Dueck's Roost

joint b-day party

2011-12-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

After all our summertime excitement/craziness and the start of the new school year, we decided to hold off on Joseph's actual first b-day party (he didn't know the difference anyway;) and celebrate his and Porter's at the same time.

I really don't know why, but for some reason I was meant to be the mom of boys (with the exception of my darling Mae). And I just love each and every one of them. They are all soooo different, which I find fascinating and exciting and complicating and sometimes frustrating all at the same time.

While we have yet to see what kind of personality Joseph will really have (aside from his free-spirited tendencies of running everywhere, brushing his teeth any chance he gets, dancing on the kitchen table, and doing anything and everything daring), Porter has certainly carved out his place in our family, particularly with his distinct love of reading!! The kid could forget to get out of bed for an entire day (foregoing food and pretty much anything else) for the sake of finishing the newest book in his current favorite series--Leven Thumps, Eragon, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Harry Potter--take your pick. He even forgot to get off the bus one day after school (despite his siblings and friends exiting) because he was engrossed in his reading.

Oh, Porter, how we love you and your appreciation of great stories and intriguing adventures. You are so curious and smart and thoughtful and good. You are a blessing to our family!

So, back to the actual party. The festivities started with a cheerleading routine by Miss Mae & Cousin Gracie. Then presents ...

Joseph got a ball ...
... and a good-ole-fashioned smash 'em in thing.

Porter got a book (shocking) ...

... something homemade from James (our little handyman) ...

... and a Thor movie.

Time for cake and ice cream--thanks, Grandma Loo.

Oh, the excitement of the first birthday cake.

Maybe a little too much excitement ... this was right before he started throwing the cake in every direction.Whether the baby or the adults are more excited is up for debate.

And finally, after party fun.

With the new ball.

And Grams, herself.

I almost forgot to acknowledge that Joseph's birthday also marked the one-year anniversary of a huge miracle for our family. We are so eternally grateful for our belief in miracles and the ever-apparent hand of God in our lives. Sometimes when I watch our little one-year-old running around the house, and attempting to climb ladders, I almost forget that it was through faith, prayers, and divine intervention that he arrived to our home safe and sound. Of that I am certain, and I know that it is something I must never forget.

big family vs. big city

2011-12-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Over Labor Day weekend, we all piled into the car yet again, crossed the border into Canada, and made our way to Vancouver B.C. for the wedding of Kevin's lovely cousin, Nicola.

The trip was quite an adventure, but it is no secret that I am behind in my blogging and I desperately need to get last year's blog book ready for printing. So, instead of a play-by-play account, I will just make a list of what happens when big family meets big city.

*Mae throws up in the car at the curbside of the lovely downtown Hyatt Regency.
*Car is too big for the underground parking at our hotel.
*We are practically the only family present.
*Outdoor "heated" hotel pool (purpose for which we booked this hotel in he first place) is heated to the extent of a melting ice-cube and completely shaded by surrounding bldgs.
*Dueck children "sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked and walked" (okay, so they actually did not sing even a tiny bit while walking, but we did in fact walk A LOT--as in everywhere!).
*To avoid overwhelming the local population at all the cute little bistros, we make many many trips to the McDonald's right across from our hotel.
*Canadian McDonald's (or big-city ones??) have special menus for those of us who can't stand McDonald's in the first place (thank you thai chicken sandwich, I think I might have died if I had to eat cheeseburgers all weekend).
*There is barely enough room to fit a stroller (let alone five kids and a stroller) through the walking spaces in the McDonald's--or anywhere else for that matter.
*Grandma Loo (& friend Glenn) stays with all the kids in the hotel for an evening, while we attend a wedding dinner and reception. They are highly bribed with on-demand movies (the
kids, not grandma & Glenn).
*I almost crash into innocent bystanders along the high-traffic Stanley Park biking path, as I attempt to pull one five-year-old and a sleeping baby in a large biking trailer--in my defence, I have not ridden a bike since I was 9.
*Kevin goes out for a relaxing jaunt around Stanley Park--returns approx. 15 miles later, can barely walk the rest of the day;).
*We try not to confuse the room service receptionist with our massive order.
*Just before heading home, we suit up and venture over to this great-looking, outdoor "heated" pool that we were anticipating visiting before leaving.
*The definition of "heated" in canadianese is different than that of Nanciish.
*The lifeguards are very serious about preventing fun (I mean, saving lives).
*The unspoken rule of one adult for every child does not compute with a family of 7.
*45 minutes after arriving at the pool--just after getting the last of our sunblock applied--we decide it's time to say goodbye to the big city and mozy on home.

Okay, so now that I've had my fun, it's time for some pictures.

Here we are in Stanley Park (2nd day in Vancouver) for Nicola and Ryan's "beach front" wedding ceremony. It was very nice and I'm so thankful to my mom & Glenn for also making the trip to the big B.C. to watch the little ones during the ceremony. Darling Aunt Vicki and Mom & Dad Dueck visiting before the ceremony.
James doing a stellar job participating in the ceremony

(I know it's hard to see, but I promise, it's him). The happy couple and beautiful view.
The evening of the wedding, we headed out with Kevin's folks for a wedding dinner/reception on Grouse Mountain. It was a beautiful place. The gondola ride and everything that followed was very nice.

The view from the gondola. The view on the way back (with everything lit up) was probably even more impressive. The next day we walked down to a cute condo that Aunt Vicki was renting for the weekend, and met up with a bunch of the fam for lunch at Granville Island.

Always someone to have fun with when there's 7 people around! Little sillies.

The great part was that Granville Island was just a short water taxi ride away. Yep, that's it in the background.

We ate and looked around at shops and saw a little street show, but the favorite activity was probably feeding the pigeons.

Getting a better view for the street show. Don't think Brooks even knows he's missing it.

what a fun weekend!

Despite the narrow walkways, freezing pools, and vomit clean-up breaks, we had a fantastic weekend. It was great to get away as a family and explore somewhere new! And what a pleasure to visit with family who we often to not get to see.

Thanks for getting married, Nicola!:)

joe's first haircut;)

2011-12-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

When Joseph was born, I really did not have intentions of calling him "joe." Not that I had a clue what nickname we were going to use, but I figured something perfect would surface. Well, he's now 16 mos (about 12 mos in this post, since I'm just a tad bit behind:) and still nothing. Not really anyway. I noticed the other day, though, that his big brother (porter) had taken to calling him Joe. In a really cute way too. Like old college roommates shooting the breeze (what an odd figure or speech??). So, in honor of Porter, I am giving "Joe" a try.

Moving on, our cute little Joe;) got his first haircut at the end of the summer. As made clear in a previous post, the adorable child was seriously in need of a cut. And as mentioned in said post, we have an amazing hair stylist in the family who loves us so much she's willing to make home visits.

Nothing like bribing a one-year-old to hold still with a sticky lollipop (only problem is, all the hair sticks to it).

Notice the mohawk is now much shorter, thanks to an initial snip with auntie's cool purple scissors.

Oh, yeah. still loving the lollipop.
And still. Man, doesn't look like he's going to give that thing up.

Oh, the mean mom stole it away. But isn't he cute!

back to school

2011-12-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Aww, back to school pictures: sun-toasted skin, newly trimmed hair, unstained clothing, and lunchboxes with not a tear ... and then the first week of school happens.

Mr. 3rd grade Mr. 4th grade
Miss Kindergarten herself.

Oh, so exciting!

Brooks doesn't start school until next year, but the kids had to pull him into the picture just for fun.

Let the fun begin! Just nobody blink, because then it will already be next year and we'll be that much closer to middle school:(.

the mohawk

2011-12-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, so when I mention "mohawk" in the title of this post, I'm not just talking about some dinky strip of fuzz that didn't get buzzed off. No, I mean a full out, just asking for bright green spray paint (of the hair variety of course & not that I'm endorsing this sort of behavior;), sticking straight up, mohawk.

Our wonderful personal hairstylist (aka, Auntie Heidi) came over to do back-to-school haircuts for the boys and had a little fun playing around with Joseph's overgrown mane. It really didn't look to bad laying down, but man, add a little hair wax and Joseph was ready to join a rockband.

Brooks got a faux-hawk so he could start a boy band with his lil bro.Nothing too crazy for Porter, but watch out 4th graders, cuz this boy is hand-some! Yep, there he is striking a pose, pinwheel and all.

the girl and her boy

2011-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Mae spent much of the summer being Mommy to her cute little baby brother (ignore the pink car). I guess that in spite of the fact that he inconveniently happened to be a boy instead of a girl, she still thinks he's something special ... and not at all bad to dress up.

Early one morning while all of the big boys were still sleeping (oh, how I love summer!!), Mae took little Joseph on a brief neighborhood walk and then taught him to draw with sidewalk chalk.

hot day in Seattle???

2011-12-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, there were plenty of cloudy, cool days this summer (as seen in my last post) ... more than I would have liked! But we did have some beautiful sunny days as well, and a sunny day here in Seattle (which there are at least a dozen of a year;) is an amazing, absolutely gorgeous thing!

On one such sunny day, we checked out a new splash park not too far from us. Once we found it;), it was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time splashing around, while I attempted to keep Joseph from crawling into all of the high-traffic splash areas.

This picture is obviously not from the splash park, but I thought it was cute and had to include it. Slippery wet boys meet very high metal bars. I think a 10-year-old boy thought up this combination. James, about to get drenched.

Everybody take cover.

There was also a little zip line at the park which was pretty fun. Considering the absence of a hill, though, it did require a decent push to achieve any type of movement. Luckily for Brooks, big brother James was happy to oblige.

There was also quite a bit of non-wet play space, which all the kids enjoyed as much as the wet stuff.

where the wild things are

2011-12-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

So this summer, in addition to all of the many exciting and fun things we did, the kids and I (along with good friends yet again) made a day trip to the Tacoma Zoo. This should be something we do on a regular basis considering we have a zoo pass, but life is wonderfully busy, so it just doesn't happen as much as we would like (almost never actually).

The funny thing is that I have not one picture of any of the animals. True, I have lots of pictures of wild little children who had a great time at the zoo's relatively new play area, but not a one of a hairy, sharped-toothed or long-necked creature. Ahh well. The kids are cuter anyway.

Love this picture of all the kids together ... even Joseph made it in. Brooks with the hippo.
Finally, I've caught them all ... now if I could just get them to stay put for 5 minutes.

And some jungle gym fun.

Good times. Oh, and in case there is any confusion owing to the sweatshirts and jackets that all of the children are sporting; I promise, this really did occur on a summer day!! It's called Seattle's terrible sense of humor.

staircase

2011-12-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

What's summer without a quick and crazy camping trip with good friends! After a very short breather following Ocean Shores, we headed out for a last minute, cram into the car, arrive in the dark, one night camping trip with some awesome, fun, great friends! As mentioned, we didn't arrive until kind of late--basically just in time to throw up a small tent, check out the river nearby, make a few trips to the flushable toilets (nice!), and visit around the fire, before getting shushed into our tents by the friendly campers down the hill.

The next morning we woke up bright and early, had a yummy breakfast (thanks, Doug & Mel), and ventured out around camp. It was a beautiful area (Staircase National Forest), and there seemed to be plenty of hiking. So we figured we may as well fit in a quick outing before heading back home.

And so the hike began.

Here's Kevin and Joe (as Porter has taken to calling him), checking out the trail map.

The kids climbed trees ...

enjoyed being with their friends ...
(as did the adults)

explored giant roots ...

and giant rocks ...

found cool sticks ...

skipped some rocks ...

and just hung out by the water ...

So the down side to the hike, was that a ways up the trail (right at the point where we probably knew we should have turned back;) we ran into a bit of trouble with an angry posse of bees. They were all hyped up about something and had a great time poking at several of our group members ... mostly small ones and mostly just those with a last name beginning with "S" (sorry guys). Anyway, I suppose there are no pictures of this because we were too busy running away. Maybe next time;).

