All I can say is Christmas present unwrapping was crazy this year. Harper was not shy about ripping into every gift bag and pulling out what was inside. Dylan originally told us he wanted everyone to unwrap one present at a time so we could all see what everyone received, that plan soon went by the wayside as soon as he started opening his presents. We all got great stuff as usual and the kids have enjoyed their new toys and activities (thanks to everyone!). (If you click the arrow on the middle left of the photo you can see all our Christmas photos! Lucky you!!)
Showing posts with label Harper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harper. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Church Christmas Program
This has really been Dylan's first year participating in Sunday school and therefore the church kids Christmas Program. He was unsure about participating but after going to a practice he decided he wanted to participate. I understand how he feels. I distinctly remember standing up in front of the church crying (with my mom about 5 feet away in the front row) because I was scared of being in front of so many people. He did great though and had a lot of fun.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Nine months!
It's hard to believe Harper is 9 months old already! She had her check up this morning and is still tipping the scales...20.2 lbs, 75% for weight and 28" tall, 70% for height, she's getting tall!!
She loves watching her big brother and playing with his toys, taking baths and water in general, crawling after the cats, and waking up at 6am or earlier.
We are so lucky to have such a sweet little girl and an almost 5 year old who is enamored with his baby sister.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Sunsphere
Dylan and Harper made their first trip to the sunsphere on Saturday. For those of you not from Knoxville, the sunsphere was built for the 1982 Worlds Fair (it's not a wig shop, for those of you that are Simpsons fans!)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Harpers first visit to the zoo!
Harper was happy to just take it all in! Like most babies she is intrigued by everything around her, the more action the better.
I was able to snap a photo if her by the gold land tortoise, just like I did of Dylan on his first trip to the zoo!
Dylan loves the waterfall at the entrance by the black bear exhibit. (Map in hand, ready to go!)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Happy Easter!
We had a fun Saturday morning going to our churches Easter Egg Hunt. Dylan also played a few games there and decorated a cookie!
We dyed eggs at home yesterday afternoon. I think Dylan could have dyed eggs all day he had so much fun!
We dyed eggs at home yesterday afternoon. I think Dylan could have dyed eggs all day he had so much fun!
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| Hopping and hunting eggs |
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| He got quite the haul of eggs full of candy! |
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| Easter morning before church. |
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| I die, Dylan looks 3x his age here... |
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Sunday, March 17, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Playing catch up
I am way behind in posting. My sister visited in January and I have a great photo of her with Dylan and Harper, but it's on the computer and didn't get uploaded to Flickr so I haven't posted it. Everything seems like that lately, just a little behind.
We have been busy lately, but it seems like it is just with everyday stuff, taking care of the kids, working, running, oh, yes I did say running. I bet you didn't think you would her me say that BOTH of us would be running... this would have been most appropriate for me a few weeks ago...
or maybe this...
Not anymore my friends, I started the couch to 5k program with Fleet Feet last week. I did some run/walks for the week before training started and I think that helped me loosen up because I haven't really been too sore yet. I did my longest run on Sunday, 20 minutes without stopping! It was about 1.2 miles, so not super impressive time wise or even distance, but for me it was huge! I also moved up running groups last night and ran with the run only group instead of the run 2 minutes walk 1 minute group. I actually was sweaty after last nights run (even though it was cold and windy) so I think that is the right group for me. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be considering I don't like running. I do have a bunch of weight I want to loose and running is the best way to do that (along with eating healthier of course) so I am sucking it up. I feel accountable to the group to show up for the runs and do the runs on the days I am not meeting at the store to do the group runs, so I can be ready for the longer distances.
It has been hard for Dave though. Now he is home with the kids two nights a week while I am out running, usually seeing his friends that are still meeting for group runs. He is getting runs in with friends on other days though. However, there is a pub run on Thursday that I am going to and he will be home with the kids. I am pretty sure his worlds are colliding, but he is handling it well. We won't have young kids at home forever, so eventually we will be able to do what we want, when we want.
