Time flies...

Time seems to be zooming by these days!  The kids are growing and changing by the minute, we have about 8 home improvement projects going right now, we are both busy at work, and we seem to be constantly busy!  It's great, wonderful, and exhausting!   I've been slacking with this little blog of mind, but I want to look back and remember some of these things.  So, here's a little catch up!

The kids have been loving playing outside with some of the nice weather we've had recently!  Cooper especially enjoys exploring the outdoors.  The problem is he is BUSY and loves to throw things in the street.  Thanks God we live on a quiet street without much traffic!

After months of letters, meetings, and appeals, we finally got Delaney into Cavett Elementary School for Kindergarten next year!  This makes our lives so much easier since Cavett is right next door to Holly's (daycare), and it makes this little girl sooooo excited for school.  She's counting down the days!  She is so ready!

The kids have been very interested in all the projects going on at home.  Cooper loves to play with all of Daddy's tools and try to "help"!  We just finished up the Master Bathroom, and it looks pretty great.  We just need to give it a good cleaning and add some new towels, and we should be good to go!  

Delaney had her Dance Recital in mid-April!  She danced to "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, and she did so good!  Last year she had a bit of stage fright, but this year she was all about the performance!  She was so excited, and is already talking about next year!

Cooper is fearless and ALL BOY!  He loves to go fast, play hard, and get dirty!  He requires a bath every night, and hears "no" about 100,000 times a day!  He wants to be a big kid so much, so that makes life hard.  He is growing it seems, so he's finding even more ways to get into trouble.

A quick and easy home improvement project was to give the front door a little make-over.  We had painted the shutters black, and so the door got a sexy red paint job!  I love it, and so wish we would have done it sooner!  

Last weekend between rain showers, we had a busy day outside!  We planted flowers and a few veggies.  It was hot and humid, so Delaney begged for water.  We didn't have any of the sprinklers out yet, so we set up the hose in the tree for a redneck sprinkler.  They both had a ball!  It was a fun, family day at home!  

Cooper is fascinated by bubbles!  Delaney loves to blow them, and he loves to chase!   It's a great pastime!

Delaney has been super into basketball lately.  Our favorite neighbors have a basketball hoop set up on the curb for some street ball, so D has been working on her skills.  She makes more shots than I would have expected!  She seems to be growing up so much here lately, where did my little girl go?!?

The biggest house project took over a year to complete, but it is finally done.  Last year, Craig replaced some of the boards and the steps of the deck.  We let it dry out, and so this year he stained it.  It looks soooo much better.  We discovered our deck furniture needs to be replaced, so I'm anxiously waiting to get it all set up out there so we can enjoy it!  

We've had a week of crappy, raining weather.  The storms rolled in last night and dropped 7 inches of rain on Lincoln.  Our basement is dry, but our roof might be failing.  With more storms predicted for tonight and this weekend, it might get interesting.  Here are my 3 kids lined up with snacks watching the storms coming in last night!  Crazy kids!

Delaney turns 5

Well, it's been a while since our last update!  Life has been a little crazy around here...lots of sickness, busy weekends, and lots of travel!  I'm exhausted!  Most of it has been fun, but it's been a little intense!  The house needs some TLC one of these days from me (OR A CLEANING LADY!), and sooner or later we'll all get on a normal sleep scheduled, but life is good!  We have a BIG occasion this week...yesterday, Miss Delaney Jo turned 5-years-old!!!  I can't  believe it!

Delaney was so excited for her birthday this year!  She woke up and got all dressed up for Holly's!  She couldn't wait to start the day devoted to her!  She seems so grown up here!  Five seems like a big deal, like our little girl is gone and now we have this big girl that's starting school next fall!  She is so smart and funny, she says things every day that surprise me and make me laugh.  Her vocabulary has expanded tremendously lately, probably from the incessant questions she's always asking!  She is curious and inquisitive, and she won't settle for a less than sufficient answer!  I hope this is the same when she starts school in August!  

