Happy 3rd birthday Luke!

June 2011...so far

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Eating watermelon with Silas

What a busy week! No time to blog here at the Duncan house. We finally got to meet our sweet baby Merritt and we've been enjoying visiting with Silas, Mark & Denise this week. I have been working at cub scout day camp everyday while Nate & Henry are there. 7:30am til 4pm in 90 degree+ heat! It's been fun but I'm looking forward to the end!

2011 Book of the Year according to Joy

Yes, I know you remember her, Anne Rice- Interview with the Vampire. Well, she has a series of books out called "Christ the Lord." Only 2 so far, the first one is "Out of Egypt" and it is good. But number 2, "Road to Cana" is amazing. This is a fictional account of Jesus based on the gospels. Run, do not walk, to your library or book store and start it (or the first one) today!

Kenna's wedding

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Quick Post

I'm running to the computer to post before I forget all the funny stuff Luke said at bed tonight. First of all I laid with him in his bed and as he talks himself to sleep, I thought, no ordinary 2 year old says this stuff, he's gotta have some big brothers. First he says, "mom, what's Luke start with?" which he knows. Then, "mom, what bryan start with? what mommy start with? what Joy start with? what nate and henry start with? what Colin (the boy we had dinner with) start with? what colin's parents start with?" enough Luke!
Then he sings "jingle bells batman smells, robin laid an egg, batmobile lost a wheel, joker got away!"
Then I hear "knock knock? banana. banana who? knock knock? orange."

Somehow we end up in my bedroom. Bryan says, " boy, you need to sleep in your bed." Luke replies, "there's no tv in my room."

Bryan is eating yogurt with oreos. Luke says, "dad, you gotta stop eating dat yogurt. Dat is yunk (junk). It's yunk."

This post is mostly for my own benefit so I won't forget all these cute things my boys say.

Head Injury

Yesterday was ended up in the ER with Luke after a scary head injury. We had a playdate at McDonalds for lunch. Luke tripped on another little boys foot and fell, hitting his forehead on the floor. A typical fall, one he's experience frequently. I was standing right beside him so I quickly picked him up. He let out a big cry and then he went completely limp in my arms. His eyes rolled back in his head. At first I thought it was a seizure, but it turned out to be more on the lines of being knocked out. My girlfriend, Jennifer witnessed his behavior & after about 30 seconds or so we both said in a panic, "he's not acting right!" I dashed out the door dialing my pediatrician as I pulled into the ER parking lot. Oconee ER was fantastic. We were with a Dr in a matter of minutes and by this time Luke was acting better, whining and ready for a nap. We stayed around an hour for observation and the Dr. decided not to perform a CT scan because of the exposure to radiation. He said he probably had a concussion, but you couldnt' be sure without further testing. We have watched him closely all evening & night and I am taking him to the pediatrician this morning for a recheck. He went to sleep last night in his bed, as usual, but just before Bryan and I turned out the lights, Bryan carried him to our bed. I snuggled him all night thanking God for all His blessings and praying that He would continue to protect my children. I know with 3 rowdy boys I am bound to see broke bones & blood, but I want to keep the head injuries to a minimum!

The best weekend...

We had such a great weekend! Really made me ready for summer break. Friday night we kicked it off by having 2 boys spend the night. Henry had Stryder again and Nate had Evan Mainous. We ordered Dominos pizza, played outside, watched a movie & stayed up til 10pm! I had spend Thursday night in the hospital to help Tara who had just had her first baby, a precious little girl! She had a grueling 16 hours of tough labor followed by a c-section, also her bladder was beat up. We got around 2 hours of sleep (reminded us of 6th grade sleepovers) so I was still recovering. I crashed early with Luke and Bryan put the big boys to bed.

