Thank Goodness for Great Neighbors!

June 27, 2010

Dear Family,

This week's been so exciting, it leaves us longing for a boring life! Maddie was gone to Girls Camp for the week, and the bishopric and wives were invited down the last night for dinner and bishop's fireside. Spencer had been sick all week, we all had dentist appt.s throughout the week, and I, was the ONLY one w/ a cavity (which would make it seem that regular brushing is detrimental!!) Brian's “Check Engine” light had come on (just in time to pass his emissions), and I was rather looking forward to a long night out together. The bishop had offered to drive all of us together, so off we went Thursday afternoon to drive past Evanston, WY, 2 hours away, to the cabin the girls were staying in.

Brent felt okay about staying home in charge, and I had called a few neighbors to let them know we'd be far away (and maybe out of cell phone range), so I left their #'s with Brent along w/ supper and a show, and we took Lucy w/ us. We made it to camp all right, saw happy Maddie right in the thick of things, having a fabulous time, ate, and then got a call from our neighbor telling us Anne had just had a seizure, and the ambulance, etc. was there ready to take her to the hospital. I felt like I may as well have been on another planet hearing the news, for as far off as we were! What could we possibly do 2 hours away, and the bishop needed to give his fireside, etc.??!!! We are SOOOO grateful for so many wonderful neighbors that we were able to rely on!!! We DID all leave camp, fireside rescheduled, and got back in time to basically check Anne out of the hospital. Brian's brother had gotten to the hospital to be with her too. It turns out she was just playing with Emily—being dragged on a towel around the house, and fell back on hit her head. Just like her first seizure last January, she started crying really hard, went to catch her breath at one point, couldn't, and then started slight convulsing. DEAR Brent immediately RAN (four sidewalk squares at a time, he later told me!) down to our neighbor Robin, who I knew would be home, and she got here and had Brent call 911, and had Emily run get our neighbor Dean across the street. The Merritts soon joined in, and even a couple of other brothers about to go home teaching, and there was soon quite a crowd w/ 2 cops, the ambulance, and a fire truck. By the time the paramedics arrived, her seizure was over, and she was having her own (healthy) fit over being strapped to a board. We tried (over the phone) seeing if our neighbor could just be the one to drive her, but the EMT's had to finish the job at that point, so off she went (alone!!) in an ambulance, with neighbor Robin following behind, and Dean (and later Heidi) staying here with the other children. Once the medical team heard she hit her head, they treated everything pretty seriously, but by the time she got to the ER, they couldn't even find a bump. (It wasn't too far of a fall—from sitting on the floor to lying down on it). They did another EEG, and everything looked fine on her brain, so the Dr. let us check her out right after we finally got there, and Nathan took us all home to report to all the very caring and concerned people calling to check on us the next couple of days. The Dr. also said the seizure did no damage, and wasn't the epileptic kind (?), and just said that it can be a reaction to not being able to catch her breath, etc. Some children cry until they pass out, Anne cries until she has a seizure. I'm still not sure I see it as normal, but at least we're not as panicky as before. Miraculously, Brent, Emily, and Spencer were able to be calmed too, and were all asleep by the time we got home around 10. Quite a bit of hubbub!!, and we're SO grateful everything has turned out all right. Once we could relax, Brian was a bit bummed about the bill (but at least her other seizure was still part of this year's deductible!) and I was sad those EMT's cut apart her cute little shirt, but really, none of it matters in comparison to what might've been (see above picture with her hospital bracelet and torn shirt). Brian said later this weekend, “I was kind of down about the whole thing at first-just after we've had all these things breaking and falling apart, to have an emergency like that, but then I remembered that these things just remind us how fragile our lives really are, and how we just ALWAYS need to be relying on the Lord.” So we do!

