Cute pic's

To see some adorable pictures of my kids, go here....
Lisa, you take the cutest pic's!!!

My baby brother is 18 today..

Dear Robert,

Eighteen years go by so fast. It was like yesterday that I remember you being born. It was 1990, and I was 12 years old. We were living on the Big Island of Hawaii at the time, and life was pretty much a carefree world. The day before you were born we all ( mom, dad, Marlon, Monica, Lisa, G&G Frandsen and me) went on a snowtubing trip up on Mouna Kea. The elevation is about 13,ooo feet above sea level. I would always get sick up there because the oxygen was so thin. We all rode up that bumpy dirt road, and mom looked very tired and uncomfortable. This was all dad's ploy to get mom into labor so he could get the tax deduction before the new year! Well, Mouna Kea has snow, it's pretty much ice though, so when we'd get on those tubes we'd rocket to the bottom of the little valley and then have to climb back up. I don't remember being up there very long, due to the lack of oxygen. After that we drove all the way back down that same bumpy road and hit the beach. I don't think there are many places in the world where you can go snowtubing and surfing in the same day.. I just remember mom saying she wouldn't be surprised if she had the baby that night.

Later that night, we got home and went to sleep. I remember mom coming in and waking me up in the middle of the night. I was thinking that it was time for school or something and I was grumbling about her bothering my slumber.. (some things don't really change) She told me that she was in labor and dad was driving her to the hospital. G&G Frandsen were there visiting so they were staying with us. It was a saturday night. The next morning we woke up and had to go to church since I was giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting. I didn't even want to do it, I was really nervous and would've rather come see mom in the hospital. I even remember that my talk was on "goals".. I think I spoke so fast that not one person could understand what I was saying! Right after that we left. We were all looking forward to seeing our new baby brother at the Kealakekua Hospital. I remember the first time we were there and got to hold you it was quite a competition. We all took turns, and I don't remember you crying much. You still hadn't been given a name yet. Mom and dad were thinking of giving you maybe a Hawaiian name since you were born there, but couldn't decide on one. It was about 5 days later you were given your official name, Robert Merrill Duke. Robert because you were named after mom's brother, and Merrill after Grandpa Duke.. Your Hawaiian name is Lopaka, which we called you every so often. Either that or baby Luke.. But Luke Duke didn't seem very nice to do to you. =)

We were so lucky to have you join our family, you've been a huge blessing to all of us. You suffered through many times when us girls would dress you up and even put makeup on you. You all entertained us with your lip-sync abilities, and you were just fun to have as a little bro. I loved chasing you out of the room if we had a "guy" over. You would make smooching noises and be so annoying.. =) Sometimes I feel bad cause I left home while you were still so young, and that I've missed a lot of you growing up. But looking back we had lots of fun, and when we get together now it's good to see you've turned into such a great man. You have lots to look forward to, you are at such a fun stage in life. Take advantage of it and always know that we love you! So Happy Birthday little bro, I hope you have a great day!! We love you very much and miss you!! We are still cool enough to hang out with, even though I'm a mom. My kids love their Uncle Bob!!

Love Dianna

Wiley Christmas 2008

Before I begin, I want you to see how many times you can spot Easton's ball. He can't go anywhere without it! He even sleeps with it!

I'm overwhelmed. I have no idea how to start this post, to even begin to explain our Christmas this year! Personally, it was one of our best. The kids are at that perfect age where they get so excited and can hardly contain themselves. I too was so excited cause I KNEW this was going to be a great Christmas! Our festivities actually started the week before Christmas, at least for me, to get the Christmas Spirit flowing. Nicole and Evan invited us to see the lights at Temple Square with their family, which was awesome since I thought we'd miss them yet again this year. I just love Temple Square, especially this time of year, it brings me such comfort to see the lights, the glowing Temple, and to hear music throughout the grounds. Thanks Dickson's for letting us be a part of your family that night!

