Mommy's Helper

I've been praying that Karis will have a servants heart since I knew that I was pregnant.  It's my and Mike's desire that our kids will be loving, kind, and helpful to others -  among lots of other things.  This week I got to see my prayer for Karis start to take action.  She's REALLY mobile now, and is following me all over the place.  It was so sweet to see that she takes such joy in trying to help mommy.  I'm going to continue to pray that she has a servants heart, and I'm super excited to see how the Lord answers it!  Here are some pictures from the last week of Karis being a helper.


She helped Mommy cook, and even practiced some taste testing!  I know that soon we'll be making some scrumptious meals together!

She even helped unload and reload the dishwasher.

The next day Karis helped me reorganize my shoes.

At the end of the week when Mommy was tired, she "read" Mommy some of her favorite stories.   She's already a great reader!  They were full of expression.  One went something like this:  "ba ba bababa!  dada da!  Baby!  baba  ba  Mama!"  It was great! 

New Food & a Visit from the Grandparents

This week Karis tried some bananas.  She absolutely LOVED them!  She was too cute when she ate them.  With EVERY bite she would say "mmm", "mmm"!  It was hilarious. She even starts to wine and cry when her bowl is empty.  I hope that she continues to love fruit that much!   

My parents came to visit for a few days this last week also.  It was a really quick trip, but I'm so glad that they got to come down.  It was a lot of fun to spend some time with them.  We haven't seen them since Christmas, so a visit was long overdue! 

Mike and I both had school during the day, so we didn't see them all that much.  But, I don't think that was their plan anyway.  :)  They kept Karis at home and spent some time with her.  I know that she had a great time with them.  She's been babbling a lot lately and it sounds like she's saying "Papa".  My dad is so excited!  I guess he did rub off on her!  The picture above is of Karis shopping with her Grandma.  She loves shopping!  Thanks Grandma for the new outfits!

Here are some other pics of this week.  She's growing so fast and changing so much from week to week! I can't believe how fast time is going by.  It seems like yesterday that she was born!  I guess time flies by when you're having fun!  & We have a TON of fun!!! 

New pics from this past week. . .

Avocado Please!

This week we started Karis on solid foods.  She was way more ready than I was.  I finally gave in when Mike pointed out that she was salivating all over herself and following the food from our plates to our mouths.  I feel like such a nerd; I got so emotional when she took her first bite.  (Mike made fun of me for
crying.)  My little baby is getting bigger all of the time!

We decided to skip the grainy cereals altogether and go on with the fruits and veggies.  I've been trying to study up on what to feed her first.  I'm sure that I made it so much harder than it should be, but I really wanted to make the right choice.  I read several books and looked on tons of websites.  I finally decided on avocados.  They're full of nutrients and fats that her body needs.  I also decided to make her food instead of buying the jars from the store.  (I know, I'm kind of a hippy that way!)  We have a Vita-Mix machine and it has come in really handy!  It makes the perfect puree!  We definately scored!  Karis seems to really LOVE her avocados and gets so excited every night when its time to eat them.

Here is an awesome website for feed your baby solids if you're in the same boat I was or just want some good recipes.  http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Snow Day Fun!

We had a snow day on Friday due to 12 inches of snow. So, we spent our day relaxing and playing dress up thanks to Aunt Colleen and Uncle Dustin. The out fit was too cute! Thank you!!!

1/2 Birthday!

Karis turned 6 months old yesterday! How time flies by!! She's rolling around everywhere and is sitting up pretty much on her own. I'm so blessed to have such a joyful, happy, and healthy baby!

It's Snowing!

Love this Age!

Karis is almost 6 months old and I LOVE this age! She's so much more expressive and is starting to get more mobile everyday. She is also becoming very loving, which is awesome. She is such a 'cuddle bug'! One thing that she has been doing for the past few weeks now is giving me those open mouthed, slobbery kisses. I LOVE THEM!!! (even if my face gets slimmed and I have to towel off my cheek afterwards :) ) I almost cried the first time she did it. Her kisses are just so sweet! Her daddy was a little jealous when he saw her do it for the first time. But, since then she's given Daddy a kiss or two. It's so sweet to see her with Mike. He just melts every time she gives him a smooch or a big toothless smile! He's so wrapped! Karis is also teething right now. So far she hasn't been too bad. We've only had one sleepless night over the gums hurting. So, keep me in your prayers and pray that Karis' tooth will pop out soon!

Our Sweet Pea

Here are more pics of Karis from her photo shoot with Ginny in November. These are from Ginny's website http://www.graceglimpses.com/.

2 Months, a Job, and a Full Night's Sleep

Karis is two months old! She's changing ad growing so much! Last Thursday night she slept all night long! I never thought that a full night's sleep would feel so good!

I had to start back to work last Tuesday. It was so hard going back! I started crying about it about two weeks before I had to actually go back, and the night before I bawled and bawled! Leaving Karis at the daycare was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do!

I really enjoy all of the people I work with, but if I had the choice to stay at home with Karis, I would jump on it! I do have to say, though, that I have been extremely blessed with the most awesome co-workers. Everyone is so understanding and uplifting! They've been a huge help! I also get to keep Karis on campus at the daycare at my school. It's really nice because I still get to go and nurse her and hold her on my breaks. I also prayed and prayed that Karis would have a good teacher, and I got what I prayed for! Ms. Debbie is so kind and she just loves on the babies like they were her own. Here's a picture of Karis getting ready to go to school.
My parents came through two weekends in a row to visit. It was so good to see them! I really miss my family, and I wish that we lived closer so we could hang out more. Karis just loves her grandparents! Of course they spoil her silly by the time they leave. :) I was also able to get caught up on my housework thanks to my mom! She helped me a ton this past weekend! I finally got caught up so hopefully keeping it clean won't be so hard now that I'm back at work.

Whew! - 1 Month Already!!!

Karis is already 1 month old! Time has really flown by! She has been such a joy & a blessing; a lot of work too!I apologize for not posting sooner. I feel like such a bad mom! The surgery, along with adjusting to having a newborn, was a little harder to handle than I imagined. I guess I'm not superwoman after all!

Here are some pics of her from the past few weeks.

The past few weeks we haven't done a whole lot: eat, sleep, change diapers, repeat. We did get to go to Amarillo for a quick trip. And - we started walking this week. We've also tried to get Karis on a good nap & feeding schedule. If you haven't read the book Baby Wise, I would highly recommend it. I think that this schedule that I got from the book is going to work out pretty good. I'll let you know here in a couple weeks.

Little Karis is getting more and more of a personality every day. She's pretty much a happy baby, except when she's tired or has a gassy tummy. I love the fact that she smiles a lot already! (She even smiles in her sleep.) Here's a picture of what I woke up to one morning last week. I was awake; Karis is still asleep. Isn't that just precious!

Introducing. . . . .Karis Brionne Vennell!

After much anticipation & 20 hours of labor plus a c-section she's finally here! We proudly introduce the most beautiful baby girl ever, born on August 3, 2009, Karis Brionne - 7lbs. 1 oz. - 19 inches long.

We're all doing good, but are still resting and recouping. We have tons of pics to share, so there'll be much more to come! Thank you for all your prayers! Mike & Leslie