Christmas with the Bryants

Wow a week again huh? I was off but, looking back I really don't know where it went to! I thoroughly enjoyed my time off with Todd and Lucas, along with all of our other friends and family. Christmas always seem to come and go so fast and this year is definitely no exception to that! Just like any vacation, you get excited and full of anticipation then it flies by in a flash. We had a busy week (I am beginning to think that is a way of life around here for us!)but a great one.

We spent Christmas Eve with my Dad here at home. We had a yummy BBQ dinner courtesy of my fantastic chef husband ;) He can really cook some mean BBQ and ribs! Not your typical holiday feast but we knew we had that coming too. We also went to Christmas Eve service at our church which was equally amazing! Have you ever got to go see a great concert, awesome play, and worship an awesome God all in one place? Well that is how we do it at Atlee Community Church and they didn't hold anything back this year. It was spectacular!!! Even Lucas enjoyed it and did great for having a stinky cold. ;)

Christmas morning we spent here at home- the way Santa intended ;) We enjoyed sleeping in, opening stockings, and of course presents! I think we were more excited than Lucas was but he did light up when he noticed a new toy in front of the Christmas tree, his bounce and spin zebra! He was into opening the first wrapped gift and that was about the end of that. We helped him out finally but I still don't think he will really get it until next year. We still had a good time being kids ourselves ;)

After breakfast and cleaning up we headed up to Fredericksburg to spend the rest of the day with family. We all stuffed ourselves and had a great time visiting with everyone at Todd's grandmothers houses- lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents to see! He had so much fun playing with everyone. Lucas was spoiled rotten by everyone and loved every minute of it! So much so that he did not nap and needless to say was NOT a happy camper later on that evening. Not that he would have napped through the excitement around him. I think the lack of sleep along with complete over stimulation = train wreck!!! Let's just say bedtime was a nightmare and we revisited those long forgotten semi-sleepless nights. But luckily he was much better the following day and back to his old self again, happy and easy going!



We rounded out our Christmas palooza by visiting with my side of the family on Friday. Lucas had a blast following around his big cousin Justin and playing with Uncle John and Grandpa. It was a wonderful Christmas holiday for us all and I hope you also enjoyed your time with family and friends.


Just for fun- Here is a look back at Christmas last year.... ;)



Wow, what a difference a year makes!

May this new year bring you more happiness, love, and blessings than you could ever imagine!!! God Bless each and every one of you.

Merry Christmas to All!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May your day be blessed spending time with those you love and memories of Christmases past and present. Safe travels to those that are taking to the roads and skies! We will be back with more pictures to share from our holiday adventures but here are a few of Lucas indulging in Santa's cookies :)

Christmas is coming.....

Geez! I apologize (yet again) for our tardiness here. Sad but true, I uploaded these pictures LAST TUESDAY night but never sat down to "blog" about them. How pathetic am I? In reality I have this ever fast paced, crazy week to thank for my lack of chit chat on here. Work was BUSY last week, we are short staffed and definitely starting to feel the difference this time of year with holidays and illnesses upon everyone. The lack of help is even more apparent when I look at the weekend schedule for the upcoming year (yep, gotta work Saturdays sometimes- babies don't take breaks on weekends and holidays- so, neither does the Newborn Screening Lab!) Well we used to work every 7th-8th Saturday-not next year-we all pretty much work a Saturday each month, not to mention LOTS of state holidays, bah humbug to that one! Enough whining, sorry for the detour. I am VERY thankful to be off this week and thoroughly enjoying the extra time with Todd and Lucas, and other family and friends. The days go by so quickly though when you are having fun, that is the only drawback. I could definitely get used to this!!! A girl can dream, right?
We have had some busy but great weekends in amongst the Christmas preparations and normal weekday business. Two weeks ago Lucas and I got together with some girlfriends from college and their little ones for lunch and an gift exchange. As always we had a great time chatting, eating yummy food, playing, and chasing the little monkeys around. at least I spent a good part of the time chasing Lucas away from the stairs. He loves to climb them and we let him sometimes at home as we follow close behind just in case. The look of accomplishment on his face is great once he reaches the top! He loved playing with/near all of the other kiddos :)



After lunch we headed back up 95 to meet Todd at Bass Pro Shops. If you have not been there, you HAVE to go. No worries if you don't hunt or fish, you haven't seen me donning any blaze orange or waders right? ;) That place is nuts! It is huge for starters and has just about every outdoor toy for the big boys that you can imagine. They also have a giant fish tank/aquarium full of all of the freshwater fish you can find in VA. Really cool for the little ones. Lucas was fascinated but a little intimidated at first by the waterfall. Plus right now there is a huge SantaLand and free pictures with Santa too! So....we did what every other loving set of parents does with their kids this time of year. Ventured over to see St. Nick. Well, after about 40 minutes in line- slightly grumpy, antzy minutes for Lucas, we made it to the big man himself. Well I'll let the pictures speak for the reaction he got.....
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!" My God, I have never felt him hang on so tight and seen that reaction. Poor Santa, can't you just see the look of joy on his face. Needless to say we weren't the only family that ended up taking home this picture of our visit with Santa.....