Then it was our turn to be with Nate's family this year for the annual Christmas Eve party! Let me just say we are a crazy bunch! It was fun to laugh and visit with eachother, and to eat until we were about to explode. The fare that is put on is fabulous, and I swore I wouldn't have to eat until the new year!!! We got to hear a great message from Nate's dad, and to hear his testimony, and the kids got to open their Christmas Eve present. Instead of the traditional jammy's or as Easton says, "jamz", they got some darling robes to wear Christmas morning.. It was a great night..

I think the highlight of Christmas Eve was getting a call from my little sister Lisa at about 11:30pm to let us know she just got ENGAGED!!! What a great Christmas present!! They will be getting married on Valentines day, and I cannot even wait!!


Christmas morning came really fast, and Emily came running into our room with a smile clear across her face! She was intent on finding out if Santa made it to our house, but we did the waiting game while daddy got his teeth brushed, dressed, the whole 9.. It was fun to make her wait just a few minutes longer!

Seeing their faces as they realized Santa did in fact visit our house was priceless. Now I know as a parent, why my parents always seemed to enjoy Christmas so much! I could relive that moment over and over! Emily was given a fancy doll crib with a new baby doll with clothes to go with it.. Easton got a scooter, and a spiral racing track with cars..

In the photo above, Emmy is saying "look mom, her eyes are the same as mine!"

There was magic in the air for sure! We had a great Christmas day, just enjoying the moments and knowing we didn't have to go anywhere! We did however go visit Nate's brother Michael and his wife Melanie for a bit that night, which was fun as usual! I just wish Christmas Day could last just a little bit longer, I just loved it this year!!!

The day after, Nate had to be back to work, and I had a Duke Family Christmas party to be at down in Lindon. I was worried about the roads, cause they were so bad but we made it safe and sound. It's always fun to see cousins, aunts and uncles. Plus it's a treat as always to see my Grandma Duke. We ate good food, and opened some white elephant gifts, and got to get caught up with family. Two of my highlights were seeing my old roommate Jen, her baby and hubby, and having my dad show me what he made the kids.. Let me just say that my dad is amazing. He can fix anything, and now he has proven that he can MAKE anything as well! All from scratch, he made/sewed this awesome tipee for the kids to play in!!!






Yes, he will be making them to sell, so if you are interested let me know! Thanks dad, for taking the time to make such meaningful gifts for the kids. They will remember this for a lifetime!!

It was great to get caught up with Jen, she is so much fun and I miss her! I wish that I had more time to visit, it was sad leaving, knowing that we would be going home to a quiet house with no family staying the weekend.. However, the kids zonked out and it was nice to have some quiet time to clean up and get ready for the new year!!! So for all of you, I hope you have a fabulous New Year!!!!

(You should've counted seeing the ball 6 times...The boy is attached to a ball... What can I say? It's hilarious.)

Holiday Miscellaneous

My mother-in-law is famous for storing things.. She will pull out toys at her house that Nate used to play with as a kid. The great thing about it, is that most if not all of these toys are like brand new!! Even after all these years. Well it didn't surprise me when I went to pick up the kids to find Emily in this:

Isn't it such a cute coat?! I asked my mother-in-law where she got it and she laughed as she said, "It used to be Nate's!" Seriously, this gem has been hanging up in her coat closet for 25 years. And it's in mint condition!! Doesn't even smell old.. Emily loves it and wears it to school where her teacher made her spin, "like 6 times" according to Emily!! I am thrilled that she wears it, it is very special to her since her daddy used to wear it when he was 5. She doesn't even care that it's a boy color, she'll wear it until it fits Easton!!

And then I couldn't help posting this:

Tayia and Emily stayed busy for a long time doing each other's hair. They play SO WELL together, and we are always lucky to have them over.



And what night isn't complete without a bath buddy? Seriously, it's not too much longer before these two won't want to share the bubbles, but I sure do love this age. Bergen's little pixie voice will have your heart for sure! They make each other laugh and giggle, and it's cute to see them play!

