Dueck's Roost

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...

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 Por...

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 ch...

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 fat...

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. W hat else can you say to that kind of philosophy ? Someday much too soon I will REALLY miss these kinds of conversations!!

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 ...

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 2 nd 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 ....