Harper continues to be adorable. She is so close to rolling over. Although I am secretly dreading it because then she won't be able to sleep swaddled in her sleep sack at night. I am hoping that she will sleep well on her tummy though and start sleeping through the night. Right now she goes to bed at 7pm and usually wakes up once a night, sometimes its 12:30 sometimes is 3, 4 or 5 am. I would like to put her to bed later so we don't get woken up in the middle of the night, but she is just DONE by 6:45 or so.
Dylan will be starting coach pitch baseball in a few weeks. He loves staying home with Dave two days a week. Usually one of those days they will meet me for lunch. They stay busy doing chores around the house, golfing, playing outside and running errands. Dylan is also a great helper with Harper and loves to give her kisses and always makes sure he tells her good night and gives her a kiss. Harper is enamored with Dylan, when she hears him talk she looks at him with huge smiles and just stares. It really is sweet.
Harper's baptism is in a few weeks and we are super excited to have a bunch of family coming in to celebrate with us. What have you been up to?!
We have been busy lately, but it seems like it is just with everyday stuff, taking care of the kids, working, running, oh, yes I did say running. I bet you didn't think you would her me say that BOTH of us would be running... this would have been most appropriate for me a few weeks ago...
or maybe this...
Not anymore my friends, I started the couch to 5k program with Fleet Feet last week. I did some run/walks for the week before training started and I think that helped me loosen up because I haven't really been too sore yet. I did my longest run on Sunday, 20 minutes without stopping! It was about 1.2 miles, so not super impressive time wise or even distance, but for me it was huge! I also moved up running groups last night and ran with the run only group instead of the run 2 minutes walk 1 minute group. I actually was sweaty after last nights run (even though it was cold and windy) so I think that is the right group for me. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be considering I don't like running. I do have a bunch of weight I want to loose and running is the best way to do that (along with eating healthier of course) so I am sucking it up. I feel accountable to the group to show up for the runs and do the runs on the days I am not meeting at the store to do the group runs, so I can be ready for the longer distances.
It has been hard for Dave though. Now he is home with the kids two nights a week while I am out running, usually seeing his friends that are still meeting for group runs. He is getting runs in with friends on other days though. However, there is a pub run on Thursday that I am going to and he will be home with the kids. I am pretty sure his worlds are colliding, but he is handling it well. We won't have young kids at home forever, so eventually we will be able to do what we want, when we want.
Harper continues to be adorable. She is so close to rolling over. Although I am secretly dreading it because then she won't be able to sleep swaddled in her sleep sack at night. I am hoping that she will sleep well on her tummy though and start sleeping through the night. Right now she goes to bed at 7pm and usually wakes up once a night, sometimes its 12:30 sometimes is 3, 4 or 5 am. I would like to put her to bed later so we don't get woken up in the middle of the night, but she is just DONE by 6:45 or so.
Dylan will be starting coach pitch baseball in a few weeks. He loves staying home with Dave two days a week. Usually one of those days they will meet me for lunch. They stay busy doing chores around the house, golfing, playing outside and running errands. Dylan is also a great helper with Harper and loves to give her kisses and always makes sure he tells her good night and gives her a kiss. Harper is enamored with Dylan, when she hears him talk she looks at him with huge smiles and just stares. It really is sweet.
Harper's baptism is in a few weeks and we are super excited to have a bunch of family coming in to celebrate with us. What have you been up to?!
Monday, February 25, 2013
GSMNP
We went up to the mountains a few weeks ago. It was Harper's first trip and from what we could tell she had a great time!
We had planned on having a picnic lunch at the Elkmont Picnic area just outside of Cades Cove, but it was super windy so Dylan and I walked around a little bit before having our picnic in the car.
