Overdue Post #4: Marielle's New Do

Overdue Post #3: Morning Nap Unnoticed

So a few weekends ago on a Sunday we were hanging around the house, getting ready to eat breakfast. Viv got Marielle's meal made while I played with Harper. Harper had already had her morning bottle so she was happy. Well, she should have been. Despite having had the bottle, she was quite the crank while I was playing with her. Once Marielle was eating, I figured I try placing Harper in the exersaucer for a change of scenery and then proceeded to help in the kitchen so that Viv and I could eat.

We sat down and began eating our breakfast. We then realized we were experiencing one of those quiet moments. You all know what moments I'm talking about. They're not so much the, "everything's quite, this is so relaxing" kind of moment, but rather the, "what are the kids up up to" kind of moment. We've all had them before.

Well, as we came to this realization, and looked around the room we found this:



Yes, our cranky daughter went ahead and laid herself down for a nap. Does this make us "not the parents of the year?"

Overdue Post #2: Fashion Show

Each year we attend the Asian and Pacific American Bar Association Dinner. The dinner honors Minoru Yasui, an attorney known for defending the rights of Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during World War II and later for his community service in the Denver Area. Each year the dinner includes entertainment in the form of cultural singing or dancing. This year, they held a fashion show featuring traditional attire of different Asian and Pacific cultures. Marielle participated and got to wear her hanbok which is a traditional Korean Dress.

Overdue Post #1: Easter Recap

We spent Easter at Viv's parent's house. I think it snowed that weekend, but now I can't remember for sure. I guess a benefit of blogging right away would be remembering those sorts of details, but oh well. We spent the morning doing what we all like best - hanging out with family. After breakfast, the girls discovered that a bunny had left little eggs and gifts hidden throughout the basement. It was Harper's first Easter and she was just getting the hang of crawling. She had quite a bit of fun scooting around, trying to get from item to item. On more than one occasion, Marielle took it upon herself to find Harper's eggs for her.

The two of them had a lot of fun. It was a nice, easy going day.

Build-a-Bear Finale to a Week of Birthday Extravaganza

Marielle had her birthday party at Build-A-Bear two weekends ago. Sorry for the delays. Marc's been slow to download pictures. In traditional Barrios style we arrived a few minutes late. We didn’t stress about it too much though because almost everyone else was running late too and it was Marielle’s party so we figured they couldn’t start with out her.

The Build-A-Bear party was a lot of fun, even in spite of the Build-A-Bear employee who kept checking with us every thirty seconds to see if all the children were there yet. Seriously, do the Build-A-Bear employees get paid by the number of children they push through the store?

Anyway, I thought it was cute to see all the kids pick out their bears and participate in the “building” process. Marielle got a black bear, Alex got a dog that he named Gus, Colin got a black bear, Ethan got a Koala Bear, and Isabelle got a pink bear. After they picked their bears they moved to the stuffing machine where they each got two hearts for the bears. One heart each of the kids kissed, made a wish with, and then gave it to Marielle to put in her bear. So Marielle’s bear has six hearts, which I thought was pretty cool.

The kids’ least favorite part of the process was the stuffing machine. It was loud and I don’t think the kids were impressed that to stuff your bear you had to stab it in the back, arms, legs, and head with a cylinder that pushed stuffing into it.


After stuffing the kids groomed the bears and then got to pick out an outfit. I was sure that Marielle was going to pick out a princess outfit for her bear, but when we asked Marielle what she wanted she said “Spiderman!” I asked her if she wanted the Spiderman pajamas for the bear or the costume, she said she wanted the costume. Marc and I thought it was hilarious that out of all the outfits she had to choose from she picked the Spiderman costume. In hindsight I do find it fitting that she choose a superhero outfit for her bear since he has six hearts. You’ve got to think that someone with six hearts could do some pretty impressive things.


