The Grand Canyon

The Braun Family went on a family trip to the Grand Canyon over Easter weekend. This was our first big trip with Tess, and she did really well. We woke up early on Friday and hit the airport to start our day of traveling. Tess was pretty excited to get on her first airplane. She looks so big standing at the window by herself. We had two flights and she did well on both of them, only got fussy when she was hungry. We watched Kung Fu Panda on the way there until she fell asleep. She took a pretty good nap and when she woke up it was time to land.

We had a good layover in Phoenix and we found this cool kid place and let her crawl around and get some energy out. When we got on the second flight it was time for her next bottle and her afternoon nap. She slept the entire flight which was only about an hour but it was nice. When we landed we rented a car, had a quick Target pit stop and then headed to the giant hole in the ground.


Once we got there we checked in to the hotel and ventured over to look at the canyon. My mom is afraid of heights so while the rest of us took a little stroll down the canyon she kept Tess and walked her around. There was a 2 hour difference and we were trying to keep her awake till 6 Grand Canyon time which is 8 Houston time. She did good and didn't even try to wake up a 4 the next morning.

Day 2
On our first full day we took the car and drove down Desert View drive and made a couple stops along the way. We took a lot of pictures of the Canyon and even managed some family pictures.














We actually got a couple of good shots of our little family of 3. One of my favorite shots is one where the three of us are looking out into the Canyon.




My mom actually took the picture and did pretty well with us sitting on the edge. Tess wanted to sit on the edge by herself and was pretty happy to be out in the beautiful weather.






At one of the stops my brother and Clayton climbed down a little bit and my brother found a ledge and was able to climb down and act like he had fallen and was struggling to get back up.


My mom was not happy after this picture was taken.








We stopped at the Tusayan Ruins and museums and spent some time walking around looking at the fallen buildings such as storage rooms, living areas, and a kiva. It was a small stop but nice for my mom to be out of the car and not next to a cliff.

My dad held Tess most of the time. They play a little game; try to keep the pen away from Tess. If you know my dad you know that he always has a pen in his front pocket. Well Tess also knows this and every time he holds her she instantly tries to find the pen.

At the end of the day we all went out to a nice dinner and got a quick family picture without any sun glasses.





Day 3

On our last full day we took a couple of tours. While waiting for one of our tours Tess was playing with her Uncle. She has this fascination with glasses and Matt had an extra pair.  She played with them the whole time we were waiting for the bus.


Our tours took us around the other side of the canyon. This road is closed to people during their peak times and therefore if you want to see some of these points you have to get on a tour. We stopped at Hopi point and got out and took some pictures. Our tour guide was very hard to understand so there are probably a lot of interesting things we could have learned about Hopi point but no one could interpret for us.

One of the other places we stopped was hermits rest, a structure that was built in 1914. This building was originally built as a rest area for tourists on coaches that were on their way to Hermit's camp. Hermit's camp is no longer there but the building is still a big stop on the canyon. There is still a hiking trail that goes down to the Colorado River that starts just past hermits rest.


Tess was pretty excited about the bus rides, she didn't have to be in a car seat so she was cool with where ever we went. She was switching seats pretty often and had fun sitting in everyone's lap.





She really wanted to get down and crawl around in the dirt so we tried to at least let her sit whenever we had the opportunity. So here is another picture of little sitting on the canyon edge. The more pictures we took the better she will remember right?



Daddy also had some fun entertaining her at one of the stops. This picture pretty much sums up their relationship. They both have a lot of fun with each other and Clayton likes the fact that she is way more responsive then she was as a little baby.

The Braun sisters had to get a picture where we are actually taller than Matt. There may have been a ledge that we were standing on but the point is that we were taller. There is usually one of these pictures a trip since he was like 10.


After the first tour we went back to the hotel and had quiet time before we went on the sunset tour. Right before we headed out to get on the bus Tess and I took a picture. Good thing I have the pictures to prove I gave birth to her or people would think I am holding someone elses baby.


The sunset tour was nice, the only thing was the sun set a lot later than we thought it was going to. So Mom stayed in the bus with Tess who had fallen asleep. I think they both were a little Grand Canyoned out. It was actually really cold and windy, we tried to get a break from the win but there was no hiding from it. The sunset was awesome, especially seeing all the rocks turn different colors while the sun was setting.