Delaney isn't a fan of frosting (unless it's chocolate), so a traditional birthday cake won't cut it for her!  She requested ice cream sundaes with all the fixing for her birthday night dessert.  We invited our favorite neighbors, Tim, Ali, and Greyson, over to join us!  It was a fun way to end the big day for our princess!  Delaney continues to be a kid that knows what she wants and isn't afraid to tell you!  She is independent, outgoing, and a bit of a diva!  We wouldn't have her any other way!

We baked some chocolate chip cookie bars (her request, or course!) to take to share with her friends at Holly's for her birthday treat!  Delaney helped with the entire baking process, she even cracked the eggs all by herself!  She loves to help in the kitchen!  Someday I hope to have a bigger kitchen which will make it easier for her to be involved!  She seems to be able to do things that surprise me all the time!  She is "improving" and "perfecting" some skills I didn't even know she had!  She is really an amazing kid, and I'm so proud to call her mine!  

Since her birthday fell in a middle of the week, we celebrated a little early last weekend.  Since Cooper got to have his birthday party at Grandma & Papa Farm's house, naturally Delaney wanted her party at Grandma & Papa Tekamah's house!  It works out nice since it's close for everyone and both of the Grandma's have bigger houses!  Delaney LOVES to be in her PJs, so we went with a pajama party theme this year!  It was so fun!  Pretty much everyone played along and came in their best PJs.  I wish we would have taken some family photos though...

Since we had the same non-frosting issue at the party, I saw this idea on Pinterest and decided what better "cake" for a pajama party!  It was a total hit with everyone, especially the birthday girl, and was the easiest birthday cake ever!  

A close-up shot of the Donut Cake!  

I had made a birthday posted for Cooper's birthday, so Delaney needed one too!  This highlights Delaney in a nutshell at 5 years old!  I think it turned out pretty good considering there was far more free-hand on her sign compared to Cooper's!  She was pleased, and it is proudly displayed in her new room.  Yes, she decided about a month ago she was tired of listening to Cooper cry at night, so she has moved to the bedroom in basement!  We have gradually been tweaking it into a fun, Frozen-ish, room for her, and she has done so well with the transition!  I thought she was years away from being able to move downstairs, but she has proven me wrong!  She sleeps great, and loves having her own space again!  Such a big girl!

Out little peanut seems all grown up these days!  She is thoughtful, smart, funny, challenging, relentless, exhausting, happy, excited, curious, eager, sweet, kind, independent, loving, and so much  more!  The transition with Cooper was tough for her, but I think we are finally on the "other side" , and she's come a long way!   She's grown up so much here lately!  She is so excited to go to school next fall, and she is so ready!  She will be an excellent student!  Five seems so bittersweet for me, but I'm so proud of her and can't what to see what's next for her!  We love her more than words can say!  Our Delaney Jo is growing up whether we like it or not!  

Okoboji 2014

 Well it's been almost a month since we went on our annual trip to Okoboji!  Time flies, and this summer has been absolutely insane!  We had two new babies for this trip, so it was 3-ring circus most of the time.  The weather wasn't picture perfect the entire time, but it could have been a lot worse!  All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and we're already counting down to next year!  I hope this is a tradition that can continue for many years.  Okoboji still remains one of my favorite places ever, and I hope it become this for my babies too!  Now, for some of the highlights...

The annual family photo at our favorite breakfast spot, the Dry Dock.  It was the first boat ride for the babies boys, and they both did pretty well!

Cooper tolerated his life jacket very well considering how uncomfortable that thing looked!  

Delaney LOVED the boat this year!  She was so excited very time she got to.  

We made a trip to Arnold's Park Amusement Park on one of the cooler days that week.  Both of the kids had so much fun!  Delaney rode pretty much every ride she good, and Craig rode a few along with her.  Cooper hung out in his stroller for the trip!

These two typically fight like brother and sister, but I caught this brief moment of peace one day before a boat ride.  

What else to do on a rainy morning, but dress the babies up like twins!  I'm sure they'll think we're nuts when they are older, but aren't they adorable!

Speaking of dress us, the boys declared a "Superhero Day"!

