Trip to Louisville

So this past week Adriana and I set out to Louisville, KY to visit Rachael and Nathan.  We had a really great time.  It was nice to get to hang out with Rachael and I haven't seen Nathan since he was 3 months old...and he is now 2.  (I am a horrible friend)  Nathan is such a sweet boy and he was so nice to Adriana the entire time we were there.  He shared his toys and was great at letting me know if she was doing okay or asleep when we were in the car.  Each morning he would come looking for "baby ona".   We had a lot of fun and it made me wish even more so that Rachael and I lived in the same place.  We just have to get one of our husbands to agree to move. :)  (For those of you who may not know, Rachael and I have grown up together and been the best of friends since 5th grade.  We even have pictures of us in preschool playing together.  We were definitely meant to be lifelong best friends.  We haven't lived in the same place for a lot of that time but have always found ways to visit each other and talk in some way daily)

It was my first trip on a plane with just Adriana and I.  No Rob to help or hold her when I got nervous on the flight.  I have to say Adriana did beautifully.  She was happy and only threw a minor fit during our 9 hour travel days and 2 flights a day to get there and home.  I got more comments on what a happy and active baby she was.   She and I met a lot of great and helpful people during our trip.  

Adriana tried a lot of new things when we were there.  Lots of new food (it is a benefit of having a friend with a 2 year old to tell you what they tried and worked well, it was great!  We discovered a lot of things I was nervous to give her but finally did with Rachael's encouragement)   Adriana also tried a swing for the first time.  She loved it.   The above pictures of are of her swinging and then we had a pool party in Rachael's backyard (diapers required, clothes optional).  

All and all it was a great trip.  Many thanks to Rachael and Nathan for letting us crash their house for a week.  

Are you ready for some football?

So the first Sunday of regular season football is a big deal in the Etchepare house.  Rob waits all year long for football to start.  Needless to say Football season is his favorite season of the year.  Watching all the games on Direct TV Sunday Ticket, checking our fantasy stats every 5 minutes on the laptop and staying in our pj's all day has become a tradition.  We are very excited for Adriana to join in.  

Above daddy and baby are ready for the first Raiders game on Monday night football....can you tell they are related?  (The pink shirt is from Sunday, black outfit Monday, it is a two day Raider event....)

For the love of Elmo

So for a while now, we have known that Adriana is a fan of Elmo.  She loves her stuffed Elmo and her Elmo phone.  She even stops what she is doing if he is on the TV.  But this last weekend it all the sudden turned into Elmo-mania at the Etchepare's.   For some reason, her love of Elmo went to all new levels.   She literally screams in delight when she sees Elmo or hears him.  Now, I thought kids didn't start liking Elmo until they were a little older, but I guess I was wrong.

This weekend we went to Cheyenne and visited Uncle John and Aunt Corrina.  We talked about her love and they pulled out Chicken Dance Elmo and Elmo TMZ.  Adriana went nuts.  She loved it so much they sent them home with us.  She goes absolutely crazy when TMZ Elmo starts laughing.  I don't think I quite captured the excitement in the pictures but some are above.  I have to hide Elmo in the back of the toy bin because if she sees him, we have to get him out.  Mommy sometimes needs a little Elmo break...

Day at the Park with my buddy Liam

Seriously, how cute are they?

Butterfly Pavilion

So to continue our week of fun things to do, Rob and I took Adriana to the Butterfly Pavilion.  Now I realize she is a tad young for it, but one of her favorite things is trees and leaves and so really she loved it.  Couldn't care less about the butterflies but the fish and tropical rainforest was great.  We spent most of the time trying to get her not to pull the leaves of the plants by the big signs that say "do not touch".  She didn't really care for the warning.....  

Tonight we are taking her to her first Broncos game.  We are meeting Grandpa John and Grandma Karen there so it should be fun.  As much as I would like to have her first game be a Raiders game, we won't be in Oakland anytime soon and I would never subject my child to Bronco fans at a Raiders game in Denver.  Rob and I stopped going a few years ago the harassment was so bad.  And something tells me that they wouldn't stop even if we had a baby with us....(sorry Bronco fans but you know it is true, I know it is our fault for being Raiders fans in Bronco country) So maybe in a few years, we will take her to Oakland.  It is still scary but at least we are wearing the same colors as the scary guys.:)

   

Vacation at the Hot Springs

So this week Rob is taking a much needed vacation from work.  We decided to get out of town for a few days and just have some family time without any stresses from home.  We went to Glenwood Springs.  It was a lot of fun.  The hot springs pool is gigantic and warm and we all loved it.  It was really relaxing and a nice getaway.  We did a lot of swimming, a lot of walking around the town and a lot of chill-laxin!

Adriana liked the pool. She loves the water.  We bought her a floatie to sit in and she loved that.  Being led around the pool while sitting back is just her style.  When we were in the kids pool and got to the depth where she can touch with her feet, she stood up and immediately took off walking in the water.  She was so excited she could do it.  She really wants to take off walking and tries to whenever she has the opportunity.   I don't know that she can handle being immobile on her own for much longer.  Sheer determination might get her moving sooner rather than later. 

Above are some pictures of her in the water and some with us.  The one in the robe is after we got back from the pool.  Like any diva, Adriana really enjoyed sitting in her robe and relaxing after a long swim.

My Fort

So the other day I went to get ready and gave Adriana to Rob and they decided to build a toy fort around her.  She loved it.  As you can tell in our house, dad is the fun guy!  Mom makes me eat, sleep, change my clothes.  Daddy equals fun!