A Birthday Better than the Circus??

Jan 29, 2011
Happy Birthday to Anne this last Monday!! She turned 4--one of my particular favorites in age.  She wanted a pony cupcake cake (like Emily had one year), and we invited our cousins over to share FHE and opening presents.  She got a new play dress and Dora bath doll (well-used w/ all of her bathing!), and dollhouse doll courtesy of grandmas and grandpas.  We got her Candy Land and a little sweater (Emily was appalled that we only spent $10 on her!), and cousins brought a great hairbow/headband kit, that perfectly matched her new outfit!!! (and they didn't even know!!). 

I had a Women's Conference planning meeting that afternoon, so she was thrilled to be able to play @ Braxton's without me for a while, we had cocoa puffs for her birthday cereal, and pizza for supper, so a fun time! I also found some free Circus tickets at the pizza place, that I thought we could use as a little family celebration.  We scheduled it for Saturday afternoon, and Anne read her clown book all week, and was SO excited.  We packed up, drove to the Ogden Golden Spike Arena, ready for what I thought would be a pretty low-key circus (since they were giving out free tickets everywhere!), and then stood in line for half an hour to buy the one adult ticket we needed.  In a golden parenting moment though, we saw a sign as we approached the box office that said "Only ONE free ticket per paid adult ticket purchase" Even w/ Lucy being free, we would now be out over $50, instead of having to buy the one ticket that I'd planned.  As we looked again at our "free" tickets, they did put that in fine print (as a wife of an attorney, you'd think I'd know to check these things!), so we tried coaxing the children to a dollar movie, or ice cream cone.  At first it seemed appealing, but the trouble is, compared to a free family activity, everything gets pretty spendy x8.  I maybe would've considered pushing for the circus, even at that price (after all, we did only spend $10 on her gifts!), but we'd already missed the first half hour, and if we're going to pay so much, we should at least get the full show! Even Brian said he'd never been to the circus before, and when Anne would start to cry he'd say, "It's okay Anne, I'm 42, and I still haven't seen the circus either!--Kids, you can say you've been TO the circus--you just didn't go in!"  Anne was finally consoled at the idea of ice cream and the park (I know, it IS January, but at least it was a SUNNY 42 degrees!), so we bombarded a Baskin Robbins, then went to a park w/ a frozen pond to slide around on (though Anne still preferred the playground). It was so strange to have the pond so frozen (lots of holes frozen over from ice fishing), since all of our little snow amounts have mostly melted away! We then rented the Smurfs movie, and came home to cheese toast, bean and bacon soup, caramel corn, and rice crispy treats.  Poor Anne!! Some birthday celebration! As the kids wondered if Dad really would get them all ice cream, he'd say, "Sure we'll do something!--I may be  cruel, but I'm not that cruel."  :) As everyone posed for the pond pictures, I'd call out, say, "Better than the Circus!"

worth a thousand words

I 

I (cruelly?) sent one of these pictures in a text to Brian one day while he was at work, w/ just the message, "A Little Excitement here at home!"  It was just our carbon monoxide detectors going off--in the middle of a big laundry day--and when I called the Police Dept., they told us they'd notify dispatch, and to wait outside in the meantime, just to be safe.  So we waited, and here shows up a great big fire truck and ambulance, w/ at least 7 firemen all ready to check and stabilize our house. (while waiting again, I took these pictures w/ my phone) It turns out the levels were ridiculously low, and probably from having the car running in the garage, and opening the door to the house where fumes could blow in.  They opened some windows, blew some air around, and said everything was fine, but that it was good to call,--always better safe than sorry!--and did I mention I like getting calls from my hubby during the day?

JaNEWary

1-22-2012
Dear Family,
I've really enjoyed January this year! After the holiday bustling, it's been refreshing to get back to a more normal-paced routine, and feel like I can actually accomplish what I plan to each week (I think it's been about 5 years since I've done that).  That's my NEW joy, and here's a little of other excitement:
Brian-

NEW Birthday--he picked out a new router, and is already planning new projects--if he could just figure out a warm place to woodwork! He got us together for a family council right after NewYears too, to start a new morning scripture reading and earlier FHE, and is getting into an earlier routine himself.  I had to photograph his birthday cake since I'd never been so fancy to put cake crumbs around the sides like that  (notice Lucy mourning she can't dig her fingers in yet!).  He also enjoyed getting some Charlotte-proof chocolate from Nathan (w/ cayenne, chipolte, and poprocks inside??!), his Natl Geographic subscription renewal, and Elder Bednar's new book.

