I know, some of you may be groaning at the thought of having to switch your favorites, but the "D Family News" now has a new website. I will no longer be updating this site, but will always have the link to the new site here that you can just click. CLICK HERE FOR NEW SITE! It iswww.duerksennews.blogspot.com. This site is so much easier to update and upload pictures. Sometimes a post on typepad.com with more than one picture could take me up to 30 minutes to load! And then it would freeze, then I would hit the computer, just wasn't a good cycle. So, I've switched addresses. Make sure you change your bookmark and keep up with the Duerksen's!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sick Baby
Josh has been sick lately. It all started on Thursday (my day limping from the pack). I got home and I could IMMEDIATELY tell that Josh was sick. Chad admitted he was and then admitted he had a fever...102 I think. Great. Well, that was the end of my pitty party. After all, it doesn't matter how sick you are if you're a parent, your kids are sicker and come first.
So, I took the day off Friday and spent it with him. It was the right decision. It's always hard because he's with great grandparents when we're both at work, but it was just an "I need my Mama" kind of day.
And we all know that when we don't feel good, sometimes it's hard to get good rest, especially when you're coughing your ever-loving head off! But, it's even harder when there are dump trucks and backhoes 15 feet from your bedroom window! Someone thought it would be a good idea to have a water line break, so they spent most of Friday trying to stop the leak. It made our backyard by our fence flood, which made for a messy dog, and the noise made for a cranky boy who couldn't sleep, which made for an even crankier mom! Don't they know when nap times are?!?!?
Then on saturday it was "Make The Biggest Mess You Can" at the Duerksen house. Chad accomplished that by installing a new window. Which we NEED. It is not a want, it is an honest-to-goodness need. And, needless to say, he made a mess...inside and out. My poor Day Lillies even took a beating!! (Notice the trampling...)
But in the end, it looked wonderful. We made the right color choice, the right choice on the kind of window, and the right choice for Chad to install it. Honestly, I was scared that we'd have a gaping hole in our house and have to tarp it until a 'real' repairman could come out. But it looked wonderful. It's not completely done, but so far, so good!
Josh and I also flowered the weed garden, I mean weeded the flower garden. But if you ask Josh, it was "Eat as much dirt as you can" time.
I caught him twice eating a chunk of dirt. You'd think the kid would learn!!! And if he doesn't have an appetite, why on earth would dirt sound good to him?! Boys!
While Daddy was outside continuing to make a mess, Josh and I took our mess making inside.
We had chocolate cake for breakfast (Patty Cake if you ask Josh.) Hey, the rules go out the window when your sick, right!?
Then we made a GIGANTIC mess making homemade cinnamon rolls. I doctored a white cake mix and they turned out great!
Can you tell we used just a little flour?!
About halfway through, Josh decided he was done helping, so I had to find something else to keep him entertained. I found....the kitchen sink. It was the perfect babysitter! He definitely needed an outfit change after that!
Here are the delicious rolls. I wish we had 'smell-ernet'.
Sunday was much the same...sick kid, but no mess. I had to get out of the house. I went for a much needed pedicure. And a very happy mommy came home. It was needed for everyone's sanity!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Pay Attention Daddy!
We have Dish Network, which we love to hate, and got a special offer to get Cinemax for a penny for a year! It has mostly movies on it and the movie of the moment is Transformers. Chad loves this movie. Almost to much. It got to the point where if he mentioned Transformers one more time, the TV was going to be a yard ornament. Chad couldn't take his eyes off the TV. He even brought his 'snack' before dinner in there, but someone wanted some cheese too.
Chad shared for a little bit, but then got tired of sharing and put it away, but Josh wasn't done eating! So Chad decided to feed him dinner.....
IN THE LIVING ROOM!
So when you drive by our house and see a TV sitting in the front yard, you now know why.
Monday, May 17, 2010
God Answers Even the Smallest Prayers
On Friday, as soon as I got home, Chad went outside to do something.....I think it was THATkind of a day. I saw him tinkering in the shed, going out front, came inside to tell me not to let Zoey out that the gate was open, etc. After about three or four interruptions from him while I was trying to cook dinner with an uncooperative kid, he knocks on the window. I turn around ready to just snap, but I see he has something in his hands. A lost dog. Oh great.
Chad asks what to do and then asks if we can give her some water. Boy, was she ever thankful for the water. She was a thirsty girl. And since there were a couple of neighbors out tinkering in their yards, I tell him he should probably go around and ask if anyone has seen her. (I check, it was a girl. Chad didn't want to 'violate' the dog by looking.) He comes back after 15 minutes. No one has ever seen the dog. Great. While he was out, I called the local vet clinic and the city offices to let them know we've found a lost dog....hoping that the family of the dog has already called them to let them know they lost their dog. No luck. I leave my name and number just in case.
