Updates...

I know it's been forever and I really should be reprimanded. I can't help it! Things are often very crazy around here and it's the best I can do! 

I don't even know where to start.....this is just a VERY short recap of the many, many, mannny things that go on in our crazy life. Right now Lincoln is amazing. Just this week he's started to clap his hands! He thinks when you clap that you're clapping for him! He can now also wave bye-bye. This started about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Now he consistently waves to most everyone. So precious! He has 4 teeth. That last one was a doozey and we were up several nights just being unhappy. He is now crawling on hands and knees all the time and no longer army crawling. He LOVES to play in the refrigerator! I'm not sure what it is, but take that fussy baby and stick him in the floor in front of the fridge and there's no more fuss! It's like magic. 

He's pulling up and standing on everything. He wants to be standing up most of the time. He loves the coffee table (and pulling things off of it) and to stand at the ottoman. Lile is not quite sure what to think about Lincoln's increased mobility. She used to be able to get away from him by jumping on the couch or chair and now that's just not so. They're so cute together. She'll let him play with her toys and most of the time just plays and licks him. Sweet! 

Oh yeah...and as of today he weighs 20 pounds, 13 ounces. He's really started slowing down with his weight gain the last several months. Not that I'm complaining! We've bought a big-boy car seat but we're not using it yet. The carrier and stroller combo work until 22 pounds and it's just sooo handy to take the whole carrier out when he falls asleep in the car (which he almost always does). It won't be much longer until we don't have a choice. 

Here are a few of the things that have been going on lately.

For Mommy's birthday we went to ASU Homecoming. This is one of my favorite pictures from that weekend. Erin bought us this cool onesie before Lincoln was born as a "happy baby" present. They make such cute twins!

Oh these boys! Their age difference is slowly becoming a non-issue. As they get bigger that 3 months won't mean anything at all! Can't wait to see Ian this weekend for our Christmas party!

Lincoln attended his first parade in Boone for homecoming. He really seemed to like it up there on Daddy's shoulders. He seemed to watch what was going on. 

We found an activity spot for kids and Lincoln had his face painted for the very first time with a big A.

This is the little pumpkin he picked out for himself at the pumpkin patch. He's such a sweetie! 

  In Boone with the boys...We love Erin!

So this picture is a few weeks old but it's the latest I've taken of the deck. It's officially built. There is now a pretty brown tin roof that tinkles when it rains. Last weekend Anthony built the stairs. It's really coming along. It's a bummer it's getting so cold lately, it's really hard to work outside like that. We still need hand rails all around and down the stairs.

We got a few of our friends together for a Halloween play date and photo shoot at our friend Anna & Alan's house....he's the bee! It's so sweet to see them play together. They're very interactive and interested in what the others are doing. They watch everything the others do. Toys are very often stolen and lots of drool is shared!

From left to right: Monkey Liam, Pirate Samanthan, Giraffe Lincoln, and Honey Bee Alan.

Lincoln is eating more and more "big boy" food. He's learned to like many different things. Among his favorites are sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and apple sauce. He likes every fruit he's tried, but I think he had an adverse reaction to strawberries. We'll wait a while before trying those again. He's learning to use a sippy cup and has just begun drinking a little bit of apple juice. He sure liked that! We're still nursing about 4 times a day...Mommy and Baby both still enjoy it. I'm hoping to make it to at least a year. 

I know he'll probably  hate me for this later...but who can resist a baby in the bathtub? He loves to sit and play and just splashes....I've had to start covering my legs with a towel while he plays. If I don't I get soaked before I get him out! 

Thanksgiving has come and gone...it's so great to see the whole family together like that. Ma-maw was loving on the boys and we managed to snap this picture. Zane was not interested in sitting still at ALL! He's always on the move...

Papaw Rocky had all the girls and Zane on the 4-wheeler. It was soooo cold! Their noses and toeses were frozen! 

Lincoln even took his first ride! He was a little nervous at first but didn't fuss or cry. He went all the way up and back down the driveway before I snatched him off before he lost his fingers to the cold. I'm sure there will be many many  more rides in the future.

