Duke Family

Happy Superbowl!

2011-02-07T09:07:00.003-07:00

We love the Packers at our house! It was so much fun to watch a team of ours win last night. We were a little nervous on that last drive by the Steelers, but luckily Clay Matthews and the boys on Defense got it done. I use to know nothing about football. Then, once Casey and I were married, I would sit with him and his Dad watching the BYU games and ask endless questions. Now I love football. We had a good Superbowl party complete with lots of tasty junk food for dinner. I made soft pretzels from scratch, so yummy, and we also had a spread of burritos, sloppy joes, sausage dip, cake, candy, nachos, and popcorn. So fun! No, sadly football is over until August. We will turn on our Jazz team spirit now and hope for another good run in basketball. Hopefully Jimmer will keep the BYU basketball team on top as well. Oh, one more comment about the Superbowl--How do you mess up the National Anthem? The commercials were also a bit of a let-down, but the Packers one so nothing else, including Fergie's flat man-voice, really matters! Go Packers! We just love Rogers, Jennings, Matthews, and Driver!

A Whirlwind

2011-01-28T14:46:00.003-07:00

Well, since Halloween we've been experiencing nothing more than craziness here at the Duke house. I'm really only blogging now because it's Friday and I'm too lazy to clean. We had a great Halloween, a fun Thanksgiving, and the greatest Christmas yet. Plus, I turned 25 on January 15th and could not have had more fun or been more spoiled. We are so blessed by Shelby. She was so much fun at Christmas. She is definitely a toddler now. She learns a new word practically every day. Some of her current favorites are: gone, baby, ball, popcorn, and candy. She is a fireball who now throws dramatic tantrums that sometimes cause mom to feel like throwing one too, but life would be way too boring without her. Here are some highlights from our tornado-like holidays:

It's a good thing this girl needs to gain weight because she will eat any type of junk food that's around.

She sat on Santa's lap just long enough to get her present, then she was out of there.

This is her "I'm so worn out I don't care it's Christmas" face. She has the greatest scowl.

We took Shelby to her first Jazz game and she had so much fun and was so good. She cheered and at her favorite food, popcorn, and threw things at the guys sitting in front of us. Luckily, they didn't mind all that much. She's just lucky she's cute.

And this is my birthday dinner at Olive Garden. She loves my dad to pieces and eating out with my parents is nice because my dad is happy to just take care of Shelby and do whatever she wants.

Sam, Jack, & Painted Pumpkins

2010-10-26T10:59:00.002-06:00

I really meant for this to be 3 posts, but alas, my busy toddler doesn't really get "blogging" time. She's too busy playing with all the fun Halloween decorations and helping dad around the house.

Well on October 9, my brother Sam finished the Kona, Hawaii Ironman! For those of you who don't know what an Ironman is, it is a triathalon of mega proportions. First, you swim 2.4 miles. Then you bike over 100 miles. To end it, you run a full marathon of 26 miles. He is just amazing. He did an Ironman last year in Arizona so he could qualify for Kona. He raced on his daughter Rylee's 12th birthday, and she got to hug her dad when he crossed the finish line. He is such an inspiration to me about dedication and perseverance. It took him just over 12 hours, and if it were me, I don't know if I could have finished most of my marathon with my stomach cramping like he did. We got to watch him cross the finish line live on the internet. It was a very emotional and exciting thing to watch him complete this great accomplishment. Watch this video of an interview with my brother on his Ironman awesomeness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMIRI1FgFys

Another exciting event was the birth of my adorable nephew Jack. My sister and her husband live in California, so I haven't gotten to hold the little guy yet, but I cannot wait to see him. Oh, how I just want to kiss that little face! I am so proud of my sister. This is her first baby and I know from experience how crazy that first delivery is. We are all so happy that they are healthy and doing great. Jack really got two of the best parents in the world.

Last but not least, we had our annual pumpkin painting party at Casey's parents. This year we did Jessie for Shelby and of course Casey did a Simpsons themed pumpkin. I always have a hard time deciding, and I usually come up with something last minute. I think the best pumpkin of the night was painted by Casey's cousin Jackson. He did Lot-So from Toy Story 3--it looked amazing. I love Halloween and this tradition, but I think next year, instead of painting two pumpkins, I'm going to put Shelby in some kind of outfit protector and let her go crazy with the finger paints.

The Duke house is ready for Halloween!

