HURON, S.D. — Stephanie Sombke and her husband, Brett, are raising their sons on the same farm and in the same home that Brett and his dad, Doug grew up in.
“Numerous people have asked us if we plan to build new. I think it is cool that this is the house Brett’s dad grew up in. And that it is still standing, and we are living here now. There are so many memories under this roof,” Sombke explained.
Sombke enjoys making new memories with their sons Braxten, 6, and Brooks, 3, to add to the family collection.
“Reading is our bonding time,” she said. “The boys love to be read to.”
And wrestled with. “With both boys in wrestling, I end up being their wrestling dummy at times.”
Growing up with her dad and two brothers, Sombke said it was not a stretch for her to get used to rough housing with her sons.
Although she grew up in town, she said she always wanted to live in the country, so when she met Brett, the idea of living on a farm in the country appealed to her.
“I wanted to live out in the country, I just didn’t really know how I would do it because I was used to having everything close by.”
An x-ray technician for Avera in Aberdeen, Stephanie makes the 60-mile roundtrip drive at least five days a week. “I love the patient interaction because I love people and being able to help them figure out what is wrong so they can feel better.”
Although the work she does is intense, she says it is easy for her to switch gears from work to mom. “It switches automatically when I pull into the farm,” she said. “My mentality is, leave work at work. When I get home I do mom things – dinner, baths, reading and play.”
Sombke says she values the time with her sons. And is currently making a career change that will allow her more flexibility. “My dad was at everything we did. I want to be the same way. I want to be the type of mom who is always there for my kids.”
Brett raises crops and cattle and owns a soil testing business. When the family is together on the farm, Sombke enjoys the fact that her boys have plenty of room to run.
“They have limitless opportunities to do so many different things living out here on the farm,” Sombke said.
Advice to share: It’s Not About Perfection
“It’s OK to fail. Your kids are going to love you no matter what.”
— SDFU