Peter's thoughts

I like to draw pictures of Optimus Prime. I like drawing pictures. Yesterday my Learn At Home Grade 1 book came in the mail and I’m excited to start using it. I love school. I have been learning the colors in Spanish. I have been learning to read and tell stories. I read a few books. I like to read simple books in the BOB series, they are only 6 pages and they are fun and easy. Dad read me Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I liked that book. Our DVD player can’t work anymore. I am learning about Thomas Edison and Peter Smith. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. The first light bulb was pointy like the picture.
That’s funny to me. Peter Smith is my great great great grandfather who I am named after. Mom and I found out that Peter Smith was 3 years older than Thomas Edison. Peter Smith lived in Norway and then moved here to North Dakota, he never did get to have electricity and light bulbs in his home. I like learning about him. This week we are going to learn about the sun and how God created the world. I am almost 7 my birthday is in a few months. When I am 8, I am going to get baptized. I am excited and I am also going to get my own set of scriptures when I am baptized, they are going to be 2 books, one is the Bible and one is the Book of Mormon. I can’t wait until I am really big. When I am big I’ll take care of my family.

Peter

Joe Likes to Wash Up!

Joey did something really cute recently. He was eating dinner and got his hands dirty so he got down from the table to go wash his hands. When he came back I helped him back into his booster seat and asked if he got his hands washed ok? Then I noticed his hair was wet, and I ask, "Joey your hair is wet, what happened?"
Then he told me that it was dirty, and I noticed his shirt was wet too and I asked about that, and he said that was dirty too. It was cute the way he kept tilting his head the the side and thinking a minute and saying, "Oh, it was dirty". It looked like he nearly took a bath! What a funny kid! We are now quite careful when we tell him that his hands are dirty.

Swimmer Sam and Will the Whale

Yesterday June 13, 2008: Samuel Duffey started officially swimming without the need of flotation devices. No floaties! It was so amazing to see him progress to this point.

On Monday this last week, the kids and I went over to our friend Christine's house with her 2 children Owen and Marianne. The played in her hot tub, the water being unheated, nice and cool. The kids had fun turning the jets on and off and splashing around while Christine and I talked about homeschooling and she showed me the curriculum she is using. While talking with Christine, I kept looking over at the kids to make sure they were ok, and I kept seeing Sam's backside and Sam underwater similar to the dead mans float. This startled me so I kept a close eye and over and over again Sam would come up for air and then lean forward and hold his breath with his face in the water and his backside floating at the surface.

Then yesterday, Saturday, we all went swimming as a family and in the big pool with floaties on Sam kept putting his head in the water and kicking his feet and waving his arms. Then we all went over to the little kiddie pool where Sam has wanted more and more to swim without floaties. So he quickly took them off and started swimming without them. Then when we wanted to go back in the big pool Chris convinced him to try and go without the floaties. He gave it a try and it worked! He got in and started doing the same swimming that he had in the kiddie pool in the big pool. I have watched in amazement as Sam has observed other kids and has pretty much naturally taught himself to swim. We can take little credit other than offering advice and encouragement. He now tells us that he can swim and that he doesn't need floaties or swim lessons! So I guess this was all brought about because he didn't want swim lessons, which we were going to put him in shortly. Yeah! I love it when your kid saves you money!

