The Vance's: June 2012

6 months.

>> June 22, 2012

Dear Lucy,
You are now 6 months old. I'm not sure how this happened. Time must be moving more quickly than it used to. I wish it went slower. I love this phase.
You continue to be a sweet, mellow, happy, content, loving, cuddly baby. I hate to brag but you really are such an easy baby. Since the day we brought you home from the hospital you have never once woken up in the middle of the night crying to eat. Instead, you continue to roll around, kick your feet and when I wake up you give me the biggest smile and wave your arms in the air to show me how stinkin' excited you are that I'm awake. You are ticklish right in the rolls of your neck. And everytime I give you a bath and wash your neck you squeal with delight. I love that part of the night. You are a little social butterfly. You smile all.the.time. When you see my face from across the room your eyes light up. When Carter runs to the changing table to watch you get dressed you giggle, smile and reach out for him. I love that you love each other so much already.
You are now determined to move. Yesterday you started sliding across the floor on your tummy and today I caught you pushing your knees to your chest to scoot. Instead you ended up rolling over to suck on the coffee table handle and reach for Yoshi's chew toy. It's only a matter of time before you are no longer immobile. You can sit up unassisted, like chewing on teething rings, love your thumb anytime you're sleepy and still prefer to cuddle with someone when you nap. I dont' mind it though. I love your cuddles too. Let's be honest, the house has been extra messy since you've been around. I'd much rather sit and nap with you than wash the dishes. I think you'd agree.
I feel so lucky to be your mama. I get excited to think of all the mother/daughter stuff we'll get to do as you grow up. But, for now, I'll cherish this time. I'll try to soak up each and every slobbery kiss. I'll continue to wake up in the middle of the night just to check on you and watch you sleep, because you're so peaceful. (and then I'll check on Carter and watch him sleep too - but find he's fallen out of bed for the 4th time that night!). I love you my sweet little Lucy. Happy 1/2 birthday.

6 month stats:
17 lbs, 4 oz (75%)
26 3/4 inches long (80%)
Just breastmilk every 3-4 hours...starting solids soon!
Rolling all over the place
Scooting on your tummy
Sitting up
Waking up 1 time each night for a little snack
No teeth but a lot of drool!

Run Carter Run!

>> June 15, 2012

We went to the first All Comer's Track Meet last Monday night and it was SO MUCH FUN! Civic Field hosts an all-ages track and field night every Monday throughout the entire summer. They start with a 4 and under division and kids get to participate in long jump, hurdles, 50m dash and even the javelin (which I've heard is just a big nerf arrow...awesome!)

We got there early and Carter had some time to check out his competition and explore the track. He warmed up by running stairs.

Then, took a few laps around the track.

Got a little sidetracked by the sandpit and started playing (and getting in the way of a long jumper...oops).

Finally, it was his turn. They split up the kids into 1 & 2 year olds and of course he was the biggest kid. Matt reminded him where the start line was.

Waiting for the announcer to say "Go!"

And he was off! I have a video which tracks his every step but I'm too tired to post it right now. He was such a fast runner, jumped over every hurdle and came in 3rd place with a time of 26 seconds! He even got his own ribbon to take home. Looks like we'll be regular attenders of the Monday night track meets for the rest of the summer! (and, he fell asleep in less than 10 minutes when we got home!).

Lucy's Baptism

Lucy was baptized last Sunday (June 10th) at our church. She was the same age as Carter when he was baptized and it was a similar sunny day with family surrounding us and happiness all around.

(The pictures are a bit blurry)

After church we came home and had a barbecue with all of our family. Matt and I wanted something simple but after 2 straight days of prepping food and cleaning the house I think we decided next time we'll just go out to eat! The food was delicious though and I think everyone had a great time relaxing. Carter LOVED having everyone there too....he thought they came just for him!

Grandma and Grandpa Vance

Grandma and Grandpa Longhurst

Aunt Joy and Uncle Matt

Uncle Adam

The kids were troopers during all these pictures. It's not easy to get adults to look at the camera at once let alone 2 squirmy kids.