Thanks family S for the fun adventure!

Ocean Shores

2011-11-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

Shortly after our Orcas Island sprint we visited Ocean Shores, WA for the first time. I had heard quite a lot about the place. Not like a bunch of oohing and ahhing and, "you just have to visit," but just a lot of mentions of people we like to go there or grew up going there. So, I decided we should check it out with my mom and my sister's family for a little weekend getaway.

I grew up going to the Oregon coast. The beaches were not white and sparkly and the water was completely freezing, but all the same, we laid out in the sun (when it was showing itself), jumped around in the waves, and somehow didn't seem to mind the cold a bit. So, when I determined to venture out to the Washington coast, I didn't have fairytale allusions of what things should be like. However, what I discovered is that the Washington coast (a couple of hours north, at least) is sooo different from the Oregon coast ... either that, or my memory is so completely altered by time and pregnancies (you know, pregnancy brain??) that I am fully incapable of making an accurate comparison.

On a Friday afternoon we set out for the fairly brief car ride.

We arrived in the afternoon, but it was already super dark and foggy. All the same, we decided to get a quick glimpse of the beach, which was something of a disappointment, because actually seeing the beach--or at least the ocean--was quite a trick (even considering that we could drive straight out to the water). It was dark, windy, and downright nasty. After about twenty minutes of shivering with our hoodies pulled close (with the exception of a couple of kids who opted for getting soaking wet fully clothed) we headed back to the rental house.

Fortunately, the next day was clear so we tried the beach out again ...

The kids stripped down to their bathing suits,

And played in the sand, and even the water a little ...
While the grown ups attempted to stay warm.

With the exception of one grown up who opted for flying a kite (it was certainly windy enough).

Here he is.

He really quite enjoyed himself.

Then Brooks got into the fun! And they both enjoyed themselves quite a lot.

And then there's this kid, and he looks pretty full of enjoyment as well.

We didn't last long before moving our little group up from the water a ways in an effort not to die of hypothermia (okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit). There was a little less wind in our new spot and the sand was a smidgen warmer. Shockingly, there was a teen close by laying out in a tiny little bikini. Seriously??

This little kid is also enjoying himself. He decided to show his enjoyment by eating sand.

Okay, so here's the surprising confession ... I did not enjoy myself. How could I when I was much too busy being absolutely and completely frozen? That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the weekend. We did have fun hanging out, playing games, riding the six-seater bike, checking out the shops, etc., but to me the actual beach was very much not enjoyable. But who knows, maybe I'm just not a beach girl after all--at least not in the pacNW and not as a "grown up". I think next time, I'll suggest a lake instead;).

These next few pictures are really just a side note to the trip as a whole. After returning from the beach (or maybe from the shops ... can't really remember), we realized that we didn't have a key and no one else was back yet. We knew, however, that an upstairs door would be unlocked. I think before we had even suggested that he try it, Porter was already on his way up the side of the house. Of course, these pictures are not from that moment, but from his crazy parents asking him to re-enact the climb for the sake of picture taking.

And this last one, goes along with a somewhat lengthy story about why Kevin and I ended up buying a tent (maybe our fiftieth;), pillows, and sleeping bags, and sleeping outside for the weekend. Since I have too many blog entries to finish before Christmas, I won't go into details. I'll just say that it involved lots of black pet hair ... eeewww. Don't worry, the dead rat had nothing to do with it.

Orcas Island

2011-11-09T09:35:00.001-08:00

Ever since I heard of the San Juan Islands I have always wanted to visit! Life is busy, though, so even after having been in the Seattle area (on and off) for the past 12+ years, we had never made the trip. Until this summer that is.

Of course, like everything else in our life, we felt the need to make the excursion in Dueck fashion ... That is, the crazy whirlwind escapade where we plan nothing, know zero about ferry times and prices, and intend to fit 48hours worth of fun in half a day. Regardless, though, of the extremely long and crazy day, that ended in part where 9 of us (in two separate cars) went rushing like mad from a cute little Mexican restaurant, sped around most of Orcas Island (fingers and toes crossed the entire way), and managed to make it on the second-to-the-last ferry of the night (which would allow us to get home around midnight instead of 2:00am) just as the gate was coming down, the amazing views and adventurous time together as a family were well worth the rush!

Someday we will learn to do things nice and easy! But apparently not yet.

Adorable skinned-nosed baby and very handsome daddy;). Joseph, as always, was quite the trooper.

On the ferry. The best part of the ride was admiring all of the beautiful homes on the various Islands.

And looking for sea life ... Not that we managed to see much at all.

This was on the top of some local watch tower (seen in below picture). Would have made for a fun Christmas card pic except for the missing toddler asleep in the car (and watched over by Grandma:)?

Papa Dueck and kiddos at base of tower.

Outside of Rosario Resort and Spa. A luxury hotel that's been on the island for a hundred years.

With G-ma & G-pa, also on the grounds of the Rosario.

And grandma cuddling her little ones while we awaited a yummy dinner at Chiladas ... My dish of pork and plantains was beyond delish!

Until the next crazy adventure!

Into the Frying Pan

2011-10-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am back, and yes, I've got a ton of blogging to do, and no, i do not have even one good excuse.

Even though it is now chilly outside and my backyard is full of leaves (a little strange, since I have no trees), in the world of blog it is in fact still August.

Toward the beginning of the month, Kevin went on a "high adventure" with good ole' Bishop B (our previous, amazingly fun and cool Bishop:) and a few boys from church. Papa Dueck even made it up for part of the time. They ventured out to Frying Pan Lake (amongst others) and had a great time getting swarmed by Mosquitos ... I mean fishing and bonding.

Truth be told, at the time I actually had almost no idea where they were. On his way out, Papa D left a message for good friend MG (who also happens to be a fire chief and trained emergency professional) to let him know where the group would be ... In the event that they didn't come back out of the woods within a few days (in which case I probably would have assumed they were building a log cabin and hunkering down for the winter). MG wrote the location on his hand, as he was outside at the time busy preparing clams or crabs or something fishy (I guess his teachers never told him that the ink would absorb into his bloodstream:). The thing, though, is that preparing, we'll say clams, requires a lot of hand washing, so by the time MG was ready to write the information down, it had vanished into the boiling pot (or more likely down the drain). Enter myself--very knowable, devoted, and attentive wife. MG calls to see if i can tell him where my husband has ventured off to.

My response: uhhhhhhh

Translation: come to think of it, I have absolutely no idea where he is. But factoring in his extremely high level of manliness, and considering that he has his rambo knife with him (I think) I have not a single worry about him getting out alive. Yep, pretty sure.

Anyway, it all worked out just fine, because they did in fact make it out alive; albeit, perhaps a little smelly and certainly covered in mosquito bites. And Sister B. Had the information all along (uh, huh, making me look bad) so no worries anyhow.

Okay, I'll try to stop rambling, and quickly move on to pictures.

6 hikers and a baby

2011-10-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know if we just like to make things difficult for ourselves or what, but we tend to do some crazy things as a family--most of them demanding physical exertion (e.g., pushing a big pioneer-inspired handcart on a 90-degree day along a trail that included a river crossing). Well, this summer we probably topped all our other crazy adventures with an overnighter hike/camping trip with the entire crazy fam, baby included.

So, here's how it all started ... I am brushing my teeth while Kevin gets ready for work on a random Friday in July, when he cheerily states, "why don't we hike into Lena Lake tonight for an overnighter. I'll try to come home at lunchtime so we can go." I smile and nod and mumble something (remember, I am brushing my teeth) like, "sure, Honey. Sounds good," honestly thinking that the chances of him coming home early are about as likely as me spending the morning scrubbing the oven. Translation: I'm in the clear. Whew!

Don't get me wrong. I like camping as much as the next outdoorsy gal. But air-mattress-type camping, where at night I climb into a nice comfy sleeping bag and cozy down with two fluffy pillows just for me. Not the type where I sleep on a pad as comfy as a cardboard box with a pillow that could fit in a lunch pail (assuming I have a pillow at all). Maybe my passion in this regard comes from the two+ weeks I spent backpacking in Chile, sleeping in a tent most nights. And I use the term "sleeping" very loosely.

Okay, so back to the story ... I'm busily going about my day, when Kevin shows up at lunchtime as promised:). Yay for me! Unfortunately I have not prepared one bit for the trip (wishful thinking I guess), and we have a house full of kids who need to be returned to their parents. Needless to say, it takes us quite some time to get packed up and out the door. By the time we are on the road, Friday-afternoon traffic is already in full swing. And as we creep our way out of the city I am beginning to get a little nervous that with the 2 hour+ drive ahead of us (more like 3+with the traffic), this hike is not such a great idea.

It is, in fact, 7:00 by the time we make our way to the trail head and twilight is already settling in, particularly under the thick cover of trees that crowd the mountain. A hiker or two pass us by on their way off the trail, but we seem to be the only ones just setting out (big surprise). Soon there are no other hikers to be found. Only us. Which in my mind makes us the perfect evening snack for a cougar or bear:). I smile, but I'm completely serious. When my mind is not focused on the pain and numbness in my right shoulder, it is intent on reassuring myself that if David could kill a Lion with a large stone (see Old Testament), than so could I. Which leaves me eying the trail for accessible and transportable rocks of very large proportions. No, really.

My only real reassurance is that Kevin and I both look quite large with our packs. The kids, particularly the younger ones, can't pack in much more than a light sleeping bag, so it's left to the two of us to bring up enough gear for the whole group (albeit, the older two boys do pack up all of their own clothing and some belonging to their siblings--great job, guys!). Since Kevin's pack is half full with a 5-man tent, we realize the only way to fit everything is for me to load the baby into a front pack/sling, so I can still manage a decent size pack on my back as well--hence the numb shoulder.

Since this post is getting extremely long, I'll just wrap it up by saying that since I'm writing this entry, we obviously did not get eaten by a bear. Or a cougar. We actually made it up the approximately four miles of trail in very good time and got our tent up just before the sky went completely black. We quickly climbed in and got ourselves arranged--which didn't take long since we had very little bedding;)--and settled down for a horrible nights sleep, which included me trying not to move a muscle for fear of disturbing the 10-month old cuddling against me who woke up crying every couple of hours (hope the other campers didn't mind:)), and all of the kiddies freezing their little behinds off throughout the night.

Okay, okay, so we cheated a little on the whole "roughing it" thing, and brought along my iPad so the kids could watch Rio.

I likely would have watched it as well, but Joseph was exhausted and would only be calmed by my laying really still beside him in the sleeping bag. Not the best thing for my slight tendency toward claustrophobia.

And now this is the scene in the morning: Joseph is as happy as can be crawling around, and I'm trying to hide away for a few moments of sleep ... probably some of my first.

The kids piling on each other in an effort to get warm. Their lightweight, "play" sleeping bags were all they could carry, but didn't provide much by way of insulation.

Mae, wishing she had slept here instead of in the tent ... her and me both!

Cheating again, playing DS by the fire.

Daddy and his boys (minus one). As a side note, all of our breakfast was cooked on that tiny little stove.

Still trying to get warm.

But never too cold to goof around!

Case in point.

Yay! The sun is out, it's a beautiful day, and we will be sleeping in our own beds tonight. Could life get any better?!

Oh wait, it just did ... FISHING!

And on our way back out, after a few hours of exploring. It was Saturday now and many hikers were on the trail. Let's just say we were quite the spectacle ... The story of our life!

Naptime for Joseph ... He was quite the trooper.

A quick stop by a local ice cream shop. Yum.

Okay, so the big question seems to be, would we do it again? Absolutely!! What an experience for our family. What a great opportunity to teach our kids to perservere, to do things even when they aren't easy. And what a great reminder of the fun and bonding that can take place in, well lets just say, not the most ideal of circumstances.