After Build-A-Bear we went to California Pizza Kitchen for some pizza and cupcakes. It was nice to get together with such a great group of parents and kids and just talk over some pizza and cupcakes. Marielle got some pretty fun gifts, puzzles, dress-up outfits, a book, and some games. All in all it was a fun day and we are glad that Marielle had some great people to share it with.


The bear theme was continued over to cupcakes and a cake. Marielle was uber-excited to see Lola on her cake as well.

Like Her Dad, She Can Crash Anywhere

Viv has a follow up birthday post planned, but it's still a day or two out. You all (the Nine) can chew on this though. It happened about two weeks ago...

We had kind of a late night coming back from my Parents house after my Mom watched the girls one day. Combined with little to no nap that day, Marielle was exhausted. When I got her out of the car and stood her up in the garage to head for the door, she staggered sideways and almost ate it into the side of the toolbox. I proceeded to let her into the house, sat Harper inside the door, and went to get the last few things from the car. I came back to find this ...



Yes, that is Marielle using Harper as a pillow and makeshift bed. Harper thought it was hilarious.

Getting Used to Her Crib

Several weeks ago we had to move Harper from the co-sleeper in our bedroom into the crib in Ellie's, and now Ellie and Harper's, room. It was a bit of a sad event mainly because it means that Harper's stint at our bedside was significantly shorter than Marielle's. However, it couldn't be helped because the driving factor was the fact that Harper really didn't fit in the co-sleeper anymore. The two weeks leading up to our decision had been filled with restless nights where we kept finding Harper at odds with her tiny confines; she would spend the night pressing against the co-sleeper's wall with her arms and head. Now that she's in the crib, we've really gotten to see what a roly poly she is, as evidenced by the photos below.



We didn't think it was possible to have a child that could be a more restless sleeper than Marielle. The difference between the two of them and there constant movement, however, is that Marielle does it without waking herself up whereas Harper constantly wakes herself up. At the beginning, when they first started sharing the room, we would go up to settle Harper after she would wake up screaming and you'd find Ellie in her bed, covered with her comforter, and arm waving in the air in that sort of, "no, no, no,..." fashion. It was quite dramatic.

Marielle Turns 3

Marielle turned three this week, and although we have had a fairly low-key celebration thus far, this coming weekend should be a lot of fun with a birthday party and a family get together planned.

We spent the weekend at my parents house and headed over to Alex's birthday party on Sunday. He turned three two days after Marielle. We had a great time and love getting invited to their family gatherings. We opted to spend Sunday night at my parents' house and headed in to work Monday morning from there after giving Marielle a happy birthday wakeup call. She had Happy Birthday sung to her straight away and got to eat cupcakes for breakfast! That evening we had cake and opened presents. A few weeks ago, Vivian asked Marielle what she wanted for her birthday, and she said, "shoes." I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that minutes earlier Vivian had been struggling to get Marielle's foot into the Nikes she got back in October. Needless to say, Marielle did get shoes. In fact, three pairs of shoes. Her Nikes had held up pretty well, so she got a new pair of sneaks as well as sandals from them and she got a new pair of Keens. I'm partial to the Keens because I picked them out (they are BA), but all are cute (note: If Viv had written this post, the Nikes would have a link instead of the Keens). By now you all know that infant/kid shoes are our guilty pleasure despite the fact that they typically get outgrown before getting worn out.

Marielle also got some new puzzles and games, but the gift Viv and I were most excited about was the digital camera we got her. It's pink, it's ruggedized, it's for kids, and it deserves a future post unto itself because watching Ellie stand shooting pictures is the cutest thing ever.



We'll follow up this weekend with a summary of the remaining birthday festivities and I promise that that post won't be merely an account of gifts like this one became.

Backsacksack

I can’t keep track of all the funny things Marielle says these days. I thought I would do a blog that went through a few of my recent favorites so I could always remember them. First, Marielle has made up her own word:

Backsacksack

Marielle uses it in so many contexts that I can’t figure out what the word means or how it is supposed to be used. Marielle will say, “oh, I am sooooo backsacksack,” or “do you want to go backsacksack,” or “that backsacksack is so funny.” Marielle has also come up with new sayings I have never heard of. The other day we were out for Uncle Ryan’s birthday and I took Marielle to the potty. Usually, when I take her and she doesn’t have to go, she shakes her head and says, “nothing.” The night of Ryan’s birthday I took Marielle to the potty and when she didn’t do anything she said,

“nothing but ice.”