The two of us also enjoyed going went out that weekend to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie.  Since his router wasn't a surprise, I got this GREAT inspiration to surprise him w/ a new putter, since his had broken a while back.  I must admit, I felt so clever remembering such detail (since I don't know one club from another!).  I found just a basic one at the local sporting goods store, and confidently threw out the receipt feeling still so clever.  As I dramatically pulled it out at the end of the gift opening, he smiled and said, "You do know I bought one of those last time I went golfing, right?" So much for my clever memory! At least we could use the instore credit to wander around, and eventually settle on a nice softball mitt for him--which he's never had, so it all turned out well :).
NEW for Maddie:
JR High P.E.!!Oh the thrill(!) She's somehow gotten out of it for the last year and a half-, and uses our "Just Dance 3" game for some of her aerobic activity requirements. She was also thrilled to get her expander out of her mouth, and her teeth are moving beautifully from their previous home in the ROOF of her mouth down with all the rest of the teeth.
NEW for Brent: BASKETBALL!! Deacon's Basketball on Thursday nights (while Maddie plays w/ the YW) and his JR JAZZ team games on Sat.  He can hardly get enough, and between those 3 games a week, I feel like we should all be pros! He also finished his first Science Fair Project this year, testing which kinds of fins would best stabilize boats--he worked hard on it over the holidays, and we got to go over and see him displaying it at school w/ all the other 6th graders.

NEW for Emily: SPELLING, and more SPELLING, and more SPELLING!! We went through that 200 word list until I thought we'd ALL have them memorized, and when I couldn't help her, she'd use the webcam to record herself saying and spelling the words, so she could quiz herself w/o looking at the words.  And it paid off! Brent and Emily were both in the spelling bee (he wasn't attracted to our studying fun), and Brent, as we like to tell it, "took one for the team" barely missing "eureka"(how appropriate?) and giving his sister a chance to do so well.  She came in 2nd place to a 6th grader, and only when they moved in Round 10 to the Challenge Words (I was feeling the challenge by that time keeping Lucy and Anne from starting a circus right there in the library) which she had only been able to go over a little. She got the first few, and went out on "acolyte" still managing to secure her spot to move on to "Semi-Finals."  It was fun to watch, despite all my butterflies, since half of the students were in our ward,--3rd place is a boy in her Primary, so we were rooting for lots! We're proud of her focus and hard work! (and she now says she's had enough spelling studying forever!)-and instead of nervousness, she seriously had a GRIN we thought might crack her face through the WHOLE THING!!

NEW for Spencer:  Being a High White Belt in Karate.  He actually advanced before Christmas, but we took December off and he didn't get his new belt until this month.  He still really enjoys going and memorizing all of his katas.

NEW for Anne:  starting Suzuki Violin Lessons! After following very strong feelings to get her started in that, I was thrilled to find a great teacher close by, and I've read Mr. Suzuki's Nurtured by Love, and we've had 2 lessons so far.  The one on one time is invaluable, and I'm already feeling like my poor older children have suffered being parenting guinea pigs at my expense! She's also LOVING Primary, and listens to the new Primary songs she's learning as often as she listens to the Suzuki cd!

NEW for Lucy:  words and more words! She is really taking off, repeating EVERYTHING:  "Tank You", (always followed by) Du Welcome, moon, circle, sheep, ruff-ruff, cheese toast, "Nawuone(another one)!" "Igedown""OOH--Lookadat!""Batu"-(diaper or bath), everyone's names, lots of animals, sory (story), sowwy (w/a  love pat--sorry), and lots more.  She's apparently getting new teeth to say them too, as she's had a couple of sleepless nights the last couple of days.

