Dragon Boat Racing

I am going to be rowing in a Dragon Boat race on June 28th with my company to raise money for KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries.) Please check out my website, and sponsor me if you will! Even $1 will help! I need to reach a minimum of $100.

Thank you!!

http://www.firstgiving.com/kellybryant

Mother's Day, Kindergarten Graduation, and More!

I had a really nice Mother's Day! My secret sister had given me a gift card to Starbucks so on Sunday morning we had a special coffee after Sunday School on our way to the Retirement home. We also stopped at the store and bought flowers to give to the ladies there. Afterwards we went to Applebee's for lunch. The kids were very sweet and told me they loved me and said "Happy Mother's Day" all day long. I received many hand-picked flowers, drawings and cards as well. =) Here are a few pictures from lunch...

Haddon's Kindergarten graduation ceremony was great! There was a reception for the families at 6pm and the presentation/ceremony began at 7pm. We took a few pictures outside by the fountain before everything began. I didn't take pictures during the program because we sat in the back, but I'm hoping someone got a good picture of Haddon as the Gingerbread Man! The play was adorable! Below are pictures from the fountain, the reception, and after graduation with Pastor Sexton and Haddon's teacher, Mrs. Ewing.

Havana finished her last day of the 1st grade on the Friday following Haddon's graduaion. There was an awards ceremony that morning at which Havana was recognized as having the highest GPA (grade point average) in the first grade! CONGRATULATIONS HAVANA!! We are so proud of her hard work! Maybe she will be an Entamologist (see below!)

I hope you've enjoyed our update. We've been busy, but a good busy! Everyone's happy and doing well. Here are a few more pictures. Check back soon!

Busy, Busy, Busy

There is constantly something going on at the Bryant house! I am hoping the summer slows things down a little. Haddon officially has 2.5 days left of Kindergarten and Havana has 6 days left of 1st grade. It really went by fast! I am really looking forward to the Kindergarten graduation and I will be sure to post on that shortly after. Haddon is playing the Gingerbread Man at some point in the program. Heehee! I can't wait to spend some more time with them over the summer! This summers highlight will definitely be our big trip to Northern Ireland to see Grammy and G-dad! We received 3 passports today in the mail. They came in less than two weeks! I'm glad they are moving so fast right now because we still need to apply for 4 more. The only thing we are waiting on is another birth certificate for me, but I am saving the full passport story for a future post.

Between birthday parties, field trips, and spending time with friends, the kids are having a blast! However Havana is missing her best friend terribly, who has been in Texas for two months. She should be back in about 2 weeks and Havana is so excited! We just sent her a package of letters, pictures, and even a treat bag from Havana's birthday party. Their friendship is so sweet!

Hudson got his first tooth last week (bottom middle, right side.) l really need to take some more pictures of all the kids. I have included some of the most recent. I can't wait until we have family photos done...it's been too long!

Enjoy the pictures and I'll update again next week with a post and pictures from Haddon's graduation.

Havana with her puppy from a Build-A-Bear birthday party.

Haddon as a rooster!

Helene, cute as can be...with a messy mouth.

This is my Hayley...this picture really captures my 2.5 year old.


Sweet baby Hudson, happy as can be!

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I'm glad you stopped by. Have a wonderful Mother's Day and check back next week for a new post!

Havana turns 7!

Havana tunred 7 on April 10th! It was a Thursday this year, so she woke up to gifts from us and Grammy & G-dad. I made horse cookies and brought them in to school during her lunch period. Her party was planned for Saturday and it was completely horse-themed! She had a horse cake and horse goody bags for all of her friends. As the guests were arriving they colored horse color sheets. Once everyone was here we had a sugar stack contest to see who could build the highest tower out of sugar cubes. Then we went outside for a "horse race" relay, and bobbing for apples. Then it was back inside for Pin the Tail on the Pony and cake and ice-cream. After opening gifts, everyone went outside to play in the beautiful sunshine! I think everyone had a nice time.

Work is going well for both Harley and I. We have been very busy, but we are very happy with the way things are going. Our next big event will be Haddon's Kindergarten graduation! I think we're all looking forward to summer break!

Thanks for visiting! Enjoy the pictures...

Good Stuff!

First I must admit that I have been a terrible Blogger. I'm sorry. I will not promise that I'll do better, but I will certainly try to post more often. Here's the "good stuff"...

Harley got the position that he applied for at KUB! He will be moving from the DPT (Damage Prevention Team) to a USA (Utility Service Advisor.) He begins his new position on Monday, March 3rd.

