summer continued.

This summer is just flying by. I often reflect back on the week and think it was a bit boring or feel we didn't do much and then I have to remember that we have done a TON this summer. It's just not our typical summer stuff that I usually think of. Usually our summer days consist of sprinklers, backyard swimming pools, trips to the beach, weekends at the beach house and lots of after dinner walks around the neighborhood. 

This year it's been having a baby, managing 3 kids, somehow getting a somewhat nutritious dinner on the table around dinner time, remembering to bathe 3 kids at least once a week (does a sprinkler count?), trying to unpack a house, discovering endless projects that still need to be completed on said house and finding about 3.5 hours to sleep each night. Whew! 

Friends tell me that life will settle down a bit and I'm just praying it'll happen sooner rather than later. I think we will finally begin to find our groove right before I have to go back to work and the kids start school and then a new routine will start all over again. 

Luckily, the kids have been troopers and are still having a memorable summer just discovering their new house, new rooms and new backyard. 

In the meantime, here are a few pics from the past few weeks.

 Simon just keeps on growing. And growing. And growing! He's now wearing 6 month clothes (at 2 months old), starting to enjoy tummy time, cooing, smiling, loves napping in the swing and adores watching his big brother and sister throughout the day.

 The big kids both had dentist appointments a few weeks ago and were amazing! They love visiting the dentist because they get to watch movies, pick out a new toothbrush, get stickers and a prize at the end. And, no cavities!

 Carter continues to amaze me lately. He has suddenly matured so much and is such a responsible little kid. I can trust him to help watch Simon if I have to go to the bathroom or fix dinner. He reads to him, sings to him and makes sure he's happy. I'm so proud of how he's handled all these changes and it just reminds me of what an awesome kid he is.

 His little smirk as he worked on learning how to smile.

 I always have 2 excited helpers when it comes to bath time!

 Simon at 6 weeks old.

 And then the smiles began!

 Tummy time is more fun when you have a brother around.

 First time in the bumbo seat! He wasn't so sure at first but then sort of got the hang of it and liked the 2 minutes he stayed there. I've tried a couple more times since then but he's not a huge fan quite yet. He'd much rather just be held in your arms!

 Lucy is becoming quite the middle child. Her personality is getting stronger, like she wants to be sure she's seen and heard. Lately it's her fashion sense. Hello Kitty snow boots on an 85 degree day. Or a Christmas beanie with a summer dress. Or a princess dress all day long. Love this girl.

 Carter was gifted this adorable baby robe and slippers when he was born and I pulled it out the other day for Simon after a bath. Simon's feet are so dang big that I had to squeeze his little toes into the slippers for a photo op.

And here's a side by side of both boys in the same outfit, both at 7 weeks old!

 Those dimples are just the cutest thing and I love how he always keeps his hands in tiny little fists.

 I've had a few struggles this time with breastfeeding. It seems like every possible issue that could occur seems to be happening and I'm just determined to not let it slow me down. I've now had 2 rounds of mastitis and 1 awful round of thrush, almost back to back. With the pain and discomfort from thrush and the fact I'm going back to work part-time in about 4 weeks we thought now was the perfect time to introduce a bottle of pumped milk. And he did great (thank goodness!).

 Even the kids have had a chance to help.

 Such a happy baby. This is sort of his new routine right now. Take long, long naps, wake to eat, smile and play and then repeat. Not a bad life.

 Squeezing in a little tummy time every now and then.

 His official 2 month picture. Those dimples!

 The 2015 Seahawks season officially started last night with the first preseason game. We celebrated Blue Friday with all our Seahawks gear and then Carter got to go to his first game with Matt.

 Carter had so much fun! He got to eat stadium food, cheer, on the Hawks find his best friend who was also at the game and stay up super late. He said it was the best thing ever, even better than when he went to DisneyWorld last year! Haha!!! I'm so glad he gets to have these special memories with his Daddy, things both of them will remember forever.

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Simon's baby debut

Being that this was my third pregnancy, we didn't find out the sex of the baby and we had saved everything from our previous babies I knew it was unlikely I'd have any sort of baby shower. Which was okay. Life was so busy with soccer, gymnastics, preschool, work and normal life stuff that it sort of slipped past me to do any kind of baby prep at all. 

So when my dear friend Jessica offered to throw me a baby shower I was so excited. We decided that a post baby debut party made much more sense so we could pass around the newest little Vance baby. I envisioned a very simple, intimate setting with some of my closest friends and family to just have some girl time together, since I don't get much of that these days.

Jessica blew my simple idea out of the water. She is so good at thinking about little details that make the biggest impression. Her decor was perfect, little bits of blue, green and gray perfect to later transfer to Simon's new nursery. The food...I can't even begin to describe how delicious it was. Homemade quiche, scones, croissants, fruit kabobs, mimosas and cucumber water. And the company was perfect. 

We spent the morning having brunch, retelling Simon's birth story, passing a super sleepy baby around and filling our tummies with food. Perfect. 

My sweet friend Ashley drove all the way up from North Bend to be there. We just love her and her family. Matt and her husband lived together before we got married and anytime we can spend with them is so fun.

The drinks!

Decor. The flowers were beautiful and added a special touch. She typed up the menu and put it in these frames which matched some of the other decor in the room.

Jessica made this adorable banner for the debt party too. I can't wait to hang it in his new room!