We saw quite a few deer and turkey when we drove through Cades Cove. Towards the end of the Cove we saw a few males locking antlers over a doe. We also stopped at one of the historic cabins and saw 4 or 5 deer up pretty close. We always make fun of the people who stop at take photos of deer, but this time we were just as bad as everyone else :)
There were a ton of trees down as we drove in on Little River Road,(not really on the road, but on the sides of the road)we have been going up to the mountains every year for the past 7 years we have lived in Tennessee and have never seen so many trees down. I don't know if it was from all of the rain we have been getting or the ice storms we had in January, but there were so many trees down. You can see all of the downed trees in the last pictures on the slideshow.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Big girl!
Harper has out grown the newborn napper in the pack n play! Tonight is her first night in her crib, lets hope she sleeps well!
Dylan had a pretty easy transition to his crib so we are hoping it goes the same way for Harper. Fingers crossed!
Dylan had a pretty easy transition to his crib so we are hoping it goes the same way for Harper. Fingers crossed!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Brenda!
As said in my last post, it was great to have Brenda visit last week. Here are a few of the photos!
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| Brenda, Harper, & Dylan |
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| Harper LOVES to be talked to! |
Friday, January 11, 2013
Helping a new Mom and Dad out
Today marks Harper's first full week at daycare! I actually went back to work on January 2nd, but Dave's cousin Brenda was here last week to watch Harper so she didn't have to start daycare until this week.
It was SO nice to have Brenda here last week. She watched Harper while we were at work (and when we were home!) made us great dinners, did laundry, baked Dylan pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and so many other little things that made our life so much easier last week! We were very sad to see her go back home to her family last Saturday.
Watching all the stuff she was doing got me thinking. How many people know what to really do for people that have just had kids? If you have kids it's easier to know what to do to help parents out, but as your kids get older you might forget how tough (and easy) newborns are. So if you are heading out to visit a friend with a newborn here is my list of helpful things you can do for the parents(some are more applicable if you are staying at their house):
1. Hold the baby while the parents eat and let them eat first. Especially if the mom is breastfeeding the baby, she will be starving and appreciate not having to hold the baby while she is eating. While Harper is a pretty easy baby it always seems that around dinner time she wants someone to hold her, it's nice to be able to eat a hot meal at a normal pace and not have to worry about finishing eating in record speed!
2. Leave food for the parents. Brenda left us spaghetti lasagna and an egg casserole to make when she left. All we had to do was bake them. It is so nice to have homemade food that can just be thrown in the oven or reheated after work.
3. Put the baby to bed. Guess what Mom's and Dad's you aren't going to be there to put your kids to be every night! You might as well start letting someone else put your baby to bed. (Unless you are exclusively breastfeeding, then this might be tough...) Brenda put Harper to bed for us and it was awesome. I could go to bed at 9:30 or so and get a decent amount of sleep before Harper would wake up to eat. It was awesome. Why Dave and I didn't do this sooner I don't know.
3a. Wake up with the baby in the morning so the parents can sleep. They have probably been up with the baby off and on during the night. Letting them sleep in and get caught up on sleep is a huge help 4. Help around the house. Fold laundry, wash dishes, empty the dishwasher, sweep the floor it will be appreciated.
4. If you are going to bring the new parents/baby something bring them diapers/wipes/formula. I would rather someone buy me $20 worth of diapers than spend it on flowers. Harper got a lot of Target gift cards for Christmas and we have used them specifically for her diapers, wipes and formula, the gift cards have been a great help.
5. Help refill bottles and change diapers. Another thing I noticed while Brenda was visiting us. If Harper would finish a bottle and want more to drink Brenda would get up and refill the bottle for whomever was feeding Harper. I know it seems like a little thing, but refilling a bottle while holding a baby is a pain, having someone else do it is great. Dave and I are doing this for each other now too.
6. Play with the other kids. Brenda built forts with Dylan, played games with him, got him snacks, made him dinner, and gave him baths. Or she took care of Harper while we took care of Dylan.
7. I had 2 c-sections so I only know about that recovery, here are a few things to help someone who has had a c-section:
Offer to pick up items from the store since the new mom can't drive herself the first few weeks after having a c-section.
Don't underestimate how painful the recovery is, it hurts like hell for the first few weeks at least. It is very difficult to do even simple tasks like emptying the dishwasher. That was most frustrating for me, people underestimating how painful the recovery is. Make sure the person takes their pain medication, you do need to move around after a c-section and the only way you can do that without crying in pain is to take the pain medicine.
8. Watch the baby while the mom/dad sleep. This was a huge help for me too, I napped when Harper napped, but I slept so much better when someone else watched her while I was sleeping.
9. This isn't so much to help the new parents out as it is for the new parents. Don't be afraid to learn new things from your friends/family that visit. It doesn't mean you are a bad parent because your cousin showed you a new and easier way to burp your baby. Be grateful you don't have to spend 20 minutes trying to burp your baby anymore!
10. Don't expect the parents to entertain you, you are there to help them, they have a baby that probably isn't sleeping much and they are probably tired. Don't be high maintenance.
Don't be afraid you are going to step on the parents toes if you help out. Yes, you should probably ask before doing some of these things, but for the most part the parents will be grateful for the help!
Did I miss anything that helped you out as a new parent?
Watching all the stuff she was doing got me thinking. How many people know what to really do for people that have just had kids? If you have kids it's easier to know what to do to help parents out, but as your kids get older you might forget how tough (and easy) newborns are. So if you are heading out to visit a friend with a newborn here is my list of helpful things you can do for the parents(some are more applicable if you are staying at their house):
1. Hold the baby while the parents eat and let them eat first. Especially if the mom is breastfeeding the baby, she will be starving and appreciate not having to hold the baby while she is eating. While Harper is a pretty easy baby it always seems that around dinner time she wants someone to hold her, it's nice to be able to eat a hot meal at a normal pace and not have to worry about finishing eating in record speed!
2. Leave food for the parents. Brenda left us spaghetti lasagna and an egg casserole to make when she left. All we had to do was bake them. It is so nice to have homemade food that can just be thrown in the oven or reheated after work.
3. Put the baby to bed. Guess what Mom's and Dad's you aren't going to be there to put your kids to be every night! You might as well start letting someone else put your baby to bed. (Unless you are exclusively breastfeeding, then this might be tough...) Brenda put Harper to bed for us and it was awesome. I could go to bed at 9:30 or so and get a decent amount of sleep before Harper would wake up to eat. It was awesome. Why Dave and I didn't do this sooner I don't know.
3a. Wake up with the baby in the morning so the parents can sleep. They have probably been up with the baby off and on during the night. Letting them sleep in and get caught up on sleep is a huge help 4. Help around the house. Fold laundry, wash dishes, empty the dishwasher, sweep the floor it will be appreciated.
4. If you are going to bring the new parents/baby something bring them diapers/wipes/formula. I would rather someone buy me $20 worth of diapers than spend it on flowers. Harper got a lot of Target gift cards for Christmas and we have used them specifically for her diapers, wipes and formula, the gift cards have been a great help.
5. Help refill bottles and change diapers. Another thing I noticed while Brenda was visiting us. If Harper would finish a bottle and want more to drink Brenda would get up and refill the bottle for whomever was feeding Harper. I know it seems like a little thing, but refilling a bottle while holding a baby is a pain, having someone else do it is great. Dave and I are doing this for each other now too.
6. Play with the other kids. Brenda built forts with Dylan, played games with him, got him snacks, made him dinner, and gave him baths. Or she took care of Harper while we took care of Dylan.
7. I had 2 c-sections so I only know about that recovery, here are a few things to help someone who has had a c-section:
Offer to pick up items from the store since the new mom can't drive herself the first few weeks after having a c-section.