Saturday we worked in the garden and enjoyed our company as long as they could stay. Saturday night, we hired a babysitter!!! Gianna (see picture below) and the boys loved her! She is in 10th grade so we had to pick her up and take her home, but we only paid her $10/hour and I know she earned every penny! Lots of interesting stories came out the next morning. Apparantly she put Luke to bed (he was exhausted) and left the room (which he's not used to) and he cried, of course. She said that Henry settled him down. I asked Henry what he did and he said he took Luke an oreo and chocolate milk to bed and surrounded him with pillow pets and he rolled right over and went to sleep. Well who wouldn't be comforted by oreo's in bed! Chocolate crumbs were everywhere!

Also, the next morning Henry went over to the recliner and sniffed around. He said, "I can still smell her here!" They can't wait for her to come again. Don't worry Grandparents, you're still the favorite, but it would be nice to have some backups!

We got a babysitter so we could check out a new restaurant in town Sole and it didn't dissappoint! Sunday morning we did something we rarely do. We skipped church and went on a family hike to Yellow Branch. It was the first hike that Luke really enjoyed walking and the day was just beautiful! Nate found a huge toadfrog, and caught it of course! Henry was like a puppy, always about a quarter mile ahead of the rest of us, running back & forth. Luke enjoyed all the "junior trails" that his brothers made for him, helping him maneuver the rough spots.

Saturday afternoon, we hit the pool! At 3:30, it was just the 5 of us, but by 4pm, there were 14 kids swimming! What fun! I love living in a neighborhood where there are lots of children. This week is Luke's last week of preschool!
Ready or not summer, here we come!

Welcome Merritt Joyce Powell!

Born May 8, 2011 at 6:55 am, 8 pounds 4 ounces, isn't she beautiful! She is in Florida right now, but I hope to get my hands on her soon and give her lots of love! Nate, Henry & Luke are already crazy about her pictures and want to hear all about her. Can't wait to meet you sweet baby!

Crazy Mondays

Monday's have gotten a little crazy around here. I have to be in the front of the pickup line so I can get Henry to Gap Hill Church of God in Six Mile for his 3:00 piano lesson. Then, Nate has piano at 3:30. From 5-6 we have martial arts class in Clemson. Then, if it's like it was this week, we will have a 6:30 baseball game in Walhalla. Luke and I are shuttling Nate & Henry from 2:15 (when we leave for school) until possibly 8pm.

Our only break is hanging out at MeMaw's & Papas during piano lessons and while we change into our karate outfits.

This Monday, the boys loved helping Papa spread Potash (did I spell that right?) on his potato gardens. They just love helping work outside and Papa loves having help. "Papa! I need more potash!"

Marlowe's 1st birthday party!

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Singing Happy Birthday

Thursday/Friday spring breaking it still!

A big breakfast of biscuits, bacon and hashbrowns to give us enough energy to have an early morning Easter party at John Daddy & DeeDee's house! Dee Dee had boiled 2 dozen or so eggs and baked mini cupcakes for the boys to decorate. Sweet Luke loved his eggs so much he would carry them around until they finally cracked, then he would cry because they were broke. By the way, he has slept all night in his bed 5 nights now (not consecutively though)! Did I mention that when Stryder walked into the playroom at DeeDee's house I overheard him say, "Ahh paradise!" After checking the weather report (high in low 60s with rain all day) we decided to take the party to Chuck e Cheese's in Greenville. Chuckecheese recently won the honor of having the worst tasting pizza in America. But that doesn't matter when your a kid (or a dad!)

Please keep Stryder and his family (2 5th grade brothers & parents) in your prayers. Stryders mom was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and now it has returned around her heart and in her brain and liver. I could tell she was on his mind the whole time he was here. I always thought losing a child would be the hardest thing a person could endure on this earth. But now, I think being a parent and leaving your young child behind in this cruel world would be even tougher.

More Spring Break

Tuesday morning I took Nate & Henry (without the camera) to HighFalls Park. We had so much fun & even got a little sun. I wasn't prepared (no towels or change of clothes) and ended up taking everyone home covered in sand & wet (gross!) They didn't care. After Bryan went to work we went and hung out for a bit at DeeDee & John Daddy's (see video of Egg Chunkin' below).

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Wednesday. The boys were at their MeMa & Papa's bright and early for a big day of fishing! They had a great time and caught 4 catfish from a pond near Dacusville. Papa & Nate cleaned them and they're in MeMa's freezer. She is going to cook them the next time the boys are there for dinner. Nate was so proud that he helped clean the fish. I spend the morning at a Dr.'s appt and then the rest of the day going to Target, Old Navy, etc.

Thursday started with some bloodwork for Joy, a quick trip to the grocery store and then on to pick up our friends, Madison & Stryder. Bryan was sleeping and it's so hard to be quiet so we
decided to go play in the sand along the edge of the lake. Yeah right, by the time I got the blanket spread out all the big kids were soaked! I thought it was freezing outside (mid 60s) but even wet these kids were unstoppable.

After a minor injury at the lake (Madison dropped a rock on her finger) we decided to clean up and go to the movies. We voted and Rio won 4 to 1! Luke wanted to see Caillou but it wasn't playing.

While we were at the movie, Bryan woke up and started dinner. We grilled steaks, asparagus, brocolli, baked potatoes & bread...yum! Even after a large bucket of popcorn, a bag of gummy worms, m&ms, fun dips, and caprisuns, everyone ate like little pigs! by the way, I only bought popcorn at the movie, the rest I brought from home.

Madison is one fun girl. She could hang with these boys, she was tough, funny & fast!

After dinner we went on a very short boat ride. Madison & Stryder loved it!

Henry & Stryder getting ready to spin on the tire swing.

Nate & Madison swinging high!

What a fun day! Thanks to the thunderstorm our baseball game was cancelled and we enjoyed hanging out with Bryan (finally!) at home.

spring break swinging

Egg Chunkin

Only boys would decide that instead of hiding Easter Eggs, they would fill them up with sand and smash them against a brick wall. And only a DeeDee would would make it into a fun contest!

Spring Break - Sunday/Monday

Sunday night we had a sleepover. Nate had his buddy Colin and Henry had his buddy Stryder. We got up bright and early to hit the Children's Museum in Greenville when it opened. We pretty much had the place to ourselves until around lunch time and we had so much fun. We hurried back for piano lessons and a baseball game. How tired were we after all this fun? I think this picture of Luke says it all!

Spring Break 2011

Spring break is here! The boys are ready to have lots of fun! Only one little problem, Bryan is on night shift for the next 5 days. He goes in around 4:30 pm and gets home just before 6am. My goal is to get these guys up and out of the house as early as possible so I don't have to try to keep them quiet. So, I am gonna pack some fun in! Saturday was the Mayberry Days Festival in Westminster. The absolute highlight of the event was seeing Cliff drive Dad's Rambler in the parade riding Aunt Bea, little Opey and the mayor of Westminster. It was even better than when Cliff dressed up like the Subway man for the West Union Christmas parade. I am sorry to say that my camera battery went dead just when Cliff passed by. But I know there are many pictures of him out there, considering the size of the crowd.

Tonight we have 2 friends spending the night. Nate has Colin over and Henry has Stryder. Tomorrow morning I will take all 5 boys to the Greenville Children's Museum. We may not be at the beach, but it will be a great spring break!

Marlowe thinks Luke is funny

After 8 years it finally happened!!!

After 8 years and 3 months, and I am not exaggerating, all 3 of my boys slept all night in their own beds! Luke has been in bootcamp for a week...He has never learned to sleep through the night and has always woke around 11 to come to our bed then frequently after that for some milk. After being so sick his chocolate milk consumption after hours skyrocketed. Last Sunday night he woke every 1 1/2 hours for a cup of milk. I decided it was time and I was gonna do it! So, we made it a point to run out of milk every night at bedtime and maybe, it's finally worked!! So did I sleep all night? Of course not! Bathroom break at 3am then Henry was up at 5am, but I'm not complaining. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it's not the refrigerator light!