Days With the Duerksens

Some random thoughts and pictures from the last few days: 1.  I go through at least 2 to 3 tea towels a day sopping up spills.  Delaney decided she's old enough to drink WATER ("wah wah") from a big cup.  She's not the only one who spills, though.  I think I've figured out that with 3 children, there are always going to be spills to clean up after.  I don't really have the patience for it. 2.  I made something called "Magical Coffee" this morning.  Let me tell you - it truly was "magical!"  I like coffee, but I have to put stuff in it.  This was perfect - iced, too!  I had pinned the recipe on one of my boards in Pinterest and I think it comes from a website called "Food52."  Anyway, I started last night and combined 2/3 c. ground coffee with 3 c. water, 1 t. cinnamon, and 3 T. brown sugar.  It set all night in the refrigerator, and this morning I strained it a couple of times.  Then, I combined it with ice and cream (...

This is how much Delaney loves swimming - she insisted on putting her swimming suit on before her nap!  This makes me happy!

This one speaks for itself!

We don't make it to the Hillsboro Pool much, but last Friday evening, our whole family went.  We took Ty along, too, since his parents were away.  We had a lot of fun, and it made me realize we need to do that more often!  A couple nights later, Addi and Ty were back at our house and the other cousins arrived, too - go-kart in tow!  What a busy week! She's okay with splashing water - from a distance! Waiting for sno-kones! Aunt Trissa, Addi, and Delaney I've noticed that most of these pictures have swimming suits in them!  What else do you wear when it's 105 degrees outside?

I know it was a week ago, but I'm finally getting around to working with pictures from the Fourth of July.  We had a lot of fun at our friends' house - lots of water, lots of basketball, lots of fireworks, lots of food!  And a bonus - my niece and nephew got to spend the night at our house.  They all camped out on the basement floor (much cooler than the upstairs bedrooms)!  I wish I had a picture of the beds that they made down there.  Oh well! Just look at the determination! Yummy cherry pie - how festive! Even Delaney got in on the water games - she just waited until everyone else had moved on! Oh, the choices! Amy dubbed herself the "Punk Mama!" Translation:  the mom who collected the lit punks (they are in her hand, you just can't see them in this picture).

. . . One straw just isn't enough!  On her own, Delaney decided to add a couple extra straws to her milkshake. . . . You have to find ways to get your own food - even if it happens to be chips!

First of all, let me say that I have no idea why some of these words are highlighted! Yesterday, I had the privilege of taking 5 eager 2nd graders to the MCC Center in N. Newton.   We are lucky to have this resource center just 10 minutes down the highway!   MCC stands for Mennonite Central Committee.  It is an organization that works to bring peace, justice, equality, and needed resources to those who are affected by poverty, war, natural disasters, etc.  It is such a fantastic organization, and they do way more than I listed here.  I was glad that my Sunday School class got to participate in a project that will help others. Their task?  Put together school kits which will be sent to children in countries like Honduras, or sometimes even areas within the United States.  Families are so grateful for these kits because the money they save not purchasing school supplies can be used for other essential things.   The kids were so happy to help a...