Trip to.....see Santa

At Santa's village. Our only Santa picture for 2009

So this past Saturday, Rob and I decided to take Adriana to see Santa. We got to the mall, there was only 4 people in line and was so excited. Come to find out, seeing Santa has gotten way more sophisicated and you now get a time to come back and wait in line. So we really did have an hour wait. And really just got a time to come back and stand in line for another 45 minutes. But it actually worked out and Adriana was great with the waiting.

She was very excited all morning to see Santa and the Elves. She talked and talked and talked about it. She has been telling me for the last week that she wants a fish tank and preceeds to tell me "mommy buy it". So I told her that she needed to ask Santa for a fish tank. So we practiced the entire time we were waiting in line. (and still today when you mention Santa she tells you fish tank...)

Finally it is our time to visit. Santa is ready, Ade is smiling and waves at him. Rob gets near Santa, and the "no santa scary" scream begins. So Rob passes her off to me and I try to just sit by Santa and have her sit with me, no luck. She wanted nothing to do with sitting by him and had a death grip around my neck so there was no setting her down. Once we stopped trying to put her on his lap, she was perfectly content. Santa handed her a lollipop and she said "thank you", gave Santa knuckles and we were out of there.

So no Christmas photo with Santa this year. Not even a screaming child one. :) All day she told us "santa nice. scary", "santa lollipop, santa knuckles". So I guess it wasn't as traumatic as we thought.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time

I love my snowman

Our Countdown to Christmas house (or as we call it, the Christmas counter downer)

Ade received a letter from Santa

It is Christmas time. And that means, a whole of Christmas Cheer here. We kicked off the season by getting Adriana Elmo's Christmas Countdown, which we all have seen too many times to count. The day after Thanksgiving we put up all our Christmas decorations and Adriana had the best time. She carried every ornament over to the tree for daddy to put up. She was very proud when we were done. She loves the Christmas tree. We sit by it every day and look at all the ornaments. We are still working on NOT pulling them off the tree.

We have also introduced Adriana to Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph. Christmas Classics. (can you see a TV theme running through this.....this is what happens when 2 TV junkies have a child) She loves them. She thinks snowmen are very cool so Frosty is the best. In the car she screams for the "snowman song mommy snowman song!" daily.

She is starting to get what it is all about, well the Santa, snowman and present part of it anyway. The rest will come later. And no xmas would be complete without the Elf on the Shelf. Our elf is named Furley and Adriana loves to find him in the morning. (if you don't have one, it is an Elf, Santa's helper, that watches over the house, goes to the North Pole nightly to report to Santa and comes back each morning but always in a different spot of the house. Sometimes our Elf forgets that he already sat somewhere and comes back to that exact same spot....luckily, Adriana isn't old enough to call us out on it) I am not sure who loves it more though, Rob or Adriana. ;)

So far, Adriana's favorite things about Christmas seem to be Santa, snowmen and the Baby Jesus. So really, I think we have it covered. She loves the baby Jesus out of our Nativity set.

We are loving this time with her. She is so much fun and her ability to grasp the things she does amazes me every day. I am a tad bit biased, but I think she is a pretty smart kid.

And more xmas fun to come....zoo lights, visiting Santa, making cookies for Santa, til we finally get to the big day!

Finding Nemo

I found Nemo!!!!!

With cousin, Maddy

Ade, Anna, Sofia, Katherine and Jack

So recently the phenomena that is Nemo took over the Etchepare household. One day, out of the blue, Adriana asked to watch "nemo nemo nemo". I am not sure that we have ever showed it to her but maybe did sometime that I cannot recall. I have the movie so I put it in, and the obsession was born. Adriana has always loved fish and so naturally, this should be her favorite movie. The first week, each time we would leave the house to go to a playdate or to the store, she would cry and cry and tell me "mommy, home I watch Nemo". I had to pretty much keep us out of the house and very busy to calm the yearning. I have said many times that we are going to have to run a Nemo intervention.

It has become a little less obsessive these days, which I am thankful for. Of all kids movies to watch over and over, it is not a bad one, in fact both Rob and I enjoy it.

Above are some pictures of usat the Denver Aquarium (a place we frequent quite often because of previous mentioned fish obsession) recently with some of the Etchepare family and cousins. It took on a whole new meaning as we looked for Dory and Nemo throughout the entire place. As the video shows, finding Dory is just about as exciting as finding Nemo. And Bruce, the shark, was there-an added bonus. For those of you not familiar, Bruce is a shark that has given up fish for food. Somewhere along the way, Adriana has decided that sharks should eat apples. So on any given day, I hear "mommy, bruce hungry. bruce wants apple". I must say, it makes me smile every time.

Happy Halloween

Cutest bee ever (with wings upside down...mommy put them on wrong)

Daddy, get me to the monkeys!