Well..this is my little man now. He's pulling up and cruising around everywhere. He loves to stand and bounce and pull things off tables. Nothing is safe! He's just the most beautiful thing ever and I surely don't remember life without him. What did we do?!

Couldn't you just eat him?! Notice the fancy baby gate above the stairs...that's certainly a necessity these days. He likes to pull up on it and look out. He looks like a prisoner from the other side! 

For my birthday we had our first family pictures made by Orange Cat Photo. Dana is an old friend and they do an amazing job. It was fun and Lincoln was in a pretty good mood for most of the time. We ordered a picture almost like this one on a canvas and have it hanging in th living room. It's just beautiful! 

My sweet baby's first look at a Christmas tree. What a beautiful time of year, and what a wonderful reason to celebrate. We have been truly blessed. This year has been amazing and I am thankful each and every day. People say a baby changes everything. It's so true....in so many ways. Each one of them is wonderful.  

Merry Christmas

Love,

The Vance Family

Halloween Fun!

Just a few quick pics of the little man on Halloween! He was a giraffe and was absolutely adorable!! :) I just love that tiny guy! Well...he's not so tiny I guess. He weighs over 19 pounds and is 7 months old TOMORROW!! Holy cow...where as the time gone?!

Lincoln's first Hay Ride! And his first pumpkin patch. We had a really fun Saturday last weekend. 

 Cousin Zane had NO interest in having his picture taken! He was Lightning McQueen. His suit and his shoes both actually made race car noises....so precious! But there was no stillness in him!

Proud Nana Marci!

Uncle Kaleb with an armful of boys!

Aren't we just the cutest?!

Lincoln's favorite Erin even came to the festival with us.

Papaw Rocky is the best!

Anthony with our God-Daughter Faith as Hannah Montana. She's just beautiful!

Grammy Toni...it was Lincoln's first official Trick-or-Treat.

Pics Coming Soon

 

For my birthday we went to have our pictures made as a family. It is our first family photo shoot together! We had them done at Orange Cat Photo. Dana is an old friend of mine and she does a GREAT job.

We’re scheduled to go see the rest of them on Wednesday and I can’t WAIT! We had a good time…I’m sure they’re beautiful!

6 month stats

Lincoln had his 6 month doctor visit last Friday...these are his stats!

Weight: 19 lbs, 5 ozs

Length: 27 1/2 inches

Head circumference: 14 1/4 inches

Shots: 3

He is now in about the 75-80th percentile on all of his measurements. Since he's getting bigger he's started to level off with height and weight. Doc said all is well and that he's a monster! Dr. Todd is a family friend and swears he's going to be a future linebacker! Mommy says, "NO football!!"

Lincoln and Ian last weekend in Boone. I'll blog about it soon!

Holy Cow!!! 6 Months!

Our life has been kinda crazy lately. Here's an abbreviated version in pictures. Here are some updates.

Our friend, Gary, FINALLY met Lincoln! It only took 6 months! Crazy guy lives in Raleigh and has been super busy and hasn't been in to meet Ian or Lincoln. This day at the mall he met them both! It's about time!!

Lincoln is the happiest baby in the world!! He and Daddy were playing peek-a-boo with Mommy over the couch cushions. That open mouth, full faced smile is just one of those things you can never get enough of!

I finally got a picture of Lincoln with Poppy! He's seen him tons and we just live a few miles apart, but for some reason there weren't any pictures of Poppy. Lincoln and I went over to visit Moppy a few weeks ago and we finally snapped a good one! Now we'll just have to get a picture of the two of them on the tractor!

Do you remember my little rabbit??? Look at how much he's grown!!!!!

As of October 2 Lincoln was 6 months old. It's so hard to believe and imagine that six months ago he wasn't here. That he was just a wiggly mass in my belly. And to think that 9 months before that we were still praying for him to be here. My how time flies! This baby brings us more joy and happiness than anyone could possibly express. We've heard a thousand times how fast they grow up and how wonderful kids are, but when you're childless you just don't understand. It's not until you actually hold that tiny miracle in your arms and he looks at your with unabashed innocence that you begin to understand. The faith, trust, and understanding these children have is remarkable. It might be tough for the first few months. Ok, it might be REALLY tough. But there is no way anyone can measure the greatness that is to follow. It's amazing that people can question whether there is a God. I see Him every day in the eyes of my son. 

