Merry Christmas (a little late)

My favorite new present!
Ok so I'm behind in my posts. But a week late with a newborn is pretty good (right?)!

We had a wonderful Christmas! I was a bit under the weather but watching the kids excitement made me feel a whole lot better!

Both Aaron and Samantha loved opening their gifts from Santa (Aaron was a bit disappointed that Santa wasn't there to greet him when he got up.) Aaron's favorite toys were a few new action hero's and this Superman and Spider man costumes. Samantha loved her Magna Doodle best of all. John slept through all the present opening and breakfast. In fact he slept most the day away. He did wake up a bit to watch some of the Tinkerbell movie with his big brother and sister.

My 2 Supermen

Samantha and her Magna Doodle

After naps we headed to my parents house! We had a wonderful dinner and had fun watching Aaron and his cousin Brandon run around in their new Spider man costumes and Samantha and Kayla bounce around in their Tinkerbell outfits. It was special being with my sister and brother on this day celebrating Christ's birth. I am so blessed!

Cousins!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Getting used to 3

Well I am now a mother of 3! The past 9 months of pregnancy passed so quickly I can hardly believe it. I am amazed at the miracle of a child who was inside me a few weeks ago kicking me is now being held in my arms. God is so good!

The kids adore John. Aaron will only call him by his full name John Jeremiah and Sammie calls him Miah. The enjoy showing him their toys and love to take turns holding him. I love to watch them interact with him. They will tell him to watch them dance or do silly things.

John sleeps pretty much all the time except when he wakes up to eat. There are a few points during the day when he is awake and we as a family make the most of it!

John Jeremiah Vance

Two weeks ago on December 6 I went out with some friends for a ladies night out Christmas dinner and program at church. We enjoyed a yummy pasta dinner and WAY TOO MANY desserts! My neighbor Becky told me she thought I was going to go into labor that night or the next day (note this is over a week from my due date and I was planning on being induced that Thursday.) Not 10 minutes after that comment and my contractions started! I was convinced it was all the sweets I had just eaten. I got home around 9pm and drank water and laid on the couch. Jeremy just looked at me and asked if we should go or what. I wanted to make sure it wasn't false labor so I waited until midnight when my contractions were about 5 minutes apart and decided to call my dad to come over because it was time. We got to the hospital around 1am on Tuesday December 7. I was 4cm dilated. They gave me the epidural and by 5:07am I heard the cries of our new yet to be named baby boy. A full head of hair weighing 6 lbs 14.5 oz and 21" long! He was perfect! Handsome! I immediately fell in love with our new bundle of joy!!

Jeremy went home to get the kids up and bring them up to see me and their new baby brother.

They were excited and greeted him with kisses and tickles. My hospital stay was nice and I had lots of visitors. The food was amazing!!

I got home on December 9, mid morning. The kids were excited to pick up mommy and baby! I was glad to be home too!

Fun in the Snow

Yesterday was a great day! We stayed home all day and played outside and watched football. The kids are very excited about the snow and their new boots we got on Saturday. We played out front and took a walk down the street. Aaron enjoyed rolling around in the snow and Sammie thought it was great to eat the snow off her mittens.

It was such a relaxing Sunday. There was a soft snow falling throughout the day and I loved being on the couch looking out the window. It reminded me of a snowglobe.

I can't believe at this time next week we'll have a new member to our family. I plan on being induced on Thursday morning. I'm excited yet nervous about the change.

Time to Decorate the Tree

The kids have been very excited ever since we went to Lowes and picked out our tree on Saturday. Last night Jeremy put the lights on and then we all decorated the tree. Aaron really enjoyed putting a bunch of (shatterproof) balls on the tree. I think he hung about 8 on the same branch! Samantha enjoyed putting her angel on and off the tree. What is so special about her angel is that it was mine as a little girl and I loved to "fly" her around the house. Watching Sammie do the same thing last night made me so happy! It is a moment I will cherish!

After the tree was up and we all ooed and awed Aaron wanted to lay under the tree. I had to did up this picture of when he was about 6 months old under the tree! Boy what a few years does to the look but not the spirit!
I so love this time of year! It is December 1st today and snowing!

Samantha is 2!

Samantha Nicole Vance turned 2 on Wednesday!!

Jeremy took off of work and we took her and Aaron to see Santa at the mall. Later on in the evening we had family over for her Tinkerbell birthday party! She really enjoyed everyone singing to her. She got a few new baby dolls, her first dollhouse, an umbrella and a purse.

I am amazed at how much she's grown in the past few months, not just in size but in vocabulary and what she can do! I am so proud to be her mother. She is such a joy to be around!

Some of her favorite things to do are dancing, singing, running, jumping, "flying" and copying Aaron. She loves spaghetti, mashed potatoes, fruit, rice and fruit snacks. She enjoys watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Tinkerbell. Sammie is really into Look and Find books.

She is really looking forward to meeting her new baby brother due to arrive in a few weeks. She likes to pat my belly and say that he is kicking her. I know she will be a big help.

Samantha I love you so much and can't wait to see each day what you will learn and what delights you!

Waiting

Boy I have been really bad with blogging as of late!

We have had a fun fall full of playing in leaves, picking out pumpkins and trick or treating.

Also my belly has been growing as we look forward to greeting the new member of our family within a month. I can't believe how fast time flies. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was telling Jeremy we were pregnant. In fact it was on his birthday (April 15). Now we have the babies room ready and Aaron and Sammie are looking so forward to meeting their brother. Aaron is anxious for his brother to be named but we are still undecided. He has been called Batman and Other Aaron in the meantime.

