October 24, 2010
Dear Family,
I'm writing you now, as a 35 year old!! Had a GREAT birthday this week—started w/ Brian waking up to make me breakfast on a NEW CAST IRON SKILLET!!--besides our dutch oven, this is our first piece of cast iron, and I've been aching for some quite a while, so happy day! Breakfast was the most family time we had together that day too, so I opened cards/gifts at breakfast (Brent couldn't wait to bring out the camera!)
—and was thrilled to get a new temple bag (designed JUST for dresses!) Mom MADE---it is BEAUTIFUL and darling—I'd forgotten she'd even know about my wrinkly dress problem, but I am SO excited, and SO relieved!-to have such a good solution to a problem I hadn't even been able to THINK through yet, let alone work through—and I get to try it out this Tuesday. As a treat to myself, I let myself work on alternate tasks at home, instead of my usual beat, so, rather than laundry, I finally painted and assembled (and HUNG!) our new FHE chart, and also tore apart the van's dashboard to repair the cd player Anne had stuffed coins into. I was SO thrilled to succeed at both!! I told Brian I felt like $200, since that's what the CarTunes place told me it would cost to get it working again (they only thought to replace it, whereas I just gently shook out the coins!). Granted, our clock can't be reset now, and the digital screen keeps acting funny, but all basic functions are in tact, and it's still a great improvement from where we were!!
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| Char w/ her cast iron skillet, temple bag, loving cards, and FHE chart (the next day-AFTER she was showered and dressed!) |
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| our new and improved FHE chart! |
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| the old and well-loved chart--about the 3rd version of our paperplate model--or what was left of it! |
I enjoyed many great visits, cards, facebook messages, goodies, and cards all through the week, that I nearly felt I was at my own funeral—I felt SO spoiled and so loved! Brian and I did get a chance to go out Saturday night and pick out a coat for me (I just realized I've had my other coat since I graduated from high school!) as well, so fun times—I LOVE birthdays, and except for all the gray hairs that keep popping up, it is a lot of fun! (I don't even mind so much getting older, but the idea of having ONE MORE THING to do (ie. Coloring my hair) drives me batty!, and probably makes more hairs gray!
Before all that, we had a run of the stomach flu through the house, narrowed down the search for Maddie's orthodontist, and enjoyed a “Fall Break” from school for a 4 day weekend. Brian's dad was a superhero to come down for a couple of days to help get the bathroom downstairs started with tiling! Everything's quite a project when it's the first time, but they did a smash-bang job, and it's exciting to get things started down there!
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| Brian and Dad working HARD! |
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| the floor AND shower walls will all be tile--wait'll you see the cute shower curtain I found! |
While they worked, Emily got us girls tied up getting started on her “Economics Fair” project, where each 3rd grader comes up w/ an inexpensive service/item to sell in a booth for one school day. The rest of the school takes turns coming in, and chooses things (for Christmas gifts, etc.) to purchase, and the 3rd graders learn a little about supply/demand, price point, and apparently, the value of WORK! After brainstorming a few ideas: hairbows, pollypocket sleeping bags, eye pillows, etc., Emily really wanted to make finger puppets, so we googled a few samples, and since the day was free (and the next, and the next!), we cut and cut and sewed and sewed, until we had nearly 100 puppets sewn!! Maddie, always loving a craft, joined in, and, soon we were so attached to the little critters, we were almost hoping they didn't sell! It was a GRAND mess (almost as good as the mortar mess downstairs!), and we didn't see the living room floor for 3 days, since it was COVERED in fabric, but we got the bulk of the work done, and had a fun time, since it is a rarity to have a big block of time like that to do crafts with the girls. Spencer and Anne had fun sorting through (and throwing) all the buttons, and Lucy LIVED in her saucer. It was a fun and productive weekend, and it was great to have time w/ Grandpa too!
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| this is what made Emily appreciate the value of WORK!!--and it was only for a couple of days! |
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| a sampling of the varieties; Emily wanted to make at least one Harry Potter set, the rest will be in a set of 3 forest animals or 3 farm animals---don't you all want them?! |
In other accomplishments, Maddie had her first Jr High Orchestra concert, that I could only hear the dress rehearsal for, since Brent was also being awarded his Arrow of Light award the same night. You'd think w/ 5 brothers, I'd have this down, but I didn't realize an 11-yr old scout was the same thing as a REAL scout!! I panickingly tried to patch together the last pieces for him to be ready for this last Pack Mtg, but it turned out they'd done a TON as a den, and most of it just needed signing off—in fact, the list of Webolos awards (thanks to great leaders) was quite a stack! Meanwhile, I'm determined not to let scouting befuddle me as much as cubbing did—so off he's gone w/ Brian to a merit badge clinic that Brian was teaching for, and he's 3 merit badges down, 18 to go 'til Eagle! I'm also trying to work on Personal Progress w/ Maddie, and am determined to work w/ them on Sundays—it may just mean we have Pb& J for dinner every Sunday to do so! It's pretty exciting to have kids getting into this “old” stuff though (that is, until Brent only wants fake blood for his “costume”!)—it makes me feel like I must somehow be a bonafide adult!!--well, that and the gray hair!
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| Brent's court of honor |
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| Brent "Crossing Over" |
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| Maddie coming off the Orchestra stage exit |
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| Maddie post concert (sorry for the blur!--smudge on the lens) |
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| Maddie & Em in hilarious poses for a "photo shoot" they did w/ a friend |
Emily was also excited to run her mile in Presidential Fitness qualifying time—they run each week during “Fitness,” and she's always the fastest girl in her class. The other day she ran up and down our stairs since it was a chilly morning, and I told her to try it to warm up—I never thought she'd go that long! She has been SO excited ever since I found the perfect Hogwarts tie at DI for $2 for her Hermione Halloween costume!
Anne continues to LOVE singing! Her new favorite, since they sing it in nursery, is “I Am a Child of God.” She's also taken a fancy to answering the phone whenever she can. I hope I haven't deterred too many people that may call while I'm in the shower or laundry room where she can get to it before I hear! She likes talking while holding the ward list, or listening to the recording, “I'm sorry, the number you dialed must...” One day she was having quite a conversation, “Oh, SOWWY—Nummer, Nummer” and shaking her head as though she could completely sympathize w/ that poor recording! She also loves to pretend to sound out words in books like Spencer does, though there is very loose connection of those sounds to any letters for her yet.
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| helping w/ Sunday dinner |
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| Maddie and her friend dressed up Anne, then had a photo shoot |
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| love that hairdo!--is there anything left in the drawers? Anne asks every morning, "Mom, Can I have makeup?" |
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| Anne leading/singing while Maddie was on the piano today |
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| she's very good at 4/4 time-heehee |
Spencer still keeps us laughing all the time, and though he is full of antics at home:
Brent(disgustedly)- “Spencer just wiped his boogers on my arm!!!”
Spencer(incredulously) - “Well, where else was I supposed to wipe them???”, he LOVES school, and will obey all the rules to be able to stay. I was at school one day to help in Brent's class, and as I walked through the hall, one of his classmates said, “Hey look Spencer, there's your Mom!”, but since they are supposed to be quiet lined up, he just waved a few fingers through his folded arms, and raised his eyebrows in a “my lips are glued shut, but I'm happy to see you here unexpectedly!” surprise. How can you not give that a big hug? He's also counting down the days to Halloween, and is PERFECTLY happy to be a ninja....again :). He is the first one up in the morning and will just come nestle into me while I finish reading scriptures and asks every Sunday for me to tell him stories about Jesus. Here'a a picture of him w/ some of his buddies: our hometeachers.
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| Bro. Albrecht, Anne, Spence, and Bro. Smith--Bro. Smith was the one who took us on his boat last summer |
Lucy is not crawling, so we are confused at how she gets clear across a room so often. She seems to have no end to her appetite, and is SO fun to be with, as she gets SO excited to be with any of her family. Anne's favorite thing is to go in when she can hear Lucy's awake, climb in her crib and tickle her (and she does it safely, believe it or not!) because of that contagiously delicious baby laugh. She's getting VERY vocal—especially at church, of course, with lots of Maaaa Maaa and Dadada, and eenGaeenaGeenGa. I am still amazed at how patiently she waits around for me to finish consoling Anne, or take a shower, or finish the dishes—when I KNOW she's hungry, tired, etc. She does let me know before I totally forget about her, but I can't believe how long she hangs on sometimes! We LOVE having her!
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| Lucy started clapping today! |
There have been plenty of days lately, where I have to pinch myself for the life we have, and wonder how it could ever get any better than this. It is a daunting thing to be SO abundantly blessed, and wonder how to ever possibly serve others enough to balance out how grateful I am. Then, of course, there are other days when I lose my temper getting everyone ready for church, or can't believe the inconvenience of not being able to find a hairbrush, etc., and realize I could start by serving these little ones at home, but overall, we really are SO full and happy that it's exhausting. Good to be counting our blessings too, as snow is moving in on us this weekend—I felt like a murderer as Brian pulled out all of those beautiful garden plants—with many blossoms still on them! Hope you or the weather are all staying warm! Love, The Duncan's
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| Bye-Bye! |
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| No, I not tired!!--I'll just sleep right here at the table |
