Picture Post

Delaney has been nurturing her shoe fetish by modeling some of my more fun options around the house!  She loves these teal, sparkle numbers from my "O" Street, college days!

We started swimming again a couple weeks ago!  Delaney had a little 4 week period when she wasn't into the swimming thing so much, but thankfully that has subsided and she's had a lot of fun that last couple weeks.  She is really, really close to back floating all by herself...like "Look, Mom, no hands--by herself!"

 

 

We celebrated Delaney's boyfriend, Reed's 2nd Birthday Party!  It's so hard to believe that these little babies are all of a sudden TWO!  Oh, my!

We also celebrated our niece, Sydney's, 9th birthday!  We still can't get over the fact that she's 9...when did that happen!  Delaney also got some quality time in with her family that day!

 

Do you know what this pile of stuff means?  We are going to attempt potty-training starting Saturday morning?!?  Delaney is showing some of the "Signs of Readiness", and our daycare is closed next week so I thought I'd give it a whirl!  We will see what happens, wish us luck...and PATIENCE!

Delaney-isms

I realize that in all the holiday craziness and illnesses, I haven't told you much about Delaney lately.  It seems as thought our tiny, little baby is long gone.  Delaney is a full-blown toddler now with a mind of her own and enough personality to keep us on our toes.  As we are inching closer to her birthday, I fear the "Terrible Twos" are here to stay.  Her language development has been amazing lately.  Some of the things this girl says is absolutely hilarious! 

We do contact "checks" of where everyone is and what they are doing. Such as:
Delaney "Mommy?"
me "Yes, D?"
Delaney "Izzy?"
me "Izzy is taking a nap."
Delaney "Izzy nap."
Delaney "Mommy?"
me "Yes, D?"
Delaney "Daddy?"
me "Daddy went buh-bye.  Daddy's at work."
Delaney "Daddy buh-bye."
me "Yep."
Rinse, Repeat 600 times consecutively before 8:30 a.m. EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING.
Once in a while, she branch out to get reports on the whereabouts of her papas, grandmas, chase, etc.  It's a fun game we play ALOT!

Her latest trick has been to take her little potty step stool, that's supposed to help her get on and off the big-girl potty, all over the house.  She has discovered this amazing tool can give her access to the whole new world of kitchen counters and bathroom drawers.  Delaney has always been exceptionally tall for her age, but add another 6 inches with the stool and there's really nothing off limits for that kid.  Case in point, yesterday morning I was in the bathroom getting ready for work, while Delaney was running around.  I had forgotten she had taken her stool out to the kitchen while I was getting her milk & Cheerios for her.  Next thing I know, I hear the contents of a treat bag from Reed's birthday party being dumped all over my coffee table.  She had used her little stool to get up and reach the bag off the counter.  I peak out the door to see pretty little D, shoveling fistfuls of candy and treats into her smiling face.  Candy for breakfast=mom of the year, right here!

Mealtime has also become a chore lately.   She used to be such a good eater, but now not so much.  She eat what she wants, when she wants, and that's it.  One day she'll love something, and the next she won't even touch it.  She has started this  new thing where she thinks she needs assistance with her silverware.  She will ask for help, and when we tell her she's a big girl and can do it by herself...she throws the spoon or fork on the ground and laughs.  She also gets rather amused with throwing food on the ground (which of course makes her Izzy's best friend.)  I try to feed her good, healthy, well-rounded meals, but these days it's like pulling teeth.  I really hope this is just a stage.

The potty training introduction phase is still going well.  She consistently goes in the potty before bath each and every night, and multiple times a day when we are home on the weekends.  We have still never had any success with #2, but we haven't pushed it yet.  Other than before bath every night, we haven't pushed the potty on her.  She is very interested in the potty and when everyone else is using it, so I think we are on the right track.  I'm seriously considering full-on potty training her in a couple weeks when daycare is closed for a week.  I don't know if she's quite ready yet, but I think she's pretty close. 