So we take her in the back yard, give her a big bowl of water and food, which she ate immediately. By the way she ate and drank, Chad came to the conclusion that someone had dumped her. (He'd seen it many times on the farm before, so naturally, this was his first reaction.)
I immediately named her Molly, which she responded to. (Chad was made I came up with a good name. He wanted to name her.) The whole time Chad is sitting right beside her petting her.
He is smitten. So now I know I have to be the sensible one. We have a toddler and a moody dog....we cannot get another pet, not even a goldfish.
I'm fighting the urge to fall in love with this dog. She lets Josh rub her tummy, pull clumps of hair, knows how to sit and does it!, etc. I want to bring her inside and give her a bath. Now Chad is being the sensible one and says no. Dang.
BTW-Zoey is thinking there is an intruder. She is growling and pouncing at the door if she even THINKS the dog is coming towards HER house.
We sit down for dinner which by now is burned and overcooked thanks to the shenanigans going on. Our whole prayer before dinner was asking God to reunite this loving dog to its family.
So after dinner Chad goes over to mom and Dads and gets a dog house because it's supposed to rain tonight and she'll need somewhere dry to stay. After that, we resume our normal routine with Josh in bed and Chad and I watching TV downstairs....when all of the sudden....the doorbell rings. My first reaction is "Who the heck is ringing the doorbell this time of night?!" Then Chad races up the stairs, with me close behind. It's two upper-elementary-aged girls and they ask if we've seen their lost dog. Uh YEAH! They squeal with delight! Chad goes to the back door to let Molly in. They squeal 'LADY!" I was so excited and relieved, I just wanted to snatch up the girls and hug them both. (Chad's in the background pouting.) As they walk down our driveway hugging the dog tight...I can hear them squeal like they've just met Brad Pitt.
So, in the end, it all worked out. The dog is back with its family. The Duerksen's dogged a bullet. And God answered our small prayer. A great day.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
What an Evening!
We have had some gnarly weather here lately. On Monday, we had some rough storms move through about 5. There was a large 'hook echo' on the radar and long story short...a tornado could've dropped out of the sky at any moment. So, with the tornado sirens blaring Josh and I take some stuff-shoes for both of us, water and puffs for Josh, the dog and leash, and head to the basement to clean out a little spot under the stairs to take cover. BTW-have you ever had to keep a 15 month old in a small confined area for any amount of time? No, didn't think so. And I didn't succeed either.
Zoey like it because Josh was more interested in his drink than the puffs so she got treats.
After it all passed, we went upstairs to eat dinner. Then we made some No Bake Cookies, but Chad calls them refrigerator cookies. Chad taught me to put them in the freezer instead of the refrigerator and I like them that way! It makes them even more yummy.
(The blur he is holding is a wooden spoon he used to stir his imaginary stuff in the sink.)
And then when it was time for bed, I let Zoey out to potty like normal, but after a while, I walk by the back door and notice her just sitting there. Which, by the way, isn't like her. She usually is out and in because she's headed for bed just as fast as me.
She's found a friend! She has a toad cornered and is waiting for it to make it's move. She's ready to pounce on it and protect her house. (If you could see the whole picture, she is sitting between it and the house PROTECTING.) So I tried to explain to her that it's okay and tried to get her to realize that she needs to potty and not worry about the intruder. We finally all did out jobs and went to bed. What an evening!
My Bargain of the Week
I 'splurged' on flowers for myself. SINCE SOMEONE NEVER BUYS THEM FOR ME........
They were on sale at Wal-Mart, probably left over from Mother's Day.
I got 2 dozen bright pink roses for $2! That's right. Two dollars! It was worth all 200 pennies.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Josh Loves His Daddy
Josh loves his Daddy. Most anything Daddy does, Josh wants to be a part of. Whether thats taking out the trash, checking the mail, going downstairs, etc. While Josh was having his afternoon snack, he was just enthralled with watching his daddy walk back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth while mowing the lawn.
Now if only in a few years he's still so interested!
And the other day Josh figured out something he and Daddy can do together...
SHAVE!!
What handsome men, don't you think?!
Mother's Day
On Sunday, Chad had to work, so it was just Josh and I for Mother's Day. I tried to beat Josh up, but he ended up waking up early. (Yeah for teething!) So, he helped me get ready. We had a leisurely morning. We both stayed in our pajamas until we left. He had some cantaloupe for breakfast....anyone have a cantaloupe garden? We might need one!