Floods and Sippy Cups

2010-10-13T14:02:00.005-06:00

Well I can attest that there is no quicker way to clean out your basement than to have a flood. Last Thursday, on October 7th, our basement flooded because of a broken sprinkler valve. It was so strange because on that morning Casey and I both thought we heard the sprinklers on, we both checked at separate times, but found that they were off. Since I was home, I paid attention and the water turned off in the middle of the morning and didn't turn back on. I didn't worry about it until Casey came home and went downstairs to lift weights and found the basement flooded. We don't know why the water didn't run the whole day, which the house would have flooded a lot worse, but we estimated we still took out about 60 gallons of water from our basement.

We spent the rest of that night moving the entire contents of our basement to our other floors and the garage and sucking the water out of the carpet. We were very lucky that none of the musical equipment got ruined. Most of our stuff was just fine. I'm so thankful for my in-laws. Casey's dad and brother in-laws spent hours cleaning up, while his sisters helped me with Shelby so we could move all the stuff out. Hayli even showed up with dinner for all of us starving Dukes. We did have to rip up our carpet pad and that will have to be replaced, but I feel so lucky that nothing really got ruined. It just makes for an inconvenient mess.

On top of all of this we actually got Shelby off her bottle! Thanks to these great NUBY sippy cups (I found them at Target), she really didn't notice when I offered her the cup instead of her bottle. They have a soft spout, so they have been a really good transition cup.

She's so cute and getting so big. She carries the cup around as she walks like she's some big girl. Her new thing is running everywhere. I have to say she really enjoys all this stuff everywhere. She has plenty to look at and explore. She can tell us yes and no now, which makes for some interesting conversation. She has almost 8 teeth and loves that she can eat all the food mom and dad eat. She's very much a dairy girl, she'll eat cheese and cheese and cheese, but I cannot get her to eat fruit. Candy-Yes. Fruit-No. Any ideas would be appreciated. Hopefully over time, she'll love all kinds of yummy stuff.

Yeah what's a post without a picture of Shelby.

House Guest

2010-10-07T16:06:00.002-06:00

Periodically we get to watch my parents' dog Professor when they are out of town. He has been in the family since I was in 5th grade, so he's getting a little up there in the years. But he is sweet and fun. He loves scratches and tolerates Ellie. He doesn't like Ellie as much as my parents' new dog Cookie, she's staying in a kennel because they can't trust her yet in their house and Ellie well, hates her, but he does like Ellie and they run around acting crazy.

Ellie does wish one thing though,

She wishes she was taller. Professor has helped me out though by cleaning up Shelby's mess.

Shelby enjoys the dogs too.

Everyday is all about the dogs. She can say dog pretty good now, so that's all we hear. She has to be with the dogs and loves to pet the dogs. Life is all about the dogs.

She's One-derful

2010-09-22T07:11:00.006-06:00

This is my Shelby when she was 5 days old. She was still in the NICU but had her IV taken out and her first bow and outfit put on! I remember taking this picture, how little she was, and how anxious we all were to take her home.

This is my Shelby today. She is silly, talkative, and opinionated. She is also sweet and loving. This year has just passed me by but I think we filled it with memorable moments. It's so bittersweet that she is no longer a baby, but she is so much fun these days! And I like to look on the brightside, she sleeps through the night :)

Here Are a Few Highlights From THE Birthday

Shelby just loves Woody and Toy Story, so Mom and Dad got her Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye for her birthday

Peterson Cousins

Walking With Rylee. Can I just say what a beautiful little lady my niece is becoming?

Shelby had lots of help opening presents

Shelby hugging her new pants. She loves to give anything soft hugs.

Chocolate

Enough Said.

Happy Birthday Shelby! We love you!

2010-08-10T13:14:00.003-06:00

Well who knows where the summer went? We have been having way too much fun and been way too busy. Hence, I have become a lazy blogger. I will now attempt to update you all with more photos than words.

June

In June, Casey's band Our Dilemma performed at the Relay for Life down in Payson. It had been pouring rain the whole day, but we all showed up and the boys put on an awesome show.

Here they are under the pavilion they performed under: Adam, Peter, Casey, & Tarun

Shelby was such a trooper the whole night! It was cold and rainy by we set up our table to sell cds right by the portable heaters. She loved the umbrellas and enjoyed being the center of the band-wives attention.