Only next time, no baby! Sorry, Joseph, you'll have to wait it out with Grandma for a couple of years ... make that a few.

Saying Goodbye

2011-10-09T22:43:00.001-07:00

So here's some family photos (just snapshots, really) of our last day with the extended fam. It was sad to say goodbye since we had so much fun hanging out together. We are already looking forward to the next time! Better start planning ...

Northwest Trek--family reunion continued ...

2011-10-03T23:09:00.001-07:00

The day (I think) after we returned from camping, we headed over to NW Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville to, "experience captivating Northwest wildlife" (as their site advertises:).

I think this picture shows everyone present, except for picture-taker Allison, my spunky, blonde sister-in-law. Unfortunately, there is hardly a picture of her to be found in the entire post, or in the one previous--a mystery I'm still trying to puzzle out. Part of the group had already left town or were busy at work.

First, we walked around and checked out some exciting animals ...
An owl ...

Uh, a badger ... Maybe ..

A lively otter ...

Two bald eagles ...

And a very large bird;) ...

A coyote ... I think ...

And a scary looking bear wearing a BYU hat.

Then we went for a ride on the tram and saw more animals ...

These are not animals, just kids (don't be confused)

Still no ...

And no again.
BTW, the guy in the back is not some stranger trying to sneak into the picture, but is in fact the father of the two cute granddaughters in g-ma & g-pa's laps.

I like this picture because it kind of gives an idea of what the tram looked like.
Oh, and still not animals, although on occasion I feel quite bear-ish.

Finally, here is Porter with ... Um ... Elk?

I was gonna say buffalo, but I'm pretty sure it's a bison ...

Cute little Bambie ...

When we were done taking pictures of wildlife, we snapped a shot of our wild family.

Then we made quick stop in the small children's activity center.

It was almost closing time, and we happened to be the only ones there.

And finally, despite all the great pictures we took there of many exciting animals, these pics are my favorite ...

Regardless of what one may assume from the exhausted bench nappers, it was actually a very serene and slow-paced setting--which was quite nice--and we had a thoroughly wild time (which is completely contradictory to what i just said, but oh well, I guess I'm into puns right now). Until next time, NW Trek.

Location:41st Pl S,Auburn,United States

Ensign Ranch-Family Reunion

2011-10-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

One place we always anticipate visiting, that is full of fun things to do (for those who love the outdoors like us), and wonderfully close by (just over an hour), is Ensign Ranch in Cle Elum, WA. It is a church-owned property (owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ... aka, the Mormons;)), but is opened to anyone who wishes to camp, rent a cabin, or just visit.

Our last extended stay there was two years ago, so we were happy to make it back again for a few days of fun with Kevin's family.

WARNING: Following is a mass of pictures that document the great time we had!! I really did leave out a lot but there are still quite a few.

The beautiful surroundings, and Kevin's Dad's awesome roof-top tent! Not sure it gets any more studly!

Fun around the camp ... "shooting" the blow gun, playing with cousins, and just hanging out.

love my boys!!! They are amazing and have got big heads to boot. JK, but James' head really was swollen up because of an apparent allergy to mosquitoes (of which there were quite a few). Eating time! One thing the Dueck family knows how to do is EAT. And that's no joke:). Mostly because of Papa Dueck's awesome cooking!

Bacon anyone??
Oh, and another thing they're really good at, is having FUN ... especially while eating! And that's definitely something to joke about.
Any ideas why I call these boys my wolf pack? Seriously, could we wear a shirt on occasion?? Oh, and no, this was not a planned photo shoot;).

Nothing like cousins!!

Girls at last!! What Mae doesn't have in sisters, she makes up for in girl cousins. Grandma's Store! The kids were able to earn play money by helping out around camp, and then redeem it a couple of times a day at Grandma's awesome store. She had all kinds of goodies and prizes. What's better than grandmas? Nothing. Well, maybe the candy that grandmas give you, but mostly nothing.

Lounging poolside (sort of). Kevin's sister has girls galore, and finally just had a cute little boy around the same time our Joseph was born. They enjoyed hanging out together in the fabulous portable tent, while we all took turns going down the huge slip n' slide.

And here it is ... our favorite part of Ensign Ranch. The wagon rides, horseback rides, fishing trips, rope swing adventures, and canoe strolls are all fun too, but what we really love is playing at the slip n' slide on a nice hot day. These pictures really don't show the size of the "slide" but it really is quite large--fitting maybe 20 adults along the top at the same time.Oh, so much fun! I'm so grateful for an incredible family, and can't wait for the next time we can all get together.

Buckley Log Show & "Parade"

2011-08-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sure to those outside of the NW (or possibly north as a whole), the concept of an entire show based around logs, logging, and loggers, is completely foreign and a bit freakish; however, in Buckley, WA, the annual log show is, in fact, an anticipated event. A weekend complete with log chopping, climbing, racing, and a parade that consists of many massive logging trucks and logging equipment, ridden on by adults and cute little logging children throwing an assortment of candy. Never having been before ourselves, we thought we'd try it out.

You may be wondering how fuzzy ponies fit in with a log show?? Well, just like any community "fair" or weekend event, the Buckley log show also had its share of vendors and activities--which the kids loved ... although maybe not so much as the candy from the parade.

James holding a pull up at the Marine-sponsored tent. There was also a 6-month pregnant lady doing it ... huh??
Here's Kevin, James, and Joseph in the show arena.

It's difficult to see in the picture, but there are young loggers at the top of each of those vertical logs. When I say young, I certainly do not mean children, but I assume they can't be much more than thirty to be able to make the climb and still have energy to chop. The crane on the left is someone unafraid of heights taking pictures. Grandpa Dueck and Porter.

Kevin's folks met up with us partway through the day. My mom was also there, but so many other people were also eager to attend the Buckley Log show that it wasn't exactly easy to tag up with each other.

I think Brooks is asking gramps for money;)

Oh wait, maybe he just wants kettle corn, since it looks like that's what his sister is eating.

Here we all are.

We certainly did have a fun day. The Buckley Log Show turned out to be a fun event.

Warning though to parents: not that I'm making judgements about loggers;), but the type of suggestive comments, beer consumption (albeit mostly in the beer garden), and ogling that you might expect to find at a log show, was present. Not to a crazy degree, but it was certainly there. Fortunately, it was loud and crowded enough that the kids didn't seem to notice. Still, you would want to use discretion.

Daddy's Boy

2011-08-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

I love these adorable pictures. For a while there, Joseph was happy to pick his dad over pretty much any other person ... including me much of the time. Kevin could make him giggle and laugh for minutes on end. Since some of that has recently changed, and now at 11 mos. he has a very heightened case of mommy-itis, I find these pictures to be even more precious.

Joseph in attack mode ... an old favorite pastime. In admiration! Okay, ready to play again.
Daddy's so silly!

Not to mention, the best dad in the world!

Love them both!

If I Only Had a Sister, Pt. 2

2011-08-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from a couple of months back, but I couldn't resist posting them. Mae and our good friend, Isabelle, had a little too much fun with Joseph one day, dressing him up in one of my baby dresses (yes, that makes it fairly ancient;).

The fun part was how patient and calm he was as the girls played dolly with him. He sat fairly still while they stuffed him into the too-small-dress and fastened up as many buttons as they could manage. I think he was so calm because he was in a daze of "is this what I have to put up with for the rest of my life?"

What are these crazy girls doing to me!?

Anyone have an extra baby sister for sale ... preferably one that likes to be dressed up all day long? The girls also had to add on a hat that Mae got for Easter this past year.
I can't tell if he's contemplating laughing or crying in this picture. Here I think he's just finally resigned to his hopeless state.

Oh, Joseph, we sure love you! You mean so much to our family. And I'm happy to report that Mae's insatiable appetite for dressing you up in frilly things seems to be at an end ... I think:).

Girls Night

2011-07-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago (that's how behind I am in my blogging:), the boys in our family had their annual fathers-and-sons campout. It is such a great event and the boys sincerely look forward to it every year. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from their fun weekend.

Mae and I, however, have started an annual tradition of our own, coinciding with the testosterone-driven camping trip. No surprise, we took plenty of pictures to share!

Last year during our girls night, I was hastily preparing for YW camp, so poor Mae just got to stay up late with myself and a good friend/camp assistant (love ya, Ruth!), eating pizza, drinking smoothies, and sorta watching a movie while spray painting wiffle balls and attempting to turn a large white sheet into an attractive camp banner;).

This year, now that I'm no longer in charge of girls camp, things were a little more low key. We ventured out to the store for Mae to pick out her very first pillow pet (shown below), and then returned home to watch a movie, paint fingernails, and then watch another movie in bed while falling quickly to sleep ... another late night and oh so fun!!

This little girl is so amazing!

And so much fun to be around.She is just as goofy as she is beautiful, and I LOVE that about her! Are we smiling because of the pillow pet ... or because there are no boys around??:):) Painted toe nails Little feet are the cutest! Thanks, Mae, for being my not-so-little anymore yet always amazing daughter!!

James' Baptism

2011-07-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

J ...

Jack of all trades

A ...

Always ready for the next challenge

M ...

Master of the pogo stick and back flip (trampoline style)

E ...

Excellent at climbing, fixing, building, biking, etc.

S ...

Such a good babysitter for little Joseph

A while back I blogged about James' 8th birthday, and now I finally get to blog about his baptism! The fact that it's now July 2nd and this all took place on May 7th? Well, that's just life. Even two months late, I would never miss the opportunity to mention how amazing this kid is, and how great it was to share in his baptism day with him.

Here is the whole family (minus picture taker, Heidi). We were also privileged to have some good friends join us ... Manjares and Sanner families, Grishams, Dawnette, etc.

There really is no greater joy than watching your children grow and make good choices.

These two are such great buds. James loves to help his dad with projects around the house (fixing things, splitting wood, home improvement projects). Grandma Loo! Grandpa & Grandma Dueck! Grandpa John!

Auntie Heidi! And here's our crazy, goofy, loud, active, amazing family!

Ouch! Watch the hair, Joseph.

James, you are an outstanding boy! You are so good at figuring out how things work. Thanks for fixing things for me and teaching me how to use my own phone/ipad:). You are smart, funny, handsome, strong, kind, gentle, and loving. It is an honor to be your mother!

On Orthodontics ...

2011-06-11T21:54:00.001-07:00

I just took Porter to the orthodontist for the first time for a consultation. After hearing about the "Phase 1" work that was recommended, and the price tag involved, Kevin says ...

'Porter's going to have to work a long time without allowance to pay off his orthodontics."

Porter, of course, is only 9-years old:). His father then adds on,

"He'll be like an indentured servant."

Ha! Poor kid. He doesn't even want the painful, unsightly work done in the first place, and now he's on track to become our personal slave for basically the rest of his life (especially once we hit "Phase 2" ... yikes!).

Sorry, Porter. We will try to be kind masters;).

Where Is This Child's Mother??

2011-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Where in the world is this adorable child's mother? Does she realize that her little 8-month-old baby is getting plastered with stickers by his crazy big brother! I'm pretty sure this qualifies as neglect. And she calls herself his mom.

Good luck little Joe. I'll be praying for you.

Two Cute Cub Scouts

2011-06-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Since James is now 8, he recently was able to start Cub Scouts--something he is incredibly excited about, since he loves loves LOVES anything relating to the outdoors. He is a gem of a boy and is already an excellent little scout!

Mom and Cub

Such a cute kid.
Brother Scouts ... could it get any cuter? (if only they were always so happy with each other;)

Thirty Something

2011-06-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like I waited forEVER to turn thirty. I talked about it, joked about it, planned for it, anticipated it, etc. etc. and finally, at a snail's pace, the day arrived (last year of course). The crazy part is I'm pretty sure my 31st birthday was just a week later. Seriously, the year flew by so quickly. I can now see why, at 32, my sweet husband was already commenting on being close to 40. I know the term, "time flies" is really cliche, but it just does!

