Dueck's Roost

Porter turned eight a few weeks ago. For some reason, though, when I recently published the posting about his big day the system placed it below Kevin's birthday. No matter what I do, it will not let me re-arrange it (interestingly, the way it currently comes up is the actual order of their birthdays just not the order I posted them in, confused yet?). Weird. Anyway, if you're interested it is there, you just have to scroll down a bit. So, now for the baptism. First of all, since this was in fact our first child's baptism, I feel the need to do a little comparison of what I expected baptism day to be vs. what it actually was. What I expected on baptism day (sort of): The kids would use phrases like "why, yes please," "no, but many thanks," and "I love you dearly my affectionate siblings" Kevin and I would quote scriptures and express nothing but smiles, nods, and words of adoration We would all hear chirping birds and the quiet shuffle of chip...

There are a dozen or so things that I've been meaning to blog about, but it's Kevin's birthday so I decided it would be fun to do a little tribute to him instead. What We Love About Kevin My Contribution: He plucks my eyebrows better than I do He is not blind to my imperfections He loves me more now than he did pre-spider veins He is passionate and compassionate He makes me laugh, even when I want to scream He's got pretty teeth He is constant He has a cool Rambo knife He is fiercely loyal He could survive with nothing but a toothpick and a hankie (although his Rambo knife couldn't hurt) He can do anything with fishing line He's hot! here's what some of Kevin's family members had to say ... K's Mom: He is loving, responsible, and active at church He bears his testimony by words and actions He is a close friend He is an amazing son K's Sister: He's an awesome big brother and a great role model I have a blast with him all the time I can go to ...

Our first little baby turned eight a couple of weeks ago. It is hard to believe! This is the miracle child that took me by my stubborn 21-year-old finger and began my lifelong course in motherhood. He taught me patience by instructing me in the delicate art of nursing. He taught me selflessness by implementing a very strict nighttime regiment that involved sleeping in only one-hour increments. He even taught me not to cry over my lost hours of sleep (although that took some time) by looking into my eyes and always being so happy to see me. He taught me flexibility by randomly changing his sleeping and eating routines at least once a week. He taught me humility by sending me off to Spanish class with projectile vomit on my nice leather jacket and welcoming me back home with large wet circles leaking through my shirt. He taught me forgiveness, by not looking at me with scorn when I left a lot to be desired as his mother. He taught me inter-dependence by being completely vulnerable, and l...

We just had General Conference weekend which around our house is a little bit like a holiday, complete with traditions, good food, and a lot of family time. The most important part though, and the reason it is holiday- ish is because we are celebrating the opportunity to hear from the person who we believe to be the prophet of God on the earth today, as well as his apostles. For two days we turn on the tv or the computer, or head down to one of our church buildings and listen to amazing, inspiring, and uplifting talks about things that are very applicable to our lives right now. I am so grateful for the knowledge that there is a purpose and a plan for our lives here on Earth, and that God still cares enough about us to speak to us and give us revelation through his mouthpiece (as well as to us personally for our individual needs) ... and that he always will because he is unchanging and loving. While I loved all the talks and had several favorites, I especially liked Elder Bednar'...

Okay, so we're finally blogging. I don't know whether to rejoice or cringe. No, really though, I'm excited about this new adventure in blogging. I've just come to a realization that this could possibly take the place of scrap booking, which is life changing for me since not one of my four children have scrapbooks (please don't hate me). For my first posting, I figured I'd better do a little catch up of our fun summer. Admittedly, summer ended a few weeks ago, but hey, I'm obviously a little slow. Summertime around here was amazing. The kids and I all loved the whole not getting up and going thing. We were perfectly content "sleeping in," hanging around in pajamas, not making school lunches, and just taking things a little easier. Our whole family also enjoyed a variety of fun vacations and day trips. So here's the rundown ... One week after school ended I headed out as a camp assistant with the young women from church to their yearly summer Gir...