Meanwhile, as soon as Sam showed us that he can swim Chris and I marveled and cheered Sam, Peter I think was feeling the pressure to keep up. While Chris was over in the big pool witnessing Sam's first un-aided swim. I looked back and Peter was still in the little pool trying to hold his breath under water. Back on Monday at our friend's house Peter told me that going under water was too scary. And here he was struggling to do it. I am grateful for having Sam and how they encourage each other. The kids feel safer in the little pool going underwater and trying things because if it gets too scary they are tall enough to stand up. So I worked with Peter in the little pool for a while encouraging him to keep trying. Then I took him to the big pool to give it a try. As I said we were going to put them in Swim Lesson, but I called about them and because no on is signing up for them, I would have to pay nearly double for them to be in a class of their own with just Peter, Sam and the instructor. I was feeling the cost to be too high, and then when we saw the huge strides that Sam has made (and the fact that he doesn't want them) we know now that we just need to take the kids to the pool a lot and they'll learn. We plan on going 3 times this week. Sam was so funny after we got home, he said that he didn't need swim lessons because he could already swim. Then I told Chris that I would continue encouraging Peter and that he (Chris) help Sam at which time Sam interrupted and said, "But I can swim!" I am glad that Peter and Sam are learning to swim.

What about Joe and Will? you say

Well Joe relies on his floaties and has fun, he isn't too adventurous but as his brothers progress, I can see him copying them. But then there is Will...

Will has absolutely no fear of the water. We were given a nice little baby floating inner-tube for Will to sit in while in the pool. I don't think we have used that thing twice before Will got tired of it and doesn't want anything. We have tried floaties and he crys and crys. He is still so small that the arm floaties are as big as his head! When I hold him he wants down to be free and in the baby pool he can walk a little but pretty quick he falls. Then we grab him and he might cough or look a little surprised, but right away he'll want out of your grasp and then he'll do it again. I kept joking with Chris that he wants to be free and swim among the whales. He has no fear, and its no better in the big pool, he doesn't want to be held and he can't swim. If I can just get him through the summer without drowning! We're planning a trip to the store before our next water adventure to be sure.

Peter the Reader

Peter has been getting better and better with reading. There is a summer reading program here with Half Price Books and if the kids read 15 minutes per day for 5 days then they each get a $3 off coupon. I checked out a set of easy readers in the Bob series from the library and the kids have been reading those. Peter is getting better and better. For a while Sam would say that it was too hard and that he couldn't read, but I think either watching Peter learning or this new incentive or who knows what.. but Sam is starting to want to learn as well. I am glad Peter and Sam have each other to learn from. They are so good for each other and the best of friends. Its been a joy watching them learn and grow. With each new skill learned there is moment of sweetest joy, similar to watching and experiencing birth. I love being a Mom!

Dirty Baby

Yesterday I took the kids to the park down the street. The first thing William did when I got him out of the wagon was to walk a couple steps, blop down in the dirt and begin throwing it on his arms and legs. Pretty soon Joseph began noticed that he was missing a spot so he helped throw dirt on his head. I have never seen someone that dirty! I rushed home snapped some pictures and hosed him off in the bath!

Memorial Day and a Hectic Week

This week has been a very hectic and busy one for us and we are glad that we have an extra day off together because of Memorial Day. We really live in a very blessed place and we are very grateful for all those who have done so much to help our country become what it is. We truly are blessed!

It is a good time to reflect on all those who were "pioneers." Pioneers are those who have gone before to make the way safe. This of course refers to those who have defended our freedom, but it also refers to those in our family who have had to make tremendous sacrifices for us. Sometimes those sacrifices don't seem very big, but they can have lasting consequences. These small sacrifices are simple and receive no praise or notice, but in the end it is those small sacrifices and decisions that help make us who we are.

This week Jen had two bread classes in our Ward. She has been trying to help people in our Ward understand how to use their food storage. A lot of people have extra food stored, but don't ever use it or don't know how. So Jen tries to have classes each month teaching them something about Provident Living. This week she taught two identical bread making classes (same class just different times) to help them understand how to use their whole wheat. Good thing is the method of bread making she taught is very simple and doesn't take much time. With four small children the easy and quick are a must. She also finished her CERT training and they did a mock emergency situation and they had to go through a mock accident/disaster.

Peter continues to really progress with his reading. When Jen makes new foods she often has recipes up on the computer and Peter likes to read them to her. He needs some help but has been able to read fractions some too, which we think is very neat. He really likes to draw now and as a result his handwriting has been steadily improving.