Well, I thought we needed to get a "gingerbread house" to decorate. It has become a late start tradition in my family, so I thought my kids would enjoy it! Well, let's just say that I had to mentally talk myself into calming my stress level down enough to have the Christmas spirit to proceed with last nights festivities. After slaving on homemade cinnamon rolls (that didn't turn out good), dinner, and cleaning up a broken quart jar of bottled peaches, plus entertain the kids, I was beat. However, I turned on some music, spoke in a happy voice, and got the night started! The kids got into it right away, and we had to try and explain to Easton that he can't eat it all!! He was a bit disgruntled, but after eating more than a fair share of sugar, he was happy! And to find out after all the effort to bring on happy holiday traditions, Emily would've rather drawn pictures in her little notebook that she happened to find in our candy basket. Hmph! Alright fam, let's not ever say I didn't try! All in all, the night was fun, and glad we got it decorated!!

KIDZORG.BLOGSPOT.COM

I feel like a really bad friend. Why is it that life can get so busy, that we get to be so distant from people that we love and care about? Not just family, but friends, those who we share an inexplainable connection with one way or the other.. Those who we've shared so many memories with, but live far away. So the intent for this post is to give a great big shout-out to my wonderful friend, ex-roommate, and SAHM extraordinaire, Tara Mann Bennett. She has this AWESOME blog that she updates all the time, and now she has started this other blog dedicated to those mom's out there with Special Needs children. Tara is the mother of Chloe, who has special needs. I gain so much inspiration from reading Tara's blogs, she makes me try harder to not only be a better mom, but a better person as well. After I have sat glued to the computer screen for who knows how long, reading and looking at pictures of Tara's life, I often reflect on my own and what I have accomplished. More often than not, I'll decide to spend more time with my own kids. Trying to relish in their little antics, that before would drive me nuts, but at second glance are really just a flare of their personalities. Recently Tara sent me this email that made me cry. I was having a particularly bad day, being grumpy at just about everyone, including the dog. But leave it to Tara to boost my happiness and put EVERYTHING into perspective.. So here is that email, it's long but it will make you cry! Before I copy it on here, just wanted to say thanks Tara for being an amazing mother, and friend!!! Check out her sites!!

THE INVISIBLE MOTHER

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone! One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England.. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything . A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did.Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance.

Our turkey day! ( 2 weeks late )

This year for our Thanksgiving, we had the opportunity to go home to my parent's house for 5 days. It was such a fun, relaxing trip, which of course it usually is since my mom

offers to watch the kids while we can get a chance to "go out". Thanks mom and dad, you put on a fabulous Thanksgiving this year!! It was great to be "home" for the holiday!

While we were "home" my sister Lisa took it upon herself to cut and style our hair! She doesn't have a license or anything, but she definitely has a talent for it. Lisa loves to get us all beautified! Emily was thrilled after I gave her permission to have Lisa cut her hair. I just told Lisa to make it cute, and she did a fabulous job!

Here is the BEFORE:


And here is the AFTER shot! Doesn't she look beautiful!!

Mom also treated us to a "girls day" with a pedicure and a little shopping. Now tell me what can be better than that!?! Emily was so excited to be included and she still has her shiny red nails done! While us girls were off doing our thing, the guys, including Easton, went shooting. I'm glad they had some bonding time, and they are always more than eager to go shoot the guns. Easton loved watching and screamed in delight as the spraypaint cans went flying in the air! I would've liked to see it myself! Between that, going to a couple movies, shopping, and just hanging out it was a great get-a-way!!

Mom and Dad always treat us to a nice time, anytime we visit. I just love going home, it is such a good feeling to be where family is. We really missed my older brother and his family, it's hard since they live so far away, but they were certainly in our hearts! Nate and I have had such a good year. We have so much to be thankful for, and somedays I wonder if I really deserve it all! I think the center of my thankful cluster is my family. Without my family I would be lost, they are not only family but also some of my best friend's! I always have fun staying up till way past bedtime to laugh and chat. I think our usual bedtime was 12 midnight or later.. Growing up living at home, my dad would always get so mad when we'd have a group of friend's over and we'd just stay up late and laugh and visit! My mom has a sign over her dining room that say's "Sit long, talk much".. and that is seriously what we do! I love it!

