A Smattering of Duehrings

The birthday of June it is. The tree up it is also. We have a tradition in our home of putting up our Christmas Tree (holiday tree to you Target and Lowes employees) on the weekend closest to June’s birthday. Ideally we put it up on her birthday, but this year it was the Sunday before. And lo! What lurks besides the tree but a fair, wintry elf! Funny how many pictures that kid gets into.

June has had a great birthday since I got home. She’s basically been immobile from sever lower back pain. Yeah, lovely, eh? So, I stayed home from youth group, put on my apron, and took care of things as only a loving husband could do for his wife on her birthday. Pregnancy looks so fun sometimes!

Little Eli turned 18 months a couple days ago. He is growing up fast. He says a few words which are DADA, MAMA, APPLE, NIGH NIGH, BYE BYE, and pretty much grunts for everything else he wants. He is obsessed with shoes and boots and always has one of the older kids shoes on one of his feet as he marches around the house. He loves his DADA dearly and gets so excited everytime he sees him. He just started climbing up onto the top bunk bed this week where he then yells for me to come get him down. He also learned how to climb onto the chairs at the table and loves to get up to the table like a big boy. He is a picky eater and there is no way to force something down him that he thinks looks yucky. He still loves his bottle of juice at bedtime and he sucks on his tags on his blankie to go to sleep. He loves to be read to and expecially likes the little Dr. Suess board books. He loves to dance with music. He is terrified of baths and starts crying as soon as he hears the water turn on. He loves the park across the street and marches down the sidewalk as soon as he gets outside hoping to go over there. He can climb up the slide and go down it by himself now. He is such a sweet little boy with quite a fun personality.

A few years ago we took Maggie and Micah for a drive down around Mission Hills to look at Christmas lights on homes. Micah was sitting in the back of the van, and at the time spoke in pretty much a mono-tone. Every house we passed he stated, quite eloquently, in his robot-like mono-tone, “Oooh, Chris Muss.”

As today is the last nice day out before we get hit with a cold, wet front, June decided it was time to put our lights up. Not that June put them up, mind you. Nothing special, as you can see, but the kids dig ‘em, and they are proof that, yes, the Kansas Duehrings do indeed have Christmas spirit.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Another year, another turkey. This is the first year since 1995 that we’ve stayed home for Thanksgiving. And you know what? I didn’t miss driving. Not at all! Jeremy came over and helped out with the prep, so it turned out real well.