Determined

That is the word I would use to describe Vance. He may be small but that is not going to stop him from getting to what he wants. Last Sunday I watched as he pushed the footstool down the hall to the bathroom door & then to our bedroom door (where Daddy was napping). He pushed, climbed up & tried to open each door. Fortunately he couldn’t turn the door knob. But the need & ability to get to those out of reach objects increased each day. I want to correct him & tell him to stop but I can’t. It is too entertaining to watch him as he spies his next feat then patiently pushes that stool to the exact right spot. I’ve even seen him climb up, get down & push it (not even an inch) to get the stool in the right place. A couple of times today I placed my foot in the path of the stool. That did not make him happy. He pushed & pushed and one time went around me. DERTERMINED! That is my little Vance. Surely that has to be a good quality to have in the future, right?

I will say the frequency of this has increased and the places he’s trying to reach are starting to be an issue. I have now removed their “kid sized” chairs out of the kitchen and I’m contemplating the removal of the foot stool. The lamps in the living room have already spent much of the last few months on top of the couch because he would NOT leave them alone. Since he couldn’t reach them from the floor he figured out how to climb onto the couch and reach them. Again, my son is determined! Maybe the ability to finally get to those unreachable places will become his new obsession and my lamps can return to their normal home.

I guess all this means that sooner than later I should stop him. Or I can continue to move things further up the shelves or pushed back against the wall where his little arms can’t reach or tucked away in a safe place. Nah! That just sounds like too much work. I’ll have to stop him!

One Happy Daddy

Vance has never been an overly affectionate child. He would always snuggle with us for naps & bedtime but he was never one to give or receive kisses, until recently. I’m so fortunate to be with him all day & I saw him become more loving with stuffed animals & Ella’s baby dolls. I tested the waters and found out that he would now give kisses. I didn’t fill Byron in on this little fact. The next day as he was telling the kids good-bye before work I told Vance, “Give Daddy a kiss bye-bye.” Oh my goodness! He kissed Byron and my husband lit up like a light bulb. Byron kept asking for kisses & Vance kept giving them. Byron was so giddy that Vance was too. These pictures capture the joy in both of them.

Where have we been?

Here is a quick update on our lives over the past few months. I can actually sum it up in two words…SLEEPLESS & SICK! Since the middle to end of April my precious son has not been sleeping again. He either takes hours to go to sleep or is up for hours in the middle of the night. It has been very reminiscent of the first 9 months of his life. He is miserable, in pain & we cannot help him. It has not been easy and I feel so bad for him. It is beginning to take its toll on Byron & me. We need sleep just as much as he does.
The month of June was the worst. As a family we had 9 doctor’s visits and one emergency room visit. All but 3 of those visits were for Vance. June 1st he was diagnosed with reflux and they started him on medicine. Two days later he managed to get an egg shell out of the trash can. I had to administer the Epi-pen and rush him to the hospital. Five days later he had an ear infection and breathing issues while Ella had walking pneumonia. The next day I finally went to the doctor with a sinus infection then took Vance back to the doctor for an allergic reaction to Amoxicillin. The next day Byron was treated for a sinus infection too. Three days after that the doctor prescribed medicine for Byron to prevent the onset of pneumonia. At some point we finally started feeling better and Vance had a happy doctor visit. He was officially cleared of a corn allergy which opened up a whole new world of foods for him.
I have no “official” idea of what is going on or what started all of Vance’s problems. However, my mother’s intuition tells me that when something unacceptable enters his body it flares up his insides. It then takes a LONG time for his body to get back to normal. This all started when he took an over the counter allergy medicine that didn’t agree with him. Then the reflux started. Then he had the egg exposure followed by the ear infection. It was just way too much for his little body to handle. Now we pray daily for God to miraculously help him sleep. Because what is the number one thing our bodies need to get well? SLEEP! Since we can’t physically make him sleep we have to turn to God to make it happen. We had a few nights earlier in the month of July where he slept all night and we praised God for a full night’s sleep. But it hasn’t happened on a consistent basis. We would greatly appreciate you praying alongside us for Vance to sleep again.

Mommy & Ella Evening Out

This evening was so much fun! Ella & I were invited to a Mommy, Daughter & Dolly Punch & Cookie Party. It was a fundraiser for my friend Tia McNelly's family who is going on a mission trip this summer to Kenya. My wonderful in-laws came to watch Vance so Ella & I could go. We started the preparations by painting our fingernails & toenails. Then Ella napped so she would be well rested for our evening out. We put on our dresses along with Baby (her dolly) and headed to the "cookie party."
When we arrived they had gloves & hats for the girls.