We had a lot of fun and I would call Tess's first trip outside of Texas a great success.

 
  

 
 

9 months down

 I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast. We were running late on her actual 9 month birthday so the only picture we got was one after she had fallen asleep. The next day we tried to get more pictures and as usual we had a difficult time.

 

 
 It was Go Texan day at daycare and she was wearing one of the employee's hat. It's funny how her bib looks like a bandana. They did take western pictures but they didn't let one of the ladies from her room go with her so her pictures did not turn out so well. She looked like she was about to cry in all of the pictures. Needless to say we did not purchase any of those pictures.





Now when she sees a camera she likes to grab for it. So unless she is distracted these are the pictures we have gotten recently.  Even up close she is the cutest baby around.

 

One weekend we went over to Strake because they were having their annual Spring Fling. Tess really wanted to go down the slide so we made Clayton take her down. I think they both had a lot of fun.

 

Tess had a virus this month, her first real fever. Clayton stayed home with her most of the day. The whole time she didn't really act like she was sick. She is supposed to be sick in this video, she is really convincing isn't she.

One morning Tess woke up a little earlier then I was ready for. While I was still getting ready for the day Tess played in Bed while daddy watched ESPN. When I walked back into the room Tess was also watching her morning ESPN. She will love sports one way or another.

Later that day she was waking up from her morning nap and sat up and then I guess realized she was still tired. I looked over at the monitor and saw her back at sleep in a position that did not look very comfortable

While I was taking her 9 month pictures I snapped this picture and my first thought is wow she really is her daddy's baby girl. She looks so much like a Harris in this picture.

One morning while Daddy was sleeping in Tess and I were watching some TV. I took these pictures and I love them because they show her personality. Man I am in so much trouble; she is going to give me a run for my money!

 

Tess found out how fun swings can be. We took her to the park one afternoon and put her in the swing. She loved every minute of it and Clayton and I proceeded to buy her a swing for the backyard. She still loves her swing.

 

Tess also found her feet this month; she started to walk along things. This was the first time we caught her walking along while holding on to the chair. She has gotten pretty good at walking along things. It's going to be no time before she starts to walk on her own.

 

The Eighth Month

This month has been really busy for the Harris household... I can't believe how time is just flying by... people always tell you that it flies by but you never really get it till you are experiencing it!

Hanging out 

Since Tess has been crawling all over the place we bought one of those baby enclosures for the living room since we hadn't baby proofed the house, I am not going to lie we still haven't really baby proofed our house! She usually likes it because she has free reign and can crawl all over without Clayton or I pulling her away from something she shouldn't play with. She started to get her first tooth this month, and actually if she would let me take another picture she actually got her two front bottom teeth at the same time! She had a couple of rough days when those puppies were breaking through but we made it through! This month has been about exploring different foods, this girl loves Puffs! We have to ration her intake because if she has a big pile in front of her she will try to pick up every last one and put them all in her mouth at once! We have almost gone through all the 2nd generation foods, she likes most of them. Currently her favorite flavor is Mac N Cheese; this girl knows what is good! Clayton and I have noticed that Lexi is ready for Tess to play with her. Tess still hasn't mastered throwing the ball to her but she sure does like pulling at her shiny tag!

After work one day while Clayton was working Tess and I were playing in my room, I usually bring her in there with me so I can change and keep an eye on her. As you can see Lexi wasn't fazed because she was focused on her bone. This dog lets this child do anything to her and she doesn't even flinch. Most dogs wouldn't let a child do this let alone let her do this while they are chewing on a bone! I tell Clayton all the time that Lexi's saving grace is how good she is with Tess!

This child is also all over the place, she has mastered the art of crawling! Once she is on the floor she is off and sometimes she is so fast it's hard for us to catch her! She usually has her head down the entire time she is crawling, this had led to a couple of head bumps. But this child rarely gets upset, she will bump her head sit up look at either Clayton or I and if we just smile at her she just smiles and goes on about her business.

I was watching her at daycare one day and she was in the ball pit making her daddy proud, playing with a soccer ball! I think the minute she starts walking he is going to teach her how to kick a soccer ball! 

