The Bahn Family 2.0!

I'm back! I've taken a bit of a break from the blogging world, okay, like 2 years or so, but I'm back to start updating on the happenings of my newest little love, Harper Ann Bahn! Oh how this girl melts my heart! I blogged my sweet Avery's first two years, and made them into the coolest book for her, so I promised myself I would do the same with Harper. It has been very cool to go back and look up posts from Avery when she was the same age Harper is, to look at milestones, compare photos, etc. It's the best baby book ever!! You can check out our old blog at: The Three Bahns. I will do my best to not let her fall victim to the dreaded "second child syndrome". If you couple that with the "photographer's child syndrome" this poor thing will never have any memories of her early years of life! I'm about 4 1/2 months behind, so I have some catching up to do! I'm going to go back and blog her first 4 months, but also try to keep up with where she is right now. I figure 4 1/2 months behind is better than 2 years behind right?? She is growing up tooo fast for me, so I must.get.started!!! The difference this time around is that my sweet girl has a big sister, and we can't leave her out, so I will be keeping up with her happenings too. So I guess Harper's book will have some extra sister stuff in it too. So hear we go...the world of my girls, with a little bit of the two of us mixed in as well!! :)

Happy 4th Birthday Avery Lou!

Happy Birthday Big Girl! You are the one who made me a mama. You are the one who made me realize just how wonderful life can be. I love you with all that I am. You are my sparkle and my shine...my whole world. I love you! Full Birthday post to come, but for now, here are some cell snaps of your birthday night! I'm terrible that I didn't have my camera out tonight. Avery has her party in a few days, and I promise, I will take lots of pics! Tonight she had her choice of whatever she wanted to do. She chose to go to eat at The Fishtale! She loves that restaraunt because she likes the canoes! :) It was also Harper's first trip out to eat! All went well and we had a blast. When we came home, Nana and Papa came over and you opened presents, and we had our homemade cake. It was a perfect night, but I can't wait for her party on Saturday!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! It was Harper's first Halloween..and tomorrow my big girl will be 4!! What?!!! How on EARTH did that happen??? While I'm not a huge Halloween lover, it holds a special place in my heart because that was the day I that I sort of went into labor with Avery :) I didn't really realize at the time it was labor, but low and behold...2 days later she was born!! Anyway, I decided not to subject Harper to shoving her in some uncomfortable outfit that she couldn't move in. Avery and I found a super cute little kitty onesie with a cute hat a few months ago while we were shopping, so I've had that stashed away. She didn't go trick or treating with her big sister this year, but Avery did have a little Halloween celebration Friday night at her school, so Harper went to that with us. It was our first big outing since she was born really. I had her wrapped up close to me in my Moby wrap and she mostly slept, so all was good! No germs go to my girl!

Avery played games, and even got to dance, so she was pumped! Avery decided that she wanted to be a bride this year. Seems fitting, since my girl is obsessed with all things wedding right now! She was very particular about her costume though. It had to sparkle, not have sleeves, and touch the floor! I was already to order the Cinderella dress from the Disney store, but thank goodness I showed her first, as it didn't touch the floor. So...I scored a cheap flower girl dress online, and it is PERFECT!! My girls loves it. I love watching her light up when she puts it on. Though each time she does, I flash forward to what her real wedding might be like someday! Hopefully she's getting all of her bridezilla tendencies out now! Anyway, it was a good Halloween. Cullen took Avery out last night, and then they came home and we all ventured over to Nana and Papa's, and that was that! Happy Halloween 2011!

Our little bride

Our sweet little kitty..all wore out!

Lou's First School Picture!

Just had to share this because it is too cute not to! Avery had her first school picture ever! We talked about it beforehand, I kind of filled her in on what she could expect. She was pretty excited. I told her just to smile her best! I was so anxious to see what it would come out like, as her "say cheese" smile these days is pretty funny. She came home from school that day and said, "Mom, they only took one picture of me!" I guess she's used to her mama's photo sessions. She couldn't believe she was 1 and done! Here it is! Pretty darn cute if you ask me!

First Bath!