My little diva is also starting to have a little more preference in what she is wearing.  Some days she doesn't say a word, and others she'll throw a fit until she I put on one of her "kitty" shirts.  She also almost always selects her own shoes for the day.  I can see the shoe fetish I created isn't going away any time soon...sorry Craig!  She also demands to wear her stocking hat every day when I put on her coat.  Even if it's 60 degrees outside, she'll say "hat, too, Mommy?" and take a lot of convincing that she doesn't need it.  I can only imagine this clothes struggle is only going to get worse.

Well, that's the latest and greatest on Miss D for now.  I know it's totally random, but I wanted to have this down so that six months from now when the real "Terrible Twos" are in full-swing I can look back to a calmer time in our house.  Ha!

So much for getting healthy...

Delaney came down with a nasty cold last week, and I spent Thursday & Friday home with a sick little girl.  She had a runny nose and stuff like that since before Christmas.  But when she woke up with a fever Thursday morning, I thought for sure she had an ear infection or strep or something like that, but alas it was "just a combination of viruses".  Awesome!  My little girl had a low fever from Thursday until Saturday, snot everywhere, a smoker's cough, and was extremely clingy.  Since it was a virus there wasn't much I could do for her...fluids, ibuprofen/Tylenol, humidifier, etc.  Obviously, I enjoyed all the extra cuddles and snuggles, but of course those have now come back to bite me in the butt! 

I'm sick.  Craig's sick.  We are a big, snotty, miserable family.  No fevers since Saturday, so we have all gone back to our normal day-to-day happenings.  All I want to do is go home to my sweat pants and DVR.  I haven't made it back to the gym since Thursday thanks to this lovely sickness.  I toyed with the idea of going tonight, but the way my head is pounding right now and the fact that I can't breath all that well, I'd say that's highly unlikely at this point. Here's to hoping this doesn't stick around too long! 

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I'm a few days late!  Oops!  We were pretty lame over the New Year's weekend, but I honestly loved every minute!  We have been going non stop, on the road, away from home for the last six weekends.  We needed some time to stay put and relax.  The long weekend was long overdue and so needed!  We stayed home just the 3 (plus Izzy) of us for a majority of the entire weekend.  We played lots, watched a lot of football, grocery shopped, ate yummy food, read lots of books, and had lots of quality family time!  It was awesome!  These type of days/weekends are few and far between, so I try to really soak them up when they happen!  It was so low-key, I didn't even take any pictures...

So, with the new year of course that means resolution time.  Mine isn't terribly original, but for sake of accountability here it is.  I hope to get healthy in 2012.  Mentally, physically, and financially.  All of these areas could definitely use some TLC, so in 2012 I'm making the effort to do something about it. 

The physical aspect is already in progress.  We finally joined the YMCA over the weekend (Monday to be exact), and Craig and I have already made one successful trip each for a workout.  I haven't done anything active short of housework and chasing a crazy toddler around since September when I landed myself in that glorious walking boot.  Craig hasn't done anything (aside from yardwork and occasional labor intensive days at work) since Delaney was born.  To say that we were both a little overdue for some exercise is an understatement. 

I think the additional of regular work outs in my life will help with my mental health.  I know that my mind was in a really good place last summer when I was running, and I hope to get back there soon.  I was a better mother, wife, sister, daughter and friend.  Between the stress of the holidays and the wonderful economy, it's been a little rough lately.  Not to mention that I think I suffer slightly from the "winter blues", it's a tough time of year.  The weather has been amazing lately so that should be helping, but I still feel that gloomy feeling a lot.  I'm optimistic that will change very soon! 

I don't need to get into the nitty-gritty of our finances, but I'm make a conscience effort more than ever to cut back and lower our expenses this year!  This will also help lower my stress level and improve my mental health!  Wish me luck and wisdom!

Here's to a brighter & healthier 2012!  Happy New Year!

