11 Months - I can't believe it

I don't want him to be 11 months old.  It's too close to 12.  But I guess its going to happen sometime.  I think this picture does a good job of showing how he has become such a little boy.  He's got a lot more freedom around here, but a lot of times he just wants to be where we are.  He testing all of his boundaries and fully understands the word "no."

One of Amos' new favorite places is the window.  He goes over and stands by it to watch anything happening outside.  Too bad for him that one car might drive by each hour.  However, sometimes Dad is out there or comes riding up on his bike and he gets so excited.

Amos still eats everything put in front of him, but his all time favorite thing is cottage cheese.  I have to save it for dessert, or he won't eat anything else.

He is getting where he mimics sounds we make.  He thinks it's the funniest thing.  Falling down no longer phases him.  I would think he would get frustrated, but it's part of walking.  He just gets back up.  Just yesterday he stood up from the ground on his own.

Can't wait to see what this month brings.  The best is yet to come!

Week 47

Vacation

It's a little scary when you book a vacation of this magnitude completely online.  At one point before our departure, we did talk to an actual person who confirmed everything for us, but even then, without any physical evidence it can be a little nerve-wracking.

Last week, I left off after having said goodbye to Amos and heading to Kansas City to stay with my sister and her husband the night before leaving.  After Audrey dropped us off at the airport, we were left hoping we actually be flying out later that day.  As it turns out, we entered our confirmation number, scanned our passports and collected 4 tickets that would land us in Cancun, Mexico.  The two flights were uneventful as we cheesily shared earphones in order to listen to Catching Fire together. We were further relieved to find a man, waiting outside the Cancun airport, at 9:00 pm, waiting to transport us to our resort.  We had made it and the relaxing could finally begin.

Even though rain had been forecasted for everyday of our trip, we were met with blue skies and warm temperatures.  Our first morning was spent on the beach.  It took a little trial and error to find the "perfect" spot.  It didn't take long for us to realize that we are not cut out to soak up the rays in direct sunlight on the beach.  We were in heaven, under a palm tree, in almost complete shade.  However, not wanting to come back tan-less, we endured short bursts of time in the sun as the week went on.

Wrong spot.

Right Spot!

The goal of the vacation was complete rest and relaxation.  We didn't go on any crazing excursions, and actually never left our resort.  We spent a lot of time reading, which turned into a book reading contest and those of you who know us well, probably know who won.

Another chunk of time was spent eating. They sure do feed you well, a little too well.  Big breakfast, light lunch, big dinner turned into our motto.  We tried it all - Brazilian, Mediterranean, Japanese, and of course, Mexican.  Our big splurge was a massage for two.  It was wonderful.

Once the sun went down, we spent our evenings walking on the beach, talking over ice cream and coffee, or checking out the nightly entertainment.  This turned into one of our favorite parts of the day.

The time was good, but as the week progressed, we (especially me) were getting more and more ready to see our little guy we left at Grandma and Grandpa's.  We said that it was the perfect amount of time, we enjoyed our stay, but were not sad to go.

Below are a few more from our trip:

These guys were everywhere!!!

On Tuesday, we were picked up at the airport at 11:30 pm by my sister and her husband (thanks again)!  It was too late to make it to Lebanon, so we settled for spending the night and leaving early the next morning to get to our little man.  I was anxious to see Amos the whole way there.  Good thing we had The Mocking Jay to keep us distracted.

Of course he was sleeping when we arrived, but were soon able to go see him as he woke up.  Peering into his pac-n-play with the biggest smiles on our faces, I'm sure we scared him to death.  He didn't know what to think of us for most of the day.  It was definitely one of those times when I wished I could know what was going on in his little head.  By the ride home though, I could tell he was glad to see us.  He just stared at me from his car seat, as I stroked his hair, and then he eventually fell asleep.

We are so thankful for the gifts that God provided in allowing us to get away and spend time with each other and with the Lord.  We are also blessed with friends and family who helped make it all happen.

We are definitely coming home refreshed, and glad to be here.

The BIG week!

It was a BIG week at the Vance house.  On Monday, Jason interviewed for a position in Elementary Special Ed. in Joplin, and by the end of the week accepted the position.  We were excited when Friday came, as we were able to officially welcome in summer and a time of rest.  Friday night we were able to hang out with some good friends, but headed home early so that I could get rested up for my race the next day. 

At 6 the next morning Sarah Corcoran and my dad showed up ready to head to the Joplin Memorial Half-marathon.  Sarah was kind enough to drop us off so that we didn’t have to deal with parking.  It was a beautiful morning for a run and a ton of people showed up for the race.  My goal was to finish in right around the 2-hour mark.  My dad ran with me for support, and even though he could have finished a lot faster, he stayed with me the whole time!  He was a real encouragement along the way, and I ended up finishing is 1 hour and 57 minutes!  This actually beat my previous time by a minute!