Don't underestimate how painful the recovery is, it hurts like hell for the first few weeks at least. It is very difficult to do even simple tasks like emptying the dishwasher. That was most frustrating for me, people underestimating how painful the recovery is. Make sure the person takes their pain medication, you do need to move around after a c-section and the only way you can do that without crying in pain is to take the pain medicine.
8. Watch the baby while the mom/dad sleep. This was a huge help for me too, I napped when Harper napped, but I slept so much better when someone else watched her while I was sleeping.
9. This isn't so much to help the new parents out as it is for the new parents. Don't be afraid to learn new things from your friends/family that visit. It doesn't mean you are a bad parent because your cousin showed you a new and easier way to burp your baby. Be grateful you don't have to spend 20 minutes trying to burp your baby anymore!
10. Don't expect the parents to entertain you, you are there to help them, they have a baby that probably isn't sleeping much and they are probably tired. Don't be high maintenance.
Don't be afraid you are going to step on the parents toes if you help out. Yes, you should probably ask before doing some of these things, but for the most part the parents will be grateful for the help!
Did I miss anything that helped you out as a new parent?
Monday, January 7, 2013
Boring Dad
I told Dave he should tell Harper about his day and this is what happened...
Now we know an easy way to put her to sleep!
Now we know an easy way to put her to sleep!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Santa!
Dylan was so excited to go see Santa today. We went to the Shops at Franklin Square's Annual Christmas Festival to see Santa. It was a great event, they had crafts for the kids, a bounce house, carolers and of course, Santa! Dylan told him his very long Christmas list. Harper slept through the whole thing, but we did manage to get photos of both of them visiting Santa!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Harper!
She's here!
Harper Elizabeth Vannier
November 2, 2012
12:39pm
7.5 lbs
20"
We made it home from the hospital on Monday afternoon. Dylan has been a great big brother, helping out when he can. He loves to "pet" her head and sings Rock-a-bye Baby to her when she cries.
My recovery is going well. I think I only have another night or two of sleeping in the recliner!
I know everyone says all babies are different and Harper and Dylan are certainly proving that true. While Dylan stuck to the same eating schedule for two months (every two hours, it was awful). Harper eats every 3 or 4 hours and then will some times eat every hour. She sleeps pretty well and we are hoping that will continue to improve!
We have had a few visitors since we have been home and Dave was lucky enough to be able to stay home for a week after Harper arrived and Grandma Carolyn has been here since before we went to the hospital. She has been a great help taking care of Dylan, taking him to gymnastics, school and other activities. My mom will be here next week and say for a week and then my dad will be here in December. We are also excited to have Dave's cousin Brenda coming to stay with us the first week I go back to work in January!
If you haven't stopped by to visit and want to let us know! We love having visitors!
Here is a slideshow of photos from the past week.
Harper Elizabeth Vannier
November 2, 2012
12:39pm
7.5 lbs
20"
We made it home from the hospital on Monday afternoon. Dylan has been a great big brother, helping out when he can. He loves to "pet" her head and sings Rock-a-bye Baby to her when she cries.
My recovery is going well. I think I only have another night or two of sleeping in the recliner!
I know everyone says all babies are different and Harper and Dylan are certainly proving that true. While Dylan stuck to the same eating schedule for two months (every two hours, it was awful). Harper eats every 3 or 4 hours and then will some times eat every hour. She sleeps pretty well and we are hoping that will continue to improve!
We have had a few visitors since we have been home and Dave was lucky enough to be able to stay home for a week after Harper arrived and Grandma Carolyn has been here since before we went to the hospital. She has been a great help taking care of Dylan, taking him to gymnastics, school and other activities. My mom will be here next week and say for a week and then my dad will be here in December. We are also excited to have Dave's cousin Brenda coming to stay with us the first week I go back to work in January!
If you haven't stopped by to visit and want to let us know! We love having visitors!
Here is a slideshow of photos from the past week.
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