I love this "big boy" vest! We wore it to church. He's posing while sitting up by himself!! :)

"Come on Lincoln, let's go take some fall pictures!" So we changed his clothes and got him dressed to be super cute, and all the boy wanted to do was eat the leaves!! Just keep looking! I had to stick my finger in his mouth to rake some of them out. It was GROSS! But he sure had a good time. 

This one is by far my favorite, and makes me laugh out loud!!!

Serious leaf munching!

Mommy's little angel....what a perfect picture!

October 1st marked the 5th year that I have been married to my best friend. I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. What a wonderful, Godly husband he is. Anthony is my strength and guide. I don't know where I'd be without him.

To celebrate our anniversary we decided it was time to have our first sleep-away from Lincoln. What a big step! We left him at my mom and dad's for one night while we went to Bryson City to ride the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. It seems like everyone we know has done it, and we couldn't figure out why we hadn't. So we did!! We were a little apprehensive about leaving Little Man behind. Not nervous to leave him with Mom, but worried that we would miss him terribly while we were gone. Good thing we weren't gone for more than two whole days and a night. By Saturday night we were really missing him badly! He did great with Mom and Dad. He slept well, ate well, and just played and played. What more could we ask for?! 

Friday night, Oct. 1, we drove into Cherokee and stayed the night. We visited the Harrah's Cherokee Casino just to see what was going on. We spent about $20 and played for maybe an hour or so. I always seem to lose my money lickety-split, but Anthony can hold onto his and keep playing. So not fair. Anyway, we were pretty close to the train for our Saturday morning ride. We chose the Nantahala Gorge trip to see the Nantahala River and the rafters, and also the Nantahala Outdoor Center. 

We were in a first-class, adult only dining car. We were seated at a table across from an older couple from Florida. They weren't very chatty and that was fine by us. For the beginning of our journey we were traveling backwards. Not the train, just that our seats were facing the caboose. It was a little disappointing. And a little gross to see everything race by...

It was a beautiful fall day, even though most of the leaves were still bright green. The weather was cool and it was nice to be in a car with heat, instead of one of the open-air cars farther back in the train. Brrrr! It was quite an interesting trip. Before we even left Bryson City Station there was an announcement that one of the servers had gotten sick and had to be taken off the train. We had to wait for that, and for another server to come on board. Once we finally got underway we had about a 2 hour ride until the engines were separated from the train to take us back towards Bryson City. On our way back we stopped at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. That's where so many rafting adventures begin. There is a restaurant, and tons of little shops with outdoor gear and everything you could need for rafting or kayaking. 

We had an hour layover there.

 We were served lunch and had unlimited sodas. 

What a beautiful day it was!

Some of the beautiful scenery. This is Fontana Lake. Home to the Fontana Dam, the largest Dam east of the Mississippi. It was a beautiful ride. And it was nice to finally be traveling in the "correct" direction so we didn't feel woozy anymore. 

We were already behind schedule because of the server's sickness in the morning and it didn't get any better. Right as we were beginning to pull out of the Wesser Station at NOC we got word that there was a medical emergency on board. We waited. And waited. And waited. It turned out that an elderly woman had fallen ill, possibly had a stroke. The ambulance was called and we waited. It took about an hour for the emergency crews to stabilize her and move her to the ambulance and for the train to keep moving. At this point what was supposed to be a 4 hour train trip has turned into about 6 hours. All of this would have been fine, except for the fact that I hadn't pumped since 8:30 that morning, and it was now going on 2 pm. The train didn't pull back into the station until after 4:00 and I was VERY ready to get off the train!

All in all it was a wonderful trip. The ride was beautiful and it was GREAT to spend time with just Anthony. Lincoln is fabulous, and I wouldn't trade him for the world....but it's nice to remember how much in love you are with your spouse. Sometimes you need to be just the two of you, so you can remember why you fell in love in the first place...which lead to that beautiful baby. 

Thank you, Lord, for our beautiful family. We are truly blessed.