Vance is 10. I can still hardly believe it. I think it caught both Chad and I off guard when we started feeling a little nostalgic. It feels like just yesterday we became parents and somehow our baby is now ten years old! Here are all the random things I can think of about Vance -
Vance has the sweetest soul. I know I say this is a lot but it's true. He is just so kind-hearted. It doesn't mean he doesn't ever throw me attitude or get mad, but those kind of behaviors are more the exception.
He loves to chat. Vance will talk and talk and talk. When he was younger this would kind of drive my crazy but now I love it. He is almost like talking to a friend. Not only does he love to chat, he is actually really good at it. He knows when the silence is lasting a little too long and will ask a thoughtful question to get the conversation going again. He is also a great listener. I'm telling you his conversation skills are better than many adults I know.
Vance loves to play on his phone. His phone doesn't actually have service but he connects to the wifi at the house. We are working on him having a better balance.
He is such an early bird!!! It is just getting worse lately. Now he is often times waking up before 6:00. I am soooo not an early bird that I really don't understand it. Even if he stays up late, he is doing good to sleep until like 6:45. The only thing that stinks about it is that I would probably start letting him stay up later but I can't because he gets grumpy from waking up too early. I don't even set up an alarm...Vance wakes me up almost every school day. Not like he wakes me up because he is loud. He actually comes into my room and tells me it's time to wake up. LOL!
Vance loves food. He is a foodie at heart. He loves typical kid food like pizza and whatever but he also loves more "adult" cuisine too. He truly appreciates when I cook a more gourmet meal and he loves to try new restaurants. A little tangent - his face also gets so messy when he eats. Sometimes I'm actually impressed by how he can take what you think would be a mess-free meal and some how be wearing it all over his face and clothes.
He loves to play outside. He is past the age of really playing with any type of toys so either he is doing something outside or doing electronic inside. He will ride his go carts, throw a baseball, practice soccer, etc.
Vance's favorite thing to do is help Chad with a project. It doesn't matter what Chad is doing, Vance is usually happy to help. I think he will definitely be handy when he is older. I also like the time spent doing projects together will be memories they hold dear to their heart over the years.
He is so messy and disorganized. He isn't even aware of the messes he makes. As a mom it gets pretty frustrating. However, Chad has some of those same tendencies so I have better learned how to find the humor in the situation.
Vance has a real enthusiasm for life. He is happy and excited about most things and his positive attitude is infectious. He loves to try new things and even if it kinda sucks he usually just shrugs it off and moves on. It is one of his best traits.
I almost ALWAYS have to remind him to brush his teeth. I will have a party when I can go even just a week without having to remind him.
Vance is really getting talented at the piano. I have tried to play more myself so he can see the joy that can come from playing. I have also tried giving him more current songs that are on the radio and that he can sing to. He has a pretty good voice and enjoys singing so that has helped. He still puts up a pretty good fight about piano lessons every 6 weeks but I'm not giving in.
He falls all the time. The boy is a little bit of a klutz. I would've thought he would've grown out of that by now but apparently not. I think it stems from not being aware of his surroundings because he is coordinated. It's a weird balance to be a coordinated klutz.
Vance loves sports. He still loves to play lots of different sports and is getting better and better at all of them. I wouldn't say he is ever the standout player but he holds his own and always gets plenty of playing time. I absolutely love to cheer him on.
He is really involved at school. He does student council, honor choir, and jumps at any opportunity to get involved. He reminds me of myself in that way.
Vance does great at school. He is a naturally smart boy who also works hard. I'm proud of his outstanding grades but even more proud of the kind words his teachers all have to say about his character. They say he goes out of his way to be inclusive and is so patient when helping others.
He is getting into baking and cooking. He likes to watch various shows on the Food Network channel and has been asking to cook with me lately. He seems to really enjoy baking but has started helping me cook one dinner a week too. I hope as he gets better and better in the kitchen that I can pass on my tips and tricks to him. Maybe one day I won't be the one making cinnamon rolls and cookies ;)
Vance always wants me to tuck him into bed at night. It's kind of our thing. He likes to visit for a minute and then I'll usually tickle his back or face. Every once in awhile he will still ask me to sing but usually we turn on music. It's easy to feel too busy to do that but I try really hard to stop what I'm doing and tuck him in.
Vance is an amazing older brother. He is so sweet with Sutton. It really is adorable to watch. He and Keller kind of went through a phase where Vance felt excluded because Keller and Sutton liked to play together all of the time. We tried to do our best as parents to provide opportunities for only Keller and Vance to have fun and it seems to have paid off. They have found some things they enjoy doing too. Vance and Keller have more of a friendship and Vance and Sutton have more of a protective big brother takes care of little brother relationship. Both are so sweet and I'm so grateful for the example Vance sets for his little brothers.
Vance always wear shorts. The boys have to wear uniforms to school and he doesn't even own pants anymore because I got sick of buying them. Even when it is 30 degrees he is happy to wear shorts with a sweatshirt. I think his body just runs warm. When he sleeps, he will usually sleep in his underwear with the fan on high and still may sweat.
The last thing I'll say is Vance is really becoming a friend. It's the most awesome thing and such a pleasant surprise because I didn't expect to feel that way for a few more years. I genuinely enjoy our one-on-one time on an adult level. We can have real conversations. We can play games we both like. We can eat good food or watch shows we both enjoy. I feel like we have entered a new phase of parenting and it is so great!
Love you Vance!