With Dr. Ally

Snow was one of her favorite things at the zoo (could have just went in the backyard)

Happy bee

Halloween glow in the dark pjs, much needed after a long day o' fun

Adriana had a great Halloween! From wearing her costume to hang out with the animals at the zoo to 2 halloween parties, complete with a pinata, (eta mommy, Hit it! was all I heard for a couple hours. And when the candy came out, the excitement! She had so much fun) and ending the day trick or treating with daddy. She loved it. She doesn't really have a concept of candy yet but was so excited to get "prizes" in her halloween bucket. It was a lot of fun.

Harvest farms-pumpkin patch

Hi Chicken

Hanging with Grandma at Bunnyington

My first pig race

Making a plan with dad for the corn maze

"The Silly Goat"

So a couple weeks ago we met some of Rob's family at Harvest Farms. It is a great place with lots of animals and activities for kids as well as a pumpkin patch (although we never quite made it to the actual pumpkin patch).

Needless to say, anything with animals, Ade loves. Nothing is better. She saw cows as we were pulling in and could hardly contain her excitement. She got to see her first pig race, they had "town" for bunnies call Bunnington, plus goats and sheep that you could feed. They also had some chickens running around that Grandma Karen picked up and brought it over for Ade to see. She loved it. Wouldn't touch the chicken but liked to say "hi chicken" and wave. We also got to take our first ride in a barrel train. She had a blast.

Adriana and I went into a pen and fed some goats and sheep. But there was one pesty goat that would not go away and basically got most of our food as his persistence paid off. He even tried to run Adriana over a couple times to get to our grub. I figured this would produce massive amounts of tears but she loved that goat and thought it was funny. She would laugh and call him silly goat.

Adriana also completed her first hay maze. And when I say completed, I mean, she really pretty much did it on her own. She would run through the maze and when she came to a dead end, she would laugh and go the other way. All it took was a little encouragement from Rob and I asking her where to go next and she would grab our hand and take us. It was pretty impressive for a 22 month old.

She still talks about our trip daily. There are lots of discussions in our household that include the "bunny house", the silly goat and grandma chicken, as Karen is now so affectionately known. It was a really fun day.

My snow babies

So we were snowed in today as a big storm has set in over the Denver area. I think snowed in is stretching....but it was nasty enough that I didn't want to go out and drive on the roads with Adriana. Better safe than sorry.

Uncle Chad and Aunt Tara kindly came by and brought us lunch and hung out. We played in the snow and well, both Clyde and Adriana had a ball! Here are some videos of both my kiddos playing in the snow. :)

Barney, oh Barney

So Barney is a new staple in our house. I tried to discourage it but she loves it and loves the kids singing so we gave in. One perk of Barney is that she learns cute songs and we spend our days "re-enacting" the songs and moves. Above is her rendition of the Mr. Golden Sun song.

Color please

Every day Adriana is getting bigger and bigger (no matter how much I try and stop it). Her new "thing" is coloring. She loves to sit at the table and pick her colors and turn the pages to decorate the entire book. There are some true masterpieces already!

She is also very good at bossing you around to color too. We hear lots of "mommy color, mommy color" and "daddy color, daddy color pleeease" in our household these days. But I must admit it is fun. She is so encouraging and will take a serious, long look at what you colored and smile and say "I like it!!" very excitedly. This not only happens when coloring but with everything. I get dressed in the morning and she looks at my shirt and says "I like it!" We go to the store, she finds something and she likes it. It is refreshing. Her happiness with the little things.

Just Dance

Adriana loves to dance. In fact, 2 to 3 times a day she will ask for "muzak" and apple mote (the apple tv has our music on it so we can play it through the tv). Her favorites are Lady GaGa, Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake. She loves to dance and until recently has only had one signature move that is much like a gallop. But she is expanding. Here is a video of her spinning so much she can't stand up. Enjoy!

Elmo's Restaurant

As much as I would have liked to, I wish I could have captured this moment on video because it might lose something in explanation. Ade has an Elmo kitchen that is quite possibly the best thing ever....(I say that a lot I know). She plays with it a lot as it is in the family room on the main floor. It comes complete with Sesame Street money that has Elmo, Cookie, Oscar and Ernie on it. Between Adriana sticking the money down the vents and Clyde eating it, we are down to 1 piece. 1 Cookie money. Adriana spends all day looking for "cooky money mommy". The other day, Rob said something about how I was trying to kill him off for the insurance (just a joke I assure you, I need him around to mow the lawn and pick up dog poop) and I said that's right Ade, for the money? And she said "yea mommy cookie money cookie money". So what is dad worth? 1 piece of cookie money. :)

This restaurant does a lot of talking and singing as any good toy does. This picture was taken when Adriana was singing the Elmo's restaurant song. She knows all the words and stands behind it and shakes her head back and forth as she sings. I will someday catch it in time as it is adorable. There is also a microphone on the cash register so you can yell your order at the cook. Adriana is very good at hitting the button and screaming into it. As if her screams were not loud enough, they are now magnified. I am pretty sure our new neighbors can even hear them. As much as I try to hate this toy, it brings her a lot of happiness so I am trying. :)

I love my pigtails

and my fork. Adriana doesn't have a lot of hair and it is very thin, but she loves pigtails. They are a tad bit thin, but cute all the same. Typically they aren't quite so Pippi Longstocking, but she was having a weird hair day on this day.