Sam is doing well following in the footsteps of his brothers but more often than not is our little Chef. People reads the recipes but Sam likes to be in the kitchen help make the food. He does a good job and is always very eager to help. He is also more willing to try new things when we go swimming, which is nice to see how willing he is. We normally go swimming each week and hopefully Peter and Sam will know how to swim by the end of the summer.

Joe continues to be his brother's shadow most of the time. This week we have been playing with Legos and whenever his brother's build something, he always wants to make the same thing. I have been amazed at some of the things he has been able to build just watching his brothers. He also acts as a good big brother to little Will and sometimes the two of them with just laugh with each other.

Will is super mobile now and we have had to start being careful when things are close to his reach. Since he has learned to get up on stools he will also sometimes get stuck, meaning he doesn't know how to get down. He used to be that way with our stairs, he would climb up there after us but didn't know how to get back down. It is sad but funny at the same time. He also has started copying us when we pray which is very cute. As soon as you sit down at the table and tell everyone to fold their arms, he will instantly put his hands together for prayer. For us it is always neat to see our children do that because it shows us what a good example we are being.

I had the normal day at work although I should soon start working towards some Microsoft certifications for my job. I don't really need them to do my job but i was talking with my supervisor and we think they will only help us in the end (he is also getting his). I have also spent a lot more time with the kids making castles out of Legos. The kids always want me to build things for them which they normally use and copy. I am amazed that after building something a single time, it won't take them long before they are able to mass produce the same thing without any help. They also like me to build buildings for them and this week I mostly did this. They wanted me to build them a castle and so we worked on making a bigger and better castle this week. It was fun to spend time with the kids doing this.

That was our week and remember to take time to remember all those who have made sacrifices for you. Remember those who have made a a difference in your life just to make a better world for their children.

-Chris

Summer is Here!

Well again it has been too long since we have posted here. But hey we have 4 small children and it sometimes makes it a little difficult. Things continue to go well for us here in Houston. The weather has been getting hot but that also means we get to do one of favorite activities of the summer, which is of course swimming. We have already gone several times over the last few weeks and we normally plan for it at least once a week. Nice thing is that our subdivision has two pools and splash pad that we can use. The kids are also getting much more comfortable in the water and we are hoping to have Peter and Sam completely able to swim by the end of the summer.

Jen has been very busy with her calling as Provident Living leader in our ward and also making things from scratch. That is our in addition to her homeschooling activities which have also been going well. Jen recently was looking at some lists of milestones for grades and we learned that Peter is ahead in a lot of areas. He still struggles with his fine motor stuff but he is improving. Reading is going very well and he reads more and more each day. We are amazed at how much he progressed once we came home from my parents. She is teaching two bread making classes this week for our ward and she has been able to get a lot of practice and learn a lot over the last few weeks.

The kids also were able to get a pet turtle although we think it might have already escaped. We aren't too worried though because in one of the "greenbelts" near our home they find a lot of turtles. This time we want to set things up right because this one was just brought over to us from one of the neighbors down the street (she knew we almost got the boys one for Christmas). So once we get things set up right we will probably go turtle hunting again. Sam is cute with the turtle and always wants to check up on it. He really likes animals and bugs! Anytime he sees anything with a baby he says, "oh cute!" Will is now a good walker and he just took off once he decided to do it. Joe is the best of the kids at playing with him and sometimes they will both just laugh at each other. They are buddies just like Peter and Sam.

My work continues to go well and luckily our company hasn't been too badly hit. Hopefully it keeps up. Houston so far hasn't been hit as bad as a lot of the country. On the side I am trying to do programming for XNA Game Studio to make some games for the kids. That is basically an environment for creating games for Windows or XBOX 360 (although I don't own the latter). We'll see what happens since I don't have tons of time for it.

Well hopefully we can improve on blogging.

Chris and the Duffey Clan