Joyous Arrival Jamison Ronald Menningen enjoys normal birth By Heyda Storck Of the Times staff On July 2, 2003 Jamison Ronald Menningen was born to parents Ken & Laura in Fort Atkinson, WI. Unlike his older sister Susie, Jamison's birth was quite uneventful. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 oz and was 21 inches long. Hospital records indicate the parents had arrived on two earlier occasions in the previous ten days with symptoms of early labor that eventually disappeared. "Yes, we were a bit jumpy after the incident with Susie," said Ken Menningen. Almost two years previously to the day Susanna Joy was born in the bathroom of the family's home. To prevent another such surprise event, the family arranged for the induction of labor on July 2. The labor and delivery proceeded without a hitch. Jamison has since progressed faster across the pediatrician's growth charts than any of his

Jolly Jamison Newcomer-to-the-world Jamison Menningen has a cheerful disposition, much to the delight of his family and those he meets.

siblings. He's a happy baby, and certainly gets his share of attention from his older brothers and sisters. The Menningens are thankful to God for a healthy baby, and are grateful for the outpouring of support and affection by friends and family.

Top of the mountain The Menningens climbed to new heights during their four- month stay in Denver, Colorado.

Denver Delights Family enjoys time in the Centenniel State by Wanda Trayles Special to the Times The Ken and Laura Menningen family spent an exciting four months in Denver, Colorado while Ken spent a sabbatical research appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The family loaded up their Ford Club Wagon van with their four children, their cat, 3 bikes, and a 12 ft Uhaul trailer crammed with some of their worldly possessions and made off across the prairie on January 15, 2003. After 28 renditions of the song, "B-I-N-G-O," numerous stops, a one day stay in Kansas City with the Anderson family, and an interminable 32 hours of travel time, they arrived safely in Denver, collapsing with exhaustion in the guest rooms of their generous friends, the Rutland family. Moving into their three bedroom apartment the next day, the family commenced four months of interesting work, mountain adventures, new

friends, great church services, a memorable snowstorm, and breathtaking scenery. To Ken and Laura it ended all too soon, but the children looked forward to returning to the familiar scenes of Wisconsin. The return trip went very smoothly. Laura flew back with the girls, and the boys trekked back with the van and trailer in just 24 hours travel time, listening to 18 episodes of Adventures in Odyssey. "Oh, wow!" said Nathan, ignoring the newly renovated house and staring at the backyard where the swimming pool used to be. "A giant sandbox! Dad, can I borrow your shovel?" Carolyn said gleefully, "I'm going to dig for worms!" Thus began a summer of fun in the sand and mud of home, sweet Wisconsin.

Exciting Expansion Suburban home becomes larger, nicer by Nalen Hammer of the Times Staff The Ken and Laura Menningen family home underwent extensive expansion and renovation in 2003, adding three bedrooms and a bathroom to a new second floor. Roggenbauer Construction, Inc. created the design and was the general contractor for the project. In addition, the flooring in every room of the old part of the house was changed, the front porch was overhauled by M&M Remodeling, new kitchen appliances were installled, and the roof was replaced. Photos of the completed project are available on the family web site. The project was completed before the family returned from their four-month stay in Denver. It was like a whole new house! Laura dove right into preparations for the new baby while Ken started work on the 74 finishing projects such as closet hardware and small cabinet hanging. "All I need is a power tool," said Ken as he drove the Bobcat into the backyard to finish filling in the swimming pool, immediately

Lovely Lawn The pool was filled in as a part of the renovation project, and is now a nice lawn to play on. Well, it'll be nicer next year, anyway...

getting stuck in the loose sand. Jerry Roggenbauer came to the rescue, extracting the Bobcat and finishing the job in less than two hours. "I'm always willing to lend a hand," said Jerry as he flew off in his brightly colored cape.

Inside This Issue Local Boy Begins 4-H Adventure / 1C Girls' Tea Party Delights, Makes Mess/ 5D Lost boy Found at Lookout Mountain / 1B Household Helpers Lend a Hand / 3C Tots Trek Through Bethlehem / 1F Surprise Birthday Bash / 1D Ford Van Interior Weather Forecast Tuesday Hi 71/Lo 22 Abundant Cheetos and soda. Upset stomachs in PM. Wednesday Hi 74/Lo 25 Persistent arrival time inquiries. Increasing gripes. Thursday Hi 28/Lo 28 Cool temps with windows down. Campfire songs. Friday Hi 72/Lo 20 Occasional sleep then profound joy upon arrival.

Endless road We sure spent a lot of time staring out the van windows! Some of the roads offered really spectacular views, like this one. Sorry, we have absolutely no photos of western Kansas!

Busted Bone a Bummer for Boy Youngster breaks arm in fall from bike by Payne Indaneck Special to the Times Alexander Menningen of Whitewater, WI was involved in a bicycle accident just three months before his ninth birthday. His bike apparently slipped off the sidewalk and threw him to the ground, resulting in a clean break of the radius and ulna of his right arm. It has healed nicely but the incident put a damper on his summer activities. On the other hand, he is now continuously thankful that his arm doesn't itch!

Goofball Alex's broken arm didn't affect his creativity.

Healing arm You can still see where Alex's bones broke in this X-ray image 2 months after the accident.

The Menningen Family wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! A Menningen Thanksgiving: Susie (2), Laura, Alex (9), Ken, Jamison (4 mos), Nathan (6), Grandma, Ojash (student friend), Grandpa, and Carolyn (4).

Ken works at the hardware store.

Letter Archives

Close to on time!

Alex joins 4H

Tea time a regular occurrence

Nathan got lost in the mountains!

Laura gets help

Bethlehem Marketplace fun

Wife Engineers Surprise Birthday Party