We spent the rest of the day packing a preparing for our vacation!  And that evening we celebrated the announcement, with my sister and brother and law, of a new baby girl who will soon be entering the family!!!!

After church on Sunday we headed to Lebanon to see family and drop the Amos Man off for the week!  Grandma and Grandpa are excited to keep them.  We’re going to miss the little guy but we are super excited to spend a week enjoying the sands of Mexico.

Amos just keeps getting bigger and bigger!  I told him not to do anything too cool while we’re gone.  Luckily he’s already started walking and just keeps getting better at it. 

I guess that’s all for now.  See you when we get back!

The COUNTDOWN...

We are excitedly counting down the days to summer and/or vacation here at the Vance house this week!  Let's be honest, we've been counting them down for a while, but now that its almost here, its crazy exciting!

Next year is going to hold something new job-wise for Jason, we're just not sure what it is yet!  And he's been busying interviewing and finishing up school stuff.  We'll keep you updated on changes.

Amos and I are starting to prepare for the big vacation which equals a separation of 8 days.  He's going to be in the best of hands, so no worries there.  And actually it might be perfect timing.  As of late, Amos has been very clingy; even when we are at home.  And especially when we're somewhere new.  Up until this point, he really hasn't wanted to be held, ever!  So wanting to just sit in my lap at times hasn't been all bad.  It's just the whiny that follows if he's removed that drives me crazy.  Hopefully 8 days of having fun with other people, will remedy that.

Amos suffered two more "accidents" this week.  They're accidents if they involve tears.  Most of the time he just continues on when he falls or bumps his head.  The first one involved a chair arm to the eye.  And the second was a fall that resulted in a fat lip!  I'm thinking his accidents may become too common to continue to document.  I see a lot more in his future.

Walking is still progressing!  He made almost all the way across the room yesterday.  He's becoming more adventurous with it, but still likes to play it safe at times.  Surprisingly, his favorite time to walk is in the evenings.

Josie came over the hang out this morning while her parents were on very exciting business (finding out the gender of their next baby)  The favorite toy was, of course, the play phone!  We had to practice some sharing.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.  Not only did I get a free lunch at Qdoba, but I came out to find this made by the two guys in my life!  I am loved!

He's Walking...

We’ve got a “walker.”  Because Amos was getting more daring with his no-hand standing, I wanted to test his stepping abilities.  We leave for 8 days of vacation at the end of this month, and I really didn’t want to miss his first steps.  Needless to say, I was thrilled when I was there to witness them last Thursday night.  Most of the time, he still chooses to crawl, but he’s getting more daring with his walking too.  My little “play area” isn’t going to contain him much longer.

We’ve had to start disciplining these last two weeks.  I knew it was time when Amos was going for a “No” area and turned around just to see if I was looking.  I was telling my parents this weekend, how easy it seemed.  When I say “No” he turns to go.  They told me that it was that easy with me.  A “No” was all it took.  Here’s to hoping that he got my temperament. 

Speaking of this weekend, we had fun with cousin Josie!  

We came up with this crazy idea on Saturday to get their pictures taken together at Sears.  Josie wasn’t too fond of the idea, but we definitely got some classics.  She’s got a scowl that would shock you!

Not too much out of the blue happened this week!  Here’s a few of Amos acting his crazy, normal self.

Yep... He's 10 months old!

TOP TEN FROM THE MONTH:
10.  We've  got a crazy good eater!  Love how easy that makes meal time!  Clean up is a different story.

9.  Amos' hair has turned curly.  Who knew?

8.  We've made the switch to whole milk.  And he finally likes it cold and from a sippy.  He's becoming such a big boy.  Oh, and Mom doesn't mind the freedom at all!

7.  After a few more major boo boos and being pretty sick, Amos has proved how tough he is.  Banging his head is nothing to him.  It's an everyday occurrence.

6.  Fun Events:  Easter, Aunt Audrey's wedding and fire pit time!

5.  It took 10 months of Jason working on it, but Amos finally smiles and laughs when he's thrown into the air.  I see a lot more of that in his future.

4.  Park Days!  We really have enjoyed the spring weather with friends and family.

3.  He's an ornery boy and has found a few areas that he doesn't need to get into.  However, he's understanding the word "no".  He even watches me as he reaches for something just to see if I'll stop him.

2.  "Mama" means Mama and "Dada" means Dada!  At least most of the time.

1.  WALKING!  That's right!  Just this week, Amos started taking steps.  And yes, we were terrible parents and bribed him with a popsicle!