Here I am (now 31-years old) at my in-law's home with my hubby. How I adore him and appreciate all he does. As a side note, I just realized that the shirt I'm wearing in this picture makes me look prego, which I most certainly am NOT. Just wanted to throw that out there in case anyone was wondering.

Here I am with some of my kiddies being spoiled as always. I've never been a gadget person, but I do love my new toy:).And here is my "little" family all together. What a fun girl picture, starring Kevin's mom and sister in the middle, as well as my mom on the right. Oh, and by the way, I'm sporting my new shirt (b-day gift) that I just love!

Thanks everyone! I'll see you next week for the big "32".

2011-06-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

I love school. I love field trips and popcorn days, talent shows and assemblies, school library books and end-of-the-year field days. And I really love the interactions between the kids and their many excellent teachers!

Here are a couple of pics of James and Mae at their yearly school concert. They happened to be combined this year which was nice. I think we forgot to take the camera to Porter's concert which took place a month before--shhhh, don't tell.

James is the one in orange and white stripes--can't miss him;)

Mae is on the second row, fourth one in from the right (behind the kid in black with the cute tie).

8 is GREAT!

2011-06-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

James was fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough depending on how you look at it) to share his birthday with Easter Sunday this year. Possibly the reason I don't have very many pictures of his portion of the event--oops.

Opening presents.

The main thing James asked for this year was money so he could buy his own fly fishing rod, reel, etc. (he's quite the outdoorsman), he did get a few other fun things, though.Pop-up soccer goals.
This is just here because it's cute.

Key-lime cupcakes.

James really wanted key-lime cheesecake from Costco (also my favorite!!) but they haven't carried it for the past two years:(, so I used a recipe my mother-in-law gave me. The cupcakes were delicious!

James, Porter, and Dad also spent a fun afternoon swimming at a local community center in honor of the big day, but unfortunately, I don't have have pictures of that.

Love you, James (the Jammer) Dueck!!

Early Easter Morning

2011-05-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

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;)

Life is Tough!

2011-05-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

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?!

Lone Lake

2011-05-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

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 FJ40 (I think) for anyone truck savvy--which I most certainly am not.

Pinewood Derby 2011

2011-05-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

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!).

Beautiful Bob

2011-05-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

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 ten inches plus to chop, Mae was able to donate her beautiful shiny hair to Locks of Love.Which made the haircut that much more exciting!

Science Fair:)

2011-05-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

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 substance to explode/erupt.I know, I know. Shocking that two 9-year-olds would hope to see anything explode.

I have no idea what is going on in this picture. All I can say is that Porter and Marcel had A LOT of fun working on this together. Some might say a little too much fun. Not me, of course, but someone out there. It's possible.

If only all school work were this fun!

Great work, boys! You all did an excellent job. Until next year ... I hear we might be doing something with fast food chicken nuggets and french fries. Hmmm.

If I Only Had a Sister

2011-05-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

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 other differences.

Wait a minute, that's not Joseph's shirt!
Finally I observed that Mae had put her excellent baby maneuvering skills to work in order to dress her patient little brother in her favorite "Daddy's Rock Star" attire.

Can you say, most patient baby in the world? Pretty patient sister as well, to put up with four brothers all the time;). Mae, you're amazing!

Go Wolverines!

2011-05-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

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 2nd 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 4th 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 months here.)

Sprinting up the court.

Nice huddle team. Oh, and check out those handsome coaches!

Until next year, Wolverines!

What's That Yellow Stuff??

2011-04-08T09:38:00.001-07:00

So admittedly it's been a little gloomy around here, and I'm not just talking about the weather. I ended up with the flu on Saturday--all that achy, feverish, respiratory awfulness. Unfortunately, that happened to be the first day of LDS ("Mormon") General Conference:(. I know I've blogged about this before, but General Conference is two days of incredible televised talks from the prophet, apostles, and other inspired individuals. It also happens to represent a family tradition, where we go to Kevin's parents' house (on Sunday at least), eat crepes and bacon for breakfast, and hang out all day watching conference together, only to eat something yummy for dinner as well. I typically post a video of my favorite talk, but since I was half dead during the actual event, I can hardly remember anything I listened to. I'll try to post my favorite talk once I decide what it was. For any curious individuals or closet Mormons (you know who you are!) you can find out more about our church by checking out Mormon.org. Anyway, to make matters worse, the kids have been home all week long for Spring Break with me still totally sick. "Wow, kiddies, how about we lay around for a week making sure mom has enough tissue to cover a mountain and listening to her hack up a lung!" Yeah, what a fun break. Okay, so the reason I'm even blogging right now is because we actually experienced a ray of sunshine (literally) yesterday afternoon. I was still feeling awful, but the sun came out for the first time all week, the three older kids were in the backyard having a great time playing together, and I was in the kitchen basking in the golden rays of light pouring in through the sliding glass door. So at this moment of somewhat perfect serenity (minus the throbbing sinuses), my always humorous four-year-old walks into the kitchen, looks around puzzled, and inquires ... "What's all this yellow stuff?" Huh? So I reply ... "Uh, it's called sunshine." Yep, it's a sad reality. My poor child hardly knows sunshine even when he's blinded by it. Regardless, we were all very happy for a little yellow stuff, and are looking forward to a lot more yellow stuff in the future--especially now that I'm starting to feel a little better ... now that's some yellow stuff for you.

Question of the Day

2011-03-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

So, we're clearing the table after dinner a week-or-so ago, and Porter very seriously inquires...

"Mom, Dad, can I ask you a question?"

Wow, I think, here's our moment. We've worked hard to make dinnertime togetherness a priority: setting the table in advance, sitting down together, spending time with one another, opening up the channels of communication, etc. etc. etc. blah, blah, blah. And now our hard work is paying off!

"Sure Porter what is it?" we ask, almost in unison ... awaiting his life-changing inquiry (at least I was, I certainly can't vouch for his father).

"Well," he begins, "why does it sound like breaking glass when you tear off a vampire's arms or legs??"

Pause.

Seriously? that's why I fold napkins into nice straight rectangles and hound everyone about getting to the table while the food's still warm? All so we discuss the cacophony of tearing vampire flesh? And to top it off, Kevin--as easy as if Porter had asked what's for breakfast--comes up with some very reasonable sounding explanation.

Ah well, I guess the life changing stuff will have to wait!

One Six-Year-Old's Fabulous Imagination:)

2011-03-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

My little Mae is awe-struck over the fun images being spread via email showing the creative pictures a mother in Helsinki Finland takes of her sleeping baby. She's so awe-struck, in fact, that she just had to try this out for herself. After all, she does have a somewhat willing baby at her disposal.

Here's The Princess and the Frog, just one of many whimsical scenes captured by this creative mom.
And here's Mae's version ... I'm not entirely sure what everything is supposed to represent. But there's no mistaking that Joseph is in fact the princess, he either has a pink hat or pink hair, the orange bandanna is his beautiful dress, and the frog squeaky toy is definitely, well, the kiss-happy frog.
And here is another pose that she came up with (and roped Brooks into) ... I believe the burp cloths at top are birds--possibly seagulls, Mae and Brooks are holding a bouquet of balloons, and there are fluffy white bunnies hopping with joy alongside the two jolly children.

What an imagination.

V-day

2011-02-24T07:54:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day ...

A day of tiny paper cards that say things like, "Hop to it and be mine!" (Littlest Pet Shop), "To a totally dustworthy Valentine" (Tinkerbell), "You're my hero!" (Power Rangers), and my personal favorite, "Glad you're on my side, Val Pal!" (Wolverine X-Men).

A day of endless heart-shaped lollipops.

A day when nervous husbands make a mad dash for the nearest grocery store's floral dept (a ritual that I personally observed this year).

A day of the famous paper mail box.

A day of heart-shaped Papa Murphy's pizza (in our house at least).

A day of LOVE:)
Joseph, I love the way you suck your toes (sorry you didn't make it into the picture).
Brooks, I love your belly laugh.
Mae, I love your "sorry" notes.
James, I love your recycle-bin inventions.
Porter, I love how you play with Brooks.
Honey, I love the way you love me (like the song:):)
Okay, I'll be serious ... I love what a creative father you are!

Carseat Conversations

2011-02-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

This may just look like your typical Iron-Man loving, I'm-scared-so-I-need-to-sleep-with-my-big-brother, four-year-old, but in actuality this little man is quite the philosopher. Since it's often just the two of us (and cute baby Joseph) driving around during the day while the kids are in school, we have many interesting carseat conversations. Here's one that occurred recently while driving home from swim lessons, as Brooks stared thoughtfully at the almost translucent clouds.

B: Mom, are we real people?

Moment of contemplation.

Me: Yes ... You mean are we human beings?

B: Uh, huh.

Momentary pause.

Me: Do you think we are?

B: No.

Hmmm.

Me: Well, then what do you think we are?

B: I think we're cartoons.

Interesting!

Me: Oh.
What else can you say to that kind of philosophy?

Someday much too soon I will REALLY miss these kinds of conversations!!

New Year's Fun!

2011-02-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

Our New Year's Eve posting, and only a month-and-a-half late--not too bad:).

I know I should probably have something profound to say about the beginning of a new year and all of my well-thought-out resolutions. But the fact is, the older I get, the more each year just sort of melts into the next. And as far as my resolutions go; well, like I said it's been a month-and-a-half. I've already forgotten what they were.

I do remember, though, what a great time we had together celebrating the arrival of 2011. We headed to Chuck E. Cheese's in the evening to enjoy some so-so pizza and old fashioned skee ball. The place was relatively empty which was quite nice, and made the outing that much more enjoyable. As a side note, my favorite game was a simulated jump rope activity, which I was totally awesome at;).

On the way home, we picked up a dozen (or so) Krispy Kreme donuts ... but who's counting?? And then stayed up late into the night watching New Year's programs on TV and playing Settlers with Porter and James.

The boys were obviously still very energized, but I gotta' say, Dad was starting to look a little sleepy.

What could be better than being a mom to such amazing kids!

Sometime after midnight, Brooks finally gave up and went to sleep.

And Mae was quick to follow.

New Year's Resolutions?? I may as well take a stab at it. How about this ...

Love life, and
Love my family
even more than I do right now!

Oh, and staying caught up on this blog couldn't hurt either.

Snow Outing

2011-02-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

As my official final posting of 2010 (sigh of relief ... can't wait to print the whole thing off), I get to blog about the little snow outing we squeezed in the Monday after Christmas. Seeing as last year there was almost no snow to be found, this outing was definitely long overdue! For some reason we did have some difficulty locating a good spot, but ultimately found somewhere off the beaten path and ended up having a great day! It was a fun way to enjoy the beautiful winter weather with our family. Did I mention this is my last post of 2010???:)

I'm not sure what's up with the face, but here's our cute little Mae in her new Christmas jacket.

Brooks and his 2nd mom (love ya, Heidi), coming down the bumpy path. Mae and James examining the snow with Uncle Nick. Nice snowman, Mae, Brooks, & Aunt Melanie! ... Nick and Melanie are the celebrities when they come into town.Kevin in the process of putting his back out:).

Brooks waiting for his hot chocolate to cool ... Grandpa had quite the little setup. Maybe this will speed the process up a bit.
Kevin and Mae racing down the trail.

Wow, this whole sledding business is sure exhausting.

Silly pics.

Here's the whole gang ... well, minus Joseph who was toastily sleeping in the car, Melanie & Nick who were probably smooching somewhere, and the photographer (Miss Heidi).

And more silly pics.

So cute. I really wish Joseph made it into this one. Heidi with her boys, and girl:)

This was so much fun, I can hardly wait to do it again. Hopefully Grandma Loo will be able to come along with us next time.

Seriously, though, did I already say this was my last posting for the year?

Christmas Morning

2011-02-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

I always loved springing out of bed on Christmas morning and discovering what fun surprises were hiding under the three. Really, though, the most thrilling time may have been the period between waking up and peeling back the paper on the first gift ... before any presents had actually been opened. It was just so exciting. As a parent, that excitement is magnified by about a million. There is almost nothing better than watching the faces of your little kiddos on Christmas morning as they anticipate what perfect treasure could be awaiting them.

This is the face of a very excited, but also very tired dad, who stayed up way too late the night before. Really. What was he thinking??

Kevin is ALWAYS the first one down stairs on Christmas morning. He turns on the lights, starts the Christmas music, grabs the camera, and by the looks of the family room, lets the rest of us know whether or not the big guy thought we were naughty or nice throughout the year. Even Joseph is excited.
May as well play with Christmas Eve gifts while waiting for the okay from Dad.

More Christmas Eve gifts.

Dashing down the stairs.

So at the beginning of this post I mentioned "presents hiding under the tree" and "peeling back" actual wrapping paper. Well, that was me as a kid. In our house now on Christmas morning, the presents are set up all over the room and there is no actual wrapping paper to be found. It's kind of like walking in to a mini toy store.

Yes, those are pogo sticks.

How excited can we get about headbands? Very excited!

Gotta love the one pushed up pant leg, courtesy of baby brother and his fondness for spitting up.

Spy goggles.

The ultimate Iron Man.

Trick cars.

Electronic drum set ... notice the head phones:). This picture is to prove that I actually was awake and present.

Finally checking out the stockings.

I think Joseph just realized he will be spending a lifetime as the little sister Mae never had.

Fun marble set.

She sure adores this baby!

Wow, this air hockey table sure is fun, but where in the world are we going to put the thing. Any ideas .... Dad??

Christmas Eve, Part Two

2011-02-07T23:14:00.000-08:00

After our enjoyable evening with the extended fam, we mosied on back to our place (along with my mom) to finish up with the traditional Christmas pjs and some other very unique gifts. I should probably mention that while I grew up with the one-gift-on-Christmas Eve style of celebrating, Kevin was mostly raised on his Dad's tradition of family presents on Christmas Eve and Santa gifts on Christmas morning. It's probably already very obvious that his method won and we've been celebrating in that manner for the past 11 years.

Unfortunately, part way into the gift giving the battery on our camera went dead, so I really only have a few pictures to show. What I like, though, about the pictures I do have is that they mostly seem to reflect the personal, hand-made gifts that we exchanged that evening. It's kind of fun to focus on the thought and care that went into creating something just right for a loved one.

These pjs, of course, were in fact NOT hand made. Although, Grandma did have to do a little tailoring to get them fitting just right--particularly so that all the "big" boys could match each other. We figured Mae would be happier pretty in pink.Everyone complimenting James on his resourceful use of a cardboard box.
A box that he turned into a racing pod/space shuttle for his little brother.

James, apparently the big gift giver of the night, presenting a ribbon necklace to Grandma.

Oh, and one for me as well. Thanks, buddy. You little charmer.

And Mae giving her school-made certificate gift to Dad (and me). Thanks, Babe. Can't wait to cash in on that "clean up my room" coupon. Maybe I can get her to throw in a foot rub just for kicks.

Who needs gift when you've got a baby to hold!

I don't remember the gift involved here, but I want to freeze that hug and those smiles in my mind forever. The awe-inspiring purity of a child ... James was thrilled to give Kevin a card with a lollipop and a penny taped to it.

And that about sums it up. This is the point where the camera goes dead. Oh well, the pictures that we did manage to get are extra priceless.

Christmas Eve Party

2011-02-07T22:03:00.001-08:00

Every other year Kevin's parents stay home for Christmas and we join them for a wonderful evening of amazing food, beautiful Christmas music, a reading and sometimes reenactment:) of the nativity story, and special gift giving that can go on very late into the night. Now that we have our own children and our own home in the area, we say goodnight a little earlier than we use to and head back to our house to tuck the little ones in before Santa's arrival. But we have a great time all the same!

Here are the kids at their own little table. Even Joseph is part of the gang. My mother-in-law has a daycare, so we use her large daycare room to provide ample room for everyone present.

And here is the big people table. Notice the hard-working lds missionaries (who often join us), and of course Nick and Melanie (Kevin's brother and delightful new wife).

Papa Dueck carving one deliciously smoked turkey. Yum! My mom, Grandma Loo herself, who also joins us for the big night. Lookin' good, Loo Loo!

After we are ridiculously full from dinner, we then head upstairs to have a little program and eat lots of yummy treats ... so that we can be even more ridiculously full.

Mae's getting a head start on the rest of us. Momma Dueck in her gorgeous kitchen.

Loo and Joseph. Just hanging out.

And the program begins, with James ...

... and Porter playing Christmas songs they learned from their fabulous piano teacher (aka, Grandma Loo). We were also privileged to hear from Melanie & Nick.

Here is the reenactment of the nativity account; which is always very interesting when children are involved. In this particular picture for example, I have no idea in the world why Brooks (Mr. Wise Man) is laying spread out on the nice soft floor. Maybe he's mistaking this with the story of the Good Samaritan. All of us with Kevin's folks.

All of us with Kevin's folks, now wearing funny faces. James looks particularly psychotic.

And our own little family that we still can't believe is ours.

Where there's a cute and cuddly baby, there's a doting Auntie Heidi.

It's always fun to have a little Christmas baby -- Joseph at 3 1/2 months. Babies are just too much fun. We are all so happy to have him!

Little Mae very delicately enjoying her new Belle figurine. Nick and Melanie all geared up for battle. This was our gift to them. Think it was Kevin's idea??? I'm not telling. Hopefully they still like us.

Our new super soft blanket. Just perfect for cuddling up under with someone most especially special.

What a joyful tradition. We absolutely love making memories with all of our family. And I can't imagine a better purpose to be together than to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus the Christ. Our knowledge of Him makes the joy of family that much more exquisite.

Porter in Charge

2011-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I should be blogging about Christmas so I can finally get caught up with 2010, but I just can't help post these pictures that represent what happens when my incredibly bright, cartoon loving, book devouring oldest child gets left in charge of "babysitting".

I asked Porter to be in charge of Joseph the other day so I could quickly do something. The pictures below show the scene when I returned. Keep in mind that Joseph was on a blanket on the floor looking at his toys before I originally headed out of the room.

How ya doing over there, Joseph?

Why wouldn't a nine-year-old boy think his little baby brother would like to hang out on the sofa and watch some tv with him?? seems perfectly logical to me. The best part is that Joseph is having a great time. He doesn't mind that he's possibly been forgotten or that his current guardian is two, make that three places removed from him. He's just discovered that there are two funny flat things attached to the end of his person and they are pretty entertaining to wiggle around. To be a kid again!

Boys Just Wanna Have Fun ... At Christmas Parties

2011-01-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

I had to take a quick minute to post pictures from our annual ward Christmas party. I really don't have many to post--not hardly any with Santa, and not a single one of Mae or Joseph ... I really am not entirely sure why this is the case, other than the fact that I was very preoccupied carting around a baby (one that happened to be cranky that evening) and visiting with friends who we had invited to join us for the party. Regardless, the pictures that I did end up with are absolutely adorable (shhh, don't tell the boys I used that word).

James, Brooks, and cute friends waiting in line to see Santa.

Is it just me, or does Brooks look a little unsure as to why he's sitting on the big guys lap?

James outgrowing Santa's lap altogether.

Okay, so the next pictures are actually my favorites. I just love seeing these little men try to get in there and do what they can to help out ... or maybe they just enjoy displaying their muscular abilities, but either way, it's cute.

How many 4-, 7-, & 9-year-olds does it take to carry a table?

Come on boys, you can do it!
Okay, maybe just a little help from Dad would be nice, but great work, guys!

Sure do love my strong boys!

Joy to the World

2011-01-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

Our church hosted a wonderful "Joy to the World" exhibit in early December where hundreds of nativities from all over the world, and many beautiful pieces of Christ-centered artwork were on display. The exhibit also included musical numbers by talented individuals and groups from around our area--including local school groups. I know many other LDS (Latter-day Saint) churches have been organizing this type of event for several years now (we helped with one in outside of Houston a few years back) and we are happy to now have this great seasonal exhibit in our current area.

I was actually not able to attend, because I was out of town for the funeral of my dear sweet grandmother. But Kevin, my mom, and the kids (plus cousin) ventured out to check out the nativities and have adorable pictures taken of the kids dressed in nativity clothing.

Thanksgiving

2011-01-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

We weren't planning on a traditional Thanksgiving this year. Kevin's parents were away in Utah for the holiday, and my own family was not getting together until the Saturday after--to enjoy something new this year: oven fried chicken and pascolina (spinach pie) courtesy of my sister and her new husband. It seemed like a good idea to cook up a simple turkey, bake some rolls, and snack away before heading out for a relaxing Thanksgiving-day movie.

The morning of, though, Kevin decided that the day just wouldn't be the same without the anticipated Thanksgiving meal. So, we quickly whipped up some mashed potatoes, heated a couple of cans of veggies, opened a few bottles of sparkling cider, threw on our nicest table cloth, and sat down to a hodge-podge Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn't very impressive, but we certainly did enjoy ourselves ... and we definitely enjoyed the huge pumpkin pie my mom had picked up the day before at Costco. YUM!

Here's James doing an excellent job with the whipping cream (for the pie of course).

And here we are sitting down to our wonderful meal. Sorry about the potatoes in Porter's mouth ... it was the best picture I could find.

Apparently sitting down to a "formal" dinner did not stop us from having some fun.
We were lucky to have the very stylish Grandma Loo along with us for the day.

And what's Thanksgiving without a little post-turkey nap ... good luck, Hon!

What fun, and oh so much to be grateful for!

Brooks' Big Day

2011-01-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ending the parade of fall birthdays in our family (five within two months of each other), on the day of Joseph's blessing we also celebrated our Star Wars fanatic's big number "4".

With all of the other kids in school this year (except for baby of course), Brooks is my little buddy at home during the day. He is so much fun to be around, and is constantly saying silly things. Like when, while sitting at the kitchen table several months ago, he rested his head solemnly in his hands and stated, "I hate Mondays!" I have no idea where he picked it up from, but it did in fact happen to be a Monday (a fact I'm almost positive he was not aware of) which made the outburst that much more hilarious. That type of humor-inspiring comment is a moment-by-moment occurrence with this expressive little child.

With the birth of Joseph, Brooks is now a big brother and is doing a phenomenal job at it. He let's me know when Joseph is hungry, tired, happy, etc. and is constantly commenting on how cute Joseph is ... a comment which is usually followed with, "wasn't I cute as a baby?"

You know it, little buddy! And still are as cute as they come.

Here's the whole gang again.

Grandma loving on the birthday boy.
Pre-present excitement.

Okay, I think we're all ready.

Everyone wants to help.Fun gifts!

Tron & a new sleeping bag!

Here's the demonstration ...
And an awesome new DS game ... Kung Zhu.

Mom may have bought it, but Dad was definitely the brains behind the gift. Apparently a love for video games runs in the family.

Brooks and his second mom:)Grandma and her girls.

With four birthdays already behind us, I for one was getting extremely tired of cake. I tried to talk my kids into something different, but with no success. If we had to have yet another cake, though, I suppose this one was pretty fun! Actually Brooks told me, his very non cake-decorating mother, the day of the party/blessing that he wanted a Kunh Zhu (aka hamster) cake. Seriously? I told him that his Dad and I would do our best.

Here's what we came up with in a moments notice ...

It was actually pretty fun to put together and turned out reasonably cute, if I do say so myself.

Happy birthday wishes, Brookers! You are one amazing four-year-old.

BTW, does anybody else think it's insane that I'm letting my boys have chocolate birthday cake while wearing ties and white shirts??? Hopefully I had them change their clothes before digging in, but I honestly can't remember for sure. Oops.

