Days With the Duerksens

I had one of those "Life is Good" moments today. It has been one of the most beautiful days I can remember having in a long time: no wind, sunshine, temps in the70's! We decided to go on a picnic in the pasture. While we were sitting there enjoying sandwiches, chips, grapes, and kool-aid, I looked around and thought, "this is what it's all about! Wouldn't it be great if every day was as relaxed as this moment right now?" We also enjoyed a little exploring along the creek after lunch. Then I was jolted back into the real world when Cambry announced, "Poop!" (in her pants). However, I didn't even mind that as much today!

Lately, Cambry has been asserting her independence during naptime. In the last few weeks, she insists on doing things her way, and that includes where she sleeps. She seems to be saying, "I'll take a nap, but not on my pillow where you want me to!" Enjoy these sleeping poses!

I love Valentine's Day! This year, I had some fun with it in the kitchen. I made chocolate-glazed cake towers (heart-shaped). They were really yummy, made with pound cake, raspberry jam, and chocolate ganache (thanks to Rachael Ray). Then, I decided to make a heart-shaped pizza for supper. The kids thought that was pretty cool! I hope you all had a fun Valentine's Day, too!

This past weekend, I celebrated my 30th birthday. Normally, my birthdays come and go without being too eventful! However, this year, Chelan did some planning. We actually enjoyed a night out without the kids -- dinner, a movie, ice cream (of course!), and an overnight stay at a hotel in Wichita (thanks to Grammy and Papa for watching Caiden and Cambry). We had so much fun! It really meant a lot to me that he spent time planning the evening. Little did I know that the celebration wasn't over. After chuch on Sunday, Vanessa asked if I was ready to go. She had planned a surprise lunch at P.F. Chang's with some friends! So, thank you Vanessa for a fun afternoon. And thank you Gretchen, Mandi, Amy, Shari, and Rachael for enjoying lunch with me! When I arrived home, there was a giant homemade card and a triple chocolate cake waiting for me! Maybe I should turn 30 every year! This cake said, "Megan is 30" before we cut into it. Boy was it delicious! Cambry enjoy...

Have you ever had one of those moments when you had to rely on your 4 1/2 year old child to help you out? That happened to me yesterday morning. We bought a used treadmill on Saturday and brought it home. Wednesday was the first time I had a chance to try it out. I was trying to move it around to face the TV, so I wanted to fold it up. However, I couldn't figure out how to lock it. A little voice beside me (Caiden) said, "Oh, here Mom! You just pull this pin out and then stick it back in to make it stay!" Leave it to an almost 5-year-old to help his mom out! Luckily, he got his father's problem-solving skills and not mine!

Ty's Christmas gift from us was a night of bowling and a sleepover with Caiden. Saturday evening was the night! The boys had so much fun and were still talking about it the next morning. It was great to see them learning how to get the ball down to the pins. The final scores were: Caiden-64, Ty-80, Megan-95, Chelan-100-something. Thank goodness for bumpmer lanes! In defense of my score, Cambry was helping me sometimes! ;) Caiden's looking forward to doing this with Mace, another cousin, in a few weeks!

January 29 rolled around this week, and that means we celebrate Kansas Day! The Kauffman Museum in North Newton has a special day every year to do just that! It was such a beautiful day on Saturday(in the 70's)-- perfect for exploring what Kansas was like many years ago! The biggest attraction was a horse and wagon ride, but there were lots of other things to explore: a tipi, pioneer games, eating popcorn cooked over an open fire, making butter, and fun crafts to make. We had a fun afternoon with Grammy & cousins Ty and Addi. Enjoy these pictures from Kansas Day! 4 Happy Cousins Cambry finally got the nerve to pet one of the horses Grammy, Ty, and Addi making Vietnamese Dragons Exploring the Prairie Fun in the Tipi