Misc. info

I am back to share with you what has been going on since my last post.

Sarah and Candice came to Iowa (Candice's first time to Iowa). The visit was very laid back which was kinda nice because there are times when visits can be so hectic you don't have time to sit back and appreciate them. Candice was feeling a little under the weather (mmm could it have been because of Iowas weather) but she was still a happy little baby.

Joseph will be heading off to Kindergarten very soon therefore we had to visit the dentist (one of the many requirements) so we could get the seal of approval of healthy teeth. Mission accomplished.

Joseph turned 5 earlier this month and had a family party. This included an army of children running through my home with guns (Joseph was in his glory). He picked out a Pirates of the Carribean cake and was very happy to consume the frosting. Thank you to everyone for all the gifts!

Today is Easter therefore the kids had new outfits to wear to church. They both looked adorable.

Tomorrow Joseph will be heading to his doctor for his physical that is also required for Kindergarten. Just maybe the scale will read 40 lbs.

Spring is in the air...hopefully!

Hi everyone..sorry for the delay in my blogging. The year so far has flown by and now it is March. We have had a few warmer days within the past few weeks and makes me yearn for Spring. I do love Spring weather as the flowers bloom and the grass begins to turn green again. I do not love all my sneezes that come with it but thats the way it goes. So I am ready...shortsleeves here I come.

This past weekend my mother, Kaylee and I took a short visit to see my sister Sarah who turned 30. And we thought it was a great idea to surprise her since she did not have any major plans. Thanks to all who helped with this plan! It was fantastic. Sarah was surprised to see my mother and I when we walked up behind her in her kitchen when she arrived home from work on Friday evening. After some laughing and hugs we proceeded to tell her there was another surprise in her bedroom. Sarah did show some resistance but we assured her that it was nothing scary or harmful. She then peeked inside her room just in time to see a little head pop up out of the pack n play. It was Kaylee (no Sarah not an animal)! Everything went off without a hitch. And I loved watching Kaylee and Candice together. A few times when we were in the car and the two girls were sitting beside each other it seemed as if they were carrying on a conversation. It was absolutely adorable!!

More great news to report!! The night before we were due to arrive in Louisiana my mother received a call from Sarah saying she found a flight to Des Moines for cheap and she wanted to come. This threw all of us for a loop but long story short we were able to keep our secret and Sarah was able to purchase her ticket that she HAD to buy. If anyone knows Sarah she is very persistent. I guess it runs in the family. So now all of us in Des Moines are looking forward to Sarah and Candice's arrival to Des Moines on Friday morning.

I will post pictures later.

Goodbye 2008 and Welcome 2009

Christmas 2008


June-Iowa Flood

Kaylee's 1st Birthday

Josephs 4th Birthday

Another year has come and gone. And many of us have probably asked our self "Where has the time gone" and I can personally answer the question by saying the time has gone by with days of working, vacation days, nights out without the kids, loads of laundry, diaper changes, nights pondering what is for dinner, kids soaking in the bath to clean of all the kid germs, birthday celebrations, and many nights of bedtime stories. And I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the picture and some of it may be the same for some of you.

So I sit here writing to you while the kids are snuggled in the beds for a short winters nap and looking out the window at this dreary day. No precipitation has fallen lately but the remains of previous snow storms lay out on the lawn with the clouds filling the sky. So I just wanted to say I hope you all had a wonderful 2008 and wish the best for 2009.

I decided to share with you a few pictures from 2008 that will give you a glimpse of my life within the past year and be thankful for what I have. So my thought for today is to document your life as much as you can with pictures, blogs, emails, or just a short phone call to someone to say hello and then we can look back to see where the time has gone.

The New Addition

Read it! Read it! Read all about it!

Well if you have not heard all ready about the newest member of the Vance family then here you go.

