Christmas 2012-Recap

Holy smokes!  I'm a bit overdue for an update.  We had an amazing Christmas holiday this year!  We were all sufficiently spoiled, exhausted, and stuffed by the time we made it back to Lincoln after our whirlwind weekend full of family, food, fun, and festivities!  We started off all the festivities by getting a couples massage the Saturday before Christmas.  In previous years, Craig and I have exchanged pretty insignificant stocking stuffers, so this year we decided to try something different.  Craig had never had a professional massage, but definitely needed a little R&R so we decided on a couple massage in lieu of traditional gifts.  In hindsight, although we both really enjoyed the massages I think it would have been a better Valentine's Day or Anniversay gift instead of Christmas.  I was a little sad when Christmas came and went and we didn't really exchange any gifts!  Live & learn....

We started off the marathon that was Christmas with the annual Hassler Family Christmas celebration consisting of Southern Comfort punch, homemade chicken noodle soup, grab bag gifts, and general shenanigans that inevitably ensue when you get all the Hasslers in one place at the same time. 

Craig started growing his "Stick it to the Man" beard on Thanksgiving, but we were pretty surprised to see the beard trend had infiltrated the rest of the Hassler clan. 

Delaney received some great gifts!  One of the best was a tote full of dress up accessories from cousin  Hannah!  She loves that stuff, and is in the tote almost on a daily basis!

Delaney also had a lot of fun with the catnip-filled rate toy Kayla brought for the kitty "Princess".  Something about seeing a little girl playing with a toy rat puts you in the Christmas spirit!

Since the Hassler shindig was in Lincoln, we had a sleepover that night with Grandma & Papa and Jess & Chase.  We love to have our house full of family...even if nobody gets much sleep!  The next morning we all got up early to head to the Bryant Family Brunch in Omaha at Aunt Jeanne's house.  We hadn't gotten everyone from the Bryant side at Christmas together in about 4 years, so this was a big deal!  All the second cousins got along pretty well, and we all had fun catching up! 

Delaney got a super cool magnetic dress up doll set!  It's pretty genius compared to the paper dolls of the past!   She has a lot of fun dressing up those girls!

Delaney is a little outnumbered with the "Bryant boys".  We grow them big in this family!  Nolan is 5 and Leo is 2 (he's about 5 weeks older than Delaney), so it's fun to see them all together once in a while!

Delaney wasn't much into the whole picture thing, but she warmed up at the end! 

As naptime neared, we hit the road again to continue our journey up to Tekamah for more festivities!  Sunday night was our only chance to be all together & alone with my immediate family.  We had a delicious meal of grilled steaks and twice baked potatoes, and then we exchanged gifts.  This year we tried something new by drawing names for all us siblings and spouses/spouse to be.  We drew names and the gift had to start with the letter "N", and Nebraska Husker stuff was off limits!  I think everyone had fun with this, so I'm sure it will evolve more and more over the years!

Chase is always such a smiley guy!  If you know his parents, this will be no shock to you!

I found this hat for Chase on Black Friday, and I made Grandma get it for him!  Isn't it perfect!?!

Thanks to some wonderful eye scratching I had endured, I was in glasses for all of Christmas.  Acutally, I just got back into contacts this week...no fun!

This was the year of the iPad.  My parents generously gave all of us iPads so we could all stay in touch more!  As you can see, they were a big hit with the boys (and us girls too whenever we get to play with them!)

Auntie Jess wanted a picture of her and Delaney's matching pink outfits.  Delaney was less than cooperative...surprise, surprise!

Once he got over the shock of the beard, Chase buddied up to Craig for some video viewing!

The annual sibling photo!  Yes I'm the oldest, biggest and shortest...

At this point Delaney was a walking zombie hopped up on all sorts of sweets and presents!

The entire sibling photo!

The next day was Christmas Eve.  We spent the day out at the farm trying to squeeze in a few naps here and there.  I watched White Christmas with Jaccie while Craig, Steve, & Delaney took afternoon naps!  After nap, we got ready and headed up to Tekamah for Christmas Eve Mass and more fun!  We had another yummy dinner...Nick made chicken cordon bleu, and it was wonderful! 

Jess and I dressed the kids in matching plaid without planning it, so pictures were a necessary evil.  Grandma & Grandpa coordinated nicely!  This was the best picture I had of this attempt...I hope Mom's camera or Jess's had better results!