The cooler weather meant less opportunities for swimming, but one afternoon the stars aligned and the kiddos got to swim in the lake!  Delaney did so good considering how scared of swimming she's been this summer!  She learned to trust her life jacket and let go of Daddy.  She was swimming on her own between the boats in no time!  I was so proud.

So, I'd definitely call the 2014 trip a success!  Cooper was a rockstar for his first trip to the lake, and Delaney had a ball.  She has already started talking about moving there!  I wish sweetheart, I wish!

Until next year...

The Life & Times of Delaney Jo

I realized I haven't posted much about Miss D lately, so I thought why not today?!?  Delaney has been a busy girl lately.  She seems to be growing up much too fast.  She continues to spend her days with Holly and all her friends over there.  We had a relatively brief period of  "bad behavior" over there a while back, but she seems to be on the right track now.  She continues to have a bit of a problem with authority, and who's in charge.  Like a typical first-born, she likes to be the boss, and she loves to argue.  This weighs on my patience daily (as I'm also a typical first-born).

She is a girly-girl that loves accessories and all things Princess (FROZEN, especially), but she is a rough & tumble girl too.  She loves to "help" Daddy with his projects and get dirty.  She loves to be outside and race around on her bike or scooter.  She becomes a princess at least once almost every day.  She will suddenly disappear for a few minutes, and then emerge from her room in head-to-toe glitz & glamour.  Then, she will perform...current favorites are "Let It Go", "Roar", and "Cruise".  Delaney lives for a good dance party!

Delaney's challenge this summer is overcoming her fear of swimming.  We finished a group swimming lesson session last week at the YMCA.  Delaney progressively got worse/more scared with each class and didn't complete her level.  Somewhere along the way our little water baby developed a serious fear of the water.  Her teacher recommended some private lessons, so we start those today.  I'm praying they help!  We tried on our life jacket to make sure we're ready for our upcoming trip to Okoboji.  Let's hope she's a little more comfortable in the water by then!

 Delaney is becoming more and more helpful all the time.  Aside from being a little rough & crazy, she is a a very good helpful big sister.  She loves to help feed Cooper puffs, or help with his baths, and she's great at running and grabbing things for me.  She can also help calm him down when I can get right to him.  He loves her!  She also like to help around the house.  She loves to help in the kitchen with dinner or baking.  She also is Daddy's little sidekick for various projects.  She just helped him fix our broken bed the other night, and last night she helped him trim the birch tree in the front yard.  Her face lights up when she is a good helper!

Our little girl is growing up before our eyes.  I know the last 6 months have been rough on her, but I think/hope we've made it through the worst of it.  She still isn't letting me forget how much she really wanted a baby sister, but she loves her brother to pieces!  She's full of sass and spunk, but she's really is a sweetheart underneath.  She makes me laugh daily with the crazy things she says, and she learns and absorbs so much all the time.  She has become my human post-it note because she never forgets ANYTHING.  She challenges us and keeps us on our toes, but we'd have it no other way!

A few firsts for Cooper

Last weekend was jam-packed of "firsts" for little Cooper.  He had his first trip to the Omaha Zoo, and was SOOOO good!  He took his first train ride there, too!  He celebrated his first Father's Day with his Daddy and Papas.  He also went to her first movie at the movie theater...How to Train Your Dragon 2.  He was so good through all of it, and usually had a big smile on his face!  It was a super fun and exhausting weekend!  We also saw Jaiden's dance recital, ate a lot of yummy food, and had a sleepover with Chip & Lauren!  Delaney had a ball with all of it, and was one tired girl by Sunday night!  

The two kiddos about to see the bears!

Family train ride selfie!

She is so grown up all of a sudden!

How he spent most of his first movie experience!

Cooper-5 Months

Cooper-5 Months

Well, our little man is 5 months old as of last Saturday!  I can't believe it!  The last 5 months have flown by!  Cooper is growing and changing every day!  He continues to be the happiest baby on the planet (I'm not biased at all).  He has met some milestones lately!  He rolled over (FINALLY) on Saturday from back to front.  He could have been rolling either direction for about a month now, but he's just been content to hang out as he is.  Saturday he finally put on a show for his Great Grandparents, and flipped over to big applause!  It was a really special moment!  He hasn't done it since, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he decides mobility is pretty fun!  