I applied for and was promoted to a Collections Supervisor at Semperian! (GMAC) I also start my new position on Monday, March 3rd. I found out on Monday and since then I have been helping a brand new group of employees out on the floor until they leave at 9. Some of them will be on my team, but they don't know it yet. In fact only some of the other Supervisors and my current team know right now. The big announcement should come tomorrow. I will have 11 members on my team and found out who they are today (Wed.) I have a ton to learn but I am thrilled and so excited!

We have so much to be thankful for. We have had a very exciting few weeks. :) Everyone is healthy and happy too! Yay!

Hayley decided she was ready for potty-training! When they are ready, they are ready. She is doing great. She stays dry during nap and overnight and only has an accident on occasion. We are very close to having only one in diapers. Technically we do only have one in diapers, but Hayley is still mainly wearing pull-ups so same thing...almost. Once we get the transition of the new job situation down (they will be cared for by a friend for 5 hours/day) I will cut out the pull-ups all together. What a big girl!

We have been quite crafty too. Along with cakes and cookies, I decided we would try an interesting craft from one of my favorite magazines (Good Housekeeping.) It was noted as easy, even for kids. Ha! It was a mess. There was glue everywhere, and on everything including us. However, Mommy finally created 4 yarn bowls. Two are pictured below. The kids had their pictures put into photo Valentine's cards. They had fun putting them together and decorating the envelopes. Hayley ate the tip off ao a black Crayola marker. Nice!

We did a switch-er-roo with Hudson and one of Hayley's baby dolls. We laughed and laughed!Too funny, take a look...

Hudson turned six months old on the 17th. That really went by fast! Here are a few pictures of my littlest man. Isn't that hair just too much? :)

The Lord has truly blessed us and we are so thankful. Things have been a bit tough but God is faithful and I know we are both learning as we go day to day. I know that I am learning patience and the power of prayer. God is good!

Just saying "Hi"

Things are busy here as usual. I have really gotten bad about updating my blog. Hopefully one of these days I'll get organized and actually have some extra time on my hands. Ha!

Here is a quick update on everyone:

Harley put in two applications at KUB (his place of employment) for two different positions that are opening up. We are waiting to hear back on those as either one would be a significant pay increase. He deserves it! He works all day and then cares for the kids while I work at night. What a great husband and Daddy! **Update: Harley has a panel interview on Monday for one position. Please pray that it goes well! :)

I am working 30 hours a week for GMAC and have been there approx. 15 months now. It works well with our schedules and I don't mind it. I'd really love to work during the day while the kids are in school and Harley is working, but for now this is what works. A friend of mine was just hired and will start next week. The referral bonus is nice, but having a good friend there is even better. :)

Havana did not get her two front teeth for Christmas but they are finally starting to come in now. I'm going to miss the gap but we took tons of pictures. Our little Havana is really growing up fast! She is doing excellent in school and is a big help at home.

Haddon keeps us on our toes. He is doing well in school, but tends to get a bit silly. He tries very hard though because he loves to get his Friday ice-cream! The big news is that he is reading!! I love listening to both he and Havana read. He's very smart and he is a wonderful big brother. He loves to hold his baby brother. We were just looking back at his baby pictures and although their faces and expressions resemble each other, they really look quite different. These are not the best comparison pictures, but this is at approx the same age.

Helene is growing up really fast too. She is my big help at home now that the oldest two are in school. She's trying to give up her naps and I'm trying to fight it. LOL! She loves going to church and Sunday School, especially to see Aria and Rebecca, her two favorite friends. She talks about them daily. It's so sweet. She's interested in everything. Currently her favorite new topic is the days of the week. She tells me every day what day it is and what tomorrow will be.

Hayley went potty on the potty for the first time just a couple of days ago! She sits willingly but had never gone before then. She likes her Princess Pull-Ups and can pull them up and down by herself. She has only gone once since then but it's a start. I'm so excited to be so close to having only one in diapers again. Hayley is very stubborn, but so cute that it's hard not to laugh when she's being ornery. She looks so much like Helene now.

Hudson is 5 months old already. He is currently on his second ear infection since November. He is on antibiotics but they're a bit rough on his tummy and I believe he is teething too. Poor baby! He is so sweet and will interupt his fussing to give Mommy a big smile. He adores his big brother and sisters as well as his Daddy. We just recently started him on rice cereal and sweet potatoes. He has tried squash and peas as well, but since his ear infection he has not had much interest in anything other than milk. He weighs just over 15 lbs.

Here are a few more recent pictures. Thanks for checking in!