A little quiet time with Papa and the iPad.  I swear these kids can work those things better than I can!

Papa and Grammy saved the kids big kids for Christmas Eve.  Delaney got a really neat kitchen set, but she was so tired by this point that she could barely stand!

We said our "Good-byes" and headed back to the farm to prepare for Santa and the Christmas Day festivities!  More food, fun, and gifts to be had!  Jaccie made the traditional feast of turkey and ham with yummy pies for dessert!  Talk about a food coma!

Here are Delaney's Santa gifts!

The theme with gifts this year turned out to be dress up and Princess.  This Princess castle is too cute and a big favorite of Delaney's!

Out happy girl on Christmas morning!

More castle time before the cousins come! 

Snuggling up with Grandma!

A family photo on Christmas!

Delaney adores her cousin Sydney!  I keep trying to convince Brent & Buffye to let Sydney move int our guest room!

Delaney has Papa right where she wants him...opening and playing with baby dolls!

Delaney and Sydney snuggled up in the too-small toddler bed!  Cousin fun!

Delaney was having no part of the cousin photo!  At least Brent's kids look cute!

So, as you can see we had a very full Christmas, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!  Thank to you all those that made it so extra special this year!  I hope you're was a amazing as ours!  Thanks for reading the longest post in the history of the blog! 

Merry Christmas!

“And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight…

‘Tis the season to get flooded with Christmas letters — often a collage of ridiculous bragging about trips, careers, and stories about how their kids are better than everyone else’s.  Well, let’s just get this out of the way upfront, my kid is smarter, more well behaved, and has done more impressive things over the last year than anyone else’s.  As has become tradition now that my last year’s letter was such a success, if I do say so myself, I will be handling the Christmas letter writing duties for the foreseeable future.  I do not expect to match the perfect combination of humor and storytelling mixed in with just the right amount of smart-ass from last year, but I will give it a good ‘ol college try.

I have decided that I would follow with a similar format this year, but using Christmas songs instead of TV shows to describe a few of the things happening in our lives over the past year.

•  That Spirit of Christmas…Delaney is so excited for the holidays this year.  This is going to be such a fun Christmas!
•  Away in a Manger...No crib for a bed.  We have upgraded D to “big girl bed”.  Luckily, she thinks practical gifts are cool.
•  O Christmas Tree…We put up the tree and therefore most of the ornaments are within 3.5’ of the floor.
•  Silver Bells…I hate this song and that’s the only reason I put it on here.
• Gee Whiz, It's Christmas…Crystal taught D how to ‘whiz’ on a curb on 4^th of July.  I am a proud Father…and husband?
• Let's Hear It for Mrs. Claus!...Crystal still works for her uncle, and 10 years later I still have no idea what she does!
• Silent Night…Until Delaney has to potty, has a hangnail, or needs a drink.    Bedtime remains a struggle.
• Christmas Canon…It looks like a ‘cannon’ shot toys all over our living room every night.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…Izzy (the dog) isn’t a reindeer, doesn’t have a red nose, and can’t fly, but she’s ours.
•  I Saw Three Ships…We took a “business” trip to Vancouver B.C. The harbor and scenery were breathtaking.
•  Sleigh Ride…I’ve continued my daily commute to Omaha this year.  It might be time for a new sleigh. 
•  A Christmas Long Ago…We celebrated my parents 40^th and my grandparents 65^th anniversaries.  Pretty Impressive!
• What Child is This…Crystal is constantly trying to find a piece of herself in Delaney, but the force is strong with this one.
• I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus…Odd there is no mistletoe at home, but we do have a copy of 50 Shades of Grey.
• You’re Mean One, Mr. Grinch…Crystal says I am not in the “spirit”, yet here I am writing this letter.  Oh wait…
• Frosty the Snowman…The “terrible 2’s” have been rough.  I needed a few extra “frostys” to get through this year!
• Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow… Precipitation? What’s that?  We are hoping the yard survived the drought.
•  The Little Drummer Boy…If anyone gets Delaney another toy that makes noise, they will have to answer to me.
•  The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...Not this football season, have you seen my Chiefs?!?
• White Christmas…Not for the Republicans!