Here we are in Wasatch. Every year we take a trip with Casey's Peterson side up to Wasatch to golf and shop. Shelby got to go swimming for the very first time while we were up there. She loved it!

July

We got to have 2 Fourth of July parties this year at our house. It was so fun to celebrate with both families. Casey bought a Buzz Lightyear Sprinkler toy at Target and needless to say, everyone loved it. Here are 3 of my nephews after a nice, long water-fight.

In July we also went to Bear Lake. Shelby did so great, but she would only go on the sand if she chose to. You could not put her in the sand or she would freak out. She actually loved the water despite the cold. The boat was so much fun. Casey's brother-in-law brought a surf-board which all the boys enjoyed riding.

For the 24th of July we went to my brother Sam's new house. His wife has done such an amazing job of moving them all in and decorating it. Shelby enjoyed swimming, lounging by the pool, and playing peek-a-boo with Rylee, Sami, and Dani.

We also bought Shelby Lot-So-Huggin-Bear from Toy Story 3. Yes, he is the bad guy, but Shelby loves him. He just needed a good home. She seriously gives this bear more hugs and kisses than Mom and Dad get.

Shelby also passed her 10 month mark. When did she get so big? She can stand up and walk around things now. She says Mom, Dad, dog, Ellie, baba (bottle), and a slew of other noises when she is trying to communicate. She loves real food and will eat anything that comes from Mom's plate. She really wants to talk right now so she jabbers all day long. She also has quite the attitude. Let's just say, she wants things her way.

Then on August 5, Casey and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. He got me McDonald's for breakfast because I love it and that's all we had for breakfast on our honeymoon. We did a little shopping at the Provo Town Center where we had our first date, the Preference Dance. For dinner we went to Macaroni Grill, another place we use to go in high school. He took me there for Prom. We kept Shelby with us the whole day because she's just too much fun and we miss her when she's not around. She loved being out an about and posed perfectly for the waitress when I insisted on taking pictures.

I'm so grateful for my husband and crazy little girl. We were blessed that Casey got a new job and started this week. It will be an adjustment for me and Shelby without Dad around, but hopefully soon life will find a rhythm. Now that it's August it's party time at the Duke house. From Casey's birthday this month to mine in January it seems like we play non-stop. We are all so excited for Fall but you can tell we've had some great times this summer.

The Plan of Salvation In Living Color

2010-06-27T21:55:00.004-06:00

"While here, we have learning to gain, work to do, service to give. We are here with a marvelous inheritance, a divine endowment. How different this world would be if every person realized that all of his actions have eternal consequences. How much more satisfying our years may be if in our accumulation of knowledge, in our relationships with others, in our business affairs, in our courtship and marriage, and in our family rearing, we recognize that we form each day the stuff of which eternity is made. Brothers and sisters, life is forever. Live each day as if you were going to live eternally, for you surely shall."

"‘Until death do you part’ is a ceremony of marriage, but it is also a bill of divorcement.” The statement was not new with him, but it struck forcibly those who heard it and who knew the particulars of his story. It is true: a wedding ceremony under the law of the world unites in marriage and at the same time decrees its separation. Yet the family is divine. It was instituted by our Heavenly Father. It encompasses the most sacred of all relationships. Only through its organization can the purposes of the Lord be fulfilled. Thankfully, the Lord has given to His children the opportunity to be sealed in eternal marriage, in “a new and an everlasting covenant,” a “blessing … instituted from before the foundation of the world.” (D&C 132:4, 5.) Once you have gained this blessing, go forward with the assurance that death cannot break it—that only two forces in all the world can weaken and destroy that binding: sin and neglect."

President Gordon B. Hinckley

I've been thinking a lot this week about how to translate the immense amount of feelings I have into words that communicate the impact this week has had on me and Casey. Between a funeral, a sealing, and the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith, my religion has been in the forefront of my mind, and the Spirit has been in my heart.

Last Saturday Casey's grandpa Byron Duke passed away. He was nothing more than a pure, good man. A man who always smiled. A man with immense talent. A man who worked hard. A righteous man who loved his wife, loved his children. Fourteen years ago he had a stroke which made it very difficult for him to continue welding and wood-working, but he never stopped. He refused to use a wheelchair, and he pushed forward with great strength. He adopted me as his grand-daughter. The first time Casey took me to his grand-parents' house I was instantly embraced, and it really felt like I had grandparents again. Grandpa Duke always had a smile for me. The last time I saw him, we sat on their back deck playing with Shelby and talking about his family. He teased Grandma Ruth and admired the work we were doing in their backyard. He was happy.