Since Daddy wasn't home to herd us out the door, we didn't make it to actual church, but we did make it for Nursery duty at 11. There were only two other babies in the room with Josh, so it was pretty easy for Ms. Sammie and me. One baby, Lila, was fussy and needed a nap, so after Ms. Sammie gave it a try, I gave it a try. While I was rocking and singing to Lila, (which was working might I add), my little daredevil decides to do a face plant out of a tug boat toy. His foot got caught as he was trying to get out and did a complete hard face plant on the carpet. He was immediately crying....the kind of crying where they don't breathe because you know there's a big scream coming. I didn't rush over there because I didn't want him to get even more worked up by seeing Mommy worked up, but then his paci came out and mouthful of blood was gushing out. Operation Mommy Freak-Out commenced. I told Ms. Sammie we needed help NOW. I handed off Lila and started to tend to my bleeding baby. After he was all cleaned up, we left because then there was only one baby left and well, he was fussy. We went to Target to get his vitamins and me a new pillow- and hey, it was Mother's Day and I thought a new pillow might keep me from waking up with headaches in the morning.
While we were in Target, we got invited to have a lunch with Grandpa Ray and Grandma Jodi. We went to the local Pizza Hut to partake in their buffet...love the cinnamon sugar breadsticks and dessert pizza. Josh was still kinda fussy so since it was Mother's Day, Grandpa Ray walked around with Josh so that the Mothers could eat. That was SO nice. Then it was Grandpa Ray's turn to eat and since I was done, I was going to go ahead and take Mr. Fussy Pants home, but wait.......no keys. That's right ladies and gents, locked my keys in my car. Whipee! So they had to take me home to get a spare and took me back to my car.
After Josh's nap, we went to the station because the guys had invited the wives (mothers of their children) to a special dinner.
Josh kept busy on the way there by reading in the car. He loves books!!
How nice it was to have a good home-cooked meal provided for me!
Josh ate a little, he was too busy having fun looking around and playing with the tupperware containers. (Thank goodness for Mac, the Captain's wife who suggested they put some on the floor to keep him busy.)
Then right as we were sitting down to eat, there was a call for a stuck horse. Yep, can't make this stuff up. (In the past, they've had to rescue a duck-no lie.) So there were two guys there that didn't have wives there that generously took the call so the guys who did have wives there could stay and eat. And thank goodness those two 'angels' did that or I wouldn't have gotten to eat!
We also had an ice cream cake that said, "Thanks Mom!" It was yummy.
Then the guys got back from saving the horse (yes, they got him unstuck) and had to rinse the mud off the truck before pulling into the station. Josh loved being in on the action.
Thank you guys for the great meal. Can I steal each of you to come cook at my house?!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mother's Day at the Farm
We went to Grandma Janet's and Grandpa Gary's farm on Saturday. We left after Josh's morning nap so that he would at least get one good nap. (Boy have mercy if her doesn't get a good nap.) We had a great time. We spent most of the day outside, except for going inside to eat. Everyone was there....Uncle Ross, Aunt Cheryl, Granny Pankratz, Aunt Amy and Soon-To-Be Uncle Paul.
We all brought different things so that Janet wouldn't have to cook. I brought homemade potato salad (even with the skins on!) and baked beans. The potato salad was divine and the baked beans were just okay. It was my first time making both. My wonderful mom came over Saturday morning to help me with the potato salad. She's hands-down the best cook on earth, tied with Great Grandma Evelyn and Grandma Heffel (back in the day).
There was a small truck for Josh to ride on and push. He loved it. If he only had two more inches on his legs...
Josh also got to see a John Deere Tractor up close. We have a couple around the house and he loves them all.
Then we got to take the Gator and go see cattle out in the pasture. Here we are getting ready to go:
Just look at the excitement and pure joy on his face! And how he wrinkles his nose so ornery!
The farm dog, Ray, led us out there. Even though he looks like a lion, he has the heart of a lapdog.
When we got out there, the 'moo-moos' weren't too friendly because Grandpa Gary had just gotten them, but the drive out there was exciting enough. Grandpa Gary let him drive!
Check out the wind-blown hair on both of the guys. Josh had to close his mouth to swallow because it was constantly hanging open from having so much fun! I think Grandpa Gary had to do the same, he he!
Hold on Grandpa, I gotta shift!
Then later, some of the men had to fix Granny Pankratz's brake light. Josh was all about helping out.
We had such a great time and the weather made it so much more enjoyable. Everyone was tired after the great day, even Ray.
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