Although Thanksgiving is over, I intend to keep my heart thankful for all I have throughout the new year. I am always thankful for these two sweet kids....

And my sweet husband, you guys are my life!

Twilight

There is not a word to describe a bunch of women on a night without kids. Not that I don't love my kids, but it is very refreshing to get out and socialize!! We (about 10 of us) went up to Ogden for the whole Twilight shabang, complete with dinner, movie, and sleepover up at Wolf Creek. I don't think I slept more than an hour at a time, didn't even get to sleep until 4ish, but it was so worth it!! I loved all the talking, laughing, and goofing off! It's great to act young once in awhile right? Thanks to all my gals, I thoroughly enjoyed myself..




Twilight was a great movie, loved Bella and the others "grow on ya".. But I'm not here to ruin the movie for those of you not yet indoctrinated into the Twilight phenomenon. It's still a great entertainment flick even if you haven't read the books. Now its back to momhood, with kids fighting over my attention! Love it! I'm feeling so loved right now!! And I can't wait until New Moon is in the theater's.. Another night out ladies??

Me Quirky?

So yet another fun tag...I always like reading about how I'm not the only one that has a few quirks! So here are my six so called quirks!

1. I can whistle with my fingers in my mouth REALLY REALLY loud. I've learned that "talent" from my madre.

2. I can make my voice sound just like my little sister Lisa's, especially when we sing, "I love to see the Temple". (Lisa I know you are laughing right now)

3. I pick scabs. Gross, I know, but I can't stand the feeling of a dry scab on my skin so I pick it off. It's a vicious cycle.

4. I don't like wearing shoes. If I could walk around with barefeet all day I would be happy. I guess part of living in Hawaii has stuck with me after all these years!

5. Sometimes I kiss with my eyes open. It freaks Nate out.

6. I can sound like I'm from England, I love the british accent! Someday I'll go there and see if anyone notices that I'm actually from America.

So there, just a few quirky quirks that I have. Whether you like "tags" or not, I tag: Tanielle, Shana, Camey, Nicole, and Tara.

Simply Emily

My sister Lisa did this page on her blog and I had to copy it to show what a cute job she did!! Glad that Emily was such a cute little model..even though she didn't feel like smiling!! Lisa has found a new talent with her photoshop and digiscrapping!!

UpDaTe!!

Better late than never..as usual. Halloween was fun this year, as we got daddy to come trick-or-treating with us!! We had the Johnson's over for dinner, and then we hit the streets. I have NEVER been trick-or-treating where you had to stand in line to get to the doorsteps! So many people love our neighborhood obviously, it was packed..Lots of ghosts, gremlins, a cute witche, a unicorn, and of course our Snow White and Pumpkin!!

Halloween wasn't Halloween unless we had daddy's carved pumpkins! He does an amazing job, he did a total of 6 pumpkins this year, 4 for us, and 2 for his mom and dad.. I am allergic to the guts, so he gets all the fun!!



Oh and I thought Emily looked so cute for school..since they weren't allowed to wear their costumes, I dressed her in her halloween shirt and black pants..



So that comprised our Halloween flair.. I'm personally glad it's over, I just need to get motivated to take down decorations and move onto Thanksgiving! Man, the holidays are here and I am nowhere near ready. I have shopping lists at least, and I will be a fan of online shopping this year since I get headaches going to all the stores.

We kind of already got our Christmas present early.. Nate picked her up today. No, its not a puppy, already have one of those.. Not a pony either. ALthough someday I'd like one. =)
Here she is: 2008 FLEETWOOD E3 Tent Trailer

(don't worry about the guy in the pic above, this is an internet photo)

Pretty cool huh. Nate is on cloud nine. The kids love it. And I am excited too! I just wish it hadn't turned so cold so we could give her a test run! Next spring, here we come!