The first thought I had about Grandpa after we received news of his death was that he could move again. I don't just believe in an afterlife, I know there is life after death. This is not to say we have not been a house in mourning. The funeral was wonderful and hard. Poor Shelby did not understand why we all cried so much. Casey got to give the family prayer, and I got to sing with his sisters and mom. The Veterans gave him a beautiful tribute at the gravesite. But through all of this, through all our tears, we know Grandpa is still Grandpa and we will see him again.

Death is one of the those necessary parts of the plan of salvation, but it is the scariest and saddest part. The remarkable part about this week, was that Casey and I were able to partake in one of the most joyous parts of this earthly life: eternal marriage in the Temple. On Saturday we went to a sealing for two of our best friends. Before going to the temple, I was in a pretty crabby mood. It had been a hard week and an exhausting week. However, as Casey and I drove to the temple and went inside, I realized it was exactly what I needed. I was overwhelmed by the Spirit there and felt like I had come home. The ceremony was beautiful. My wonderful friend had lost her dad last year only 2 months before giving birth to her and her husband's first child. It had been an unimaginably hard year for her. To watch her and her husband enter the sealing room and be married for time and all eternity was indescribable. Then they brought in their little boy, who is only 10 days younger than Shelby, and he was sealed to his parents for all eternity. This ordinance and the covenants made are the very things that helped the Duke family get through the last week. We are an eternal family. Death has no power over our sealing bonds.

To go to a funeral and a sealing in the same week, both for people we know and love, has made me reflect heavily on what I believe and know. I want to be with my family for all eternity. There are some I may not be with, and I cannot control what choices they chose to make. But I know that I will always love them even if I cannot be with them. I am simply overwhelmed with a desire to be better. Life so easily gets away from me and I find myself not reading my scriptures and forgetting to live the life I know I should be living. It is so easy to stop progressing, but if Grandpa Duke taught me anything it was to work hard and if my friends taught me anything it was to not wait to repent and get your life on track. I love the Gospel. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that there is so much more than this life. I'm so grateful that Joseph Smith restored the Gospel to the earth so that I can partake in the plan of happiness and be sealed to my parents, my siblings, my true love and husband, my beautiful daughter, and all those still to come. I love my family more than words can express. I'm so grateful that there is a way to be with them forever.

Yeah, it really is true. I have the best family, the best in-laws, and the best husband and daughter a girl could ask for. I love you all much more than you probably know.

Our Dilemma - Break Music Video

2010-05-18T15:13:00.000-06:00

Happenings

2010-05-15T15:30:00.003-06:00

Wow I cannot believe how long it's been since I've blogged. Mostly it's been laziness and sheer business as well. We are all doing so good, although none of us have been sleeping too well (Thank you teething).

Casey graduated from college! Yay! He is now on the job hunt and spending lots of time with his music. I'm really glad he has this time to focus on his songs while looking for a job. He has found a lot of possibilities, so now we are just waiting for the phone to ring. Looking for a job I think is the most not-fun thing a person can do and one of the most stressful. I remember how happy I was after I graduated when I got my job at East Shore. I loved it there and I loved working for Footnote. You just have to hope and pray you'll find a place you enjoy going to each day.

Shelby is getting so big and has so much personality. She has 2 teeth now and will hopefully get some more soon since she hasn't been sleeping very good at all. One night I was literally up from 1 to 6 am. She would just scream if you put her down even if you were laying next to her. We have found a concoction of things we're doing that are finally getting at least a few hours of sleep in a row, but it's hard. Teething is in some ways more difficult than when she was a new born because as a new born she woke up, ate, and went right back to sleep. Luckily, I have a great partner who can help out, and I know she won't teethe forever. Shelby say 3 words now as well. Dada, Momma, and Baba (which is for bottle). She said Dada first and it was so cute I wanted her to say Momma. Now all I hear all day long is Momma, Momma, Momma. It's so funny because she knows if she starts calling I'll come for her. She's too darn smart. Shelby also wants to crawl so bad. She is almost scooting and she can roll around like crazy, but she can't quite get the crawl down. I'm sure soon enough she'll figure it out. She really is so fun and I can't believe how much she's learned and grown in the last 7 1/2 months.