You could tell that the employees were very skilled at setting up this shot to prevent anymore angst to the little ones! Maybe a few years from now he will forget this traumatic experience, I know that we won't. ;)

A happy family shot :)

Lucas playing on the 4-wheelers while we waited in line for Santa. I think these were strategically placed along with the boats near SantaLand to keep the dads happy/content while you wait :) Seemed to work well and the kids had fun at the same time :) But I have to note, where has my little baby gone too? He is such a little boy now, even that facial expression.

So that was last weekend, since then we have been busy shopping, finally getting the house all decorated, baking Christmas goodies, and visiting with family and friends. This past weekend we got to visit with lots of Todd's family and family friends at his dad's annual Christmas party and another get-together at Kristi and Barrett's. Lucas has been busy polishing up his walking skills, he has got the hang of standing up on his own now without pulling up on things. He will squat to play and stay that way for forever it seems. We got him dancing yesterday to a new musical toy-it was hysterical! He was rocking out life and having a blast laughing at mommy and himself. We tried to get it on video but then he stopped-of course! We'll keep trying and get it up here for you. :) He also has been chatting up a storm again- still obsessed with the cat and the dogs, but we have been working on other words too, outside, cup, milk, etc. We finished off this past weekend by spending time with great friends, the Edmond's family. So that is us in a nutshell for now. Just finishing up the shopping, baking, and wrapping for the big day. I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas week and safe travels to all that are heading away from home!!!

We'll be back sooner, promise ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Look at him go! ;)

Here are some fun videos of Lucas from this past weekend.
We had a great weekend full of lots of family and friends! My aunt and uncle came to visit from Tennessee. We always love the time we get to spend with them since it isn't too often. They were shocked with how much Lucas has changed and his new found little person personality :) He loved playing with them and showing off his new "skills" of walking and talking ;) We checked out some great Christmas lights in the Mechanicsville area Friday evening and even had our picture taken with Santa Claus at one of the locations! I didn't have my camera there but hopefully Aunt Jean will send us copies, Lucas was amazed by the lights and Santa's beard as all kids seem to be.I wanted to make the cake for Kristi's baby shower so I spent lots of time getting that ready Friday and Saturday while we visited with Jean and Gary as well. I had all kinds of cheerleaders around as I worked on the masterpiece ;) I had a great time doing it but I must admit it was hard to cut up and serve all of that hard work! ;)Lucas, Justin, and John loved the extra icing!
We also got to visit with lots of Todd's family at a family reunion celebrating his Great Aunt Lelia's 80th birthday! What an awesome life, I can only hope that I am that blessed. She is a sweet, loving women who exemplifies the christ-like person we all should strive to be! We also celebrated the upcoming arrival of our new nephew/cousin, Kellen, at Kristi's baby shower on Sunday! Kristi is doing great and we all can't wait to meet the new little bundle of joy that will bring so much love into their lives. Lucas is going to love having a little cousin to get into trouble with I'm sure ;) Hopefully they will be great friends! So that is our busy weekend in a small nutshell. Hope you enjoy the videos of Lucas' latest escapades... ;)

We are OK, just BUSY!!!

This is a quicky post, but there will be more fun stories/pictures/videos to come. We are good, BUSY as ever but truckin through ;) Illnesses too have visited the Bryant household and taken us out of commission some nights. Where did my immune system go to? If you have seen it can you please send it back my way! We haven't really even had a chance to do any Christmas shopping or all of our decorating (which if you know me is driving me crazy! I LOVE Christmas decorations!!!!) We will get there, HOPEFULLY by this weekends end. I am stuck on heading home this afternoon and tackling some at least.