Harper's little cord stump has taken FOREVER to fall off! I photograph a lot of newborn babies, and nearly all of them have lost their cord stump by 2 weeks, but this little chick's has hung on forever. FINALLY...it came off and we got to have her first bath! She actually didn't mind it. She totally made the facial expression/hand gestures I remember from Avery's first bath, but once she figured out what was going on, she was pretty content! Nothing like that fresh from bath, sweet, snuggly baby! Also, her hair is still super dark and a little curly when it's fresh out of the bath, which is so crazy, as Cullen and I both have stick straight. It will be interesting to see if it stays that way or what. It has no curl though once it's dry, so who knows!

Harper's Nursery

Part of my favorite times of getting ready for my sweet little ones to come into the world, is planning their space. I am not the best decorator in the world, but I've loved putting together my girls' rooms. They are my two favorite rooms in the whole house! I didn't want to reuse Avery's crib bedding, as I loved it so much, I got the same big girl bedding for her. I wanted Harper's space to be her own. I've always loved the pink and brown combo. Cullen had been wanting to try a chair rail in some room for awhile, and I thought this might be the perfect opportunity with the pink and brown. After the Ace Hardware guy tried to sway me in my paint decisions, I'm so glad I stayed strong. He told me that this was a really light pink, nearly white, and a very dark brown, and kept asking if I was sure. I was, and it is perfect! I found the most adorable bedding at Pottery Barn Kids with little birdies on it, and knew it was perfect. After that, I was off! I found the perfect birdie artwork that matched her bedding on etsy, bought some cute white frames to match, and those got hung above her crib. I also found some paper lanterns online that I hung (okay, Cullen hung) in the corner, and it's the perfect accent. Then I ordered some Organic Bloom frames that I was in LOVE with! I hung them right away, but had to wait for her perfect newborn pictures to go in them...which turned out perfectly! We used the same rocker from Avery, but found the perfect pink and white polka dot accent pillow at HomeGoods, as well as the pink lamp, and voila...perfect nursery complete! I LOVE LOVE this space! This was an extra guest room before, that really just had the door shut most often. I love that it is now the coziest, most perfect space for my littlest love! I love snuggling her up in this space!

Harper's Nursery with finished pictures in the frames and the correct colors! :)

Cell phone snaps (so the color is horrible) of the finished product after Cullen and Papa's Dale's hard work!

Love it!

Avery's 1st Field Trip!

Avery has been a trooper the past few weeks with everything going on. I'm SO thrilled for her to be a big sister, and I know she loves her sister more than anything. Though part of me feels sad for her. Her whole world has just been rocked. With Harper coming a little early, and then back to the hospital for awhile, the poor thing has been bounced around here and there, and has handled it better than I could've ever imagined. Just one more reason why I love this girl so much. She just comes home each day and loves up her sister. She wants to do anything to help, or just play with her. It is my favorite thing to watch..their bond already growing.

Anyway, we have kept her in her routine, with pre-school and Lori's, and that seems to be helping a lot. She has so many friends at Lori's, it's fun for her to go see them each day. This year she started Rainbow Pre-school. She is loving it. She has wonderful teachers, and it's been great for her. She will go next year too, so this was kind of a bonus year. With me being home 6 months of the year though, we were able to sneak her in this year.

About a week after Harper was born, her class had their first field trip...to the Fire Station! They even got to ride the school bus. She was so looking forward to this trip. Since they weren't going far, and it was just a quick trip downtown, they didn't need any chaperones. They did invite any parents who wanted to come along, to meet them at the Fire Station. Since Cullen was still home that week, we took Mrs. Beth up on it, and Avery was so excited to see him down there! They got to tour the fire trucks, see their equipment, and learn about how to be safe in a fire. They even asked if anyone has ever held a tiny baby, and I guess he said you should've seen how quick her hand popped up! That's our proud big sister. Anyway, here are a few cell phone photos Cullen snapped while he was there. I've said it before, and I'll say it again..thank goodness for our cell phone cameras! Though not the best quality, they at least capture the moments for us!

Avery's Pre-School Class

Checking out the hose

Stop, Drop and Roll

The fireman trying on their equipment so the kids wouldn't be scared if they ever saw them..great idea!

Avery checking out the fireman in all his gear

Such a good listener! She's the little one on the left in the pink jacket :)

About a week after this field trip, she got to go on their first BIG field trip to the Lowry Nature Center! Mama was supposed to go as a chaperone, but with Harper coming early, and then being back in the NICU, it didn't work out, so Avery got an even better guest...Nana! They had a BLAST!!!!