Back again:)

April 8... my last post was april 8th.
I had an almost 3 year old and a 2 month old baby boy.
Absolutely crazy how fast time has passed!

Tonight I'm sitting on the couch admiring our Christmas tree, and although I could not be more excited for Christmas with my two adorable kiddos, I'm getting so depressed knowing what's around the corner.... Come January I will be planning a birthday party for my baby: ( I remember getting ready for Emma's first birthday and feeling nothing but pure excitement to continue watching our little girl grow and learn. Now I know how quickly it really happens and I'm desperately searching for a way to freeze Eddie at this exact age....

He is the happiest, cutest, silliest, most ornery little boy:) There's no way I could love him more. He is a true blessing to our family.

And my little girl is growing like crazy too! I can't believe how tall she has gotten the past few months. She is so smart and a crazy memory! She is a very sweet little girl with a lot of fire in her!:) Her blonde curls amaze me and her love for music, dance, animals, and people make me excited to see what her future holds.

I have continued my career as a hairstylist-

now at Shear Genius in Pella. I'm loving the environment and having so much fun:) There have been lots of new opportunities and new friends.

RJ is still at Vermeer, but has changed jobs and departments. He now works in training and development and is doing so well! Lots of new and exciting opportunities for him as well! We are looking forward to our first trip together since having kiddos in February:)

I know I haven't covered much in this post but it's a start on getting caught up again;-)

Happy holidays and good night from the Van Dyke's!!!!!

Where Have I been?

Oh, that's right:

Taking care of these 2 beautiful babes:)

I truly feel so blessed to be there mommy and there are moments when I just can't believe they're mine and that God has entrusted them to us to care for and raise! 

Emma Rae is in a tough place right now; learning to share mommy, learning patience, being careful around baby, being QUIET so baby brother can sleep, etc. It has not been an easy transition, but I am pleased to say that we are figuring it out! She is learning and Mommy is finding ways to spend special time with her. (As well as how to fix a meal for a near 3 year old while feeding an infant;) And the spring weather is giving this Mama a much needed boost!

Eddison James is growing like CRAZY!! He sleeps generally 7 hours at night with a couple 8-9 hour nights every so often so we are proud....and thankful:) He is very much like his sister in that he mostly likes little cat naps during the day, but every couple days I get a good long morning nap which gives me time to get things done around the house and give Em some undivided attention. He is starting to jabber and coo so much and it melts my heart! He has incredibly infectious smiles, and the most adorable double chin;)

The other day I was recalling the slight anxiety I felt right before he was born and knowing just how full my heart felt with the love I had for my daughter; I wondered if it were truly possible for me to love another little human quite as much....

And after a quick, intense labor and a rough delivery; they laid this little boy on my chest and......

......he peed all over me....

:)

But seriously, I cannot even describe with words the way my heart literally felt like it would burst out of my chest. I felt my heart was beating outside of my body in the eyes of our little boy. And I've never questioned my ability to love since. 

I have the 2 sweetest kids in the world and during the hardest of days, God gives me a moment...one of my baby boys smiles or a "You're the best, Mom," from my dear daughter and I'm reminded of the huge way that I have been blessed. 

RJ is wonderful and I am so loving watching him with our son. He is so smitten with his little boy and their bond is one that I cannot wait to watch as it continues to grow. RJ has been a huge help to me and is pretty quick to offer me a break while I take a walk, go get groceries, or maybe even just a shower:) He's a great daddy and an awesome husband and I couldn't do any of this without him!

Now for a few more pictures and then I'm going to go try and grab some rest since both kiddos are in bed;) Night all!!!

He is here!

BAby boy is finally here! And 10 days old already!

Eddison James was born on Saturday morning January 26th at 8:45 am. He weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20 1/4 in long looking perfect!
His arrival was quick and "intense" to say the least, and he is threw us for a loop right away arriving sunny side up! Needless to say, mommy was very sore but very happy:)

Emma was thrilled to meet her baby brother and loves him so much! She's constantly wanting to touch, kiss, pet, and hug him and is adjusting pretty well.

Eddie does a lot of eating and sleeping at this point but we are excited to get to know our little man's personality more as he grows:)

A Waiting Game...

Well, we have reached THAT point where we now just wait for baby!
Crib is up!
Clothes/blankets are washed!
Room is set up!
Bottles/supplies cleaned!
Bassinet/swing/bouncer up!
Big Sister gift is purchased! and
Bags are packed!
Mom has reached 38 weeks, worn out from nesting, and has maxed out her maternity clothes:)
WE ARE READY!

Well as ready as we will ever be for our lives to change forever I suppose...
Emma tells about everyone she sees that she's having a little brother soon, and her little face lit up when I came home from my last Dr's appointment and told her that the doctor said he is big and strong and ready to meet us soon! She has loved helping prep the nursery and baby things and I hope her eagerness to be such a big helper continue once he is here.

The holidays were good to us and we enjoyed all of our family time very much. Emma was spoiled like crazy as you can only imagine and a few big hits/favorites this year for her were her VeggieTales cd/karaoke player, her Doc McStuffins puzzles, and many new books and legos. She will have plenty to keep her busy when mommy is busy with baby brother, let's just hope she transitions well to playing by herself more:)
Daddy was excited to get his new garage door openers, his Whirlypop, and some new Lynnville-Sully gear. (It was time this Carroll boy started sporting some L-S Hawk apparel:)
And Mommy was pleased as punch with her new storage ottoman, cowboy boots, and bathrobe.

But alas, the tree and decorations are down, and it's now the middle of January (the slowest month of the year)! Just a couple more weeks and our wait will be over!!!