And the food. I hate to just keep talking about the food, but seriously, it was amazing. Her friend, Jarica is starting a simple catering business and made everything from scratch. And not just homemade, but ingredients like farm fresh eggs, organic pastry flour and lavender. So, so good!

My friend Amber, who was my first friend when we moved to Bothell. We randomly met at a nearby park one day when I had only been here 2 weeks and her only 2 months. I remember we exchanged emails and I was so excited to have made a friend. 3 years later we still love regular play dates together with our crazy kids!
And one of my longest friends Katy with her daughter Ava. Katy is that friend who you can go months without talking to and then just pick up where you left off. We have random late night texts over things like scary rodents in our houses or pregnancy advice or funny stories. I love her so much and am so happy she only lives 15 minutes away!

Jamie and Amber. Jamie and I met last year when our boys played soccer together, instantly hit it off and now get together all the time. She is so genuine, sweet and normal. Ha! That's a wierd way to describe it but really, she just gets it and I know is never judging me or my kids when we are all having an off day.

Gifts! I was so blessed, love my sweet friends!

My sister-in-law Joy...who is the best (and only!) aunt to my kids. So glad she could drive up for the day. She loves the kids so much and is always so excited to spend time with them.

A horrible group shot! I cropped this to get rid of that silly glare at the bottom of the picture but it just won't download properly and I have no time/patience/energy to keep fixing it. So, just imagine a much better, clearer image of all of us ladies.

And Jessica. She's remarkable. Thoughtful, funny, honest and real. She watched the kids for us for the past 3 years when I was working and her family has become a part of ours. Our 3 kids are each the same ages and genders - instant BFFs! We have shared so much in the past 3 years and I couldn't have gone through this pregnancy without her. We dropped the kids off at her place when I was in labor and even though it was almost 2 am, she welcomed them with open arms as I squatted down against her mini-van having a contraction. Ha! Love Jessica so much and am so thankful for her lifelong friendship.

It was a perfect baby debut and I'm so happy I had some time to celebrate our newest baby boy.

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summertime

In the midst of having a newborn and going through a remodel I have found much of our time is spent packing, organizing and running to Target, Lowes or Home Depot to purchase needed house supplies. At the end of the day I often feel like it's been boring or uneventful...leaving little time for the usual fun summer activities we like to do. 

I don't think we need to over schedule kids. I think it's important to have time to just be, to explore in the backyard, quietly play with toys, make arts and crafts or just get a little bored which leads to more creativity. But, I also crave that outdoor time. Those special activities or day trips or fun events. It's those moments that I tend to remember at the end of the summer.

Luckily, life hasn't been that boring for the kids. We've actually been able to get out and do quite a bit. 

The other day I visited my office at work to show off baby Simon and let the kids see where I work. Since we were out in Monroe I thought going to a park and having a picnic lunch might be fun. Somehow the kids convinced me to take them to the Reptile Zoo first. I drive past this place a few times a day when I'm out visiting new moms but have never ventured inside. Carter has been wanting to go for a while so I caved, paid the $20 and prayed to Jesus I would survive this mysterious land of snakes, alligators and lizards. 

Upon arriving I realized it smelled horrible. Because of the need for warm, moist habitats the place smelled like old, wet feet. So gross. 5 minutes later I had adjusted and was instead focusing on the giant poisonous snakes that were around every corner.

 The kids LOVED it. They ran around seeking every little lizard, bug and snake they could find.

 Then came the giant ones. A huge turtle and a giant python!

 Let's not forget the super scary alligator. Eek!

After about 20 minutes of wandering around the employee announced it was "Snake Handling Time!" Oh great. Apparently it's a time to sit in these chairs, about 3 feet from 9 different snake cages as she slowly takes out each and every snake to let small children hold on their own while she then turns her back to go get another one. Umm, no thanks. 

I tried to keep my cool, since I didn't want my kids to see my fear or anxiety. Carter surprisingly felt the same way. Yes, the kid who has killed 2 snakes in our backyard was suddenly too nervous to hold or touch one. But, Lucy bravely raised her hand and specifically asked for a large snake so she could hang it around her neck! What?!? My sweet little girl who screams when she sees an itty, bitty ant outside? Yes. Crazy girl.

 Once the snakes were all safely back in their cages they pulled out this iguana. Apparently it likes to snap at little fingers so why not just pick it up and let small children stand in line to pet it?!? Again, Carter declined but Lucy waited patiently in line for her turn. Love her fearlessness!

 We safely made it out of the reptile zoo, washed our hands with a ton of soap and headed to the park for some lunch and play time. Lucy, again surprised me. She decided to be in charge of the merry go round and run crazily around in circles spinning Carter.

 Another day we decided to visit Point Defiance Zoo. We hadn't been in a few years since we usually go to Woodland Park, which is closer to our house. They have a great kid zone area that the kids love.

 We spent some time feeding the hungry goats.

 And no zoo trip would be complete without riding a camel!

 And another day we visited Wallace Creek Swamp Park for a play date with some friends. This little creek is just 5 minutes away from our house but feels like such a getaway when you are tucked back in the trails with beautiful trees surrounding you on all sides.

 It's such a great place to explore, let the kids get a little wet and cool down on a hot summer day.

 Finally, out last recent adventure was a trip to the dentist. And these kids were AMAZING! They love visiting the dentist, watching movies, getting stickers and new toothbrushes. And most importantly....no cavities!!

So in my quest to provide my kids with a fun, eventful, memorable summer I guess I'm succeeding.  Life isn't so boring after all.  :)

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