Days With the Duerksens

Cambry, Delaney, and I enjoyed a girls' day today in Wichita!  It's really been a girls' WEEK around here with Caiden gone and Chelan out in the fields.  But I had promised Cambry we would finally get her to Barnes and Noble to use a gift card from her birthday and to a pet store to get her some fish for her aquarium - also a birthday gift.  So, today was the day! We had a lot of fun together!  Cambry is counting the days until we can do it again. This was our itinerary:  For the most part, we stuck with it.  First Stop:  Barnes & Noble - their first time at this store! This is Delaney's "Can I have TWO things?" look She only got the stuffed animal, by the way!  Did you notice that they both chose things other than books?  We were in a BOOK STORE - I figured that's how it would go.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed looking at books.  I am always drawn to the bright covers and imaginative illustrations in the c...

This guy got dropped off at camp last Sunday.  I hope he had a great time.  I pick him up tomorrow morning so I will get to hear all about it . . . sometime!  He likely won't talk much tomorrow. Anyway, after he was dropped off, the wheat harvest, bean-planting, and hay baling all began on Monday morning.  What a hot, windy, dusty week!  We waited and waited for dry weather, and then all at once, it just happens - all at once! Baling: Harvesting: Chelan will not be happy about this picture - weeds in the wheat! Harvest Selifies (hard to do without a smart phone): Our view of Chelan this week - on the go! Planting: A rare moment - they stopped to eat at the field! Today is Friday, and they're still at it.  Good thing, too, because Caiden will still get in on some of the harvest action!

It seems that the green beans, potatoes, cabbage, and broccoli have all decided to mature at the same time.  Last week, I dealt with the cabbage and broccoli - what a worm fest! This week, it's been all potatoes and green beans!  I was delighted to see that the potatoes produced well - maybe our best crop ever!  We dug them up after a 4+" rain, so it was quite a muddy process.  It's a good thing we took care of them, though, because some were beginning to crack - like they were growing too big, too fast. It's definitely a family-affair to take care of all those potatoes (although I failed to get a picture of Caiden digging them!)

Directing VBS with my friend Amy is the closest thing I have to a "real" job (outside of the house). So for much of April, May, and the first week of June, my focus is on planning, publicizing, registering kids, and running the program.  I love it! We just finished up another year, and the theme was EVEREST - holding on to God's mighty power.  Almost 100 children attended this year - the most we've ever had since Amy and I have been directing.  They learned each day that God has the power to provide for us, comfort us, heal us, and love us.  From the director's standpoint, there were definitely ups and downs, but overall, the message was heard.  And hopefully, that message will stick with the kids for a little while - I know the songs will, anyway!  :) As a 5th grader, Caiden had a short speaking part during the worship service. After the worship service on Sunday, there were activities for the kids outside.  They always love it -...

It's been a slow start to the baseball and softball season - rain, cancelled games, etc.  But we seem to be off and running now!  Cambry decided to give softball a try this year - her first time being part of a team.  She is loving it!  And she's getting hits - she even scored a run last week.  It's been fun to watch her get better each week.  I still get nervous when she's in the outfield, but she's starting to catch on. While Cambry has already had 3 games and 4 practices, Caiden has only had 1 real game and only been to 1 practice.  Their poor team is so small that we never know if there will be enough to play a game.  On one hand, it's nice to have a small team so they can all play more innings.   On the other hand, cancelling a game because of lack of numbers is frustrating.  The one game Caiden did have happened to be against his cousin, Ty.  Hesston beat us by a ways, but our 7 boys + 1 fourth grader held ...