Days With the Duerksens

This past weekend, our family enjoyed some time at Camp Mennoscah.  It was our church's weekend to take over the camp, and we had a good time.  Just having a chance to be out in nature and worship with others in that setting is special.  There were games of carpet ball and 4-square, there were canoe rides (almost a first for me), s'mores, a campfire, and lots of great food and fellowship - and there might have been some score-checking on the KSU vs. OU football game on our van radio.   We spent the night in a cabin, and I anticipated that I would not get much sleep.  I was right - I ended up going to the van during the night because Cambry kept coughing, Chelan kept snoring, and Delaney's head was butted up right up next to mine.  I'm a light sleeper to begin with, so this night in a cabin didn't help matters!  Needless to say, I was happy for coffee on Sunday morning because I didn't sleep in the van either! Thank you, retreat planners - our famil...

Friday night was the night of "The Great Bed Swap!"  We knew it was coming, we tried to hold it off as long as possible.  But alas, our little 2 year old monkey made the decision for us when she began to crawl out of her crib at night.  She is no longer confined behind bars! So, she got Cambry's old bed, Cambry got Caiden's old bed, and Caiden got a bed that his cousin, Mace, used to sleep in.  The kids were all really excited about it.  I, on the other hand, shed a few tears as we replaced the crib with a big bed for Delaney.  I don't know where they came from, but suddenly I realized that we would never use that crib again for one of our own babies.  The crib that Chelan built 8 years ago has been replaced, and I guess that got to me!  Caiden reminded me that he will be using that crib for his children someday (I guess we must have discussed it at some point).  While I'm sad that we won't use it anymore in this house, I am so glad we have...

This week, the older two kids brought home their pictures from school.  They actually turned out remarkably well!  I'm usually not worried about Caiden's, but with Cambry, it's always the hair - the HAIR!  Thanks to a PTO mom, her picture looks great!  (there's always a  mom on the stage to check the kids' hair) So, now that the older two kids' pictures were updated, I needed to do something about Delaney.  We had our photo shoot today with my  tiny point and shoot camera - oh, how I wish I had a good camera.  Anyway, I need your help to decide which picture to use as an 8x10 along our staircase.  It seems silly, I know.  All this fuss over one 8x10 picture!  Let me know which number you like best! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

 Our family (minus Delaney) made the trek up to K-State yesterday afternoon.  We eventually made our way to the football stadium for the game, but first we made a stop on the K-State campus to take a little tour with Chelan.  He graduated from K-State in 1997, and it was so fun to be on the campus with him.  He showed us where he took some of his classes and where he spent time working - Seaton Hall.  We also got to see his dorm from a distance - Haymaker Hall.  I could tell that Chelan really enjoyed sharing this little part of his life with Caiden and Cambry! The campus is huge, and very hilly, and beautiful!  I love all the old limestone buildings.  Our legs were definitely tired after so much walking, but after a Subway supper in the Student Union, we went to the game - much more walking from our van to the stadium and then up to the very tip top of the stands!  By the time we reached our seats, we were pretty hot and sticky!  Af...

1.  Your 2 year old applauds after YOU go potty in the toilet! 2. A naked 2 year old running into the house with remnants of poop on the backs of her legs doesn't surprise you!  (There is a longer story to this one) 3.  "Potty" and "Poop" are part of your daily vocabulary and you catch yourself saying it with adults! 3.  Your 2 year old stands up in the cart at Wal-Mart and insists that you dance with her to the music - and you do it! 4.  You look forward to the hour when Curious George is on! Just some thoughts I've had recently - having a 2 year old makes life interesting!

I have been reminded lately just how much of a sponge a 2 year old can be.  She watches, listens, and repeats everything we say or do.  We can almost see the wheels turning when she's observing something.   We've been going over colors a lot lately, and she's really caught on - pink and purple are the ones she gets right EVERY time.  The other colors are sometimes guesses.  This video shows her "reading" a color book.  Enjoy!

Yesterday, I was working with watering the sweet potatoes when I noticed some of them poking out of the ground under all the vines.  I thought to myself, "It probably won't hurt to did up one plant to see if they are about ready."  So, I began pulling vines away and pulling out the potatoes.  They were HUGE!  It was such a fun discovery - even Cambry enjoyed it.  She really, really dislikes sweet potatoes.  I cut up one of them into fries for supper - one potato fed our entire family!!  I think I'll wait on digging up the rest.  I looked online today to see if they get sweeter while they grow underground.  I found out that they do, indeed.  Sometime in October ought to be just right! This is my favorite way to enjoy sweet potatoes - tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.  YUM!

We usually don't take time to celebrate Labor Day - it's usually a day to get things done since Chelan is home.  He was busy in the shop, but we did take advantage of a really hot day and an invite from my parents to take one last swim for the summer!  The water has cooled down, but it was so hot and muggy outside, it did not matter in the least.  We also enjoyed time with my sister and her family, who we actually don't see that often (even though they only live 15 minutes away).  Thanks for a fun afternoon and evening, Mom and Dad, or should I say, Grammy and Papa! Master Griller? Yes, those are ice packs - Caiden got stung by wasps by one of the bridges Dressed up and acting silly!  Thanks, Addi, for entertaining our girls! Posing in the fountain

Playing UNO with a friend in dress-up clothes It's Pear-Picking Time - our tree is loaded, and we barely made a dent with what we picked!  I'm planning canning pear halves since the kids and Chelan eat them. I haven't gotten around to it, though.  Come on out and pick if you want some fresh pears! What does Delaney do while Caiden and Cambry are at school?  She takes care of her doll.  She particularly likes to change its diaper - which is what she's doing here! Chelan borrowed this fancy food mill to make applesauce this weekend.  It's really not much different than a regular food mill except that the seeds, pulp, and stems are continuously discarded - the process goes a little faster!  It was definitely a family affair, and I couldn't have done as much as we did without everyone's help.  30 quarts and counting . . . We started getting eggs - finally!  We also found out that one of our chickens is, in fact, a rooster!...