Dueck's Roost

Easter morning came very early this year. With 9:00 church, and Kevin having to leave a great while before that, we were practically dragging the kids out of their beds to come and see what the Easter bunny left. Who's that handsome guy in the suit?! I'm pretty sure they're all still in a daze, but a little candy does tend to wake up the most sleepy of Easter egg hunters. Ahh , I just love these guys! Easter hat and jewelry . Easter dinner with cousins--"big kid" table ... I sincerely apologize for the chewing poses. Is it just me, or are those Easter plates adorable! Matching dresses ... not sure what's up with the blue shirts, though. Yeah, yeah, I know it's already June. Hope everyone had a nice Easter;)

Learning to eat "solid" foods is a tough job. Food does not just flow to the back of your mouth, you actually have to use your tongue and do the work yourself. There is usually some grown up sitting in front of you making goofy noises trying to get you to open wide, even when you don't like the goopy stuff she's feeding you. And to top it off, when you try to reach over and play with a speck of the fallen goop, the said grown up pokes you in the eye with your goop-covered spoon. Could things get any worse?!

So Kevin and Papa Dueck (aka, Kevin's Dad) took a day, a few weeks ago, and went fishing at Lone Lake over on Whidbey Island. They had a great time and apparently caught lots of fish (or so they say;). Here's Papa Dueck himself displaying a big catch. Nothing like being out in the middle of a beautiful lake on a gorgeous day ... at least, that's what I hear. Kevin getting in on the action. Tired from kicking around all day. Hanging out by Papa D's awesome toy car:). Oh, and another view of the amazing car. I guess I should call it a truck. Notice the full-out tent strapped on top ... now that's a serious sporting vehicle! Classic 1979 Landcruiser FJ 40 (I think) for anyone truck savvy --which I most certainly am not.

What's scouting without the annual ritual of racing miniature wooden cars--usually with dynamic names like Green Stealth, Vaccinator , or Tulip (huh??)--down a carefully crafted 32-foot track? Oh, the excitement of the pinewood derby! In our home this year, pinewood derby was synonymous with procrastination. Lucky for Porter, though, Grandpa Dueck knows his way around a block of pine and was very kind to help us out in a crunch. Porter and Kevin showing off this year's sleek set of wheels. Ooh, ahh , what a majestic track. Vehicles on display ... Checking out the race times. Young boys just can't get enough of this! Great job Porter (and Grandpa;)). With James now joining the ranks of pinewood derby enthusiasts , we'd better get our wheels on the track a little sooner next year (oh, how my cleverness amazes me!).

After about three years of washing it, brushing it, detangling it, crying over it (over the tangles, that is) growing it out, and styling it into many different braids, buns, and pony tails; our little Maepunzel decided to cut her silky locks. She's very lucky to have a wonderful auntie who just happens to be a hairstylist, otherwise she may have been left with her non-hair stylist mother, who only knows how to give a nice tight buzz. She's even more lucky that her incredible auntie knows how to give the most adorable bob known to pink-loving, pillow-pet cuddling little girls! The fact that she has four amazing brothers who are willing to pose with her while she shows off her fabulous new bob, makes her the luckiest bob-sporting child who ever lived. And since I'm out of things to say about luck and bobs, I'll just point out that I absolutely adore this little girl! Locks or bob, you're just perfect to us! Oh, and I almost forgot about these shots. Since she had...

Our school recently held its annual science fair, which is oh so exciting;). Porter was expected to participate as part of a classroom requirement. James decided that doing a science project sounded great so he jumped on board as well with a project of his own. After taking a look at some options (e.g., a balloon rocket) he decided to stick with something he's been interested in lately--paper airplanes--and see how the weight of the paper would affect flight distance. He worked very hard on charts, graphs, and display board Folding the heaviest paper (cardboard) into an airplane was definitely something of a challenge. Here he is with the four different types/weights of airplanes (cardboard, cardstock , copy paper, and vellum). And for the most entertaining part of the project .... flying the airplanes. Porter was able to have his good friend Marcel as a project partner. They chose to see if different amounts of oil in a "lava in a cup" mixture, would cause the substan...

Oh, how our little Mae longs for a sister. However, since she doesn't seem to be getting one in the fathomable future, she has a habit of creating her own. A couple of years back, when he was still a willing victim, she would dress up Brooks all the time in Princess gowns and ruffled swimsuits (pictures omitted for future embarrassment ), now she has found an even more willing participant. As she often does, she asked to have Joseph in her room a couple of months back while I helped Brooks get ready for bed. When I came in to find him, this is what I discovered ... I could tell right away that something was different, but it actually took me a minute to pinpoint the source of my confusion ... What? my baby doesn't usually have a pink flower in his hair? The funny part is that he hardly even had hair at this point, but she managed to find a tiny little strip in order to fasten the adorable hair accessory. After I noticed the odd clip in his "hair", I started to notice...

Kevin and our good friend Erjay , have been coaching our boys' basketball team the past two years in a row. They do such a great job and are really fun with the kids. Last year the boys were all 1st and 2 nd graders and were all over the place, kind of like a bunch of charged particles ricocheting off of each other. This year as 3rd and 4 th graders (all except for James), they were quite a bit more, how shall I say it? ... controlled. It was so much fun to watch, and I'm extremely proud of all of the boys for working so hard--and for the amazing coaches, of course, for their willingness to tackle the world of energized seven- to nine-year old boys. High fives and play boards ... okay, they really only had one play (named after Thanksgiving's main dish), but it was a darn good one. Brooks was enthralled with the game ... just not the basketball game. Staring down our opponents;) Grandma's happy watching the game or watching the baby. (Joseph was probably almost 6...