He is still working on this teeth.  We discovered a couple weeks ago that not only are his bottom two teeth about ready, but his top two teeth aren't far behind.  We had about 2-3 weeks in there that weren't much fun.  He was pretty miserable and clingy for a while.  They seem to have let up a bit for the last 10 days or so, which we are so grateful for!  It wouldn't surprise me at all if those popped through this month!  

He has also started on solid foods!  We got the "green light" to give a go from our pediatrician at his 4 month check-up, but due to the teething unhappiness and crazy life we have we didn't get around to actually trying it until April 26th.  We started with oatmeal cereal as that was his sister's favorite, he gave me a couple funny looks than then went to town.  He cleaned his bowl with his first try.  I see some big grocery bills in our future.  We started on the veggie trials last week.  So far, he's had squash & carrots.  Again, he gave me a couple funny looks with the first few bites, but seems to enjoy them.  It appears as though so far he's not much of a picky eater!  

I think we're weighing in around the 15lb mark, but I haven't officially weighed him in a few weeks.  His 3 month clothes are suddenly getting a little short, so I'm thinking he's getting taller too.  We have graduated to pretty much at 6 month clothes and we'll be moving to size 2 diapers here soon too!  Speaking of clothes, this kids LOVES to be naked.  He has been enjoying the warmer temperatures because he doesn't have to be so bundled up.  He also loves to have his socks off to play with (a.k.a. suck on) his toes!  

Cooper's personality continues to shine!  He's a people person already.  He loves to listen and watch people talk.  He doesn't freak out in noisy, crazy chaos, and he loves his sister.  She can get him giggling with the silliest stuff!  She is all smiles, and has found his voice.  He babbles, laughs, "coughs", and has been experimenting with various grunts and raspberries.  He is still a Momma's boy, which I love, but he doesn't mind getting passed around a bit either.  

It's hard to imagine life before Cooper.  He has just completed our family in a way that is simply perfect!  We love you little man, to the moon & back!  We are blessed...

Just for fun, here's a picture of big sister, Delaney, when she was 5 months old...

Delaney's First Dance Recital

You have to see this!  Delaney started a low-key little dance class at the YMCA 8 weeks ago.  The class was a gift from her grandparents for Christmas.  They had their little end-of-class recital last Saturday, and Delaney put on quite the performance.  I had no idea what to expect from our little dancing queen, but I would have never predicted this.  Delaney LOVES to dance, and is constantly asking for a dance party.  She also LOVES this song, so I'm shocked at what she did (or didn't do)!  Enjoy the link below!

Delaney's First Dance Recital

Delaney Jo-4 years old!

Today our tiny little peanut is a beautiful little (big) girl that's 4 years-old today.  Time has really flown as it seems like just yesterday we were carefully cradling our scrawny little baby that arrived a month earlier than planned.  You were beautiful and strong, and well that hasn't changed.  However, you didn't stay little long...

Delaney-newborn

Today, you are a bright, loud, happy, independent, stubborn, funny, smart, sweet girl that keeps us on our toes and exhausts our patience!  You are a big girl for your age, and we have a doctor's appointment in a couple days to see just how big you are.  You are outgrowing your Big Girl size 6 clothes, so I know you're still "off the charts". Like your parents, you love to eat, and naturally demand a treat after every meal.  You favorite foods are spaghetti, bow-tie pasta, berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, pretzels, and goldfish.  You also love ice cream, but you have to have sprinkles with it!  Lemonade is a treat, and you have developed quite the taste for orange juice.  Brownies are a favorite treat! 

Delaney-1 Year

Your life has been turned up-side-down since we welcomed your little brother home.  You wanted a little sister so bad, and you were very disappointed that you got a brother instead.  You have come a long ways in the last 3 months, and you now love your little brother and have said we can keep him.  You are very sweet with him, and you are very helpful to Mommy when you want to be.  You have "acted-out" since Cooper was born, which is understandable.  I think you might be on the verge of turning the corner, so I'm cautiously optimistic we have calmer days ahead.  We've had a lot of rough patches lately.

