Days With the Duerksens

This blog post isn't very interesting, but I wanted to get it down for my sake.  Feel free to read if you would like! I just spent a few minutes sorting through all of the insurance statements from Delaney's neck ordeal.  I was curious to see just how much this all cost, and quickly realized just how blessed we are to have a good insurance plan.  I don't know how people do it without, but I know there are so many out there who aren't as lucky as we are.  Without insurance, Delaney's problem would have quickly emptied our savings! Here's the breakdown: Surgery (Dr. Harris) - $2690 Drugs - $100 (5 antibiotics) Anesthesia - $910 Office Visits (6 visits) - $719 Hospital Stay - $19,430.45 ER Hospital Trip - $5332.80 Radiology (C/T Scan) - $190.00 Hospital Stay (C/T Scan) - $2450 Labwork - $67 Pathology - $1446 All totaled, it comes out to slightly more than $33,000.00!  If the diagnosis turns out to be Cat Scratch Disease (which it appears...

We've been wondering for a while whether Caiden's eyesight has been worsening.  He has claimed that he can't see the words on the screen at church.  I figured it was just an excuse not to sing the songs!  But, still we wondered.  So, when he brought home the results of his eye exam from school, I wasn't too surprised that they read "inconclusive."  That meant a trip to the eye doctor.  The result? That's right - Caiden now wears glasses!  He told the eye doctor that he probably wouldn't have to wear them because he could see the board just fine.  I responded by saying, "You'll be surprised at how hard you've been working to read the words up there!"  We've been having him wear them this weekend, and hopefully, he'll be ready for school tomorrow - glasses and all! Oh, and this morning I caught him singing with us in church!

I had the tiniest inkling that Delaney wasn't right last night.  At supper, she quickly handed back her plate full of food and wanted down.  She didn't eat anything - well, maybe a couple of spoonfuls of applesauce.  She seemed happy, though.  Of course, this was THE ONE NIGHT that she and Cambry had to come along to drop off Caiden at his piano lessons because Chelan was busy.  As soon as we pulled into his piano teacher's driveway, it all came up!  Vomit all over her coat, the carseat, and the van floor.  Oddly, I was so overjoyed that it didn't happen in the middle of the night, I didn't mind that there was going to be a huge mess to clean up!  Delaney did not make a sound before, during, or after the incident.  She just sat there, shocked, I imagine!  (Unfortunately, she continued to throw up until 1 a.m.) We hightailed it home.  I tried calling Chelan 5 times before I realized this was THE ONE NIGHT he didn't...

I kept Cambry home from school today because she had the stomach flu yesterday.  By mid-morning it was evident that she could have gone to school!  I'm so glad she is feeling better, but there sure is a lot of extra talking and singing when she's home - not to mention the screaming that comes from Delaney when Cambry is around!  I was trying to think of some activities to pass the time, and then I suddenly remembered that Cambry had a cake mix for her Easy-Bake Oven that she had gotten for her birthday.  So, we decided to have a tea party!  She got all excited about baking her cake, dressing up like a princess, and setting the table.  The party lasted all of 5 minutes, but Cambry kept telling me how much fun she had!  I guess it doesn't take much to please a little girl! Cambry poured Delaney and herself some "tea" (apple juice).  Surprisingly, Delaney was able to drink hers without spilling! Cake is so good!  She would have eaten ...

No, it's not a new year's resolution.  In fact, I've always thought of myself as very organized.  I always had one of the neatest desks in my class - in fact, I looked forward to desk-cleaning time because I got to read while everyone else cleaned.  Today, I always insist that the kids find places for their things.   My mantra seems to be, "Everything has a place, and it's not on the floor!"  I'm even an obsessive "filer" while Chelan is a "piler" - often causing some minor disagreements - he can't find things I've filed and I can't find things he's piled! The last couple of days, however, I've noticed some things that make my organizing seem a little sub-par!  For instance: 1.  I found a box of old check blanks and registers in one desk drawer, a notebook of old bank statements in another drawer, and more current bank statements in a folder in our file cabinet!  Shouldn't all our old banking things be togeth...

Say hello to my new companion . . . It's my pedometer!  This thing goes in my pocket every morning and goes with me wherever I go!  Chelan has one, too -- because of work.  Some AGCO employees are trying out this new system that accompanies our health insurance.  In theory, I think it's a good plan - people might get up and moving more, some may change eating habits, some might even lose weight.  Money could just be the motivation some people need!  We get points for things such as:  steps taken each day, creating a personal profile online (much like Facebook), finding friends (much like Facebook), downloading our pedometer periodically, losing weight or body fat, things like that.  The more points we earn, the more money we get put into our health savings account.  I have to admit, I do like to see how many points I've earned when I log on! The other night, Chelan had me get online and start finding friends.  I kept...

Delaney got a cute monkey-in-the-box for Christmas from my parents.  She loves it!  I am amazed at how often she plays with it during the day, and she's gotten quite good at maneuvering it!  This video isn't real special, but I thought it was cute.

Last night, Caiden was asking me some questions about football - college football, to be exact!  One of them was, "I wonder what Collin Klein does when he's not playing football!"  He's the quarterback for K-State.  I happened to reply, "Why don't you write him a letter?  Maybe we'll find out!"  He seemed mildly interested, which to me means - he really wanted to do it!  So, he agreed - after I agreed to type for him.  He came up with all of it by himself, with a slight bit of help from me.  It actually became  a great lesson in letter-writing and envelope-addressing!  I told him that we probably shouldn't expect a letter back, but there's always a chance!  We'll keep you posted.

I put this nativity set out every year where the kids can play with it.  Nobody touched it until a few days after Christmas - not even Delaney!  This set is my favorite because I made it in 3rd grade Sunday School.  I remember looking forward to each Sunday because I knew we would be working on them.    The funny thing is -  my 3rd grade S. S. teacher is now my mother-in-law!   Thanks, Agatha, for giving me such a great memory (and nativity set) to share with our kids! Aren't they cute?  Just felt, thread, and kleenex to stuff them with!