I asked her to repeat what she said so I could be sure, and she said it again, “nothing but ice.” When I asked her what it meant, she said she didn’t know and then gave me a look of major attitude like “why are you asking me?”

Today Marielle kept repeating over and over and over,

“I farted in my pants. I farted in my pants.”

I don’t know who taught her that one, but thanks whoever you are.

Marielle also likes to tell us to speak to her nicer. When we are upset at her and are using a stern voice she usually rolls her eyes (yes I know she is going to be a fun teenager) and tells us,

“don’t talk to me that way,” 

or 

“why are you talking to me like that?”

Marc’s favorite from Christmas is that Marielle would take wrapping paper and swing it around all crazy and say,

“what is going on with this thing?”

Like the wrapping paper was moving on its own even though Marielle was totally in control of it. I know there are more sayings like “F'ing Bees”, but I can’t remember them all right now.

Oh, I have a new one to add. She just asked Marc, “Dad, is Harper happy or is she pissed?” Great.

Genetically Engineered Fruit?

Target is selling these fruit called Pummelos, and they are as big as Marielle's head. They look like grapefruit, but they're scary-big!

Marielle's been Naming Things

This is the owl on Marielle's PJ's. She named him Todd.

The Butterfly Pavilion is for Adults ...

and people who like the inferno of a tropical rainforest. This past Sunday, Viv attended a baby shower for a coworker and friend, and while she was out, I thought I'd take the girls to the Butterfly Pavilion. It's only five minutes from the house, yet we've never gone with the girls before. I managed to get pictures of the girls and pictures of the butterflies, but none with both. Here are some of the butterflies.

Despite having been to the Pavilion myself, I completely forgot about how hot it was inside. We've had these annoying wind gusts of doom (no, I’m not being dramatic) here for the better part of a week, so I had Marielle in a jacket and Harper in a fleece onesie and blanket. As we walked into the main greenhouse, I realized how unnecessary such clothing is in butterfly country. After shedding a few layers, we spent a good hour and a half walking through the exhibit.

Marielle spent a combined minute and a half switching between observing butterflies and running from them in terror. I was just happy that she didn't step on the one that was "blocking" her way on the path (I don't think they let you come back if that happens). She liked watching them fly around from a distance. Here's Marielle using her binoculars to see the butterflies. Harper was completely enthralled with her view skyward from the stroller. She spent the whole outing content to watch the butterflies floating above her head. Although Marielle and Harper had fun, I'd say that adults probably enjoy the place more. They certainly outnumbered the kids last Sunday. The vast majority, myself included, toted around cameras trying to catch shots of the colorful insects. There were fewer really spectacular butterflies to really capture kids' attention. There were, however, two little footbridges near one of the water features that Marielle thought were the highlight of the outing. We spent a lot of time crossing back and forth over the bridges. She would pretend that they were part of a boat dock and that crossing them would, “take us to Minnie [Mouse]’s boat.” She has quite the imagination. We also saw turtles, koi, and a white-faced tortoise.

When I noticed the sun glinting off of the sweat beads on Harper’s head, I decided that it was time to go. If you look closely you can see them in the pictures.

Not So Little Anymore

We've gotten plenty of comments over the months about how big our little one is. We totally agree when compared to Ellie at that age, but being in the 60th percentile is hardly ginormous (<----one of Viv's favorite words). I'm starting to see her "bigness" more these days, but not in the same sense. It's more that she's been doing bigger girl (baby would be more appropriate) things. She's gotten really good at rolling over which is partly due to her Opa who cuts her no slack on the tummy time front. Meaning that if she doesn't roll to her back herself, she stays on her tummy. She's also began sitting really well. She can hold her balance for a pretty long time, which allowed me to snap these shots, but she still needs supervision otherwise she's destined to take a pretty good digger. She loves being plopped in front of Sophie. She will play with Sophie's nose, tries to grab her lips, and dodges Sophie's kisses. Inevitably, Sophie lands a few good licks which Harper instantly laughs about.