Delaney-2 years

You have learned so many new things this year.  You are working on writing your name, and you can identify most letters & numbers.  You have your father's memory, so you have masted the art of memorization...this works for books, TV, movies, and music...among so many other things!  You have recently started your first dance class, and have your first recital coming up next month.  You have graduated from a tricycle to a big girl bike with training wheels.  I'm sure you'll be a pro by June!  You love to learn new things...last summer you took regular batting practice with Mom pitching since we didn't have a tee--you made contact many times.  You have also mastered the iPad, you're better than Mommy on that thing!  You love you watch movies and TV shows on Amazon Prime Instant Video & Netflix.  You have discovered several oldies...He-Man, She-Ra, Wonder Woman, Batman, Barbie, Rugrats, just to name a few. 

Delaney-3 years

This year you got to be in your first wedding, and you had the time of your life!  You danced ALL NIGHT LONG, and cried when we pulled you off the dance floor to go home to bed.  You are so excited for Uncle Chip & Aunt Lauren's wedding in May!  You went to many a Daddy & D date night movies this year...your favorites were...Frozen, The Croods, and Despicable Me 2.  You have become quite the little fashionista.  You have an opinion on whatever you're wearing, and you LOVE your accessories.  However, you are a bit of a tom-boy too.  You love to wrestle & rough house, and you're not afraid to get dirty.  We joke that you're our little linebacker in a tutu!  You are very particular about a so many things...how your blankets are folded, what food is on what spot on your plate, who turns off the bedroom light at bedtime...these are the things that become battles sometimes! 

Delaney-4 years

Life is far from boring when you're around, Delaney.  You are such a character.  You're naughty and sweet, hot and cold, silly and sassy, and too smart for your own good.  You are stubborn, independent, and quite bossy.  You lack patience, and never forget any promises we make.  You're the life of the party and hilarious.  You're so much like your Daddy it's not even funny.  We wouldn't change you for the world!  We love you to the moon & back little girl!  Happy Birthday Delaney Jo! 

Whirlwind Recap

Hello, there, internet fans!  Obviously, we have been M.I.A. on this little blog here for quite some time (ALMOST A YEAR)!  Failure!  To say we've been through a lot since my last post is a fairly big understatement.  In fact, I could write for days.  The main reason for our hiatus was that things were tough around here.  This time last year, I had just lost my grandmother, we were trying (not super successfully) to get pregnant, and Craig HATED his job.  We were stressed to the max and fighting to keep our sanity.  I didn't want to broadcast all of it on the internet, so I simply stopped posting because I was consumed with all the stress all the time. 

Well, here we are a year later, and everything is so much better!  First of all, we found out in early April 2013 that we were expecting our second little bundle of joy.  We were due on my mom's birthday, December 16th.  I was very fortunate to have a very "easy" pregnancy this time.  I did not have any of the high blood pressure issues I had with Delaney, and I felt great most of the time.  I was 9 months pregnant here...

Cooper Bryant Mencke was born on Tuesday, December 10, 2014 via a planned c-section.  He was born at 7:49a.m.  He weighed 7lbs 4oz and was 19.5" long.  He had (and still has) a full head of dark hair.  He is a really happy baby and is eating and (finally) sleeping well.  He started stretching out the nights about 10 days before I went back to work.  He is full of smiles and is starting to giggle.  He's a clone of his daddy & his sister, and so far seems to have quite the personality.  Delaney has come to grips that he's a boy and not a sister baby, and actually dotes on him pretty well.  (We are still working on calm & gentle though.)

On June 26th, we incorporated our business...CM Project Solutions, Inc.  On July 31st, Craig left his previous employer to work for himself!  This was a big change for all of us, but it the best thing for him.  He has finally gotten back to his oldself.  The business is doing well, and we are much happier!  He is working back in Lincoln now, and beats me and the kids home from work almost every night.  Craig also enjoyed a great Chiefs football season, and is counting down to next year!  