Speaking of soccer, Clayton plays soccer on Sundays, and if the game is not too early and it's nice outside Tess and I will come and watch him play. She is looking so big with her shoes on. She will watch the game for about 5 minutes and then she is ready to get up and play. We were getting gas on the way home from the game and she needed to be changed so she sat in the front seat, she needs to stop growing up so fast!

We usually try to get out of the house for a couple of hours on the weekends; Tess does a lot better when she is not cooped up in the house all day. We called up the Walkers and headed to their side of town for lunch one Saturday. I love both of these pictures because I can see Tess's personality coming out. She is such a cute baby, but I guess I could be bias!

One night we were trying to entertain Tess before bed and put her in her jumper thing. Well if you know Toby you know that Cat and I taught him how to howl in college. He is pretty good at it and he sounds so sad. Well Tess had never heard him howl so we thought we would see how she would react... well... her reaction was pretty priceless!

My baby girl celebrated her first Valentine's Day this year. We wore pink to daycare and her boyfriend Warren got her a cute little box of chocolates. Apparently it was pretty cute when Warren's mom brought him in and sat him down near Tess so he could give her the box and of course Tess put the box in her mouth instantly.

Museum

One weekend we met up with my parents at the Museum of Natural Science. They re-did a bunch of the exhibits and I wanted to check out all the new stuff. 

Tess loved walking around the exhibits and loved the Butterfly Center. I think my parents also enjoyed spending the day with her! You will have to excuse the hair we were having a very curly day and sometimes her hair gets pretty wild in the Houston weather. I love her hair because I think it fits her personality. Her daddy thinks it needs to be cut but I think that's just because it reminds him of what his hair would be like if he let it grow out!

The exhibits were really cool; I would really recommend taking your little ones to check it out! They have everything laid out perfectly and in a way that tells a story. I still think it's awesome to look at all the bones and imagine what life would be like if they were still around!

We had a lot of fun and will definitely be back as little bit gets older!

Baby Shower

 We went to Dallas for Casey's Baby Shower. Casey is Clint's Wife and Clint is Clayton's second Cousin. Tess was the only baby at the shower and was a huge hit. I had bought her a special dress for the occasion and she had a cute hot pink flower in her hair.

Casey and Clint are both huge fans of the Texas Rangers so I made baby Caroline a Rangers Rag Quilt. The quilt was pretty time consuming especially with a little one running around but I finished it on time! I think it turned out pretty cute! I have some extra fabric so I might make Tess some Rangers burp cloths!

That night we were cleaning up and Tess got a hold of some of the decorations. She loved playing with these paper puffs. She had a blast the rest of the weekend playing with these balls!  

Hockey Game

Tess went to her first hockey game while we were in Dallas. When we first bought the tickets it was an early afternoon game but they changed the time and the game didn't start till 5. If you know our daughter you know she doesn't sleep, she may take two 30 minute naps during the day and by 6 she is usually so tired that she crashes. Well the day we went to the hockey game she didn't take an afternoon 30 minute nap, we thought she would sleep in the car on the way to the game but she had other plans.

We got into the game, walked around a little and then went to our seats. The boys went to the bathroom and Tess got to sit in her own seat for a little while. She wasn't heavy enough so Mona had to keep the seat down for her! She was mesmerized by what was going on down on the ice before the game, she had never seen anything like the Zambonis and she wouldn't take her eyes off the ice even for a picture with her mom! The opening ceremonies started and the game was about to start. Tess was looking down on the ice one minute and the next she had leaned over and was passed out. She slept for probably a good hour. She was then up for the rest of the game and passed out on the way home.

Eight Months

Clayton helped me this time with the pictures and we still didn't get a good one... O well at least we have one! 

Seven Months

Let's just say that taking these pictures on my own is not going to work anymore. We have a lot more out takes then we do good pictures. I really didn't get a picture of her smiling. The one in the middle is the best I could get. 

 

Tess Celebrated her first Christmas this year. Clayton had to work so in the morning I went to my parent's house and for dinner I headed up to the station. She was way more impressed with the boxes and paper then she was with the parents. A couple days after Christmas Clayton's parents came into town and showered baby girl with more presents. I think she had a pretty good first Christmas.