I had to at least tell everyone that our little man has taken the big step in to the world of walking!!! I got some video footage over the weekend but haven't got it loaded on the computer yet, we got home late last night or I would have tried. He has been taking 3-4 steps between us for a few weeks now but we hadn't seen official walking. His teachers said he was trying it out at school some but never at home with us. Well, Thursday night he did it!!! He walked across the kitchen to each of us and then into the family room. Words can not explain how excited we were, yeah tears even came to our eyes :) It is such a joy to see him grow and change and it is all happening SO FAST. I wish I could time in a bottle and savor every moment. It really is a beautiful life! (Hope you like the new song addition, whenever it plays on the TLC commercial for Jon&Kate, I sing and dance around with Lucas so I thought it was most appropriate!!)
I will get the video and pictures uploaded tonight! PROMISE!!!! ;)

Great Aunt Kitty

I wanted to post this last week but time got away from me as usual. That seems to be a never ending theme in our life these days but I am comforted to know that we are not the only ones! I have been told by so many that they feel the same way. Anywho, I digress.....



We were so saddened to have to say goodbye (for now) to such a wonderful person, Great Aunt Kitty a few weeks ago. She was such a warm, caring, loving, person who just touched your heart in such a special way. She always greeted everyone with a smile, hug, and kiss and right away you knew how much she loved you, even if you were a new member of her "family" :) We know that this was not goodbye but as the pastor put it at her funeral- A see you later Kitty! She is now in heaven with Jesus and all of the other family and friends who have gone before her. But she will be missed here on Earth by all of those who loved her dearly.



We were lucky enough to have spent some time with her a few weeks ago when we went to pick pumpkins. She adored Lucas and it was such a joy to get to see her again and catch up for even a few minutes, even if Lucas was into everything at the store! ;) We are now so thankful that we made that visit....



I have included a video clip of Lucas from another visit we had with her back in early spring. He adored her and thought she was just the funniest entertainer! We love you and miss you Aunt Kitty but we know that you are in a much better place free of all your earthly pain and made well again!!!

Down and out....A day in the life of US!!!

Well, Tuesday was interesting to say the least. I wish I could write how non eventful it was, just a typical Tuesday but that is not the case, not this week! I should have known that things had been going to good and something was bound to change...Ha, I never learn do I!!! :) That is just life with little ones and crazy pets.

When we got home Monday evening we noticed poor Nala kitty was hoping around and not her usual happy self. After investigating we found a swollen leg with some matted fur. Uh-oh, we have been here before. Apparently she made some other kitty upset Sunday evening on her adventures outside and is now paying the price of their encounter. So she cuddled up in Bailey's bed for the evening until bedtime and we moved her to her own comfy bed for the rest of the night. I knew she was feeling crummy when she just laid there and let Lucas crawl up to her and poke her face after his bath! Poor Nala!!!

I got up early to make sure she was still OK and she was snuggled up in her basket and greeted me with a meow and purr but still did not like anyone touching her foot. Todd helped her into her room where she used the litter box, and then laid down on the floor for a little breakfast and water. So sad.... :( But we were thankful that she wanted that. So we ventured off to work and left the patient behind in her bed for the day. I consulted a few co-workers who have been through several similar kitty traumas and they both agreed- she has an abscess and it needs to be cleaned....For those of you who are not cat owners- this is NOT an easy task. They HATE to be held captive for anything, let alone attempting to clean something that is obviously causing them so much pain. One friend suggested wrapping her in a towel and pouring peroxide on it... Maybe? But I opted for the vet since it is a holiday week, they agreed on the phone that the longer you wait the worse, so off we went!

Well, not so bad you say? Ha! Ha! There is more....On my way home to get Nala Todd called to say that TLC (AKA- daycare) had called and Lucas needed to be picked up, he had a fever of 101.0. Yep, you heard that right- sick kitty and a sick little boy. So he left work early also to get Lucas from school.

The good part of that story is that he seemed much better yesterday evening; a little fussy and cuddlier but no more fever. But state law says that if they get a fever then they are not allowed to return to school for 24 hours...So mommy and Lucas had a day of rest (can you call it that?) at home today with the wounded kitty cat :) She is still limping but seems to be acting a little more like herself. Needless to say she is not interested at all in venturing back outside yet! Lucas has a little bit of the yellow/green goop but he isn't congested or any of that so we are relieved and he is for the most part comfortable. He does have another tooth on the bottom front (7 total) and a molar working its way down too. Maybe that is where the fever came from? None of this has slowed him down at all though! He has been practicing his walking skills more and more and took a few steps on Monday. I think he will be cruising by Christmas :) Look out world, here he comes! His talking skills are also non-stop: he has added hot, turtle, and uh-oh over the last couple of weeks. It is amazing how fast he picks things up and remembers each little detail. If he is playing in the kitchen and I ask him where Justin is (his big cousin), he points to the spot on the fridge where his pictures are :) His teachers at school always have funny stories about how he tries to teach all of the other babies what they are learning about A-Apple, B-Ball... They have pictures and letters on the wall that the teachers use during the day to show the babies the different things. Lucas crawls to the front and pulls up to point out what they are learning and tells everyone what it is ;) He's our little professor or lawyer considering the attempts to "argue" his point!