  This is Maddie and I on the zipline up at Girls Camp.  Everyone at camp was amazed at how shy Maddie ISN'T, and this zipline was one of her favorite things--she apparently lived on it, and seldom went down on it alone

We weren't sure that night if we would make it, but Brian's check engine light went off long enough at least for him to get his car registered, Spencer actually started feeling better Friday, we got the house cleaned (even carpets washed!) and everyone packed up in time to head up to Idaho. Grandma Stewart turns 80 tomorrow, so on Saturday, there was a nice Open House at their home to celebrate. The cousins had fun sleeping in a tent @ G&G Duncan's, and it was nice to spend some time w/ Nate and Stacey's family. They live about 3 miles away, and we still have spurts sometimes, of a month or more where we don't see them at all! We were sad it coincided w/ a Usana convention Brian's parents were in charge of on Saturday, so we didn't get to see as much of them, but I took the kids over to the school playground while I ran the track for a while (in PERFECT Idaho summer weather!), and Grandma looked great! We had a deflated tire on the way home (we were carpooling w/ Nate and Stacey, thank goodness), and from the looks of it, nearly had to stop right there to replace them all, but they managed for the rest of the ride home—sad when you almost get USED to emergencies! Instead, we came home, got all the kids bathed, and then watched the "Syracuse Days" fireworks from the van in a nearby church parking lot.  Poor Maddie is trying to normalize back to boring real life (I so remember those Saturdays after!) and catch up on sleep. We have swimming lessons starting this week for Brent, Emily, and Spencer, and on Thursday, I've got an appt. for Anne w/ a “Witch Dr.!”--no, an alternative Health clinic is where I'm taking her, to see what they can do for her eczema and general health issues! (I was so sad w/ her hospital visit, thinking, “Oh, PLEASE stay alive at least until I can try this other Dr!!---give me a chance!” THEN—Mom and Dad will be driving in Thursday afternoon for this 4^th of July weekend, so we are SO excited to see them, and once they leave, we'll be heading down to Zion's National Park for our family vacation, so lots of fun!! Love, The Duncan's

Happy Summer

June 20, 2010

Dear Family,

For those of you I haven't complained to yet, our computer is, as of just this week, up and running again after a MONTH of no internet. I just read Elder Bednar's excellent talk in the June Ensign on wisdom in using technology, and I've decided that, as much as I was worried about all the time I might waste online, I am absolutely depressed cutting off all my ties like that, losing such a quick and convenient resourse for everything from maps and recipes, to family updates and weather. I have also conlcuded that as hugely verbose and neverending as my blog posts tend to be, it does me GOOD to count and record my blessings, and I have been a bit of a grump the last few weeks! So,(though I've cursed it many times in the repair process) hurrah for the internet and technology!

I have LOVED our slooow entrance to summer this year—we just turned on the air yesterday! We have had SO many cool rainstorms that have made for some interesting end of the year fieldtrips and snowy Father/Son Campouts, but otherwise, it has kept the heat at bay, and the skies full of exciting emotion. In the last month, besides my replacing the ethernet card on the computer (I now know more about pinging, mac addresses, speedtests, and PCI slots than I EVER wanted to!), we have (excuse repeat from last post) gotten a new radiator for Brian's car, 2 new microwaves (only kept one—the first replacement broke too!), a new wax seal on the toilet (it only took me an hour to get the water supply turned off!!--pulling off the toilet was a cinch!), and are waiting on a new wheel for Maddie's bike (that the van ran over b/c of the chaotic garage). Still, on the upside, we were able to buy the wardrobe I'd been dreaming of for the last year, so that we have storage for coats/backpacks AND dishes! We also, thanks to a ward connection, hooked up Brian with a new basketball standard (Brent convinced his Dad that it was what he really wanted), and w/ money saved, got the picnic table we'd been looking at for our back deck.  We even found a new piano teacher!! (I've been looking in earnest again all spring)--and she's right in our neighborhood and stake! Amazingly enough, she wrote the new Primary song for the program this year ("I Know That My Savior Loves Me"--Tami Creamer), and is quite the musician extraordinaire, but since just returning from living in Guam for a few years, she only has a few students right now, and the kids have been going for 3 weeks now, and they are already picking up the pace.  We are pretty thrilled to have found her!

 (New Wardrobe in kitchen--the kids now say it's weird to eat in Spare Um)--I LOOOVE it! Yeah IKEA! We had to buy one once I found online that they were discontinuing them--luckily they still had some at the store, so we weren't too late.