 How could I write this letter without including some ‘Delaney-isms” that make us laugh…

•  In her version of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”… it goes, “Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life goes down the drain”.
• She will demand help with everyday tasks, and when we offer help…she yells, “Don’t touch DD!”
• You ask her if she’s Daddy’s girl…she smiles and replies, “No, Daddy’s a boy!”
• She poops ‘snakes’ of various sizes.  The funny thing is that “mommy” sized snakes are bigger than “daddy” size.

T      When asking if she has been a good girl this year she answers “no”.  Well, at least she is honest!

Obviously, I had a little too much fun with this letter, but I hope you found it at least slightly entertaining.  Overall, we had a pretty uneventful year here at the Mencke house, but sometimes uneventful isn’t all that bad.  It been the “Year of the Two-Year-Old”, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.   In all seriousness, we want to wish you a wonderful Christmas and an amazing 2013! 

Love, Craig, Crystal, Delaney, & Izzy Mencke

Visit us at http://candcmencke.blogspot.com

…he's
gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse!”—Clark W. Griswold

Heavy Hearts

As most Americans and parents, our hearts have been heavy for the last week since first hearing of the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  I have had a pit in my stomach for a week, and I can't keep my thoughts from wandering back to those families as they have to face the happiest time of year with a huge hole in their hearts!  I cannot begin to imagine the pain they are feeling.  No parent should ever have to endure that loss.  I pray for comfort and peace for all of them right now! 

We have been preparing for the Christmas season, and we have a little girl that is getting very excited!  She still has no idea what's going on, but she knows just enough to know it's going to be awesome!  We can't tell her specifics of our travel plans or visitors until it's the day before or so, or she can't handle the wait!  We have been reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" every night this week, and they have been talking about the meaning of Christmas at Holly's.  I'm trying to savor the little moments and conversations.  I'm so excited to see how it all unfolds for her...it's going to be wonderful! 

We were at the mall shopping for my birthday gift a couple weeks ago, when Delaney spotted Santa Claus.  Last year's visit didn't go well at all, so I wasn't pushing her.  She said she wanted to go see him, and there was only one person in line!  We went for it, and she did a great job!  She hopped right up on his lap and listened intently.  He told her she needed to listen to her Mommy & Daddy, pick up her toys, and go to sleep at night when we say it's time!  He knows her sooo well, he had me believing!  What a great Santa!?!

We busted out the new Christmas PJs one night, and Delaney got SOOOO excited!  I told her to smile, and this is what I got!  Some of her family members have mentioned a resemblance of the Grinch with that grin! 

Delaney loves candy canes, so she got a special treat after lunch one Saturday a couple weeks ago!  Girlfriend was in heaven!

Don't let this angelic picture fool you, this little one is still walking a fine line between naughty & nice.  December has brought the terrible twos back out in full force! 

We did a family bake day last Sunday, so we could take some treats to our neighbors!  Delaney was a great assistant with the sprinkles! 

Much to our surprise, we got a treat on our doorstep shortly after delivering some treats of our own! 

Last night, we got our first snowfall of the season.  We have been in blizzard warnings for the past 18 hours.  We were lucky compared to some, we didn't lose power and we all made it home safe last night.   Delaney can't wait to go play in the snow tonight!  We are going to get that White Christmas after all!

Catch up & Eddie

Wow, I've really gotten behind.  We last checked in before Thanksgiving.  We had a glorious long weekend full of family, food, football, shopping, and laughs.  I didn't take many pictures this year (Mom fail).  We spent time with all of Delaney's grandparents and great grandparents!  She loved all the spoiling!

We were all pretty exhausted by the time we came home.  Delaney slept the whole way!  I just wish she was a better sleeper when we traveled.  Actually, I just wish she was a better sleeper in general.

We came home and started getting ready for Christmas!  We set up Delaney's little tree first.  She is so excited by everything "Christmas" this year...it's already so much fun!

Craig channeled his inner Clark Griswold last Saturday and took care of the outside decorations! We've had a few messages from the neighbors...it does look a little a runway up our driveway! 

Then, Santa came a little early and brought Delaney her new big girl bed.  She has been rapidly outgrowing her toddler bed, so we took advantage of a Cyber Monday deal.  She loves her new bed, maybe a little too much!  She's been partying into the wee hours...

Her new big girl quilt came just a couple days ago, and it was as if she won the lottery! I think you could give this girl a box of rocks, and she'd be ecstatic!