Holiday Weekend

Oh, what a weekend it was!  We made the trip north to the homelands this weekend to spend the weekend with our families.  We laughed a lot, ate a lot, and we were spoiled every time we turned around.  Delaney didn't quite understand what was going on, but she had a great time running the show and getting lots of cool new stuff.  She even managed to last through half of Christmas Eve mass!  She would have lasted a lot longer if she new how to whisper.  This weekend Delaney decided talking non-stop was what the cool kids do!  She just doesn't have a volume control.


We spent Christmas Eve in Tekamah for dinner.  Then, I was up until 4 a.m. with Delaney who wanted nothing more than to party.  It was ridiculous!  I was at my wits end for sure!  I thought last weekend in KC was tough when she wouldn't sleep in her own bed, this was a nightmare!  She not only wouldn't sleep in her own bed, but she wouldn't sleep period.  I tried to keep her quiet so the rest of the family could sleep, but I don't think anybody got much rest that night. 

We were in Omaha by 10a.m. Christmas morning for festivities with the Mencke family.   We were all spoiled (as usual) by Grandma & Papa Farm.  Delaney had lots of fun with her new things and her cousins.  Delaney managed to hang in there pretty well considering how exhausted she must have been.  By 3 o'clock I had trouble staying awake.  We loaded up and headed back to Tekamah for the partially extended Bryant family.  Delaney squeezed in a little nap, and we fired up and ready to go by dinner time. 

So, we are back in Lincoln now with one day of work done.  To say we are still exhausted is an understatement, but it was definitely worth it to have such a fun Christmas!  All season long we've been saying that it didn't feel like Christmas.  Now that it's all over, it still doesn't feel like Christmas; however, it was a lot of fun and a very merry holiday! 

Oh, I had a total "Mom fail" and forgot to charge my camera after last week's trip to KC.  Oops!  I managed to get through about half of our festivities before it completely died on me! 

 Of course, Izzy enjoyed her stocking stuffers!  She's kinda hard to please with toys and treats, but I think we did pretty good this year!

 We had to do most of the opening for Delaney!  She didn't quite "get" it.

 D got some new dress up shoes that she thought were pretty cool until she tried to walk.  So far they haven't been on her little feet since...

 Here's Daddy with her new "copter".  He was more like the little kid on Christmas with this thing! 

 She showing off some of her loot here...can't remember what it was now...

 Here's what Santa left for Delaney at home.  So far, the picnic basket has been the favorite of the bunch!

 She has also enjoyed the blanket I made for her and her very own Camelbak bottle!  She has coveting one of these since last summer, and now she has one of her very own.

 Here's our little family after church on Christmas Eve! 

 Here's Craig demonstrating his helicopter! 

These two are addicted to each other!  It's so fun to watch them together! 

Here's Delaney with her Mencke cousins.  They are all getting so big all of a sudden!

Before my camera died, Delaney took Tyler's new drum set for a spin!  She LOVED it!  I keep telling her piano lessons first...

Hope your holidays were as great as ours!

Merry Christmas from the Mencke Family!

Prologue

I thought I should provide a little background as to why I am writing the Christmas letter instead of Crystal this year.  We had been talking about miscellaneous holiday crafts and I told the wife how much more creative I am than she is.  Big mistake!  All I got out of that conversation was that I “created” my way into writing this letter as punishment for my statement.  I will try my best to make it a card you might actually like to read this season…

Chapter 1

So it is getting to be that time of year again when the “Jolly Fat Man” is going to be breaking and entering in millions of homes and more importantly when family, friends, and possibly even people you do not know will be sending you Christmas letters detailing all of the “exciting” things that have unfolded in their lives over the last year that you really don’t care about.  Trips, careers, and stories about how their kids are better than everyone else’s are likely to be primary topics this year just as they are every other year.  Being as how I cannot think of anything other than those topics to talk about, I thought the least I could do was to make it more interesting.  So, I went with television show titles as the framework for my masterpiece.  