Our health has had similar ups and downs. We've upped Anne's steroids, and did a round of antibiotic shots for her eczema and constant congestion. The Dr. introduced the idea of tubes for her ears at our last visit, and maybe adenoids out, but the frustration is that we can't tell which problems are causing which, or how many are related. We've started her on vitamins from Brian's parents, which did seem to help her runny nose clear up on its own, and between my sister in-law Stacey, who's becoming well-versed in the benefits of essential oils, and friends who have found good answers from homeopathic doctors, I am now on the hunt for any other alternatives for her. It rips my heart out to have her in so much chronic pain and not know why!

We've also had Emily into the Dr. for a few visits, and while everything hasn't just gone away, either things have become more manageable, or I've just calmed down. After talking w/ Brian, and finding so many similarities with his own growing up years (that he eventually grew out of), I see her struggles a bit as more of a coming of age issue that we can work with. After tearing up a book with her to face her fear of ripping out pages while she reads, and saying swear words out loud with her until it sounds silly instead of serious, I was furious to find out from Brian later, that he used to be worried about identical little things like that!! If only I could lay blame at his feet, but at least things feel a bit more normalized. We'll just keep an eye on her, and in the meantime, Brian's been able to take her on a few Daddy Daughter dates to give her a bit more security in that sandwich child position.

Lucy, though is chubby and happy and healthy—I never thought the newborn would be the low-maintenance child of the family, but for now she is a relative breeze! Though her nights are still not as long as I'd prefer, I've been able to get back into exercising (just not back into all of my clothes!), and this past week, w/ such pleasant weather, I ran for an hour one day (probably only 4 miles, but still!), and then rode bikes w/ Brent 2 days, when I found a bike trail just over a mile from our house! We went about 7 miles the first time, and 8-9 the next time. I LOVE having bike trails closeby!

 I love Lucy's healthy thighs!--and her many smiles:

Otherwise, we had Maddie turn 12 (!!!!), took a fun Memorial Day trip up to Idaho, have wrapped up the school year, and sprung into summer fun! I keep wondering why all this fun seems so foreign to me, and then I remember that I was bed-ridden all last summer, so ANYthing is a huge improvement! It's nice to go and take advantage of free summer activities for the kids and for Mom, because at home I'm reminded of how unorganized everything still is (baby recovery is SO multi-faceted—the 6 week checkup barely scratches the surface!)! 

Maddie's Birthday (she had her own party--inviting a few friends over for a "late night" of pizza, movies, nailpainting, and girlysilliness).  She is LOVING YW, and leaves for Girls Camp on Tuesday!!! Kind of surreal, since I feel like I was there as a YW 4 months ago or so.  

Maddie and her presents (her birthday would've been a Fast Sunday, but we had Stake Conference :).

Smiles in her bday dress, YW bracelet, and KeyLime Birthday Pie

 Happy Birthday!!

Now for the last weeks of School: Tons of field trips, programs, assemblies, and more.  Apparently, graduating from 6th grade is a bit of a big deal out here (hope that doesn't reflect the standard of education!), so Maddie had a big slideshow, diploma, awards, etc., etc.  They even have an inschool 6th grade dance, where she AKWARDLY had some boy tell her, "I never noticed this before, but you're really beautiful."  She gracefully told him they could only be partners once (according to the dance rules) when he tried to ask her to dance again. She also had a "Monster Concert" for Orchestra, where all the 6th grades in the area crammed onto the high school stage to play the 12 songs they learned.

Maddie and her 5th AND 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Gardner (blurry b/c they're "in motion"?!)

 Maddie w/ some of her school friends
Spencer also enjoyed quite the rite of passage w/ all of the Kindergarten Hoop-La:

Here's Spencer (in the middle) singing away

Spencer after his trout farm fieldtrip (in the freezing rain);  Cute shirts too!--each child drew a self-portrait for their class shirt!

Spencer and sweet Mrs. Strawn

 Brent won the 4th Grade UTAH GEOGRAPHY Bee! He also got an award for perfect attendance this year.   The 4th grade also puts on a "Wax Museum" where they have to memorize a spiel about a famous Utahn, dress up as the person, and draw a background.  Here we are visiting the "museum" and he is dressed as one of his new heroes, Philo T. Farnsworth.  He thinks there is nothing cooler than being related to a real-life inventor!!