I have really enjoyed fall this year. We have been active between playing outside, and watching Notre Dame and the Colts. It has been such a mild fall temp wise. Now next week Samantha turns 2 and Thanksgiving is upon us. I am so thankful for my family!

Labor Day weekend

After Jeremy was gone all day Saturday for the Notre Dame game, we just hung around home on Sunday. We ventured out to take a walk around the neighborhood but Aaron really wanted to walk to the store. We told him to turn because we had to head back and he told us "I can't because my legs are taking me this way!" Oh the funny things they come up with!
I met with my cousin in Auburn for lunch at Cracker Barrel. She and I are due 2 days apart! It was nice catching up and comparing baby bumps.

Monday we put up the Jump n Slide for the kids and had a cookout with my family. After the kids wore themselves out playing we gave them baths together.

The weather again was just beautiful. I never want to go inside and it's so nice being able to have the windows open.

Go Irish

Go Notre Dame!!!

Saturday was Notre Dame's first football game of the season! Jeremy got to go to the game with a co worker so I spent most of the day at my parents. The weather was perfect for football (68) and the kids loved playing outside and jumping in a mini leaf pile!


The kids out front looking for cars with my dad before lunch.

We had fun watching the Irish win and looking for daddy (Aaron kept on saying the players were Jeremy!) After the game we enjoyed a walk before heading back home to bed. I have a good feeling about this season!

Tired kids

I couldn't fit these in my previous post due to size! The kids falling alseep on the boat was priceless. I have 2 of Sammie because I couldn't decide which one to post.

I love how she is still holding on while being sound asleep.

Lake Weekend

Lake WawaseeSammie at the front of the boatAaron excited to show off his Spiderman life vestDon and Sammie at the wheelJeremy and Aaron testing out the Jet Ski

We got invited by Jeremy's friend Don and his wife Beth to spend the weekend with them at their lake house on Wawasee. We had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect and the kids loved the boats and the lake house.

The kids adored Don and Beth and Aaron referred the lake at Don's pool. Sammie loved the boat rides. She wanted to drive a lot or sit at the front of the boat and say"Wee" and "Faster!"

Aaron tried the jet ski with Jeremy and when he was getting off Jeremy tipped the jet ski and fell over but Aaron held on for dear life. Now he goes around telling everyone how daddy fell off but he stayed on.

The day and a half passed by quickly. The kids ended up napping on the boat, lulled to sleep by the rocking motion and hum of the motor. Look for another posting for 2 great pics of that!

The lake wasn't too busy and on Sunday morning we enjoyed a church service on the lake in the boat. Afterwards we ate breakfast at a restaurant right on the lake then toured the waters spotting ducks, birds, a few fish and a train that we went underneath at it rolled past.

It was such a nice getaway and seeing how excited the kids were brought such joy to me. I relaxed myself and just enjoyed my surroundings which is so easy to do in a peaceful lake setting!

Thanks Don and Beth for your wonderful hospitality! Our family won't be forgetting it! We had a blast!!

This and That

Aaron enjoying the bubble at the downtown library. If we are sitting on the couch Samantha will scoot herself to the end of the couch so she can sit just like us with her feet crossed on the ottoman(:

Aaron said his head hurt and when I turned around he had placed a "Hulk" band aid on his head to make it feel better! We didn't attempt to take it out until bathtime(:

I came in the room the other day to find Sammie like this saying "cheese!"

This past week has flown by and again I'm playing catch up on my blog. The kids both got colds so a lot of the week was spent wiping runny noses and dealing with up and down moods. The weekend was a long one. We hung out at home and didn't really go anywhere but out to breakfast on Sunday.

Yesterday the weather turned a little bit cooler and I got to enjoy a nice long walk with Alison. She's due in a couple of weeks and counting down the days. The kids seemed to enjoy the stroller ride and especially loved when we stopped at the park before heading home. In the evening after dinner Jeremy and I took the kids out back and played for an hour. It was nice not having the humidity and Sammie enjoyed kicking a ball while Aaron conquered climbing up the slide barefoot.

This morning I brought the kids to the downtown library. They have a great play area for the kids and a fish tank the kids love. We had a blast. Afterwards since we were already halfway to Jeremy's work we picked him up and went to a park down the road to eat. We had the place to ourselves. It was a fun morning. I love this weather. It gives me energy and puts a smile on my face. I can't believe the leaves are starting to fall and the squirrels are busy burying acorns. Fall is coming!!

Past Week

This is how Samantha insists on watching her cartoons! Priceless!

Kids having fun in the hot humid weather at Gas City.

This past week has gone by in a blur with not many pics taken.

Last Tuesday I met Elizabeth and her two boys in Gas City. With her living in Indy it's a nice meeting point and the kids love the park we found. We only lasted around an hour at the park it was so humid. We spent the rest of our visit in McDonald's. The boys were thrilled with their new comic book figurines in their kids meals.

On Friday night my parents took Aaron and his cousin Brandon to a Tin Caps baseball game. He had a blast and didn't want to take off his new baseball cap. While he was at the game Jeremy, Sammie and myself took a bike ride over to Dairy Queen. Samantha loved her first real taste of soft serve! We never take the kids due to Aaron's milk allergy so this was special and she was loving the attention.

Saturday we headed to Indy for a birthday party. Aaron threw a fit on the way down. Nothing like hearing a screaming kid while driving down the road. Once in Indy the kids did great and enjoyed playing with all the kids. The ride home (close to bedtime) was a lot more pleasant.

Today I met some friends at the zoo. Aaron was running full speed through the first exhibit but slowed down a lot afterwards. The temp was great. No humidity and the animals were more active.

Lately the kids have been acting up a lot. It completely wares me out. Hope its just a quick stage and my little angels will return(: