Our Christmas letter

Instead of doing the typical letter that we send out to everyone, we thought we’d be a little more eco-friendly this year (i.e. by the time we realized we needed holiday paper and more ink so we could print, the whole letter thing just wasn’t making the cut) and let everyone know what we’ve been up to in 2013 by posting our letter online! We’ll just put some highlights from each month as well as a few pictures that captured a few of our favorite moments:

January

·         Phil’s work at the airport continued into 2013. The Brookings Airport is going through some major construction and Phil has to make sure things run smoothly with the multi-million dollar project.

·         Two of the other coaches on the swim club, along with some swim club parents, helped organize a surprise baby shower for me. My mom was actually in town that weekend and was in on the secret, so it was a wonderful afternoon of games, food and fun!

February

·         Phil celebrated his 2-year anniversary working with the City of Brookings.

·         I began having some medical issues with my pregnancy about half-way through the month (high blood pressure, elevated labs, pain in my abdominal area). On Sunday, February 24 around 9pm, I got a call from the on-call doctor saying that we should make our way down to the hospital. Turns out, I was a very sick girl and had a condition called HELLP, which is severe pre-eclampsia, and the only solution was to deliver our little girl. About 12 hours after starting the Pitocin, Phil and I welcomed Olivia Grace Tiedeman into this world!

Our little family

·         In her first week in the NICU, Olivia got to meet all of the Tiedeman clan, as well as my mom and aunt, and some other Tiedeman and Hollander family members and friends.

March



Just thinking about the day I can go home...

·         Phil and I spent the majority of March driving to and from Sioux Falls to see Olivia. Thankfully, Phil was able to work part-time, and I was on a break from swimming, so we were able to spend a lot of time in Sioux Falls. We were blessed to have Phil’s sister’s family welcome us into their spare bedroom (as Phil’s nephew called it, we got to go on ‘vacation’), so we had a bed and familiar environment to sleep in on the nights we stayed in Sioux Falls.

·         Phil’s sisters threw us a baby shower in George. Olivia was still in the hospital, but through Facetime, she was able to make an appearance.

·         Finally, on March 28, we were able to take Olivia home to Aurora! We loved being able to take her to church with us on Easter.

April

·         After two years of being the head coach for the swim club, I stepped down and became an assistant coach. I still continue to be the deck supervisor for our swim lesson program. 

Olivia's godparents

 
 



·         This month we had lots of visitors to the our household. Some college friends were able to come for a weekend, and then the next weekend, we had some more college friends visit us. My mom and dad were also here (Poppi Bob finally got to meet Olivia), as well as my Nana and Papa. Olivia was baptized on April 28, and we had about 18 people come for the special occasion!

Great-Grandma Hollander, Grandma Sheryl, Grandpa Warren at Olivia's baptism

 




May



Joel and Kristi's wedding

·         The big event this month was Phil’s brother, Joel, got married. Phil hosted the bachelor party in Minneapolis a few weeks before the wedding, so Olivia and I got to have a mommy-daughter weekend while daddy was away with the boys.



 

 

 

June

Meeting Uncle Tom

·         My dad and brother drove out for a visit, and this was my brother’s first time meeting Olivia. We were able to do a few tourist things around here and Sioux Falls.

·         One weekend, the Tiedeman clan came up here and we spent a day at Lake Campbell fishing.

 

 

July

At the 4th of July celebration in George

·         We had multiple 4^th of July celebrations. Phil’s family came up to see Phil drive the airport fire truck in the parade and be here for the celebrations in Brookings. That weekend, we went to George to be there for their town celebrations.



·         Phil, Olivia and I drove to my uncle’s cabin in Minnesota to meet up with the Chmielewski family. This was Olivia’s first big road trip (it took us about 5.5 hours), but we had a lot of fun on the lake for the two days we were there.



At Uncle Geary's cabin with my family, including Great-Nana and Great-Papa

·         The biggest news of the month was that I finally finished graduate school! On July 2, I completed my two hour oral examination and passed, so I now have my Masters of Science in Sports and Recreation Studies.

 

August

·         Phil was an usher for a high school friend’s wedding in George.

Poppi Bob, Mimi Jean and Uncle Tom

·         Olivia and I went on a 12-day trip to Colorado. Unfortunately, Phil had to keep an eye on the airport, but we made sure to Facetime with him as often as possible while we were gone. We had a great time seeing friends, old neighbors and co-workers and seeing the sights around Colorado Springs.

 

September



·         Phil and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary with a trip to Minneapolis for the weekend. We went to Mall of America and rode some rides at Nickelodeon Universe and took in a Vikings game as well. It was Olivia’s first night away from both mommy and daddy, but she had a good time staying at Grandma and Grandpa Tiedeman’s house.

At the Vikings game

·         Phil traveled to Bismarck for a few days for a business trip, and was able to see a few friends from college.



Katie and Olivia

October

·         Olivia and I drove to Bismarck and spent the weekend with the friends that Phil had seen a few weeks prior.



At Aunt Mag's party

·         My mom came to visit and we spent a weekend in Rochester, MN. My mom put together a surprise birthday party for my aunt, so it was fun to meet my aunt’s friends, and see some of my uncles and aunts.



 

November

·         Phil turned 30!

·         I got a part-time job as a recreation therapist at a nursing home and work just a few hours a month (mainly holidays). I also accepted a position as an adjunct professor at South Dakota State University for the spring 2014 semester.  I will be the professor of PE 352 ‘Adapted Physical Education.’

·         We celebrated Thanksgiving in Aurora and it was so special to have just the three of us. The weekend after, we traveled to Middleburg, Iowa to have a meal with Phil’s extended family.

Phil and Olivia

December

·         I turned 30! And to kick start my birthday, I broke my index finger on my left hand the day before my birthday.

·         We traveled to Colorado for a week to celebrate ‘Thanksmas’ with my family. It was fun to see Olivia attempt to open her presents, and have fun playing with the wrapping paper or bag, instead of the actual gift.

·         For Christmas, we celebrated in Aurora, as Phil was on-call and I worked Christmas day. It was fun helping her celebrate this special day and she looked adorable in her church dress last night. This weekend, we will travel to George to celebrate with Phil’s family.

Merry Christmas!

 

 We can’t believe how quickly the year has flown by! We continue to be in awe at how much love Olivia brings into our lives and we can’t imagine life any other way. She continues to make us smile and laugh, and we are so thankful for her wonderful personality. We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! 

A heart of thanks

I love the month of December. I love the lights and the decorations. I love the smells of baked goods and eating delicious food that only comes around this time of year. I am one of those crazy people that truly and honestly love my birthday, so December is a pretty happy month for me J While you hear stories of the stress and hustle and bustle of the season, I love that December means that Phil and I can both have a day off to truly just be with each other. It seems like he is either on-call or I am going to practice or finishing school work (no more- thank goodness). For most people, December also means a time for family. Thankfully, that was true for my family this year. Phil and I spent almost a week in Colorado earlier this month. I have said it and will continue to say it… Colorado is the absolute best. I love the clean air and delicious water. I love the mountains and the beauty of the cities. And of course, I love it because that was my first home and that is where my family is. We spent our visit last week in Colorado Springs with my parents and thankfully Tom was able to be there for a few days. It was six short, fun-filled days and it continues to warm my heart to see how happy Olivia is when she visits and gets to see my family and friends.

With the happiness though, comes some sad emotions. Even though it was a great trip, eventually we had to say goodbye. Thankfully, my parents will fly here to be a part of Olivia’s first birthday celebrations in February. So, I can have a countdown to when I see them. Not so lucky is when I will get to see my brother again. With his job, his weekends are pretty booked from October through April or May. So, I’m hoping that he’ll be able to make it to our cousin’s wedding in May and we’ll be able to see each other then. I know 5 months doesn’t seem that long, but I have a pretty close family. This is the family that can sit around the dinner table and talk about anything. My family is the one that ends all phone conversations with ‘I love you.’ The family that gives hugs and laughs and jokes around. I have yet to not cry when I have to say goodbye to any one of my family members after a trip. I am so blessed to have a family that is that close. And I am also so very blessed to have parents that love me more than words can ever explain. 

Mommy and me

Daddy and me

To a typical person, my parents look like any other parents. My mom works full-time as a nurse in a clinic that treats children with cancer and other blood disorders. My dad just started working as a high school math teacher. For the past um-teen years, their weekends have been spent watching hockey games (they have season tickets to Air Force and Colorado College). They are members of their local Catholic church and are part of a few of the ministries. They get together with their friends for dinner and game nights. In their spare time, my mom enjoys scrapbooking and my dad referees hockey games. But to me, they are not typical people, so I see so much more. I see a mom that rarely missed a swim meet while I was growing up. A mom that used to leave me notes in my lunch bag or backpack (and in fact left notes at our house the last time she visited). The mom that drove 12+ hours in the dark of night to get to Sioux Falls when I went into labor. And the dad that had to stay in Colorado and anxiously wait to hear any news of my mom’s travel, as well as my labor. My dad was the one to spend countless hours at night helping me with my math homework (and goodness knows I did NOT make it easy on him… let’s just say that crying was a pretty common occurrence).  He was the one to write me a letter when I was just a few days old and gave it to me on the day that I graduated high school. Both parents took time off of work and were there for my last collegiate swim meet (it was during that meet that they got to experience extremely freezing temps and cars that wouldn’t start due to the temperature). While I was crying on the day they dropped me off at college, I know they were crying as well. These are the parents that did the polka at our wedding, since we got married on their 28^th wedding anniversary. And these are the parents that have supported me and loved me, no matter what.

December 2012

Most people joke around that you only have to deal with the problems associated with your kiddo until s/he turns 18. My parents have, and continue, to support and encourage me to this day. And today, I turn 30. So, that is 30 years of holding my hand when I needed guidance. Thirty years of cheering me when I accomplish a goal. In those 30 years, there have been tears, laughter, and hugs. Stories have been told around the dinner table, over the phone and via FaceTime. In those 30 years, there have been sacrifices that they have made in order to provide things for my brother and me. It’s funny how you don’t notice or think about certain things until you become a parent. I wish I could go back and tell the younger me to say ‘thank you’ more often. So, while I know it’s not a lot, I would like to thank my parents for all of their sacrifices. Thank you most of all for helping Phil and I this year. It’s been a difficult year financially, but my parents have gone above and beyond. Thank you. Thank you for raising me in a house with love and kindness. Thank you for encouraging me and pushing me to be a better person. Thank you for showing me that there is no limit on the amount of love you can give someone. Thank you for the prayers, wishes and ‘finking lofty cots.’ And thank you for loving me, each and every day.

Mom and Dad at our wedding (9/6/08)