Emily on "Mismatch Day"  She got 2nd place in her class spelling bee, and was so excited for summer before school got out, but now bemoans the fact that she can't constantly catch up with her friends!

And though years from leaving, Anne cannot be left out! Here she is making her lunch in the morning, and later, reading stories to Lucy (she now says "Lutzy" instead of just "Baby")

And here she is, trying to imitate my general hubbub of hurry:  baby, carseat, sunglasses, etc.--I wonder if I look like this to her:  barely holding onto everything!
So! To kick summer off on the right foot, I thought, at the last minute, that we should do something to celebrate once they got out of school, so off we went to Antelope Island--there IS a beach there at Bridger Bay after all! The water was nice and warm, and at least the older 4 had enough fun to counteract the 1/2 mile hike through sand and rock and COUNTLESS biting gnats!!! (I even walked barefoot and w/ the carseat--you couldn't see all of the terrain very well from where we parked).  Poor Anne's eczema did not let her enjoy the salty water, and Lucy I just tried to keep covered in her carseat, but w/ snacks and a good cloudy breeze, it was pretty nice for the last hour or so, and more than anything, it was nice to just be out and on no schedule--and we basically had the place to ourselves!! (it may also be our last "swim trip" there for a good while!)

We also set the goal (like we did last year) to have Spencer learn to ride his two-wheeler, so the first week out of school, we pumped up his tires, I got distracted talking to our newly acquainted neighbor Amy (a sweet Korean lady who feeds us like crazy and lets the kids play with her dogs), and when I turned around, this is what Spencer was doing:

 No pushing, guiding, riding on grass or anything--he just got it!!--and it seemed to inspire Abby across the street, who was also trying to learn, and within a couple of days, they were both at it! Emily loved having more company too!

 We had Abby and her family over for this "2-Wheeler" dessert last Sunday, and then we got a good croquet game going in the front yard.

And here are some fun Memorial Day memories from our Idaho trip:

playing w/ G&G Stewart's dog Peekaboo

It was cold and rainy most of the time, so even though we had Reed's Dairy ice cream and waffle cones to eat, we did go out for a little "field trip" on Saturday to see Aunt Kimber's EMT Plane she flies in, and then to see the Hubble Telescope Display at the Idaho Falls Temple Visitor's Center:

We had cousins Daylen and Layton with us (Troy and Kimber's boys) that day too, and Kimber even gave out airplanes, pens and notepads to all the kids!

We got to visit the grave of Brian's mom, and try the timer on our new camera (I was the one who ran in, believe it or not, not Brian!)

And since school has gotten out, we have taken advantage of as many free things as we can find:
Free Admission at This is the Place Monument and Pioneer village (where I ran into the Charlotte I worked at the BYU Testing Center w/!):

we only had about an hour there (we got lost w/o my being able to use mapquest), but it was so fun w/ a free train, free ice cream cones, free pony rides, and little demos to go visit.  This is the train

This is the schoolhouse
And the next day, we tried the free Treehouse Museum.  Here's the Mexico house:

and another school house--love that right when school gets out, they spend so much time playing school!
We also had fun w/ a free day swimming at the Roy Rec Center close by, and have lists of future locations yet to come.  Brian's stayed busy w/ bishopric duties, esp. since our bishop has been out of town for a stretch.  I went w/ him up to a Laurel's camp for dinner and a program one night.  Later that same week, he spent 2 nights at a Priest's camp, and he had regular Youth night in between.  He got to go shooting w/ the High Priests yesterday morning, and we had a fun ward dutch oven picnic last night.  Friday we went down to Orem for a cousin's wedding reception--Rick & Marnae Christofferson, and his dad's cousin, Elder D. Todd Christofferson performed the ceremony, and did stop by the reception, so we were glad the children got to be there, and since it wasn't too crowded, even shake his hand.  Anne always calls one of our hometeachers "Prophet," so we thought it would be good for her to see the real thing, but she was pretty shy that night.

So, off we go, into real summer now! Sorry to cram so much into one post, but it is a good representation for how much I feel like I'm cramming into my life sometimes! We are living an abundant life, and it is a fun time of year! Love, The Duncan's
p.s. more Lucy pictures, just b/c we have them!