Blessing Day for Joseph

2011-01-24T22:51:00.000-08:00

There are always so many things to blog about that poor little Joseph doesn't get a whole lot of air time. His blessing day, however, is one post I wouldn't miss. He is such a sweet little spirit.

Most people think we're crazy for having so many kids. "Wow, five?" or "you've sure got your hands full," are comments that we hear on a very regular basis. The school drop off crew (fifth graders in orange vests) fondly refers to our vehicle as the clown car because when we pull up in the morning and start unloading, kids just keep climbing out. we've even been greeted with the traditional circus melody on occasion.

Despite what it may look like, though, having children is not something we take lightly. Each child is wondrously unique and beautifully intricate. Knowing each one of them is a delight, raising them is a privilege. Not having Joseph in our home was simply not an option. In the months before we decided to have him, his little spirit pulled at me continuously. The only way I can really describe it is that I knew I had another child. At times I could feel him just as closely as I could feel the children already in my home. I just couldn't see him.

Here is our"little" family. We are certainly not perfect but oh, how we love each other! Handsome dad. Handsome baby.
Just the boys.

Grandma Loo & grandkids (minus two cowgirl cuties).

Grandpa Jacobs loving every minute of being a grandparent!

Grandma & Grandpa Dueck and the lovely Heidi. Do they look excited to have another baby in the family?

Joseph, we sure are happy to have you in our family! We know you get manhandled at times and can hardly ever get a minute of quiet. But, we will always care for you, watch over you, support you, and most importantly love you. Thanks for being ours!

Climbing with Dad!

2011-01-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

The latest craze in the Dueck family (adding to the list of Foosball, Rockband, and Settlers) is rock climbing. Of course, I say "rock climbing" in the moderated, indoor climate and cute-colorful footholds sense, not in the "get me off this cliff, now!" type way; although, knowing our kids, that may follow at some future date (unfortunately!!). The pictures below are from an outing that Kevin had with Mae and James, representing Mae's first time climbing:). I heard she was not entirely sure about the whole thing, and needed some extra encouragement part way up, but ultimately she made it. Good job, Girly Girl!! And you too, James the Man.

Halloween 2010

2011-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

Halloween this year was, of course, very exciting as always. The kids all knew exactly what they wanted to be. James was set on the grim reaper, Mae just had to be a green witch, and Brooks was adamant about going as the Prince of Persia (even though you'll see in the pics below, he looks more like a Jedi--good thing he's too young to know;)). Porter was the exception ... he really didn't care what costume he wore so long as he came home with a bucket full of candy (I guess that means he's getting older).

As ridiculous as we probably look every year, Kevin and I just can't help but dress up in some shape or form. It's just too much fun. A couple of nights before Halloween we headed to the Spirit of Halloween store--along with James who "needed" a half axe for his costume--to scope out some costume ideas. After contemplating bacon and eggs, Avatars (that one looked pretty fun), and vampires (let's face it, Kevin's already got the hair for it), we decided just to scrimp around the house like we've done in previous years (oil riggers two years ago, pirates last year, etc.) and come up with something hodgepodge.

And so we ended up going as ... BYU super fans. I know, I know, very original!

Here's the whole clan.

And here are my terrifying cuties.

Oh, and this little cutie ... super fan baby (notice the duck-taped "Y").

Mae was determined to be a green witch, but wasn't so sure about it once Kevin got the paint on.

James held a mini grim reaper convention at the trunk-or-treat we attended with our church.

Prince of Persia meets ghoulish ghost .. but way cuter!

I guess I never mentioned that Porter ended up going as John Connor (Terminator Salvation).

Rise and Shout the Duecks are out.

So, the fun part was that my good friend came in her University of Utah sweatshirt. After a quick visit (for her) to the face painting station, we decided to have a little fun with our friendly rival (don't worry, no one was injured in the taking of this picture) ...

Oh, and what's Halloween without a picture of grandma in her traditional Pumpkin Fairy outfit.

Painted Pumpkins

2010-12-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

Mae ended up in a first-grade class this year and so missed the traditional kindergarten pumpkin patch excursion. So, a couple of days before Halloween, we decided to venture out on our own for a surprisingly sunny day at the pumpkin patch.

In an effort to keep things low key, I picked Scholz Farm, where I had gone with the school during the boys' days in Kindergarten. I figured we'd save the more theme-park type farms for a year when Kevin could attend along with us.

Here is Grandma Loo (and attached Baby Joseph) looking out toward the actual pumpkin patch.

Grandma and baby again in front (kinda) of the giant hay pile (also the favorite play spot).
The boys comparing their height to several fat pumpkins.

And Mae doing the same

I should probably mention that Brooks was at Grandma's Halloween daycare party, in case anyone wonders why he was so rudely omitted from the pictures. We did have a friend along, though, as is somewhat evident in the pic below.

Cute, James.

Mae and Porter as two of the seven dwarfs; although I'm not well-versed enough on the subject to recognize which ones they are supposed to be.

Mae with the beautiful, albeit slightly large headed, Snow White (or is it Wendy???)

The kids pondering the meaning of the strange little pumpkin fish. This would probably be a good time to mention that Scholz Farm is known for its painted pumpkin displays. This display in particular is probably my favorite--I especially liked the "Do Not Swim" sign.

Just a grouchy old pumpkin man.

And the very short but also completely free maze that we attempted to get lost in.

Almost ready to pick our pumpkins and go.

Just as soon as we agree on a wheelbarrow.

What a fun day!

Orange and Black Day

2010-12-31T15:32:00.000-08:00

I just had to quickly post a cute shot of my kids on orange-and-black day. Unlike when I was a kid, they are no longer allowed to have Halloween parties and wear Halloween costumes to school. So I guess this is the next best thing.

The fun part is that James actually dressed Brooks on this day, and made sure his little brother was also sporting black and orange.

City in the Clouds

2010-12-31T15:26:00.000-08:00

Kevin was in a meeting a couple of months ago in the tallest building (Columbia Towers, I think) in downtown Seattle ... Incidentally it was a meeting on "cloud" computing. :-)

[The picture below shows Qwest Field and right behind it, Safeco Field.]

He was snapping some pictures of the city view ...

[The back-center of this next image shows the Seattle Space Needle (as labeled). The building to the left of the Space Needle (also labeled) you'll want to remember.] It was already a cloudy day (cloudy in Seattle? Shocking, I know), and within moments a thick blanket of clouds floated in and the entire city just disappeared ...

Except for this ..

There's no doubt that the most poignant beauty in this earth is usually the result of simple acts of nature. But how cool to be there at the moment it all happens.

This image in particular could lend itself to several inspiring analogies. I kind of like the idea that in the chaos of city life--or just life for that matter--there is peace to be found. We just have to set our sights a little higher and then let God do His work.

Birthday Girl

2010-12-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

The big day this year for our school-going, scooter-riding, book-reading, and boy-surviving six-year-old was full of hearts (heart-shaped pizza, heart-shaped cake), creative thinking (see Porter's gift to her below), and lots of funny faces ... primarily from the birthday girl herself.

Mae is a such a little peach. She is sparkly and fun and often thinking of things she can do and make for others. So, it was fun to do something special for her ...

Heart-shaped cake. Heart-shaped pizza ... I really don't think the whole heart theme was intentional.What a cute little girl sandwich. Brooks certainly loves a good party. And he always seems to be hanging out near the gifts. Hmmm. We love our Grandma Loo!

Nice mouth, Porter ... courtesy of Aunt Peggy ... and awesome Skee Ball game, Mae. What a cool brother to make that for you! Funny face part 1. Funny face part 2.

Ahh. What a happy birthday girl.

Funny face part 3. And those are some seriously cute pink boots, if I do say so myself.

More funny faces ... apparently it runs in the family.

Oh, yeah. And I almost forgot about the Build-a-Bear birthday excursion with Mae, her cousin Gracie, myself and of course, Baby Joseph.

Sleeping away at the mall.

Cute cousins!

Nice fluffing, girls.

Very nice posing too!

Thanks for being you, Mae. You really do bring a lot of sparkly personality into the very male-dominated Dueck home! Love you.

Mt. Si Outing

2010-12-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I both love to hike. There's just something great about the physical challenge of hefting your way up an unruly mountainside. The fun part, though, is watching our kids develop a love for it as well. Or who knows, maybe they're just tolerating our insanity. But, they do seem to enjoy it. The best part is that it gets them away from the TV, computer, and multiple gaming systems that are constantly trying to lure them in, and they are finally able to push their physical limits a little bit and see what these amazing bodies we've been given are actually capable of.

Recently Kevin took James and Porter up to Mt. Si, a very popular trail in this area that is around 8 miles round trip, with an elevation change of about 3700 feet. It was one of the more strenuous hikes the boys had been on and they certainly came home tired, but they had a great time spending the day sweating it out with Dad.

Here's a shot of the peak in the distance. And another shot showing the comparison between Little Si (which they had been on previously) and the actual Mt. Si.
Here they are at the trail head nice and fresh, already having found a cool walking stick--definitely one of the highlights of hiking for seven- and nine-year-old boys.

Just taking a little break.
Still looking energetic. Oh, and you've gotta love James' collared shirt .. looks like he's ready to head to school (even the top button is nicely secured;).
Maybe starting to wear out a little. Notice the flushed cheeks.

Oh, but it's all worth it when the end finally comes into sight, and a great view doesn't hurt either.

My incredible little men. Gets a little cold when you're up so high, especially once the heat of the hike wears off and the sweat sets in.

I don't know how it got up there, but apparently the end of this trail is also the resting place of a young hiker (or at least I would assume as much considering the location).

Kevin and I really are not photographers in any sense of the word, but I thought he caught a really beautiful picture with this one.

What a good dad!

Ready to head home, almost ....

Right after a quick stop, that is, at Mickey D's.

Great job, boys. I sure am proud of you both!

Kevin B-day 2010

2010-12-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

Gray hairs, torn muscles, cracking knees. What do all these things have in common? They are all topics that my dear, sweet, husband frequently refers to now that he is a whopping 34 years old. Don't let him fool you, though, he is actually quite the spring chicken ... hiking up a storm on his favorite trails, running for miles at a local track, coaching the boys' energetic basketball team. I hear, after sitting out last season (admittedly with a torn hamstring), he may even be signing up for church ball this year. Who knows? We have yet to see. One thing's for sure, though, for this loyal husband and devoted father of five extremely adorable children (not that I'm biased), year 34 is going to be a great one. Happy 34th birthday!

Better hurry and open your presents, Kev, before Brooks beats you to them! Fly-tying kit. How cool is that!

Coolest dad in the world.

I think the five fingers represent how excited he already is for next year's 35th b-day.

You sure you can blow out ALL those candles alone, Hon? Ohhhh, So sweet. Did I happen to mention what an incredible father he is.

You really are amazing, sweetie. Hope this next year is the best one yet!

General Conference Weekend (Oct. 2010)

2010-12-15T22:07:00.001-08:00

Oh how we look forward to General Conference each spring and fall! It is all good things packed into two quick days... the savor of great food, the warmth of family, the comfort of home, and the rejuvenation of our spirits.

What a privilege to have the amazing opportunity to listen to, and learn from, inspired men and women on God's perfect errand. And this most recent conference lived up to every expectation. For those without a clue as to what I'm talking about (General what??), video and text format of General Conference (an event twice yearly where we hear from the prophet, apostles, and other leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is available on lds.org.

I suppose my arms were delightfully full with our new little one, because I completely forgot to snap photos as we watched conference at our own home on Saturday. I did manage, though, to get a few while at Kevin's folks' home during the Sunday sessions.

Crepes and sausage. Mmmmmmm.

James can't get enough of this new little guy. Grandma, happy to have her grandkiddos in the house.

Excited for dinner ... maybe a little too excited.

Is James getting an early start on prayer?

Kevin cooking? I see it but I'm not sure I believe it.

Babies are bliss.