As for me I'm a bit busy with our little family. Nothing too new to report except that I finally finished this present for my mom I've been working on for over a year. I wanted to make her something for when Shelby was born, and then that got pushed to a Christmas present, and now I got it done 3 days after Mother's Day. Finally! I just appreciate my mom so much. She puts so much time and energy into all of her kids and grandkids. She'll listen to my endless jabbering about everything, and she's always there to do whatever it is I need her for. Being a mom has certainly made me appreciate my mom a thousand times more than before.

Well I'll leave you with some hilarious photos of our crazy and wonderful life!

Easter--Shelby's wearing my niece Dani's Ears

Testing out future hairstyles

Shelby on her best behavior

Our Dilemma - Pieces Official Music Video

2010-04-28T17:52:00.000-06:00

In Case You Needed to Smile Today...

2010-03-28T16:14:00.003-06:00

My Big Little Girl

2010-03-28T09:38:00.003-06:00

6 Month Stats

Weight-13 pounds

Height-25 inches

(Yes She's Little)

Our Shelby is now 6 months old! My friend Laurie, a fantastic photographer, took this and Shelby's other 6 month photos. Have you ever seen a baby smile so big? That is what life is currently filled with. Shelby loves to smile and giggle. She smiles when Eleanor walks by, she smiles when Daddy comes home, she smiles when you go to get her from her nap. She is such a happy little girl. I can hardly believe she is 6 months old. She has changed and grown so much. It seems like yesterday we were in the NICU holding our brand new baby and now she can roll around the floor, "talk" like crazy, and eat things other than milk! She is little and she is a busy bee, but we love all the discoveries she's making as she becomes not so much of a baby anymore. Times goes by so fast and now we are just holding on and enjoying the ride.

Eleanor's Extreme Makeover

2010-03-05T19:29:00.003-07:00

We have not groomed Eleanor since Shelby was born. We are bad doggy parents. Today we finally cut her. Be aware, the change is dramatic and shocking.

Here she is before

And

Here

She

After

The

World's

Hairiest

Haircut

We love our Eleanor!

Casey & Shelby

2010-03-02T06:24:00.002-07:00

I admit I'm a bit self-centered when it comes to this blog. I figured I needed to update everyone about the other people in the Duke clan.

Casey: Is 2 months away from graduation! Horray! He's doing great and trying not to get burned out. He had 5 tests last week, ugh, and has a bunch of papers due soon, but he is such a trooper. I remember how hard it is to stay motivated your last semester. I think he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to pass. I say we because I edit and cite his papers for him. One of the benefits of having a writer for a wife.

Shelby: Is hilarious! Let me tell you something about our daughter, you cannot make her do anything. I know she's only 5 months old, but she is stubborn. For instance, if you put her in her crib to go to sleep and she doesn't want to sleep, she will cry FOREVER. If you are feeding her rice cereal and she just wants her bottle, she will not eat the cereal. It's pretty funny to me and Casey because you can tell when she's really upset and when she's asserting her agency.

New Things:

She is going through her consonants and says "da, da, da" all the time. We can't wait for her to look at Casey and say Da Da.

Tummy time does not exist. She can roll over so well now that you put her on her tummy and she immediately flips. From there she has no desire to roll to her side or her tummy.

She has begun emitting a high pitched cry/whine that is fake. It's sort of her crocodile cry. It really means "mom or dad pick me up." It's actually pretty funny--no we're not bad parents. There's a big difference in all her cries.

So there's a little update on the people who are not me.

Experiment

2010-03-02T06:17:00.002-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that during 8th and 9th grade I lost 40 pounds. I really did this by just changing what I ate and why I ate it, along with exercise. I figured the baby weight would easily come off, but I seem to have forgotten how hard it is to lose weight. So for the month of March I'm going to try 3 things:

1. No candy or processed sugar treats

2. No carbonation

3. No fast food

I'm a Taco Bell junkie and I love my Laffy Taffy, but it's time to get serious. I've never really cut out whole areas of food, but no one really NEEDS to eat any of these things. Casey and I both agree that we eat way too much crap, so here's to not eating it. Wish me luck. I figure, if I don't lose any weight this month, I'll know I can eat that stuff anyways. Cooking everyday will be interesting, but think of the money we'll save. I'll update pound for pound, hopefully being healthier will actually pay off.