We debated for a long time whether or not to start the Elf on the Shelf tradition this year, or wait another year.  At the last minute, we decided to give it a shot and Eddie the Elf showed up on our doorstep.  The first night, Eddie found a perch on the living room curtain rod, so he had a bird's eye view of all the happenings.  Delaney doesn't quite understand the "No Touching of the Elf" rule, so I think Eddie is going to have to stick with "higher" viewpoints!

Last night, the second night Eddie became "Super Eddie" and decided to "fly" from the living room ceiling fan with a little cape!  Delaney thought he was pretty silly when she found him this morning!

 

Craig also having a little "fun" with Eddie.  For more X-Rated Eddie the Elf shenanigans find Craig on Facebook!  You can also find Eddie--the nice version--on Instagram, you can follow me at cmencke4.  Until the next time...

Catch up via Pictures

Delaney was all smiles this night at dinner time.  We've been enjoying a little down time here lately before the hustle and bustle of the holidays kick in!

Delaney and Daddy snuggling up on a lazy Sunday.  You can't see it all that well, but she picked her own ensemble this day.  It was pretty "creative"! 

Then, we came down with a tummy bug.  She fought it off and on for about a week, but the worst was about 10 days ago!  Poor peanut wasn't herself at all!

We all did a lot of napping while Delaney was sick.  Izzy of course naps all day every day, so she was grateful to have company!

Luckily, she snapped out of it and was back to her crazy self before too long!

Which was perfect timing because cousin Chase was coming for a visit!  We only have a short time for it to be "OK" for them to bath together, so we try to take advantage of it while we can!

Jess & Nick went to the Husker game, so we got some quality Chase time in while they were gone!  I love that little munchkin!

Delaney's newest trick is trying to dress herself, and she usually asks me to take her picture after she gets the shirt over her head.  Here's last night's edition!

We will be heading north for the Thanksgiving Holiday/Weekend for some much needed family time!  We have so many amazing blessings to be thankful this year!  We wish all of our a wonderful Thanksgiving!

HaLlOwEeN 2012

This year we had a little M-I-N-N-I-E M-O-U-S-E at our house!  After much deliberation and debating between Minnie and Spiderman, Minnie won out and Grandma Bryant went to work with her sewing machine!  Yes, Grammy B. made Delaney's little red dress!  Isn't it adorable!?!  We also had a little help with a donation of some mouse ears from one of Auntie Jess's old dance costumes!  I think it all came together perfectly!

 She LOVED her costume!  I expect she will continue to love her costume for quite some time!  She was so excited to wear it all day at Holly's, and then come home and put it on again after dinner for trick or treating!  She got a taste of it from Boo at the Zoo, but I don't think she had ANY idea what we were in for! 

 We started off tagging along with our neighbor friend Greyson.  She did pretty good keeping up, but Greyson was anxious to catch up with his buddies!  He lasted for quite a few houses before he took off, and left us to our own devices!  We managed just fine on our own.

Aren't they cute waiting so patiently for their treats!  Delaney managed to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" at about  80% of the houses.  After every stop she would turn around and say, "We have to fill it up, Mommy."  Meaning, we have to keep going until her little pumpkin bag was full of treats!  Eventually, she started to tire out, and we made the "U-turn" for home.  We hit the last few houses on the way!

We did our best, and Delaney got a sample a few of her prizes after we got home!  She was one happy girl!  I lost count of how many she had that night, but we've been trying to limit it since thing to two pieces per day (since she's two)!  We'll need a more sophisticated system in a couple years!

Neither Delaney or Daddy were too photogenic by this time of the night, but I wanted a picture of them anyway!  As you can probably guess, both of them have their mouths full of candy!  We took advantage of the beautiful weather and started a new tradition this year.  Craig set up the fire pit in the driveway, and some of our neighbors came over with their bowls of candy to hang out.  The Trick or Treaters hit the jackpot when they stopped at our pad.  They had four bowls of candy to pick from for most of the night!

Since I'm usually the photographer, here's proof that I was there too!  In fact, while Craig was handing the candy at home, I was Delaney's co-pilot for trick or treating!  We were both exhausted by the time we made it home!  We had a lot of fun this year!  These holidays seem to keep getting better and better as we start more traditions and she understands more!  It makes me look forward to the upcoming holiday season!  Hope you all had as much fun last week as we did!