After the Harris Family Christmas Tess spent a couple days up in Dallas. This was very hard on me, I was not prepared to not see her every day but Clayton and I had a good time sleeping in and relaxing around the house. Tess was a hit and had a lot of people come to hang out with her. She spent some time with her great-grandparents and even Kramer was intrigued by her. Don't know how intrigued he will be after she can walk.

Tess received an exersaucer from her grandparents for Christmas. It took her a little while to get used to it but after a couple of days she was spending her time playing. One of Tess's favorite toys is a ball, well Clayton and I found this big version with a little noise rain maker in the middle. She pretty much loves it.

After I had put her down one night I look at the monitor and she looks like she is flying. I took a quick picture and right afterwards she rolled over on her side into her normal position.

My parents bought Clayton and I Texans tickets for my birthday and his Christmas. We had a lot of fun until the end when we lost. Tess stayed with my parents. She was dressed for the occasion but I don't think she could have handled the noise in the stadium.

I will leave you with a milestone video. We had just come home from the grocery store and I had put Tess down in the living room to play with her toys and the dogs. I was helping putting the groceries away when I looked in the living room and I didn't see Tess. I walked around the corner and there she was crawling. I freaked out a little and made Clayton stop putting the groceries away to get a video of our baby girl crawling. 

Half a year...

I can't believe Tess is already 6 months old! She is growing up way to fast! I think she grew a bunch between 5 months and 6 months! She started sitting up more on her own and she started to be a little more mobile.

We did quite a bit this month. We went and watched Daddy play soccer. She definitely found her fingers. The minute she found her two fingers she has really not used a pacifier. Her and I sometimes take crazy pictures and send them to daddy while he is at work! She has continued her quest to grab everything around her, no matter what it is or how hard it is to pull.

She is definitely a girl at heart, we were hanging out and she is already going for the wallet. I am not sure what exactly she was going to spend the money on but she knew she wanted it! Lexi is even looking at her like she is crazy!

Speaking of the dogs they still think they are the center of the universe. I think Lexi loves that Tess goes to bed early so she can get some one on one time with either Clayton or I. She really isn't picky. She also has mastered the pitiful no one plays with me look. Clayton and I tend to get that look quite often. She acts like no one likes her. I also think she is ready for Tess to be old enough to play.

Tess has learned what the iPad is, sometimes on long car rides this is our only saving grace. This will keep her occupied for around 20 minutes. She loves to watch and try to grab her lady bugs. 

The other day while we were at dinner Tess found her toes. She played for a little bit but then became really uninterested and really hasn't played with her toes since. They probably didn't taste that great and are harder to get into her mouth than her fingers.  

She started to be mobile this month. I wouldn't say she was necessarily crawling but she was definitley getting from Point A to Point B. This was just the beginning of her mobility. Every day it seemed like she was getting closer and closer to crawling.

One night before I put her to bed she started playing with her ball. Since then she has done this when she is tired. She tends to get into a rhythm and you have to break her trance before she started. This video is pretty cute.

I will leave you with her first Santa picture. Anadarko throws a really nice children's holiday party and they have a really good Santa and Mrs. Clause that comes to take pictures.

A Day of Thanks...

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and had as much fun as Tess did...

We spent Thanksgiving day with my parents this year. We all wore our texan gear and the game almost gave all of us a heart attack. Glad we were able to pull it out in the end.

5 Months

I am way behind but I am going to try and catch up. It's been pretty busy around the house. Tess is growing like a weed and it seems like she is doing something new each day. This month she started rolling around to get places. She loved to get under cribs. At daycare the ladies said she would get under the crib and act like a little mechanic. We were in Dallas for a weekend and I walked into the room and at first didn't see her, until I looked under the crib. She was having a blast and didn't like that I was taking her away from her big toy. She really started to smile and react to both Clayton and I. She started sitting up a lot better in the bumbo and reached for everything around her. This is when we started to have to clear a circle around her and take away the things she shouldn't play with.

 She started using her walker and loved it. She only moves backwards though. So Clayton and I continuously have to push her forward. She hasn't gotten the hang of the moving forward part because she always drags her feed which makes the whole process a little more difficult. She sometimes gets distracted by the TV. She loves to watch sports.

The Daycare ladies found out it was my birthday and they helped Tess make me a cute little card. It was really cute and made my day!

These monthly pictures are getting harder and harder to take. I think this was the last month that she would actually sit still