I don't know who was happier to be there, Ella or me?


Now that she was properly dressed it was time to find the cookies & punch.

The cookies & punch were a real treat for Ella since we rarely eat them at our house. She asked for seconds & thirds but I stopped at 2 cookies & 2 cups of punch that had to have the raspberries in them.

The cookies were adorable.


She looks so grown up here drinking her punch like a big girl. I was amazed she didn't spill it on her dress.

During the party the girls played with their dolls, painted, made necklaces and of course ate lots of cookies. Tia is very passionate about the Kilgoris Project & the work they are doing in Kenya. Ella & I are going to support them by hosting our own Mommy, Daughter & Dolly Punch & Cookie Party. If that name is too long for you go with Ella's version, a Cookie Party. If you live close I hope you & your daughter will plan to join us for our party.

After the cookie party we went to Chick-fil-a. We don't get to eat out since Vance has food allergies. This was a special treat for us. Ella & I enjoyed chicken nuggets & waffle fries. I have to say she did really well. It wasn't till the last 10 minutes that she became obsessed with seeing the cow & did not want to sit still. Sadly, the cow was sleeping. We'll have to go another time to see him.


This evening was just another reminder of how blessed I am to be a mom. I look forward to more Mommy/Daughter outings and future date nights with Vance. God is good! He really gave me my dreams!

Too Sweet!

This morning Ella woke up & walked into the living room like usual. But she paused at the door and looked around. When she finally walked in she asked, "Where is Daddy? I see Daddy." I explained that he had to leave before she woke up but that he was sad he couldn't see her this morning & loved her very much. Next Ella said, "But I give Daddy a hug." So I convinced her to settle for a phone call. While talking to her daddy she kissed the phone then wrapped her arms around it to give him a hug. That was so sweet! Later when Vance woke up she kept kissing him and saying, "Good morning Vance!"
What a great way to wake up. It is precious to see my little girl become so loving. I hope that continues.

Go to work with Daddy

I couldn’t resist sharing this. The kids are sitting beside me as I type this. Normally I wait till they are asleep but I didn’t want to forget any detail.
While I was changing Vance’s clothes Ella brought in a pair of socks & hand-me-down shoes that are at least 5 sizes too big for her. She sat on the floor & began putting them on. She then announced, “I going to go to work with Daddy.” Now Daddy left for work almost 2 hours ago. She then explained further, “I going to drive Mommy’s car and go to work with Daddy. I’ll be back in a little while with Daddy.” I asked her if she thought she could drive my car & with confidence she thought she could. So then I asked if she knew how to get to Daddy’s work. She said, “I drive Mommy’s car.” I informed her I knew she was taking my car but did she know where his work was. Ella replied, “In the TV (said like TB).” I tried hard not to laugh and explained that yes when he is at the race track it is on TV but today he was in the office. So she proudly said, “I go to Daddy’s office.” I tried my best to explain that I just didn’t think that could happen today. Then once again with the determination that she was going to go to Daddy’s work she said as she stood next to the baby gate, “I got to hop over so I can go with Daddy.” Even though this isn’t going to happen today her desire & determination has not slacked off. Since starting this several times she has said, “I gotta go work for Daddy. I’ll be back in a little while.”
I love the mind of a child. I love that she wants to be with her daddy. I love that I get to be home to experience all these cute sayings of hers.

Ella's outfit for work!

Grandma Nails

I hardly ever paint my fingernails, even though I like the way they look and so does Byron. But there was something about painting my nails this time that made me want to do it. I figured Ella was big enough that I could possibly paint her nails. I mentioned it to her but she didn’t really get it. Then when I sat down to paint my nails with extreme excitement she shouted, “Grandma Nails!” She had just seen Grandma with her nails painted and that was the first thing she thought of. So after my nails were dry she very willingly sat in my lap so I could paint her nails and she too could have Grandma Nails. She very proudly showed them off to her friend Lauren at Bible Study and couldn’t wait for her daddy to see them when he got home. We actually had to touch up a few nails before Daddy could see them. At the end of day two with these new nails of ours she pointed out that one of them needs redone. That is the very reason why I don’t typically paint my nails I hate that within days they are chipped and need to be repainted. I believe my future will now be spent frequently painting & touching up two sets of nails and I don’t think I will mind. I look down at her precious hands and smile. Those are the hands of my daughter and she wants to have nails like Grandma! This is one of those special little treasures God has given me with the title of Mommy.