Duncandoings

Sept. 20, 2009
Dear Family,
In a quick month update—to start with, we found out the pattern is breaking, and we’re having another girl (with a very cute profile!) this winter!! It was very fun (and a little rambunctious after an hour wait) to have everyone there at the ultrasound, and after that, we picked up a violin for Maddie to start 6th grade orchestra, and then had some 50cent tacos for supper on the way home!
Right after school started (and I negligently have NO pictures of the first day!!—except one Mom took of Spencer on his first “official” day), we got to have Mom and Dad visit for the Priday reunion, and enjoyed seeing them most of the weekend. We had fun w/ all of the Priday’s too, and hearing from the returned mission family. We went to a charming (quaint?) little workshop on panning for gold in Timp Canyon, attended the temple that morning, had lunch at the dell, and a birthday dinner for Grandma that night, before coming home. We slept at G&G Duncan’s one night, since they’re also close, and got to visit w/ them as well. I forgot my camera all weekend, and missed some fun shots in the great weather, and should have at least caught a picture of Dad playing one of about a million board and card games with Spencer, who we’re beginning to call our company leech!—from hometeachers and family, to presidency mtgs and visitors, he cuddles right up to whoever is visiting, chats into their ears nonstop, like they’ve missed him his whole life, and becomes their new best friend!
The next weekend was the Duncan reunion, that our branch of the family was in charge of this year. We just had a day at the park w/ Stacey’s yummy bbq pork and coleslaw sandwiches, egg hunt for the children, humanitarian blankets, bead crafts, croquet, a giant human trampoline, and games all day long. We went to a ward swim party that night (can we say tired!?!) where Brian listened in glee to the BYU game on earphones—HOORAY cougars (until this sad wkend!)!!
Labor Day we enjoyed Brian’s parents w/ us, and took them w/ us to shop the grills on sale. That was for our anniversary, but we wanted to wait until the end of season—we found a good one—thanks to a salesman from Shallowford Ward in GA!!—and have LOVED all the cooking out we’ve gotten to do!! Put that with our fresh tomatoes, peppers, and herbs, and eating has been SOO delightful lately!! We’ve had brats and chicken teriyaki, steak, hamburgers, and hotdogs, and from the garden: pesto sauce, grilled havarti, tomato and basil sandwiches, and EVERYTHING w/ grilled red peppers!!-yum! We also took a day to go up and visit G&G Mildenhall in Perry (I’ve been trying to collect family stories!), and get some SCRUMPTIOUS peaches on the way home—half the price of last year too! We were halfway home, when, again, getting used to this new van, we ran right out of gas on the freeway!!! What a silly disaster! Thank goodness Brian was already home, and could bring us some gas pretty quickly, while Spencer watched a nearby gas station under the overpass, and kept trying to convince me that he could throw them a note, and they would surely save us! What did we do before cell phones??!!! (walk a lot!) I had a RS Super Saturday the next day, and thought I’d get home early, but had forgotten it was also our turn to clean the bldg, so I stayed after to help w/ that, and was a little worried about starting canning as late as 3:30!—but thanks to my wonder girls, we still put up 40 quarts before 8PM!!! Emily and Maddie were both so excited to help like last year, and peeled and sliced those peaches like lightning!! I only had to pour on the syrup and process them, and I even got to bathing Anne in between!! Brian took the boys on a trip to pick up a barely used sette for the front room I’d found online, and worked on the storage shelves to hold the peaches in the basement!
The children are loving school so far. Spencer gets pretty excited about Kindergarten—the first day he came charging in and said, “MOM!!! WE GOT TO PLAY ON THE PLAYGROUND AT RECESS!!!! AND TOMORROW WE’RE GOING TO THE GYM!!!—I AM DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO BE LATE FOR THAT!!!!” He thinks his teacher is the nicest ever, and all the children are pretty pleased with the year. I’m just excited to be feeling so normal again, and to be back to a good routine.
One other bit of excitement—I get to sing in the Choir for the RS General Broadcast next weekend!! There are about 10 stakes involved, and each ward could send 4 people. I was worried when they had a limited number, as singing is not my “forte,” but due to the schedule commitments, etc., the list shortened, and I was still on it! I feel like such a cheater, sneaking in like that, esp. as they give us these devotionals about using our gifts, etc., and how so many people wish they could do what we do (as in sing well), and I think, “Uh-Oh, I am one of the people who’s always wished I could sing!!” Still, I have LOVED the whole opportunity—walking into the chapel that is overflowing w/ women singing hymns—even just during warmup is like sneaking into a RS in Heaven for a minute—my voice is weak, but my heart is just singing the whole time I get to be there!! We practiced in the Conference Center yesterday, and I’m in the stage-right section, 4 rows from the top, and 2 seats in. We’ve had visitors from the RS General Board and presidency at EVERY rehearsal, meticulous instruction w/ wardrobe, security, etc.,--it has really been quite the experience!!—moreso than I even imagined. This will be my first time getting to attend any meeting in the Conference Center, and I’ll have a great seat!!
Brent turns 10 next Sunday!- and it will be on the Primary Program—we’re putting together a little party for him this week. We got to have the Madsen’s over for dinner Thursday night too—they were in town for the sosad BYU game, and it was just delicious to have them with us for a few hours, and just like no time had passed b/t us! Anne’s successfully started nursery, (though she went from crying at the door, to crying in the hall on the way, to crying during the closing song of Sac. Mtg—she is improving, we think!), Emily has lost a few more teeth, and waited patiently for days for the tooth fairy to finally notice, Brian’s firm is steadily doing well, despite their occasional worrying, and I think we’re all quite happy.
Well, I think that wraps it up for now—we are SOOO blessed. I sometimes wake up in the night now, and can’t go back to sleep, but I’m seldom irritated by it—I am so content to just lie in my comfy bed and think of how cushioned my life is with blessings right now. I love, love, love our children, am so grateful for Brian, and am amazed at all we are able to experience: from big things like glorious creations, to all of the countless little things like being able to can peaches, read Great-Grandma’s journal, talk easily with faraway friends and family, get our piano tuned, and having a garden and good health. There is so much goodness in life! It’s nice to have a Sunday to sit back and remember that—hopefully I’ll do better at still remembering, in the middle of being often overwhelmed w/ all the to-doingness too! I did get to read, while Mom was here, some of Grandma Farnsworth’s journal the year she was expecting her 6th child, in 1933(?), and I was SO impressed w/ how, even in the short little entries, she was so simply positive: “What hard workers the children are,” “What a great husband I have,” “Barbara’s already doing so well on the piano,” “Thelma made great waffles today—what a cook!” and so little of the nitpicking and complaining! What a good reminder of how much better it is to see the best in each other! Happy Fall to everyone-Love, The Duncan’s
Anne w/ Grandpa