Hopefully we will all start feeling better soon, it is that lovely time of year again so I am sure this is not the last time a bug stops in to visit our household. I'm telling you we will have immune systems of steel!!! Hope that you all have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Sending our love, hugs, and kisses :)

We would love to hear from you

Several people have asked how to leave comments on this blog/website for us. Here is the how(IT is super EASY):

- Click on "Send messages to Lucas, Heather, and Todd" that is below each post .
- Type your comment in the box .
- Select the "Name/URL" button, which will allow you to put in your name (you don't have to put in a URL...just leave that blank).
- Your message will appear as a comment on the page for us to see.

It's that simple...we love to hear from you all!!! ;) In fact I really think you all should start your own blog, that too is very easy ;)
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with us! Hope that you have a fantastic weekend.

The Bathroom can be....

SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Lucas' thoughts:

Wow, this place is pretty cool. Look how much fun I can have in a matter of minutes if mommy just leaves me alone :)

When mommy discovered him:

BUSTED!!! Really, I didn't do it, I think Bailey or Nala snuck in here and set me up!

If you have to turn 30........ :)

I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with LOTS of great friends!!!!

Well last weekend was a milestone around our house. Not for Lucas this time around but for me! I crossed over into a new decade of life.

Goodbye 20's- you were great, some of the best years of my life thus far. Longwood days; hanging out with so many of my closest friends on the DZ hall; crazy nights; all nighter study sessions; 21st birthday at Macado's; graduation; first job; marrying the love of my life; first home; adding 3 furry friends to our family-Abby (over the rainbow bridge now),Bailey, and Nala; meeting many more lifelong friends; giving teaching a shot-I learned so much about myself!; summers in Aruba, St. Martin, the outer banks, visiting family; finding a job that I really enjoyed and making a difference; sharing so many special occasions with so many great friends; joining Atlee Community Church and forming a personal relationship with God (I don't know if I would have made it through all of this without him!); realizing that my mom was my biggest hero and best friend(aside from Todd) and having to say goodbye- we have a special guardian angel now :) ; bringing the most precious gift into this world-Lucas, a rocky road but so worth EVERY worry and tear!; moving into our new home. There is so much more but those are the highlights that stand out to me tonight. Wow...if all of that can happen in what seems like a blink of an eye, what is still yet to come?

Todd decided that we needed to have all of our close friends over to help celebrate and I could not argue with that! We had a great time catching up with so many dear friends- some that we see often and others that I think we haven't seen in forever- all from different facets of our life. It meant so much to me that they all came together to share in this special occasion with us, I couldn't think of a better night! Although, a few more hours with everyone and a chance to really catch up would have been fantastic ;) It was a great way to cap off a great decade....

Thanks guys, I love you all LOTS ;)

Here are some pictures of a few of the great friends that came out to help celebrate! We didn't pull the camera out until later so unfortunately we missed some. But I had a blast catching up with everyone :) We'll have to find another reason to do it again soon. We used to do this a couple of times a year, not sure what happened but, I am definitely up for restarting that tradition!

Me and Erica

The Edmond's Family (Keri, Aubrey, Preston, and Greg)

Maria and Kevin Gyure

Kristen, MacKenzie, Lucas, and me

Todd and Rachael Fleming

The Brittle Family (Justin, Kristen, and MacKenzie-yummy marshmallow!)

The Watt's Family (Madison, Chris, Beth, and Kendall)

Rachael, Tracy, Lucas, and Emily
Me and Shannon

Me and Tracy

Lucas and Aunt Kristi playing
The Zaremba family (Randi, Melanie, and Jillian + Ethan and Lucas)

Shane and Tracy Olson

One of my co-workers/good friends (Maria) made this beautiful birthday cake for me :) It was so yummy, but almost too pretty to eat!!! She knows how much I love fall, what a perfect cake!

Shannon and Scarlett Smith (Matt was hunting :)

Pretty sure you know who these people are! ;)

These were taken on Sunday. Dad came down and visited for a little while. We relaxed all day and just spent time together, it was the perfect way to end such a great birthday weekend! I didn't have to cook or clean, just enjoy the day with Todd and Lucas! I could not ask for anything better :) I can't wait to see what the next 30 years have in store for us....