And, the special girl of the day! We love you Lucy!

Lucy's baptism scripture:
"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to Fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience." Colossians 1:9-11

life at home.

These pictures show just a little glimpse of what a great life we have. Staying at home playing, learning, loving and growing.

I have, like many, become somewhat addicted to Pinterest. I seem to go a few days without logging on and then make up for it in about 20 minutes with 125 pins. I have been pretty successful with the baked goods (my co-workers, Matt, Matt's co-workers and our freezer can thank me for that) but have been not so lucky with some of the kid activities. For example, I thought Carter would love this "clean" version of finger painting (paint in a bag and smash it all around). Nope, he hated it. Turns out the kids likes to get messy. 15 seconds later he figured out how to take off the tape and try to open the bag. Pinterest fail.

Lucy continues to make my heart melt every time she smiles. Teething has officially started and while we haven't seen anything pop through yet, the fingers/toys/bibs/socks/feet being shoved in her mouth have let us know she's not loving it. Yet, she continues to smile and laugh.

And, she's such a good little sister. Carter has become a fan of dressing her up in his hats. After the Cat in the Hat she got to be a fireman, pilot, construction worker and chef!

No official crawling yet but she's mastered spinning around in circles on her playmate. When Carter was this age I was so excited for him to start moving. Now, I still like her immobility. Don't' get me wrong, I love watching her meet each new milestone but the day she starts crawling one direction and Carter runs in the opposite direction I'll realize the "simple" days are over.

Carter has and continues to be such a good helper in the kitchen. I finally let him enjoy licking the beaters and spatula the other day. This is a big moment because I remember my mom always letting me lick the beaters when she was finished baking. I love it! (Don't worry, no raw eggs in this mix, just some marshmallow fluff!)

On our 1 nice summer-ish day Lucy got to experience grass for the first time. A little curious, a little hesitant and a little confusion. We'll keep trying.

Brother and sister play time.

A rare moment when both kids are happy, entertained and quiet. It only lasted about 2 minutes but I loved watching it.

And that's our home life!

what we've been up to.

>> June 3, 2012

It seems like life just won't slow down. All week I'm in my constant state of organized chaos. I spend about 1.5 hours each night prepping for the next day; packing lunches, doing laundry, washing dishes, cleaning and then start all over again the next day. The weekend finally comes and it's all about playtime!

Carter turned 2.5 today. How did that happen? Our families' never really celebrated half birthdays growing up but I'd like to start a new tradition, especially since both kids have December birthdays. Nothing big, but just a little special day to reflect on 6 months. And...a good excuse to buy some new summer toys!

Carter is just loving his sandbox. He even passed up a trip to the park today to play in it. If you know Carter, this is a very big deal.
Lucy is still loving her thumb!

Sitting up like a big girl, grabbing toys, rolling over. Gosh, she is getting too big, too fast.

Carter now loves to wash the dishes. I haven't given him the "real" dishes yet, since he's still a bit clumsy and I don't really feel like cleaning up broken plates. But, he's fantastic with plastic! It gets a little messy but I think it makes it more fun that way. Especially the look on his face when bubbles end up everywhere. Priceless.

And, he's become quite the little handyman. If you ever need someone to screw in a nail, he's your guy.

Apparently this month will be record low tides in our area. We headed up to Birch Bay for the day to check it out. Yep, super low! We told Carter (since it was super windy and a little cold - remember, WA beaches!) to stay out of the water and just play in the miles of sand. Of course, 2 seconds after we got to the beach this is where we found him.

Matt brought a kite to fly. The cheapest kite you could ever buy. And of course we didn't think about putting it together before we left the house. So, in the middle of hurricane force winds we attempted to put together a $2 Mickey Mouse kite. It was pretty comical!

After a few failed attempts we actually got it up in the sky for about 15 seconds. Carter was screaming, "daddy, daddy!" and running all over the place as he stared in the sky. Such a great little family moment. Then, the kite broke. Mental note: buy a better kite next time.