She also continues to enjoying eating things other than formula although feeding herself is obviously a skill we won't start working on for a while. I gave her this spoon to play with after a meal.

Our New Computer's Self Portrait

This blog entry is hardly noteworthy to most because no matter what computer we use in the Barrios household, the posts look the same and are just as infrequent. But, I can assure you all that somewhere Steve Jobs is wringing his hands and laughing maniacally. I suppose PC (the friend in Okinawa, not the guy in the Apple commercials) might be doing the same as he's been trying to convert us to a Mac for years. And in case you are wondering: yes, the image is a self portrait, which Viv was rather annoyed with since I had to borrow the mirror from our living room to take it.

So far, we've had a lot of fun playing around with it. We've done some video chat with Lisa and Nathan, distorted Marielle's face with the Photo Booth filters, and used Harper's voice and Garage Band to make whale song recordings. Viv checked her email... twice.

I'm not sure that you could call us full converts. For day to day stuff, I wouldn't say the Mac does things any better than a Windows PC. However, it does look better doing it. The interface is just plain sexy.

PC, I'll leave the floor open for you, and I expect many pro Apple comments to follow ;)

Rice...check, Green Veggies...check, Other Veggies...check, on to Fruit

Last month we started introducing "solid" foods to Harper. We started with the obligatory rice cereal and quickly moved on to green veggies. Which makes me raise the question:

Does anyone make rice cereal a part of their kid's menu for more than a few days?

Everyone, please weigh in. With Marielle and now Harper, Viv and I have really only used rice cereal to test the waters regarding our kids' readiness to move past milk. The stuff has almost no taste, so we say, "why not move on to the real deal?" If you guys are all in agreement, my next question is: why does rice cereal come in such a big box??? Marielle barely made a dent in the box we fed her, and our current box is no different. Hell, if I were a bit more gutsy about expiration dates, I would've held onto that first box for Harper to maybe finish off. But, I digress.

We lingered on green beans for awhile because Harper really seemed to dig them. Her current favorite is sweet potatoes. And, apparently, she also likes bread. Yes, I said bread. It was given to her by some mystery person, but Viv and I have our suspicions. Not something we had scheduled to introduce her to quite yet, but not quite as big a leap as Nathan's first PB&J.

Green-eyed Girl and All Smiles

So we've tried not to be too quick to pass judgment, but, at this point we think it's safe to say that Harper has green eyes. Yes, despite the multitude of brown eyes in both of our families, Vivian's Dad's and my Mom's European genes have prevailed against all odds. They are not a definitive green but more of a green-hazel, and, for a long time it was hard to tell for certain that they would stay so light. Here's the best photo to date that even kind of captures their color. Also, check out her infectious smile and hungry caterpillar. The Hungry Caterpillar, from the book by the same name, has been a hit since its Christmas arrival (thanks Ryan and Jossie).

Also, It was a White Christmas

For those of you who make up The Nine, and haven't been to Colorado, you may not realize that we aren't up to our hips in snow all winter long. We get good snowfalls but we also have lots of freakishly warm days throughout the winter (ssshhhh, don't tell the Californians). Of late, most Christmas Days have been fairly mild and snowless (snowless is not a word). I'm sure Al Gore has a theory on this although in all likelihood it's because Colorado resides in a semi-arid climate. Anyway, this year, we were thrilled to have snow!

These photos are from two days after Christmas and you can see that the bitter cold helped keep the snow around for quite some time. We didn't linger outside for more than a few minutes because it was really cold. It was long enough however to see the Post Office upholding their creed, which according to Wikipedia is fake, and to help Marielle make a mini snowman.