The Parenthood – “Big D” is starting the terrible 2’s early.  Pray for us!

Last Man Standing – Male/female ratio, including the dog, is 3-to-1.  Maybe time to risk 4-to-1???  Hmm…

Big Brother – As of a few months ago, I now work for my brother.  Trust me; he’s keeping a close eye on me.

The Voice – Delaney has quite the growing vocabulary.  She still won’t say “please”, but she’s got “hot pink” down.

Law & Order – D spends a lot of time in “timeout” these days.  She keeps getting “acquitted”.

Kitchen Nightmares – With my new job, Crystal now does most of the cooking.  I’ll leave it at that…

Up All Night – These are very few and far between thankfully.  We are getting too old to be up that late.

Hawaii Five-0 – No, we didn’t go to Hawaii—I wish, but we did go to Okoboji!  That’s pretty tropical for us!  Ha!

Bones – Delaney now knows how to “Throw the Bones” for the Husker defense.  We couldn’t be more proud!

Monday Night Football – Forget the Huskers, my Chiefs are just plain bad.  At least the Packers are rolling!

Dirty Jobs – We go through a lot of diapers…”poop” is another favorite in D’s vocabulary!

The Dog Whisperer– As long as there’s a pillow and a blanket for her, you’d never know Izzy was here.

House – We tiled the kitchen last spring, now when we drop things they break.  Great improvement!

The Amazing Race – Crystal trained for and miraculously completed her first 5k in August.

Private Practice – 6 weeks later, she was in a walking boot due to a stress fracture because she runs funny.  Ha!

The Good Wife – Crystal puts up with all of my shenanigans and she still loves me.  But, why is she always tired?

Family Guy – I look forward to coming home everyday to see D! And the other two…I guess…sometimes…

Epilogue

I have to give the wife a little credit, she did contribute to this by being the ‘Editor in Chief’’.  If there is anything in here that you do not like, just blame her for not taking it out.  I think it turned out great.  After racking my brain over creative ways to write this letter and thinking “outside the box”, I am finally finished.  To sum it all up, I shall close with a statement made by Clark W. Griswold in the greatest Christmas movie ever made “…Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?” 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!  (Play Ball!) 

Love, Craig, Crystal, Izzy, & Delaney Mencke

Delaney & Sugar are not friends

Well maybe I should rephrase that...Delaney & Sugar plus Mommy are not friends.  Yesterday, I took a big decorated Eileen's sugar cookie over to Holly's as  Delaney's Christmas gift to all her friends over there.  It also gave Holly a break from making snacks that day.  (I had done the same thing last year, but Delaney was too little to actually enjoy the treat with her friends!)  Well this totally backfired on me yesterday.  Of course, all the kids loved it, but if they had the reaction to it that my kid had I'm sure that I was being cussed all over the city of Lincoln last night.  Sorry fellow parents!

Don't get me wrong, Delaney had had her fair share of sugar over the last 21 months.  Cakes, cookies, candy, you name it she's tried it.  Yesterday was totally different!  That sugar cookie might as well have been made out of crack because my kid went crazy!  It was like we gave her speed and caffeine!  It was like talking to a brick wall last night trying to get her to behave.  She didn't hear me or care about anything I had to say.   It was a nightmare!

It was one of those awful nights that by the time I laid her down in her crib and walked away I was at my wits end.  It was a RELIEF that it was bedtime!  Then, of course, like I always do after a rough evening, by 9 o'clock I was calmed down and feeling guilty for being so mad at her.  Why does that always happen?!?  I've had some serious "Mommy guilt" moments lately anyway between shipping her here and there for a few nights, and being gone, etc.  I just can't shake the feeling that I'm a horrible mother sometimes.  I love that little twerp like nobody's business, but man, sometimes she makes my heart hurt!  Next year, I'm taking an Edible Arrangement...