Quitting-Not Something I'm Use To

2010-02-17T10:06:00.004-07:00

So...I quit my job. This week I'll finish up my last campaign and be done. I was ready, but when I went in and talked to my boss, I got a bit emotional. I know that I've reached my max and simply cannot do everything, but that's not me, that's not what Julie has been like her whole life. Casey and I prepared for me to not work, but my circumstances just seemed too perfect. After all, I worked from home. I had to try. Well, when I became a stressed out, crying all the time, overwhelmed freak, I realized I had to drop something for my health and the well-being of my family. I look forward to this new chapter and I am excited for a few "domestic" things:

It has literally been driving me crazy that since we've had Shelby I don't have time to cook. This means we eat a lot of fast food, which means I still have baby-weight to lose. I'm excited to make our meals again and have the time to plan out a healthy diet. I love to cook, and Shelby loves to watch me cook. Hopefully we can all eat a little better.

I'm sorry, this post may seem a bit cliche, but I am excited to clean my house my way. Let's be honest, I'm a little bit OCD and I like my house a certain way. I don't know if it was my mother or my A-type personality, but a messy environment drives me crazy. Casey has been so wonderful to help out, but I drive him crazy because I follow him around when he cleans and sometimes, I go back a redo it. Gulp. I'm glad cleaning won't be the last thing on the list now.

Let's face it. My scripture study and Temple attendance has been struggling. I'm so excited to study more and teach my daughter the principles of the Gospel. I do believe it is a mother's job to create a home environment where the Spirit can be felt and children can be loved and nurtured. No matter what I weigh or how clean my house is, I will fail if my testimony of the Gospel is not strong.

So while I do worry about this:

I've found there's a lot I can live without if me, Shelby, Casey, and even Eleanor are happy.

Most of all I'm excited for Shelby.

Being her mom has changed me. Everyone is a mom in there own way. I didn't quit because I think mom's shouldn't work. I had to quit because I was not going to be a good mom if I worked. I'm amazed by all mothers. These little ones are full-time, 24/7 jobs. They are wonderful. They are worth it.

First Comes Love...8 years of love so far

2010-02-02T09:41:00.005-07:00

First comes love...I think many couples make a big deal out of Valentine's Day or even their Wedding Anniversary. I have to admit that February 2, is the most special of days to me. It was 8 years ago today that Casey and I had our very first date. We went to a high school dance and could not have had more fun. I look back and think, "we were so young!" but I have felt many times since that night that we were meant to find each other at that moment and to be together forever.

This is us at Ottavios on that fated day. We ate and played with so many good friends. Embarassingly enough, since this was my very first date, my family showed up to capture the moment on film. From this day on, we have been in love, but we have also been best friends who were there to help one another grow up and achieve all we ever wanted.

Then comes marriage...After a mission, way too much drama--thanks to me, and 4 1/2 years, we got married. That was the happiest, most joyous day of my life. To kneel across the altar in the Temple and be sealed to my best friend for all eternity was a dream come true. That day our sealer told us that "Julie and Casey have known each other a very long time, even before they came to this earth." We were made for one another, and it all started with Casey playing the guitar and a high school dance.
Then comes...a dog. We got Eleanor just 3 months after our wedding. I think it was the first time I started to feel like we had a family. She's silly, but she has been there for us and is a loyal part of our little unit.
Then comes a baby in a baby carriage...Now we have our little angel. I look back on the last 8 years and they seem to have flown by. I often get overwhelmed with life. The laundry. Work. Dishes. I find myself being unhappy because things are not perfect. But today, today I am overwhelmed that my life turned out so wonderfully. When you're sixteen and you like a boy, you enjoy putting your name next to his. You dream about your wedding day and being in love forever. Now despite the laundry, the dishes, and the never-ending list of life, I get to be Julie Duke and be with him always.
I am the luckiest girl in the world. I just love this guy! Thanks for the great life Casey. I can't wait for the next eight.

4 Months Old!

2010-01-25T15:30:00.003-07:00

My baby is 4 months old! It is just not fair that the first 4 months of my pregnancy felt like forever, but the last 4 months have just flown by. I could post picture after picture of our little angel on here smiling. She loves to smile and to giggle. She loves to be sung to and played with. I love watching her explore everything and love seeing her reaction to new things and people. For instance, she finally got a hold of our dog Eleanor. She discovered Eleanor not too long ago and the other day got two big fist of the poor dog's fir. Shelby was so proud!

