Here comes Santa

Ok, so maybe it is the first weekend in November. And maybe it was a little on the warm side that day.

A sweet friend told us about a very impressive Santa so we decided to visit!

I was sure that Joss would be upset considering she's not a fan of men but she did fairly well! We let her sit on Jaxon's lap which helped I'm sure! She did end up getting rather curious of the big white beard behind her!

Fall Festival and Fall FUN!

We've been busy around the Duke home lately....oh wait...we're always busy around the Duke home aren't we! We carved a couple of Jack-o-lanterns this week! We scooped out ALL the seeds and roasted them! They were yummalicious! We all went to the Fall Festival at church Monday night which is always a huge hit! The kids had a great time!

Here are all of us in our costumes. We didn't purchase any this year. We used borrowed or "old" items :). Jossalyn was a flower. I was a gardener. Jaxon was a Civil War soldier. Camron was Spiderman. Caden was Iron Man.

After the Fall Festival, we went to a few houses on our street so the boys could get some candy.

Today we went to a fellow-homeschoolers home for a fall fun day! We played games, made a super cute Turkey craft and even ate Tommy Turkey for lunch! The kids had a great time with the activities and just spending time together....and so did the moms of course!

Here is Tommy....before he was eaten!

Some of the kids getting ready to "dig in"!

The kids I could catch before they ran off to play. They are all screaming b/c we saw a spider...there were lots of them....they were plastic....and on the cupcakes ;)!

A fun game of red rover. This was hilarious! It's so great to see the older children taking care of the younger ones on days like this! It was a beautiful day to spend with great friends!

Jossalyn is 9 months old!

I can't believe the princess is 9 months old! She is SUCH a happy baby! She gets wherever she wants to go, one way or another. I wouldnt be surprised if she is an early walker! She STILL has all the men in the house wrapped around her pinky finger (okay, mommy too!) She loves to give kisses, say bye-bye (even when no one is leaving), and gives the famous princess wave! She likes any food we have tried with her. She's just an all around sweetheart!

We love you baby girl!

The NC State Fair!

Growing up in Durham, Chris and I visited the State Fair every year. Sometimes more than once! It was always great fun for us so we (along with Nana) make at attempt to take the kids now! Despite the dreary weather yesterday, we had a great time! Here are a few pictures of our day!

Chris and the boys about to "board" the ferris wheel. Now, this is a big deal considering 2 of the 3 boys have a fear of heights (wonder where they get that from....hehe). They all agreed to ride with brave Daddy-O! Ironically, Daddy-O was the one "puckering" when the ferris wheel stopped WAY up high! They all had fun...and that's what matters!


Now these 3 little piggies were too cute. Check out that mama pig's head....gi-nor-mous! Not so sure we would think they were cute once they reached her size! I did hear someone ask, "Daddy, can we have a pet pig"....wait, that may have been me that asked...I can't rightly say ;).

Yes, I took a picture of a 19 pound sweet potato. Why, you ask? Because it weighs almost as much as Jossalyn. LOL

The only ride the princess rode all day long! Other than Daddy-O's arms of course!

The smurfs were there too! "La-la-la-la-la-la"

The spinning pirate ships were LOTS of fun! For the boys that is. I don't do spinnies :)!

I think this goat wanted to come with us. He was posing for a picture!

Now why on earth would I take a picture of 4 porto-potties? Because they were each "occupied" by my 4 fellas of course!

And a shot of us all, snapped right before we left! We had a great time! Can't wait 'till next year!

LEGOFEST 2011

Chris and I gave the boys a trip to Legofest in Raleigh for their birthdays. It was SO much fun! We left right after church yesterday, leaving Joss to spend the day with Nana and Poppi. It was an absolute blast for us all! I have never seen so many legos! They had life size lego people, lego racing, games, master builders (yes, these people get paid to play with legos), a huge pile of legos to play in, and SO much more! If you or your kiddos are a lego lover, I definitely recommend Legofest next time!

Here are the boys in the HUGE, and I mean HUGE, lego pile!

They had monochromatic areas set up all over the place. The boys couldn't decide which color we should choose to build our creations.....so I chose pink! They didn't complain! Look how they are all concentrating, even Daddy-O!

Daddy-O and I go WAY back with this guy (Buzz)! Oh, I how I love this man (Daddy-O), "to infinity, and beyond!"

You could build a creation and have it added to this ginormous "map" of the United States! How cool!

Below are some of the boys' favorite life-size lego people!





Here they are right before we left! All smiles! Makes my Mama heart so happy!

And outside, they put on a show for all to see! They were dancing and having a good 'ole time! One man even said he would have given them money if they had a cup out! LOL!

Happy Fall Ya'll

What better way to kick off this fall weather than a trip to a farm! The kids had a wonderful time visiting J. Razz and Tazz farm this week. We took a hay ride where they learned a LOT about different tractors, other farm equipment and farming. They got to go through a kid size corn maze (and yes I even went in with them). They jumped in a corn silo. A great time was had by all!

Here the kids are listening to all the things they eat every day that corn can be found in.


What a beautiful day we had!


On the hayride.

I think the silo may have been their favorite part. We were finding corn in pockets, socks, etc. for the rest of the day!

Into the maze they go!

Most of the kiddos posing for a shot!

Cardboard Testimonies

Last weekend we had an event at our church's new satellite location, Life on Lexington. The evening was a great success and ended with a powerful presentation of cardboard testimonies.
Please click the link here to view.
God moves!