he is not an abused child, just all boy.

The last weekend in June was the Johnson family get-together. We tried to drive all night long; we made it to midnight before we decided we could not push the CV joint anymore. Thankfully where we pulled off there was a Wal-Mart and a hotel right off the exit. We tried to get the part but nobody in town had it so we ended up having to pay a mechanic, not cheap. We got into Mom and Dad’s Thursday evening and left Sunday afternoon. It was a great time of us all being together. The funny thing the next week the physical therapist came and said Lucas’s hips were getting really strong, it must have been the two flights of stairs at Grandmy and Grandpy’s because it sure was not that we had the time to do his exercises.

The end of July is our church’s Vacation Bible School. I was kind of begged to help so the youngest class can have Lucas in their class. They only have one that is actually in the age group so they are taking Lucas and another boy that is a month older than him. I am working in the primary department. We are now collecting pennies so the boy’s team can win the offering bucket competition.

Wesley tries to do as many mechanical jobs as his crazy schedule allows. He has fixed a couple chain saws in his room up in Des Moines and tries to keep our vehicles at least drivable. He is studying up to get his ASE certification and to hopefully get back to mechanic work.

Well, that is about all that is happening at the Darrahs. Looking forward to reading all about what you guys are doing. Thanks Autumn and Kyle for all your hard work on the newsletter.

Leona

Fall/Winter 2006

Hi from Southern Iowa ~

Lucas is on the move all the time, does not even sit five minutes to watch TV. He turns two on Thanksgiving Day. Grammy and Grampy came out to celebrate it with him.

Wesley is working at a job where he takes the mail from the main post office out too the Grimes and Johnston post office. It is a split shift job; he has to be there at 4 am and the second shift does not end until 6:30 pm. Most days he just stays up in Des Moines. We would like to move up there but our house needs to sell first.

Leona is mostly staying at home. She subs one day a week at one of the local schools.

Enjoy the holidays.

Love, The Darrahs

Spring/Summer 2006

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Fall/Winter 2005

Hi Everybody!

As you all know Lucas a one year old keeps his parents on the move. If he is not crawling laps around the house he is right under our feet. He is very close to walking, I predict by the end of the year he will be running. If he is not on the move it means he is tearing something apart or getting himself stuck under or in between stuff. We are having a party with Wesley's side of the family on the 20th of November.

We are staying home for the holidays and just enjoying some family time.

Happy New Year to everyone.

Wesley, Leona, and Lucas

Spring/Summer 2005

Hi everybody!

My name is Lucas Everett Darrah. I joined my mom and dad on November 23 at 10:34pm. I was 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 22 inches long. My middle name comes from my great grandpa Everett Bennett. I am his pride and joy since I was named after him. Grandpy and Grandmy came the day I got home it was so great to have them at the house they helped out my parents a lot. I didn't get to see much of Grandpy since he had to get back so fast but Grandmy stayed to spoil me.

Shortly after I was born my daddy lost his job so he got to spend some more time with me. He got another job and that one did not work out either. He is doing odd jobs out of the garage some days when it is warm and Mom has left us for just a little bit. He takes me out to the garage and we work on engines.

Mom has been kinda busy lately. She tests home schoolers; she has three
families that she works with. Some times she takes me along and sometimes I stay home with Dad.

When I was only six weeks old I flew on an airplane to Grandpa and Grandma Johnson's house. That was a lot of fun. I got held so much there I don't think I laid down much except to sleep at night. I can't wait to go again and play with all the toys my cousins got to play with. I got to see my
grandparents again in March when they were at my house. They could not
believe how much I had grown.

I have had some problems with my skin. I was bumpy from head to toe. The doctors finally got it figured out and now my mommy keeps talking about how soft my skin feels now. She puts so much stuff on me sometimes it takes forever before I can go to bed.

Well that is the major stuff going on in the Darrah household. I can't wait
to meet and read how you are all doing.

Lucas

Fall/Winter 2004

Hello from southern Iowa!

The Darrah family has had a couple of changes since the last newsletter. The biggest and most exciting is that any day now we are expecting our first child. Can't tell you if it is a boy or a girl, have to wait and see. I have been doing okay. I did not have the typical morning sickness that everyone thinks of. I had some pain second trimester so for me the best has been third trimester. I am not that big, I am convinced it is camping out in my ribs. I have not even gained 20 pounds and I still eat all the time. Baby is very active, in fact last time I went to the doctor he could not get much of a heartbeat because it kept moving. Our other big news is that back in May Wesley was told his employment was closing its doors. His first last day was suppose to be June 30 it kept getting extended every month until Friday September 24. He was planning on taking a couple of weeks off to rest and relax. Also he had several mechanical jobs lined up that would keep us afloat. Well God had different plans for us. Monday Wesley got a call from a GM dealership that he applied to about a month earlier. They were desperate for mechanics. He interviewed on Tuesday and started work the following day. He absolutely loves his job and it is in the field he went to Bob Jones for so that helps. I am going to be a stay at home mom but God has provided little jobs for me. I had been testing (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) for the last couple of years a family from our church that has ten kids. The mother of this family was talking to another home school family and they were looking for an overseeing teacher that would come once a month and also test some of their kids. There is another family in our church that their son is in my Sunday School class and I am testing him too. The local school district saw that I was overseeing the one family and asked if I wanted to do another family. I have not heard from them yet.

Happy Holidays to you all.

Wesley, Leona and BABY

Spring/Summer 2004

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