There is just nothing better than this face!

4 Month Stats

Height: 24 inches

Weight: 12 pounds 2 ounces

Head: 16. 5 inches around

Shelby thoroughly enjoyed her first taste of rice cereal. She's been staring at us while we eat, so it was tons of fun to give her some cereal for a change. As soon as our doctor told me I could, I sat her down and attempted to get her to eat. She liked it and even swallowed some.

Are We Really Teething Already?

2010-01-21T10:15:00.002-07:00

Since Christmas I have been curiously watching my sweet baby drool until her shirt was soaked, rub her gums together endlessly, and put everything she could grab in her mouth. I thought she was starting to teethe, as did my mom and my sister-in-law who's a dental assistant. However, last night I became sure of it. Shelby is not a fussy baby and lately she's become sort of a grumpy cuss (pardon the french). Lately she only wants to be held and loved and she is fussy all the time. I feel so bad for my little girl. She has such a happy and sweet disposition, but not when she doesn't feel good. Luckily enough we've figured out a couple of things that help her enough so she will eat. She had stopped eating unless the bottle was cold which meant she was hungry all the time and not napping well. I hope I've got her sad little needs figured out. It's hard to be mom and not be able to fix what's wrong with your baby. All I can say is "I cannot believe she's teething already!" I also can't wait for that cute first tooth to pop up, but she sure is growing up way too fast.

Julia Child's French Bread

2010-01-17T10:26:00.002-07:00

Okay, this loaf of bread is beautiful! The best part...I made it! I wanted to try out my new food processor and the Julia Child cookbook my mom gave me. I've made bread before, but this had to rise 3 times. However, this morning, the first bite tasted like heaven. This bread did not taste like Albertson's French bread (a favorite of mine). This bread tasted like real French bread that you would eat in a sidewalk cafe in Paris. I never thought I could re-create something like that. There are just things you eat in Europe that are so good you know you'll never eat in the states, but this bread is the real deal. I've got to say I'm jumping on the Julia Child bandwagon. If I can make real French bread at home, I feel like I can do anything! I learned so much making this bread that making bread will always be different. Simply amazing to have Paris in my kitchen!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-01-17T10:07:00.003-07:00

Well everyone I'm officially 24! So far I like getting a little older. I'm happy to be where I am in life, and I don't really want to go back a re-learn all I have learned in my life. This year is so special because I'm a mommy now. It was last year on the day after my birthday, January 16th, that we found out we were pregnant with Shelby. She gave me lots of kisses and smiles on my birthday, and is still the best present and blessing of all.

Well my birthday was a lot of fun. I started off the day cuddling in bed with my little family. We got to sleep in a little since Shelby woke up, ate, and went right back to sleep. Casey took me to the mall, lunch, and movie--Leap Year, super cute--that day, and then we went to Olive Garden with my mom and dad for dinner. That night Casey's family and my friends came over for cake and games. It was so wonderful to just have a day off. I thought, "Why can't we do this everyday?" but then I concluded that we'd be fat and poor--not so good.

Here are Casey and Shelby on the morning of my birthday. She was grabbing his face and telling us stories. They are my life.

Well this is my birthday present. It's a Cusinart 14 cup Elite Food Processor. I have wanted a food processor for a long time, but I don't like a lot of things about them. This one basically fixes all the things you don't like. For instance, the lid just comes off with the push of a button, the blade locks so you can dump the contents out without the blade coming out, and it has 3 bowls so you can use what you need without having to wash everything--Oh, and it all goes into the dishwasher. I used it for the first time last night and I love it. Happy Happy Birthday to Me!

Christmas Christmas

2010-01-07T13:22:00.003-07:00

Well this picture says it all! We had a wonderful first Christmas as a family of three. Santa came to see Shelby and we got to spend time with lots of family. We are lucky to have lots of traditions with both of our families and that the times of each event coordinate so we can go to all of them. On Christmas Eve we had an fondue lunch with the Peterson group and got our presents from the Christmas Eve Elf. This very special elf is my mom's personal helper. When my niece Ashley heard about this Elf she didn't really believe my brother David and informed him that only Santa brings us presents. We all tried to explain that this elf is Grandma's special helper. I think she believed us, but her side smile spoke a little otherwise. After fondue and presents we went bowling with the Dukes. I love this tradition even though I am EXTREMELY bad at bowling. I didn't do too bad this year, but I use bumpers, yes I do. The first year I went with Casey's family to bowl, I did so bad. When Casey tried to help me by correcting my form, I just got really mad. Now I use the bumpers because then I have fun and actually score points. It always amazes me how I can do so many mentally difficult things and I fail miserably at all sports involved activities. After bowling we went back to Casey's parents and ate and got into our jammies. We stayed up way too late and had way too much fun.