It has been a while since I posted and I would like to say it has been because we are so busy and have so much going on. But really, we have just been hanging out and chilling. It has been great. We have been so busy for so long, it has nice to have a couple down weeks before, in October, the busy times start again.

Are you ready for some football?

It is football time again!  And here at the Etchepare's, that means that not a lot will get done on Sunday for the next 4 months.   Most will be spent, in our PJ's or Raiders gear, watching multiple games and checking fantasy football stats.  As you can see, Adriana loves it and fits right in.  She was so excited and so proud to be able to work on her "peuter" like daddy.  It will be a fun season.  

New house, new adventure

So this past week we moved into our new house.    We are all very excited and happy to be moved and somewhat settled.  I will post pictures of the house soon. 

Last week, Adriana's Aunt Corrina came and took her to Cheyenne so Rob and I could concentrate on the move.  She picked her up Wednesday and brought her back Sunday night.  She was gone from us for 5 whole days and 4 nights....this is the longest period of time Adriana has been away from both of us as well as the longest time I have gone without her in the past 20 months.  I was quite worried on how she would react.  She has been pretty mommy attached these days and uneasiness in our house from packing and moving didn't help.   Corrina was very excited to have her as were her cousins, Katherine, Jack and Sofia.   

Adriana did great (or so they tell me).  I think she had some moments but her cousins were so great at distracting her, that they passed quickly.  She had so much fun with the other kids and Aunt "ena" that I am not sure she noticed we weren't around.  It was a great thing for her to do and so great for us as we had a chance to get everything unpacked and together before she came home.  I think that it may have been a lot harder on mommy than her. 

She was really excited when she got home to see her new house and playroom.  In fact, this past week, during the day, she has loved her new home.  But nighttime has been a different story.  There were a lot of screams and tears and nos about sleeping in her new room.  Mommy had to stay with her one night because it was just too much for her.  But luckily after a couple nights, she acclimated and has been happy to be here every since.   We all are settling in nicely, even Clyde.  

Above are some pics of her and her cousins. 

Picking out her own clothes

So a couple weeks ago we decided to let Adriana choose her own outfit.  I think she did a fantastic job!  The use of color and neutrals, different patterns to not keep it boring....I feel we have a future designer on our hands.  

(as you can also see, the battle of mommy vs the pacifier is not really going my way....the pacifier is winning.)

While mommy is away...

bye mommy!

coolest monkey ever

me and dad and a hippo named Bert, he is 53 yrs old

one of the many things dad bought me while mommy was away

painting with Ally

love getting messy

love my water toy, I talk about my "pul" constantly

daddy and Adriana play!   A few weeks ago I went to Vegas for a weekend of r&r and to catch up with my best friend Rachael.  We had a great time and Rob took some time off work and stayed home with Adriana.  They had a blast!  They went to the pottery painting place, the zoo, Rob made homemade finger paint (yes you read that right, he made it himself) and they painted.  He bought her a nice backyard pool for the house.  I am pretty sure they didn't even know I was gone.  :)   

 

4th of July

Happy family photo

With cousin Ally on one of the many sets of stairs in our townhome

Just chilling at the parade

Aunt Tara taught me to put flowers in my hair

All she really wanted at the parade were balloons.  Her cousins got these for her.

I love my balloons

Watching the parade with daddy

Hanging with mom

Getting ready for fireworks-the whole family

Ok, where are they?  We are ready!

Saddest face ever....right before she fell asleep waiting...

So this year for the 4th we decied to get out of town.  We made a last minute trip to Steamboat with my sister and her family and my brother and his wife.   It really turned out to be an awesome trip.  We stayed in a 5 bedroom townhome that was 3 stories tall.  We all had our own floor essentially.  It was nicer than all our houses put together.  We were lucky enough to see Rob's Aunt Toni and Uncle Bill and his cousin Laura and her family.  They have a house in Steamboat and were kind enough to have us all over for dinner.  They were great!  Some of the nicest people you will ever meet.   

We took Adriana to the hot springs, her first parade and her first fireworks show but she didn't quite stay up for it.  The fireworks didn't start until after 10 and she fell asleep between Rob and I about 20 minutes before it started.  We were very very close to them and they were loud and made the entire ground shake.  She didn't move a muscle.  It didn't even phase her.  So she kind of saw her first fireworks.  :)  We learned that all we have done to keep the noise down at our house apparently didn't matter.  She slept through the loudest fireworks any of us have ever heard.

It was a great weekend away from it all.  I am very lucky to have an awesome family and we really do have a lot of fun together.   

Chuck E Cheese

So I knew it would come...I knew that it would happen.   I knew that it was just a matter of time before Chuck E Cheese became a part of our lives.  We went there when we were in Fort Collins with Grandma and Grandpa and well, she loved it.  A lot.    The first 5 minutes we were there, she walked around squealing at all the lights, music and balloons.  

She is a little bit small still to play a lot of the games but really enjoyed helping daddy and mommy win tickets.   She loved it and well, I think some trips to the land of bad pizza and lots of fun are in store for Rob and I.