Porter's 9th B-day

2010-12-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

So I'm finally back to my blog ... seems to be a feast or famine type thing with me, and just in time for my wonderful nine-year-old's b-day (actually the big day really occurred in september but we'll just pretend this is up to date).

We started the day with a tradition that I recently borrowed from some wonderful friends. It's called ... the decorated door. Ooooh. Seriously, though, it was a fun thing for him to wake up to, especially since the idea is new in our family. We actually have some cousins who sneak into their birthday child's room at night and decorate the whole thing with the child slumbering away. I think that would be so much fun, but for now, getting the door decorated was challenging enough. Baby steps. Here's my handsome (I keep wanting to say adorable) boy, eating his requested birthday meal: homemade mac'n cheese. Mmmm.

And here come the presents ...

Apparently little sister gave him something wonderful. although I currently can't remember what it was (that's what happens when you attempt to journal something two+ months after the fact. Oops!)

Loving the sleek new jacket ... Aw, he looks so grown up.

Checking out the new Boogie DS game. Billy-Bob teeth ... Hi Grandma and Glenn. How ya doing back there?

This is obviously not of Porter, but I thought Heidi and Brooks looked so cute together, I couldn't resist.

New X-box 360. A little much for a 9-year-old b-day you might say? More of an early Christmas present for the whole fam. (or more accurately the male demographic) from G-ma/G-pa Dueck. Grandparents are the best!

What's a b-day without cake!

Eat cake? Play DS in 3D?

I'd definitely go for the cake, but obviously the choice is not so simple for a 9-year-old boy.

Happy B-day Porter. Thanks for being such a great boy.

Baby Joseph

2010-09-28T12:22:00.001-07:00

Another little miracle, Joseph Benjamin Dueck, arrived in our family September 5th, 2010 at 3:23pm. Of course, every mom describes the birth of her children as miraculous--I know, I feel that way about each of mine--but in this case Joseph's healthy arrival really did turn out to be something of a miracle.

But before I get into the story, I have some catching up to do since I haven't blogged at all about this pregnancy.

So ...

Here's me on the first day of school which was just two days before Joseph was born. Since I was taking pictures of the kids, James decided I needed one as well. I'm actually glad he did, because I had been meaning to get a picture of my baby "bump" for days if not weeks and hadn't gotten around to it. Of course, I thought I still had plenty of time to make it happen.

And just very quickly, I have to throw out some highlights from this pregnancy which for some reason all have to do with Mae ...

Mae telling me (during the first trimester when I was in a constant state of wanting to vomit and she didn't yet know I was pregnant) that she thought she was catching what I had.
The look on Mae's face when I pulled into the McDonald's drive-through at 9:30am and ordered a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone. As a side note, the thirty minutes following were pure bliss, and then reality--i.e, morning sickness--set back in.
Mae's dramatic reaction at the doctor's office when she found out we were having yet another boy.

Okay, so a little less than two weeks prior to the day of Joseph's birth, I had woken up with bleeding and fluid and had gone to the ER. Initially the doctor seemed to think I would be delivering at that time so antibiotic was started (I'm GBS+) and I was given the first of two steroid shots to help develop the baby's lungs (since he would have only been 35+ weeks). After what seemed to be a pristine ultrasound, however, and many hours of perfect results from the fetal monitor, I was told that the bleeding was likely just some burst blood vessel/polyp and was allowed to go home. I did return the following day as requested for some follow-up monitoring, but again everything seemed perfect.

I continued to have light bleeding throughout the days that followed, which I felt a little uneasy about. However, after being reassured yet again that the ultrasound had been thoroughly examined I decided everything must be okay.

On the morning of Sunday, September 5th, I woke up again with bleeding and fluid. Realizing that this was exactly what had happened before, I did not think much about it. When it continued, though, somewhat heavier than the first time, I decided maybe my water had broken and I should probably call my midwife. I suppose I should explain that after four amazingly smooth hospital births with doctors attending, we had decided that a home birth (or birth at our midwife's home birthing "center"--really just a beautiful extension of her home) sounded perfect and might be an interesting experience.

Less than an hour later, we were at her place and I was yet again hooked up to the IV for my antibiotic. My midwife was somewhat unsure about whether my water had or had not officially broken, but I was dilated and in light of the unexplained bleeding, she seemed interested in me having the baby sooner rather than later. So, we proceeded to read our books, Kevin made a quick run for lunch at a nearby cafe, and I honestly felt like I could close my eyes and take a nap.

Here's another picture of my baby bump, taken at the birthing center

One side of the room where I was planning to give birth (it's hard to tell in the picture, but the home/center is located right on a beautiful lake)The other side of the roomStrapped up to the monitors ... everything is still looking good.

However, everything quickly changed just a few hours later. Once the second dose of antibiotic was administered (I needed two doses, four hours apart), my midwife checked me again and attempted to break what she thought was a bag of waters, although she seemed a little uncertain about exactly what she was feeling (which really showed what a strange situation mine was becoming because she's been practicing for about forty years and has delivered over four thousand babies).

Just minutes later I started having very intense contractions. One in particular that didn't want to go away at all, where my belly was extremely tight and fairly deformed looking. It finally did go away, and the contractions continued more moderate for a little while longer. After probably thirty minutes or less I felt gushing and mentioned to my midwife that I thought another bag of water was rupturing (apparently there can sometimes be up to three). When she checked me, though, we both realized that I was bleeding profusely.

So, she calmly informed me that she would be transferring me to the hospital (a life-saving decision on her part that I will forever be grateful for) and immediately contacted 911 for an ambulance. In the few minutes before they came, she had already been in touch with the hospital to inform them of the situation and let them know that I would soon be arriving. Soon I was being loaded onto a stretcher and boosted up into the ambulance. I will likely never forget the unpleasant feeling of having an IV inserted into my arm while speeding fairly quickly over bumpy roads, or the reassuring feeling of watching from the back windows of the ambulance as Kevin followed along right behind us.

When I arrived at the hospital just minutes later, a team of nurses and doctors were waiting to receive me. Part of the miracle that day was in fact that the attending OB happened to be one of the only ones who stays on-site during his on-call rotation (he lives too far away to go home). The department also happened to be overstaffed, and as it turned out, there were no other women in labor at the time. So basically Joseph and I had the undivided attention of everyone present.

Anyway, my midwife had informed me in the ambulance that a c-section was possible, but after being wheeled into an operating room with about ten people in it, including an anesthesiologist asking when I had last eaten that day, I quickly realized that it was in fact a certainty. It didn't seem to take more than five minutes for the skilled group to have me prepped and very quickly dozing off (something I'm actually grateful for, because, although I had felt pretty calm throughout the whole ordeal, my concern was definitely beginning to grow).

And so, our morning had quickly gone from the beautiful room on the lake to the scene shown below ...

Hardly five plus minutes later (or, so I hear), Joseph had arrived and he was just perfect!I can't even imagine how relieved Kevin must have been after all of that, to hear that mom and baby were okay (since it was an emergency c-section he was not allowed in the operating room), and to finally get to hold this little guy.Grandma Dueck quickly arrived!

Basically it turned out that I had a very rare condition called Vasa Previa. The doctor who operated on me said that it happens about two percent of the time and the outcome is usually very poor. My very basic understanding is that the veins that run from the uterus to the placenta (carrying blood, oxygen, etc.) are supposed to run protected through the umbilical cord. However, in a Vasa Previa, the veins run for at least part of the distance outside of the cord and so pretty much without protection. Apparently it isn't always a problem unless the veins are running through the membranes (bag of waters) between the baby's head and the cervical opening. In which case, when the membranes rupture, or contractions increase in strength and baby is moved downward, the veins are torn/broken and hemorrhage occurs. In which case baby quickly loses blood and oxygen supply.

One place I read said that it is considered the baby hemorrhaging more than the mother, although I don't quite understand this because later in the night I ended up requiring a blood transfusion (two units/pints) because of the loss of blood I had experienced, and ensuing low hematocrit (iron) count. What I do understand, though, is that we are so blessed to be alive and well! I also read online that in undiagnosed cases of Vasa Previa (like mine) the baby usually does not survive. I think the statistical range I encountered was 60-90% fatality. It was very sad to read about the many stories of women who lost their anticipated little ones because of this condition.

I think it's worth documenting that Vasa Previa cannot be (or is typically not) detected from a standard ultrasound, but a color ultrasound (specifically color Doppler, I believe) would show the condition. Confused yet? Me too!

This part is all something of a blur, but here I am coming to Joseph's body temperature was low so they placed him on my bare skin to help warm him up. I was still a bit fuzzy at this point, but I do remember being concerned that I would make him even colder--seeing as I was freezing. But we were both soon toasty warm! My mom and Glenn were in Yakima for the weekend, but also arrived very quickly to see how we were doing. Joseph's first bath So peaceful! Grandma and Grandpa Dueck Trying to get footprints--I guess it took a few attempts Proud Papa! What an amazing dad. And here come the troops. After everything we had gone through on the day of Joseph's birth, we decided to wait until the following day to have the kids visit ... they were so excited! What a lucky little boy, to have so many big brothers (and one awesome sister;) to watch over him!
Getting to know Dad And, after almost three days in the hospital ... it's finally time to go home! Mom is sooo ready! The poor child doesn't even know what he's getting himself into coming to our crazy home.

I would feel terrible if I concluded this post without saying how amazingly grateful I am for modern medicine and skilled doctors and nurses. I never thought I would experience an emergency c-section and blood transfusion with my fifth child, and I certainly would have preferred not to have gone through these precedures; however, I'm also immensley grateful that these amazing advances in medical treatment are available and that my precious little child and myself are able to be home with our family because of them.

I also feel the need to say thank you, thank you, and thank you again to so many who were praying for me and Joseph continuously throughout those last couple of weeks of pregnancy, and especially on the day when all the craziness occurred. As well as to those who helped me with my children, brought meals (and treats:) to my home, checked in on me in the hospital (despite my very scarey appearance), and did a handful of other very thoughtful things for me and my family. You are wonderful and we love you all!

And I am also indebted as always to God, an amazingly thoughtful and concerned father in heaven. He has watched over my life (and my little family) step by step. Although I can't imagine how I could possibly deserve such a rich life and so many abundant blessings, He realy does continue to pour them down upon me. I thank Him daily for a caring spouse and for the perfect little spirits that he has allowed to enter into our home. They are each so unique and wonderful and (as much as they drive me insane on occassion:) I could not imagine life without any one of them.

Three in School ...

2010-09-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

As I sit down to write this post, I am amazed that we could actually have three kids in school this year. Wow, we must be getting old:). Where in the world did the time go? Seriously! I just told Kevin yesterday that I'm pretty sure we got married about a year ago ... where'd all these kids come from and how did they get so big?

Anyway, our newest addition to the world of field trips, homework packets, and recess craziness, is the only other female representative of our home ... our "little" Mae. As an older kindergartner (turning 6 in less than a month from now), she was soooo ready to go!

This is her on the first day of Kindergarten Camp (a new program in our school where the kindergartners get to attend "school" for a couple of days, two weeks before the actual starting date).

Does she look excited?Cute pie!
And here are all of our school-going kids ready for their official first day

Notice the wannabe school boy on the left (back pack and all) ... can't miss him in the Power Ranger pajamas. Sorry Brooks, you're day will come! For now you'll just have to stay home with boring 'ole Mom.

Crazy LOVE!

2010-09-24T14:53:00.001-07:00

One evening about a month and-a-half ago, Kevin took the "big boys" to some awesome zip lines up in the mountains (thanks, Bishop), so Mae, Brooks, and I headed to Shrek part 4 (courtesy of our super handy dollar theater ... $2 to be exact). Afterwards we crossed the street to Cold Stone where Mae selected, for the three of us to share, a mountain of chocolate ice cream (Who's mentioning the crunched Oreo cookie bits and cute little chocolate chips? Not me), contained in a chocolate-covered waffle bowl adorned with colorful sprinkles.