Christmas morning we met back at Casey's parents' to open presents. We had to be there at 7:30 am and we made the mistake of waking up the baby. Boy was that a mistake. She spent most of the day sleeping off her crankiness. So she slept through presents and breakfast and most of the rest of the day, which believe me is not normal for her. That night we went to my parents' house for dinner. My sister Wendy was here. I love having her in Utah. It was a lot harder for me to see her between the baby and work, but she's one of my best friends and it's not really Christmas without her and Bryan. I tried to take lots of pictures of Shelby on her first Christmas. I took the one at the top under our tree. I cannot wait for next year when she knows what is going on and gets excited. Until then, I think her favorite part of the holiday was being with everyone. She recognizes people now and prefers some to others. She smiles and talks all the time. She's a bit of a momma's girl, but she loves her daddy. He's the only one who can really make her laugh and let me tell you that her laugh is the cutest sound in the world--I promise.

A Very Duke Christmas

2009-12-17T17:06:00.003-07:00

Since some people love Christmas letters and others do not, I decided to simply put my Christmas letter on our blog. This way those who want to read it can, and everyone else can just enjoy our Christmas card.

Last year at this time everything was different. We had been trying to have a baby for 8 months since my miscarriage and I was pretty discouraged. I was trying to enjoy the time of year, but I was really discouraged that life was not working out how I wanted it to be. Little did I know that things were soon to change. The day after my birthday on January 16^th we found out we were finally expecting again. We only told our families at first because I frankly was just waiting for something to go wrong. Miraculously, everything went right and Shelby Ruth Duke was born on September 22, 2009 at 6:01 pm. After a stay in the NICU for a tear in her lung, you can read all about that below, Shelby came home on September 30^th happy and healthy.

Since bringing Shelby home we have learned a lot about being Mommy and Daddy and our little girl. Some of Shelby's current favorites are her play-gym, her bottle (she loves her food), her daddy and mommy, visitors, baths, and lights. She smiles all day long and makes us laugh all the time. We love her and couldn't image life without her!

Casey has had a great year on top of becoming a dad. He recorded his first cd with his band Our Dilemma in June. You can buy their cd from CD Baby or on iTunes. They also took 2nd place at the UVU Battle of the Bands in March. He just finished his second-to-last semester at UVU and will graduate this April in Business Marketing. We are so excited for him to graduate and be done with school. He loves his music and his baby girl. He is the fun in our house. He keeps us doing lots of things like bon-fires, movie & game nights, playing music, and lots of football parties.

As for me, Julie, I was pregnant this year. I think any of you who've had a baby understand. I loved most of the pregnancy experience. My highlights of the year revolved around my little girl. I loved feeling her move and kick inside me, and that's probably the only thing I really miss about being swollen, huge, and uncomfortable. I work part-time from home for the website Footnote.com as a marketing content specialist and historian. I basically write and research for the site. My screen name is Clio, so if you're ever exploring the site and see that name, it means I wrote it. I love my job, even though it is taking some getting used to with the baby.

Other highlights from our year would include our trips to Las Vegas and Bear Lake, fixing up the baby's room and getting ready for Shelby, and Shelby sleeping through the night. Life is crazy, busy, overwhelming, and absolutely wonderful. We are excited for this time of year when everything seems like a blur of family and food. We hope you are all having a wonderful time yourselves and wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years!

Love,

The Dukes

Shelby's Blessing Day!

2009-12-06T16:45:00.003-07:00

What a day! Today we blessed Shelby at Church. It was a wonderful and tender experience for both Casey and I. A lot of our family came and it was so nice to be with family and celebrate the birth of our little girl. She is such a beautiful baby with a remarkable spirit. We are so thankful to have her with us, and for all the family that joined us today. I love seeing all my nieces and nephews, and extended family. We had a little party afterwards at my parents. We also celebrated my mom's birthday, which is tomorrow, so that made the whole day very special.