NEW for the weather:  SNOW!!! This has been the DRYEST, WARMEST winter we've had since coming to Utah--a few snowstorms in October, and then not a flake (to stick) in December!! We finally woke up to a decent storm a couple of Saturdays ago--one of those white, quiet, magical mornings, and we weren't the only ones excited to go sledding (hence the worn out sledding hill at the high school)! I can't believe I've actually missed it, but I was really hoping for a White Christmas, and still kind of long to go shovel some snow (crazy, I know!), but we've had days in the 50's this week, where Lucy runs around outside every chance she gets.  Maddie was home sick, and Lucy and Brian napped while I took the rest of the kids over to sled--it is SO much better than sliding around in our yard on cookie sheets like we tried in GA growing up.  Anne LOVED it, and kept going until she was SO tired! She'd climb up the hill, and then just kind of collapse in the sled as it started sliding down, not even bothering to adjust her position at all.  

Also, as an add-in, NEW for our nephew/cousin Tyler, he got his Eagle Scout!-AMAZING!, and he not even 14 yet! Quite a ward, with 5 boys all receiving the honor together (there was a similar group last year too!).  We enjoyed attending his Court of Honor, and being there for Miles' (Brian's partner) son at the same time!

Lots of fun things--I'm also loving some new books (delighted w/ I Capture the Castle), new recipes (todiefor Tomato Butternut Bisque), and a new chance to volunteer at Women's Conference this year! Hope you're all having great new starts to the year as well! Love, The Duncan's

Merry Christmas!

Christmas has been so wonderful this year.  We all went to Temple Square for FHE Monday night before Christmas, and got there early enough to (avoid crowds &) get sandwiches at Seigfried's (our favorite German deli), rode the Light Rail back and forth, heard a concert from Anne's soon-to-start violin teacher, and saw the lights, a family video, and a Sister Missionary choir concert.
The children got out of school early Wednesday, and Thursday night we all had a ball going roller skating for Dollar Night at the skating rink.

 

 I was reluctant to go through to work of cooking a huge turkey for Christmas Eve, but it DID make the house so warm and cozy, and we had a wonderful feast w/ rolls, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, pomegranate salad, a separate pear salad course to start, and our favorite drink of cranberry juice and tonic water. We opened pajamas (I actually got sheepskin slippers instead of pj's this year!), and then Brian read the Navitivity while the children acted it out. (the angel thought she should at least be able to hold the baby for a while, and Maddie was a wise woman from the VERY FAR East!) We sang a few Christmas carols, and then everyone went to bed pretty early--all the older children sleeping (?) together downstairs.

 Christmas morning was delightful, with a dollhouse for the younger girls and a mattress warmer for Maddie (she ASKED for it!!--and got hilarious reactions whenever she told people that's what she wanted!), Heely shoes for the boys, and a jewelry holder for Emily.  They got a couple of other smaller things with it--Maddie and Emily have spent hours making earrings w/ jewelry supplies, Brent's played lots w/ his new basketball, and Spencer had the BEST reactions when he opened his own set of "stacking cups" (they really teach it in Fitness out here) AND a harmonica.  "I can't believe I got everything I asked for!!!! How did Santa do it??!!!" Lucy must've been a bit tired--she would say "No," when we asked her if she wanted to open a present (maybe she was just bored after having already opened most of them the last 2 weeks), and when she got a plastic "caterpillar" toy from Emily, she shrieked and ran away in fear, saying "SCAWY, SCAWY!"

We also got "Just Dance 3" for our Kinect, which has been HILARIOUS fun--as well as a killer workout! (I did "sweat" mode for one workout last week which was a LOT like the free Zumba class I got to do to the week before!), and an IRRESISTIBLE game called "Quirkle."  

We enjoyed a great and simple Christmas Sacrament Mtg. at church, had leftovers and stocking goodies the rest of the day, and just enjoyed being together.  Monday was much more of the blissful same! It's been such a nice reprieve to just be together, and not be distracted by much else.  Brian went back to work for most of this last week, but got off early to watch BYU win their bowl game (Hooray!), and then we went as a family to a new Trampoline place Saturday morning that we'd gotten coupons for.  It's so hard to see vacations end! Our hearts have also been in Idaho as Kathy had surgery right before Christmas to remove an abdominal growth, and now as Grandpa Stewart has been moved to ICU.