Camian Academy

Today our baby will be officially given his name and he will be known everywhere, including in the records of the Church, as Adrian Lloyd Duk (or something like that since Duk isn’t actually our last name). It’s such a special occasion that I actually ironed the two little boys’ overalls. Many people will be shocked by that statement, particularly my mother. I despise ironing. My mom doesn’t seem to mind it. Her mom apparently ironed anything and everything. I didn’t get that ironing gene. But iron their clothes this morning I did.

Anyway, I always love to see the dads take their tiny little babies up to the stand in the front and gather in a circle around the baby with their priesthood holding family, friends, and the bishopric. After the blessing it is customary for the dad to hold the baby up for all to see. It’s such a sweet moment.

We’re importing people from other wards to be in the circle around Adrian. In our defense, though, two of our friends, Orlando and Rhett (okay, so those are links to their wives’ blogs), recently moved out of our ward and the other person we’re “importing” is my dad. I just hope they’ve all been lifting weights recently. At 2 1/2 months old Adrian’s a 15 pound moose-baby!

Washing his hands. He had been outside playing earlier so they were kind of grubby.

Checking out the stuff to make cookies from.

Dumping in the cookie mix (yeah, we went the lazy way).

He wasn’t thrilled about the egg and really wanted the yolk popped.

Mixing it all together. We added sprinkles to the mix. He chose flowers in all sorts of colors.

Putting the cookies on the cookie sheet. Fritz really wanted them squished flat instead of round.

Watching them bake.

Checking out the cookies. See, they turned out flat after all!

Eating one. Delicious!

After not having regular TV for several weeks I have figured out what it is that bugs me about TV. It’s the commercials. We don’t watch much less TV using the AppleTV compared to when we had FiOS, but I much, much, much prefer watching on the AppleTV. Even skipping through the commercials on DVR’d programs got on my nerves. Watching Digging for the Truth (my new favorite show) is so much more pleasant when I can just watch it straight through with no breaks.

Yesterday my mother turned 62 and today she and my father are celebrating 43 years of marriage. They have a really great marriage. One I strive to emulate. Happy anniversary Mommie and Daddy!

Ani and Cameron were born in Maryland. Ani’s birth certificate application was filled out by someone at the hospital where she was born and Cameron’s was filled out by the CNM who delivered him at the birthing center where he was born. Their birth certificates were both correct when we received them.

Fritz and Adrian were born in Virginia. Fritz’s birth certificate application was filled out by me and Adrian’s was filled out by one of my midwives. Both of their birth certificates were incorrect when we received them.

Fritz’s said he was born in the county where we live now, but he was born in a city. It’s an honest mistake I suppose. The city where he was born is also the name of a town in the county next door. Adrian’s birth certificate has my middle name spelled wrong. It’s Elaine, but they left off the last e.

So we had to get Fritz’s fixed and we have to get Adrian’s fixed. It’s a very easy process actually. When you call the vital records office there is an option to get a recorded message telling how to get errors like that fixed. Makes me wonder how often they do get things wrong that they have that message on there and so easy to get to.

Here’s a few things Fritz did yesterday in his “Tot School.”

He pulled a paper he had previously put stickers all over out of his desk and pulled some of them off and stuck them on an empty watercolors container.

I read a book to him and then let him page through it himself. He pointed to the cow pictures and said “Moo!”

He put one sticker on his ONE page in his counting book.

He played with one counting bear. Actually it is a counting cat. He spent a lot of time hopping it around his desk and saying “meow.”

He played Follow the Leader with Cameron. Fritz had to be the leader. As the follower it didn’t really work out.

He did his section of the Circle Time Learning Board thingy.

He played with his Discovery Bottles.

He made his own version of bowling using his discovery bottles and his soft soccer ball.

He played with his Duplo blocks.

He danced around and used a pen to “conduct” while the big kids sang songs during school.

He made a lovely picture using his dotters.

He played with his Ratatouille Tot Book.

He played with his color cards.

For more Tot School posts, go here!

Because of my aunt and uncle’s Alaskan cruise and my father’s prostate cancer surgery it worked out that the only day we could do Adrian’s blessing (and Cameron and Fritz’s birthday party) is August 31st. Typically babies are blessed on fast Sunday which is usually the first Sunday of the month. Of course babies can be blessed any Sunday, it’s just a tradition thing to do it on fast Sunday I guess.

This morning in church we discovered that the 7th will be Stake Conference. Normally the 7th, being the first Sunday of September, would be fast Sunday but since it’s conference our fast Sunday will be the Sunday before. This coming Sunday the 31st. So it turns out that Adrian will be blessed on a fast Sunday after all.

Last week I sent a letter to President Monson and included some pictures of Fritz and President Monson’s picture and an explanation of how much Fritz loves that picture. Yesterday we got the following letter in the mail:

Dear Sister Duk:

Thank you very much for your letter of August 11 and the photos of your son Fritz.

I am pleased to know that Fritz is my friend. Please give him my greetings and my belated wishes for a happy second birthday.

I pray that our Father in Heaven will bless you and your family always.

Sincerely your brother,
Thomas S. Monson

What a special thing to put in Fritz’s baby book!