Over the past week or so Joseph and his partner in crime (daddy) have been talking about a pet. Yep you heard it first, a pet! I really was not to keen on the idea since taking care of two beautiful children (and Jason) is an exhausting job yet at the same time very rewarding. So anyway they were searching the internet for kittens in the area or even a very unique breed known as the Bengal Kitten. All kittens are cute but the really cute kittens come with a hefty price tag.

Bengel Kitten available for $350.00

So Jason and kids went searching at the local Animal Rescue League on Thursday and Joseph found a baby kitten that he really wanted. So he called me at work to ask if he could have it. I told him to just wait until I was off work and then we could look together. After work I went straight to the Animal Rescue League and checked the kitten out for myself. And really whats not to like about a cute little kitten. So I decided to go ahead and bring her home.

Joseph was thrilled. Kaylee was a little skeptical at first but has warmed up. Joseph loves to hold and play with her. Kaylee just likes to point and call the kitten ("buppy" aka puppy).

Joseph has decided to name the kitten Alecia or Lecia. I guess it just depends on when you ask him. Not quite sure where the name came from but all that matters is that the Kitten and Joseph have found a new friend. Here are pictures of the kids with Alecia/Lecia.

The Lousiana experience

Here are a few pictures from the Louisiana experience. The first is a beignet (donut with powdered sugar), the second is a funny sign that I saw someone holding on the street, and a picture of myself holding Candice Anne.

I went down to Louisiana to visit my Sarah & Matthew (sister & brother-in-law) and their latest new addition to the family. My niece was born on September 19th, 2008 weighing in at 11 lbs 10 oz. Her name is Candice Anne and she is so wonderful. I was by myself visiting so I could focus on just Candice. Its amazing how fast they grow so I was glad I could see her now because she will probably be close to walking by the time I see her again. And the new parents are adjusting very well.

My time spent in Louisiana was great. I was able to relax, visit with my niece, watch cable (I currently only have 4 channels), take a bath in my sister's jacuzzi tub, and sleep in a little bit. And of course we did the tourist thing by driving around looking at many things. One place in particular is a must see...New Orleans.

New Orleans...need I say more!

I was told its a completely different town and nothing can compare. And it didn't. We visited New Orleans on a Saturday therefore there were people all around. The people were very diverse along with some of the aromas in the air. We walked down the streets including Bourbon St and ate a beignet at Cafe Du Monde.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween everyone. Well Des Moines does things a little different. Yep, I know what you are thinking "Big Surprise". So the kids in town (depending on the town) have designated "Beggars Nights" and so our night was tonight. Joseph dressed up after the hit superhero movie "Ironman". His costume was red & gold and consisted of big muscles along with a mask. And he just couldn't resist carrying around his sword along with him. Kaylee was little monster that was primarily purple with a little green. She was a trooper however she is a little scared of the scary costumes and the homes that are all decked out. Maybe next year she will overcome her fear a little bit better.

"Beggars Night" was one of the best in many many years that I can recall. It was in the 60's and it seemed like it did not get dark until later. However I was very disappointed in the number of kids that I didn't see. You would think with the nice weather that there would have been more kids running around. So I am still not really sure what to think of it except that we now have a little more candy in the bowl. I am sure Joseph is happy about that.

I hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Metallica 10/26/2008

Metallica...need I say more. I have been a fan of Metallica for quite a long time and so of course I had to buy tickets when I heard they were coming to Des Moines again. And my 13 old nephew Jeromy has been waiting for his cool Aunt to take him to his first concert so I jumped at the moment.

Metallica was awesome!!!! I was not all that impressed with the opening bands but Metallica made up for the whole night. They played the old songs which are of course the best as well as some of the songs from their new album. Jeromy and I had a great time. It was also a great event to people watch. Any kind of person you can think of was there such as youngters, elders, and everything in between. And then there are people that enjoy crashing up against one another (aka mosh pit) as a way to enjoy a concert (what a waste of money, can't you do that somewhere else?).

So all in all it was another great concert under my belt and the first of many for Jeromy. I recommend that if they come to a town near you than you should check them out.