On Monday I got to tend my good friend Camey's kids! It was a fun day with Spencer and Addelyn. Talk about good kids! They were so cute, and Easton was thrilled to have a playmate.. Thanks Camey for letting us watch your cute kiddos!

And then last but not least. Recreation at our house comes in many ways..Including a laundry basket and a treadmill. This was Nate's creation, "the tread surfer". Easton could not get enough, and Nate was daring enough to up the speed to a 5! Yep. That's my husband. Always thinking of fun things to do. Let's just say we are rarely bored. I couldn't stop laughing, as you can see, and my sister that was talking to me on the phone was laughing just imagining what was going on..

Rare!

Note to self:



Don't ever forget Wednesday, October 29, 2008. It is the remarkable, rare day that Nate let me have the whole day off. I was complaining about needing a break and for the rest of the day he was busy as a bee, and redirecting me to the couch or bed to "put my feet up".




Here is the list that he did:



1. Vacuumed house, top to bottom, upstairs and down, including the tile.

2. Laundry, from start to finish. About 4-5 loads. Yes, that included even folding and putting it away.

3. Unloaded dishwasher, and did all the dirty dishes, all day long..

4. Washing my windows, front door, sliding glass doors, TV.

5. Taking Emily to and from school.

6. Picking up toys and books, etc.. all day long.

7. Propped me up with some pillows to read my book, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! oh and he even offered to rub my feet..which if you knew Nate, or saw my feet you'd know why this is so unbelievable!

8. Got mad at me for trying to start dinner, he took over and had the kitchen clean BEFORE we ate dinner. (Homemade Burritos with the works, which were delish)

9. Cleaned up dinner, and made the kitchen sparkle.

10. Helped get kids to bed, and then gave ME the remote..



I will never forget the wonderful feeling of being at home and not having to lift a finger!! I will look back on this day to remind myself that you DO know how to clean and take care of the house..
Thanks my dear, you read my mind!! Which for a man to do is rare. I understand that I will not get this treatment everyday and no, I won't get used to it.. Thanks for giving me the day off, it was a huge treat!! I Love you!

Happy Birthday/Lagoon

Happy Birthday to Daddy, Happy Birthday to you!!!

We celebrated Nate's birthday on Friday, with this adorable witch cake that my sister brought out to him! The kids loved it!! However, I couldn't get 29 candles on it, without ruining the whole thing! We went out to Applebee's and came home to dive into the witch!!

On saturday we had our annual Lagoon outing, it has been tradition since mine and Nate's third date. That is when it started I guess.. We always go to kind of celebrate Nate's birthday, and most of my family comes to join the fun.. However we have decided that Lagoon is getting way out of control as far as their prices so we might need to find something else to satisfy.. We were so lucky to have my cousin Erin and her husband Jake and little girl Lydia join us. We have just recently re-connected and it's been so fun to see them and get to know each other again! I always remember our summers as kids growing up, camping, and playing at Grandma's house! Fun memories.. They fit right into our crazy crowd, and we had a blast!! This year was the first year in a long time that I actually got sick on a ride. We waited in line for the Samurai and then snuck right back on when it was over.. So two times in a row of the samurai did me in..
The craziest thing was that my little brother Rob, volunteered to be hypnotized during Frightmares Hypnotist Show.. I was sad I missed most of when he was up rapping jibberish and dancing like a gangsta!! That is sooooo out of character for him, especially in front of a large crowd that it had us all laughing hysterically!! So I guess he was completely in a hypnotic trance!

Lagoon always is fun, the kids had fun on all the rides!! Easton would say, "again" when it would stop and he didn't want to get off!

Here is the whole gang!

Thanks everyone for coming, we loved it!!

CHILL!

I was having a "bad-mood" day, therefore making everyone around me in a bad mood.. I came downstairs and found this letter to me:

Need I say more? I found the humor in it and laughed and apologized for me being so grumpy!