Christmas 2014

Christmas 2014 was a success!  We had many celebrations, saw lots of relatives, and survived!  Here are a few pictures and highlights!

We knew we would be traveling for Christmas, so we celebrated with the kids a few days early at home.  They each had 2 packages to open under the tree at home.  Of course, Delaney was less than impressed with her book and clothes.  This has been noted for reference next year!  

Here are the kids all dressed up before Christmas Eve Mass!  Church was a workout with the kids, but overall they behaved pretty well considering how close it was to normal dinner time!  

The annual family Christmas photo!  Notice all the packages under the tree...Grandma Tekamah went a little crazy!

Here are all the Bryant cousins on Christmas Eve!  Chase is 3.5 and Parker is almost 9 months.  He is bigger than his older cousin Cooper!  Next year will be a little nuts when these two join the other crazies running around!

Here are the Mencke cousins on Christmas Day!  Sydney is now in middle school and almost 12, Jaiden is 10, and Tyler just turned 9.  I can't believe how grown up they suddenly are!

A little collage I put together of some of the festivities!  

A big treat of the weekend was the First Annual "Friends that are Family" Bryant/Olson family dinner!  Everyone, but Chip and Lauren, were able to attend.  It was Nick M.'s idea, and I think an annual tradition has been born!  We will just have to rotate Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays to get everyone home at the same time!  The Olsons and the Bryants have been family for ever, and now that Jessica & Abby married the Mathistad brothers we are family!

Here are the kids with their great grandparents!  I never knew mine, so we try to take advantage of any time we can visit with them.  Grandpa is 90, and  Grandma is 87.  They are still living at home and doing well!

We have been home since Sunday, and I'm still in the process of putting away all of the new stuff!  SPOILED KIDS!  (And parents!)  We have started a big purging process.  Delaney is enjoying the thought of donating some of her things to another "little girl".  Out with the old, in with the new!  We had a great Christmas with all of our family full of lots of laughs, wonderful food, safe travels, and health!  So much to celebrate!  

Thinking of our friends...

Today, my mind, heart, and prayers are with some of my very good friends. I have two friends that are dealing with their parent's illnesses, and I'm very worried for both of them. One is dealing with the after-effects of a stroke that her mother had, while the other continues a 3 year battle against cancer that her father's been fighting. I'm praying for the best for all of them, and I hope you will do the same!

I've been whiny lately about my situation...money, stress, lack of sleep, etc... Then, I see what my friends are up against and I feel incredibly guilty. There are so many worse things out there, and I'm so thankful that we have the life we do. I'm working on living in the moment, and not taking everything so seriously, but it's hard. I'm trying to focus on the good, and not let the bad consume me. We have a great family that is healthy (knock on wood), and honestly what more could we want. We are also on the brink of my favorite time of year when we get to see everyone we love and spend some serious time together, so that is something I'm definitely excited for and looking forward too!

Please keep the Helt (Aerni) family and the Bright family in your prayers today!

P.S. I promise to have a post full of Delaney and new pictures on Friday for her 8 month birthday!

Thankful

I've been feeling a bit down and stressed lately. Between the hormones, the economy, and the normal stresses of life, I'm afraid it's gotten to me. So, instead of throwing a pity-party for myself and playing the "Woe is Me" card, I decided to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for as a form of self-help!

• Obviously, my beautiful, healthy little girl tops my list. She truly is the light of my life. I just love her to pieces. Her little smiles and sweet giggles are like food for my soul. I can't imagine life without her. Watching her discover and learn gives me peace, and I'm so thankful to be her mother! It is the greatest gift!
  
• If you know me at all, you know my husband puts up with a lot being married to me. Most of the time he handles it like a champ, and I'm beyond grateful for that. He keeps me grounded and pushes my buttons, which is exactly what I need. I couldn't have chosen a better partner for this journey we call life!
• We are both blessed with incredible families, which I cannot thank enough for all the wonderful things they do for us. All of us are so lucky to have you all to love and support us, and you all do a wonderful job of sufficiently spoiling Delaney--which I am also grateful for! I love watching all of you dote on Delaney, it just melts my heart!
  
• I'm thankful for my puppy Izzy. No matter how neglected you've become by our focus on Delaney, you still love us! It still makes my day to come home to your excited greeting at the back door! You may not know it, and we may not show it, but we still love you like a child! You have been the best puppy with your new sister, we couldn't ask for more!
  
• We are so blessed to have wonderful friends. We may not see you all as much as we would like, but we know that you are there for us whenever we need you. Like gets in the way sometimes, but we couldn't have chosen a better group of friends if we tried!
  
• I'm thankful for our home. The mortgage payment may totally suck sometimes, but I love having a place that is our home. We've been there for two and a half years, and we already have so many wonderful memories. I know whenever it comes down to it, I will be very sad to leave!
• I'm beyond grateful that Craig and I both have good, solid jobs. It's tough for everybody right now, and I find myself frustrated at times; but, we are both in the best positions we could be given the environment out there right now. We are so lucky to both be doing something we enjoy that allows us to do most of the things we want to do.
  
• I am so thankful for Holly, our daycare provider. The peace of mind she gives me every day by taking care of Delaney is absolutely priceless. I know that Delaney is loved and cared for at Holly's, and that is all I could ask for! She is an answer to my prayers! I dreaded beyond belief returning to work after maternity leave, and she has made the transition so smooth. I couldn't have done it without her to take care of D!

A Fun Weekend of Family & Friends!

We had another big weekend of visitors and first introductions with Delaney. We got an overdue visit from our great friend Charles on Saturday morning. He is one of my (if not the longest) friend, so it was so great for him to meet Delaney! We also had a visit from Delaney's Mencke grandparents on Saturday afternoon! She enjoyed all the attention and snuggling.

On Sunday, we traveled up to Omaha to have brunch with the entire Bryant clan. Delaney got to meet all of my Bryant cousins, including the newest arrival Leo! It was so nice to see everyone and watch Delaney get loved on by all of them! Leo was born in February, and it was so fun to see the two of them together.

Delaney is absolutely blessed and so lucky to have so many great people love her! She is truly the luckiest little girl in the world! (Oh, and she's pretty much the cutest little girl too!)

I also got the best news about a week ago! I get to stay home with Delaney for 4 extra weeks. I don't go back to work now until after Memorial Day! I was absolutely dreading and in complete denial about the planned return just next week! I couldn't even think or talk about it! Then, my wonderful boss (and uncle) all but demanded I stayed home until June! I am beyond thrilled! Trust me, I know the return will be horrible even in June, but at least I have more time to prepare for it. It also gives Delaney 4 more weeks to grow and get stronger, which will help us all feel better about it. I'm so grateful to have such a great job and boss!

Well, I better get started on the mountain of laundry we've accumulated over the last few days! We have a pretty fun week planned, with dates with both of Delaney's boyfriends (Reed & Parker), a lunch at my office, and a potential visit from Grandma Bryant. Oh, and I got back to my OB for my 6 week checkup on Thursday. I'm kinda nervous about it as we'll see if my blood pressure has regulated itself. If not, that more than likely means medication, which I don't really want. I'm too young for that! Ha!