Christmas

We spent Christmas at home again and it was relaxed and wonderful! We followed our Christmas tradition. After I got up and got ready I made our Christmas breakfast of strawberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, juice and coffee. Everyone got dressed while I was cooking. We all wear red on Christmas! We ate together and then gathered in the living room for the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. We ended the reading in prayer, thanking God for sending His Son to Earth to live a sinless life, die on the cross for OUR sins, and rise again so that we may have eternal life with Him if we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour! I hope you remember what Jesus has done for us, not just on Christmas, but every day of the year. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Next we opened presents. It's such a joy to see the excitement in our children's eyes! While Daddy and the kids put things together and played, I put out lots of snacks to feast on throughout the day. We had our Christmas dinner around 4 or so. It was a wonderful day!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in MD with my Aunt Charlene. We made god time driving and all 5 kids were GREAT! We brought lots of snacks, drinks, books, crayons, and coloring books. I'm still thrilled at how well the did!

It had been 3 years since we spent Thanksgiving with Aunt Charlene, so it was a real treat to go. We had a nice visit and dinner was wonderful!! I made all the desserts and brought them with us in a cooler. Everything was great and we ate and ate and ate! :)

Quick but funny side note: Sadie traveled with us and did just fine as well. However once we arrived we took her outside to potty. She mainly walked around checking everything out. All of a sudden she found something interesting and immediately began rolling all around it in. I was yelling to her and she just rolled and rolled. She did this once before and it had been a dead animal so I knew we were in for a not-so-nice surprise. When I got her inside she smelled horrible!! It wasn't a dead animal but something another dog had left behind. UGH!! Sadie ended her road trip with a nice bath!

The following Saturday we drove from MD to NJ to my Aunt Amy's house. My Dad's whole side of the family was there with the exception of my Dad, step-mom, brother and sister, and my cousin Beth and her family. We got to see them in MD though so that was nice. I met 3 of my cousin's husbands for the first time, and 4 of my cousin's babies for the first time. It was a wonderful reunion. I only wish everyone had been there. I miss my Dad and family a lot! Anyway, thank you to everyone who made it possible! I love you!

Here are some pictures...

My Dad's older sister Charlene...and Hudson

My Dad's younger sister Amy, my Uncle Chris and their new grandbabies, Quinntin and Brayden

My Dad's older brother Don, my Aunt Joanne, Helene, Hayley, Sadie, and my cousin's son.

The trip home took us 3-4 hours longer but everyone still did really well. Hudson was a bit fussy and when we stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel, he had a fever of 104!! The on-call physician, and my Dad, both said to get him to the nearest ER if his fever doesn't go down within 30 minutes after Tylenol. Thankfully he fell sound asleep and the fever went away. The next day, Monday, we tok him to the pediatrician and found out he had his first ear infection. Poor baby! He seemed to feel much better even by the next day on antibiotics.

Besides the stinky dog and sick baby we had a wonderful time! We have so much to be thankful for every day. God is so good!

I guess I should start with Hayley's birthday. She turned the big 2 on November 8th. That Saturday we had tacos for dinner, followed with cake, ice-cream and presents. She was so funny with her birthday cake! She would pick up the entire piece of cake on her fork and basically gnaw at it. I have a short video clip of it but I wish I had the whole cake and presents thing on video. She was a lot of fun! She was clapping while we sang Happy Birthday and said "Yay" with us when she blew out the candle. She's such a sweetheart! Here are a few pictures...

We decorated the tree a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun. We had a lot of helpers and a lot of rearranging to do. LOL! Poor Hayley...everyone was so excited about the tree Hayley was still covered with food from dinner. She found a doll ornament to play with and a box for her head and she was quite content.

Helene's birthday was December 15th. We had the Collins family over for dinner since Aria and Rebecca are two of Helene's favorite friends. Their birthday is December 18th so we had a triple celebration. We had tacos (it's a family favorite!) for dinner a Blue's Clues cake with all three of their names on it, ice cream and presents from the girls to each other. Earlier in the day Helene had opened the rest of her gifts. It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed the fellowship.

I will never forget the day any of my children were born, but Helene's birth story is especially fun to tell! If you didn't already know, Helene was born in our van on Old Callahan Rd on our way to the Birth Center! My labor was only 2 hours and she was here! We arrived at the center approximately 10 minutes after she was born. It was quite the experience! I call her my little whirlwind!

We are having a themed Christmas tree contest at work and I thought I'd share ours. My team at work is just a little silly. Anyway, I didn't come up with the idea but I did all the artwork. Paul, a co-worker, made the tree from styrofoam . Too funny!

Well, that wraps up this entry. The big kiddos are home from school and I have a ton of things to do! Thanks for checking in!

I'll leave you with a peek of just a few of the 11 (eleven!) cakes that I did in November...

I did not post about Thanksgiving or our trip to MD and NJ, but I will do that in my next entry, which I hope will be soon! :)