We sat outside in the amazing summer air where I was toasty warm with my built-in babylicious heater despite the frozen indulgence. As cliche as this sounds, it felt like time halted for a moment while I watched my two little ones basking in the giddiness of sugar and cream and being out past bedtime. Little did they know that as they giggled and munched away, my heart was silently exclaiming, "you are absolutely EVERYTHING to me, messy faces and all!"

Oh, how I adore my crazy little family!

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera at the time, but I did quickly snap these pics once we arrived home.

S'mores Anyone?

2010-09-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

After three years of really wanting a fenced backyard--talking about it, calculating costs, deciding against it, and then starting the process all over again--my wonderful and very handy hubby not only built me a fence, but he also landscaped a beautiful backyard for me as well.

These first pics (taken from James' 6th birthday) show how atrocious the yard was before. It sloped off the back and left side which provided quite a bit of useless space; unfortunate, since there wasn't a whole lot of space to begin with. I had dug out a hole for the trampoline in an effort to make mowing easier, but it looked messy and unfinished. Oh, and it felt like we were in a fishbowl every time we went out to play because of the neighboring homes in very close proximity on both sides--not to mention the Barbie mansion in the back (it's hard to see in the pictures, but trust me it's there ... I had a plastic one the exact same color when I was little).

The edge of the yard in this picture is the blue Rubbermaid on the left. In this picture, it's the line of small rocks on the right (starting at the whiskey barrel), and in the back, it's the smaller farm-looking fence (not the larger one further out).

So after about three months of working as much as time would permit, hauling 12 yards of gravel, 7+ yards of cedar chips, who knows how many cinder blocks for the retaining wall, and quite a few garden wall blocks for the fire pit area--not to mention digging out sod, laying weed block, and building actually quite a large fence--the yard now looks like ...

ooh!

ahh!
isn't it pretty!

Even though the fire pit appears in the above pictures, it actually did not come until the rest of the project was complete. Kevin and James (quite the little handyman himself) got the idea after watching an online video tutorial of "how to build your own fire pit". After having observed, through the life cycle of the yard-improvement project, how a small-er project can quickly turn into a much larger, more expensive, and much more time consuming one, I was initially against the idea. But they did a wonderful job, and the whole thing only ended up taking a few hours (including the purchasing and hauling of materials).

James wasn't the only one more than excited to help

Don't they look handy!

Making sure the fire bowl fits in the pit opening

Laying of the fire-resistant bricks

Daddy's little helper

And, voila! We're ready for s'mores! ... Thanks, Mom, for a great early Christmas present!

And thanks, hon, for all your hard work. You're as handy as they come!

Honorable mention goes to my mom and Glenn for helping with a variety of very undesirable tasks. The least glamorous of which would have to be staining each individual fence board, oftentimes on the hottest summer days. Thanks, guys!

Summer Fun

2010-09-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

With summer officially coming to an end in just a couple of days (of course, those living in the Pacific NW are asking, "didn't summer end weeks ago?"), I thought I should do a quick post about what we've been doing over the past three months.

Mostly because of the pregnancy (and the aches and pains associated with it:), we didn't really manage much by way of family trips this summer. But that didn't stop us from having plenty of fun. Our summer was filled with library trips, backyard sprinkler & slip n' slide sessions, daily swim lessons, Tuesdays at the Behrendt's pool, and more.

We had fun hanging out with cousins at a local splash park ...

Spending the 4th of July with Grandma Dueck (while the men were gone on the man hike) ...

Go easy on 'em, Grandma!

The poor child obviously grows up with nothing but brothers.

Making a quick trip to City Hall (boy scout requirement:) ...

And taking advantage of any remotely sunny day to play outside in the water ...

Gotta love the Spidey slip-n-slide

Apparently little Brooks thinks it's tasty!

In a nutshell, we LOVE summertime!

The Man Hike

2010-09-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July this year my very manly husband went on his annual man hike to Mildred Lakes (in the Olympic Peninsula). Each year the man-hike participants vary. Last year it was Kevin and his good friend Doug; this year, Kevin and his dad. But, the degree of manliness remains the same.

The hike is basically a grueling goat hike. It's only about 4 1/2 miles one way, but the terrain is rough and very steep. You'll see in some of the pictures (although I hear they don't do justice) that there are parts where the guys are climbing straight up tree roots. Add to that very heavy packs (53 pound for my father-in-law and 70 pounds for my hubby) and it's a pretty intense hike.

Why, you might ask, would anyone want to go on such a backbreaking hike? Well, other than to prove manliness, it's really a very simple answer ... the FISHING! Yep, the fact that this is such a tough hike to get through means that the three lakes at the end of the trail are mostly untouched by other fishermen. Apparently that's a big deal;)

Seriously, though, they had a great time and I'm sure the man hike will make the list for next year's exciting summer plans. What Kevin really can't wait for, though, is the day when he can take his boys on the man hike with him.

A little trail head info. for those interested

All geared up
Just couldn't leave behind the float tube, fins, waders, Rambo knife, etc. BTW, the knife model (since my husband assures me that people will want to know) is a Busse NMSFNO Nuclear Meltdown Special Forces Natural Outlaw. Believe it or not, both father & son carry them. No real surprise actually to most who know them well. Oh, and I should probably re-emphasize that the pack indeed weighed in at just over 70 lbs. What a man! Where's Dad Dueck's knife? I'm sure it's there somewhere. I think it goes without saying, that he could effectively blend into any desert.

Gotta love technology ... no, it's not a cell phone
Where exactly is the trail?
Father & son matching hammock tents

Huckleberry Creek--about mid-way through the hike and where they camped the first night.

Yeah, that looks tough! The pictures don't do justice do the "vertical-ness" (if I can use that as a word) of the descent

Apparently it's about a 50-foot ravine

Root ladders. I hear there were tons of them!

Again, does anyone actually see a trail?

Gorgeous!

Oh yeah, unlike the beautiful weather the year before, our cool summer made for a chilly trip

One of the great fishing lakes

They camped out on the tip of a small peninsula at one of the lakes with the best fishing
What's for dinner, Pops?

Wow. Looks like the sun came out. Kevin did mention that this was one of his favorite moments of the trip. The sun was shining momentarily and a large bald-headed eagle swooped by overhead and circled the lake looking for fish. He didn't see it catch anything but I guess it was a marvelous sight!

Preferred method of fishing ... the fly rod

Nice!

Aren't they pretty! Beautiful cutthroat trout

Trekking out

Are we exhausted yet?

It's a Giant Thing ... Girls Camp 2010

2010-09-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege this year of being the girls camp leader for a group of twelve incredible young girls (ages 12-15) for an lds church camp that takes place every summer. The theme this year was "Campalot ... Build the Kingdom" and each ward (church group) was a different kind of kingdom character/creature. There were some really fun ones like unicorn, mermaid, pixie, etc. but of course we managed to be assigned as the Giants. Ugh. Initially I was not really very thrilled about our group assignment, but it did end up being kind of fun to come up with some crazy ideas despite the fact that we had to think outside the box a little bit.

Our giant spirit fingers that we took to firebowl every night Porter crazily awaiting scouts while I set up for our first camp activity of the year

Our giant cupcake that quickly became the evening mascot, and even more quickly the coveted dessert. yum!

More giant-ish cupcakes
Giant waters set out awaiting the girls' arrival ... can you tell our color is yellow.

At camp with my two amazing assistants!

Having a little too much fun ... yeah, we think we're pretty cool

My awesome group of girls (or at least most of them)!

One side of the firebowl ... we're the row in yellow:) yellow headbands, yellow pjs, yellow necklaces, etc.

Group skit

More group skit

Youth camp leaders (aka, the older girls) all garbed in pink, getting psyched up for the campers to arriveGertrude and Maddy, the long-legged giants my mom and I (mostly my mom) made for deco. One ended up on the biffy (potty:)), the other up a flagpole ... sorry big ladies

I definitely should mention how amazing my family was while I was away. My dad came up for a couple of days and managed to survive tending to my four adorably insane children (and I do say that fondly). The grandmas, of course, helped as always--thanks, grandmas. And my ever-incredible husband did a great job playing mom for the week, that is, when he wasn't busy hauling the camp trailer, setting up and taking down camp, and carting his pregnant camp wife to the local Chinese restaurant:).

Family Reunions

2010-09-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

What's summertime without family reunions, right? Well, unfortunately we missed two family reunions this year that we really wanted to attend! But, we were able to make it to my grandma's (my mom's mom's) 80th birthday and simultaneous family reunion. The birthday party/reunion consisted of a fun-filled June day at my brother's place in Eastern Oregon, complete with swimming, horseback riding, four wheeling, picture taking, and quite a bit of eating.

Of course, for some reason we always like to make things as crazy as possible. In the case of this trip, we drove all afternoon/evening, approximately 9 hours give or take, and arrived at a local hotel around 11:00 at night. No surprise, the first hotel we pulled into did not have a room available for two adults and four kids, nor did the second or third. By the fourth hotel, we found a room with three doubles--perfect for us!--and were finally able to hit the sack.

The next morning we got up and headed over to visit with the fam, which was very nice, and by early that evening we were back on the road. 1:00am found us finally pulling into our driveway--Yawn--just in time to get a few hours of sleep before church the next morning, where I was trying to finish up with last-minute announcements and to dos before leaving for girls camp early the next morning to be gone for the entire week. Sigh. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Amazing Men, Amazing Dads

2010-08-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I'm a little behind in my blogging, and here is yet another event that actually took place nearing a couple of months ago ... Father's Day!

We came cruising back from a family reunion late the night before, but still managed to have a little fun on Dad's big day. The kids and I made candy-bar posters and invited the grandpas over for dinner ... in hopes that they would share some of their candy with us, which of course they did.

I was searching online for a really exemplary quote or poem to honor these exemplary fathers, but nothing seemed to do justice. They're just too amazing! It's incredible to see men in our selfish society sacrifice everything for family. Giving up pretty cars for swing sets and sand boxes, gym passes for swim lessons, golf games for chaotic campouts, and any moment of relaxation for the needs of children, family, and society. And the truly exemplary part ... they don't even blink an eye.

My amazing man! The father of my soon-to-be five beautiful children.

(notice Mae's dress ... it was mine when I was about her age)

Seriously, who could want more than this anyway?;)

And the other amazing men in our family!
You guys are awesome!

Finally!

2010-07-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've finally updated our blog pictures. Sure, the pictures are already 9 months outdated, and no, they do not represent the newest member of our family who will very soon be arriving. But better late than never, right?

Kids Gone Wild ... at a wedding

2010-06-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister was recently married and these pictures are some of the highlights ... for our family at least. The actual wedding photos are amazing!! Mine aren't so artistic, nor do they represent the entire event. We don't even have a picture of the kids walking down the aisle with their flower baskets. I had already proceeded them in the official procession, and Kevin was playing mother duck monitoring the kids and telling them when to start walking. He was amazingly cute about it too. In the waiting process before the festivities, they sort of followed him around and sat quietly, listening to his crazy story telling:).

My boys were certainly unsure about the bow ties, but how cute ... I mean, handsome! Mother duck himself
With little helper duckling (think they look a little bit alike?)

Duckling cheering section

The wedding party

My little ring bearer ... a little bit nervous, maybe

They may not look a lot alike, but wow are they sure good looking!

Gotta love my boys

Childhood best friend--Love ya Victoria (notice I didn't say "Vicki", uh-oh, just did)

Who needs cake and dancing when you've got a jumbo-sized chalk board!

Just taking a break

Mr. Debonair ... you'll see what I mean in the next pics

Yep, there he is, one lady on each arm (guess I spoke too soon about the dancing)

Mom and me

Oh, he's at it again

Mae with some of her many cute girl cousins

Life is so much fun, especially when it's full of joyful moments like these.