Delaney has been busy too!  Aside from becoming a big sister, she has been in her first wedding, started dance class, and become very proficient with the iPad (among so many other things).  She is about two weeks from her 4th birthday, and still towers over other kids her age.  She has had a tough transition with Cooper, and we are still struggling with some behavior issues.  I'm hoping time will work those out!  We NEED Spring to come ASAP, so we can get outside...I think that will help tremendously!  She is smart, funny, stubborn, and very independent...much like her Dad! 

I returned to work two weeks ago.  So far, the transition has been easier than with Delaney.  I am so grateful we have Holly!  Cooper is doing well over there, and I think he's just as spoiled as Delaney was.  I miss him terribly, but I don't worry about him over there!  Work is good, I have some good opportunities there this year, so I'm hoping to make the most of them.  Now, if I could just figure out how to get out of the house with two kiddos every morning on time, I'd be set! 

So, that's us in a small nutshell!  I hope to be more frequent with my posting again as this year is shaping up to be pretty fun...adjusting to life as a family of four, new baby cousin, Uncle Chip's wedding, vacations, etc...  Thanks for sticking with us if you're still here!  (Drop me a note and say "Hi"!)

Happy Birthday Delaney!

Yesterday, our baby girl turned 3!  I can't believe she's already 3, where has the time gone?  I look at her now, and it's so to believe how tiny she was.  Time flies!  We had a little family birthday party for her on Sunday, so all her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins came to town.  It was a great afternoon full of love for our little girl! 

Of course, we had a Minnie Mouse themed party since Delaney is loving Minnie Mouse these days!  We got this adorable cake from Super Target!  We served a brunch of biscuits & gravy, Mickey (or Minnie) Mouse-shaped pancakes, blueberry muffins, bacon, hash browns, and frozen fruit cups.  We had cupcakes & cake for dessert!  Delaney was completely spoiled by her family with a new Spring wardrobe, a new CD player with a new Disney Princess CD, a couple books, and much more!  She loved her party and was super sad to see everyone go home! 

At age 3, Delaney is still topping the charts for height & weight.  We had her 3-year checkup this morning, and she's measuring pretty square these days.  She weighs 38.6lbs (97%) and is 39.75in. tall (96%).  We are buying size 5 clothes for spring & summer, and I think we'll be moving on to size 9 shoes very soon!  She is fully potty trained during the day, but we're still working on the nighttime dryness.  The pediatrician said there is no need to push it, so we'll just keep doing what we're doing for now!  Like everything, she'll figure it out when she's good & ready to.  I fear our days of naps are dwindling.  Holly says she only sleeps for about an hour over there each day.  I don't think she's quite ready to give them up, but I think that day is inching closer!  She still goofs around a bedtime, and takes a long time to fall asleep.  I think this is just a function of her stubborn personality! 

Delaney has many loves these days!  She loves to eat...her dinner choice on her birthday was spaghetti!  She loves to dance, as we frequently have random dance parties at home.  She also has a new-found love/addiction to the iPad.  She can navigate that thing better than me.  She can watch PBS videos, play ABC games, and all sorts of other things without any assistance from us!  She even managed to Facetime call Lauren the other night while we weren't paying attention.  She loves books has even started to memorize them to "read" to herself.  She can recognize and identify most letters, so we're very excited about that!  She loves her baby dolls, and we can see reflections of our parenting when she plays with them!  She loves to talk & sing, and she has even started telling stories!  Dress up is also a big favorite right now, and she almost always has an option on what she wears any given day!

We are so proud of our little peanut!  This picture sums her up pretty well...she is adorable, sweet, with a big side of flair and a touch of crazy!  She is the smartest, funniest, sweetest little girl we know, and we can't believe how much she has blossomed over the past year.  She is full-on little girl, with no sign of baby or toddler to be found.  She is the light of our lives, and we love her to pieces!  Happy Birthday Delaney Jo!  We love you to the moon & back!