Barnes Blog

Milk

2012-02-14T03:05:00.005-07:00

I do not like UHT milk it tastes like the milk is burned or has turned to cheese. But something vile has definitely been done to it. UHT milk seems to be popular here. The stores are full of it. I was frustrated with this and decided to ask Erka (Our driver and expert in all things Mongolia) if he knew where to get good milk. He was so excited that I wanted "real" milk that he showed up to work the next day with 4 liters of milk in an "I love New York" bag. Evidently the word "yyc", pronounced like the "os" in Joseph means milk. And there are milk shops situated throughout UB. He proudly handed me the bag and proclaimed that the cow had been milked ten minutes ago. That's when it dawned on me that this was completely unpasteurized milk.

I was worried about trying it because I am pregnant... so I decided to just have a small taste for the sake of it. At first it tasted great in my mouth. But the longer that I had it in my mouth the longer that IT TASTED LIKE GRASS! Alex tried it and loved it. He thinks Mongolia has the best sunrises (Pollution turns the sky bright orange in the mornings.) and now the best milk. He can't get enough of it. When Patrick came home from work he tried it. He scrunched up his nose and declared, "it tastes like manure..." the jury is still out as to whether or not we will get this for cooking and Alex. But in the last four days Alex has had 1.5 liters by himself and he is not ill... yet. So now I am wondering, I don't like fresh milk, I don't like UHT milk... Do I like milk?

Red or Blue

2012-02-10T01:21:00.005-07:00

Today my Mongolian tour guide (really our driver Erka) took us to try on the traditional Mongolian costume, called a deel. They were beautiful. The Mongolian new year is almost here and everyone will be wearing one. I am trying to decide do I like red or blue better. Alex will not try one on. He insists it is a dress! But they are required to be worn at his school during the week of the new year... this could get interesting.

My hat had a cool blue silk top thing. I was hoping you could see it better in this shot. I love how the try on belt was a lovely shocking yellow/green color. I learned to two things about deels. First they are uncomfortably warm to wear inside, and secondly they are NOT slimming. Oh well, with those two things in mind, I still would love to get one.

Indoor Activities

2012-02-09T01:10:00.003-07:00

I read a interest article on activities to do with children indoor. It was a list of 75 things but some of the article's activities were redundant and many were "girly"... i.e.) Alex isn't interested in playing dress up or playing with dolls. So I thought that maybe I could get some help and get a list going of as many indoor activities as we could come up with. Some of the activities might be too young for Alex, but they might be helpful to someone who reads this blog... so don't hesitate to add any ideas.

I have a bunch of scrabble tiles and had Alex put together words using the tiles.
Recently we put socks into a ball and had an indoor sock fight.
We took an umbrella in the shower and a super bouncy ball.
We cook... a lot.
Play with dried beans and measuring cups to learn to measure amounts.
Read books
We used the Nike fit Training Center app to make a "gym" Alex was my trainer.

If you have any other ideas please comment and I can add them to the list.

Cheetos

2012-02-05T00:46:00.004-07:00

Catherine was concerned that we couldn't get Cheetos in Mongolia. Don't worry we have Cheetos.

If it is -22 or colder you can make your own snow

2012-01-31T01:45:00.003-07:00

2011-01 Making Snow by patriciabarnes

Chilllllllin' in Mongolia

2012-01-29T07:36:00.006-07:00

Yes it is cold here. But in general it's not that bad. There is a saying here that once you get to ten degrees below zero it all feels about the same. And in general I agree with this statement. Is it strange that we are hoping that the temperature reaches -50... just so that we can say that we lived in -50 degree weather. We are embracing the cold and taking it in stride. The first day we got here I was embarrassed because we walked outside with Winter boots, face masks, full length down coats, ski hats and gloves... while the guy walking next to me on the street was wearing an open sports coat no hat or gloves. Since then I have come to terms with the fact that Mongolians are way, way tougher than me. Since then I have learned that the number of layers I need to wear depends on how far I am walking outside. The longer I am out, the more layers I need to wear. Sometimes this backfires. For example, tonight we planned on having transport drive us to a restaurant for dinner. I wore a dress and left with out a hat, scarf or gloves. When the restaurant was closed... we drove to another restaurant which was walking distance from our hotel. After dinner we ended up walking back to the hotel-outside with no gloves or hats and Alex had no snow pants.

We came up with a solution. Patrick could wear Alex inside his coat to keep the little dude extra warm. (the temp was -30) One thing I have learned for certain... wet hair no matter how sunny it is outside... freezes instantly. So, I try now not to go out until my hair is dry. Thank goodness for short hair. Another thing I learned: it is cold in Ulaanbaatar... but when it is windy... you can actually feel the cells freezing on your forehead one by one... and you can feel the cold seeping through your ski hat. When it is really cold and you walk inside your clothes actually act to insulate the cold in... so I take off my jacket and hat as quickly as possible. And then I don't go back outside until it isn't windy anymore.

One comment about bags... I have new found sympathy for Corey and Alisa when they moved to the UK... they had what seemed like a million bags... well... I have to say it is weird writing on a customs form, "we are entering the country with 12 bags (plus my purse)"

It's Official... We're moving to Mongolia.

2011-12-13T15:10:00.002-07:00

Seriously! This country is roughly the size of Alaska, and has an average Winter temperature of -20 (-13F). We're moving in January and we'll be there for six months!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:33:00.002-07:00

Reverence

2011-11-14T23:01:00.002-07:00

Alex gave a talk in his Sunday school class last Sunday. I helped him write it. But I tried to make him write it as much as possible. So I asked him leading questions and at the end I added a scriptural reference.

Reverence is when you sit quietly while a person talks in the microphone. Its important because if you are loud and crazy than the person next to you, in back of you or in front of you can't hear and can't feel the spirit. It is really important to be reverent during the sacrament. During the sacrament I think about Jesus. I am quiet so people can remember their baptism promises. When I am baptized I will quietly remember my baptism promises during the sacrament. Joseph Smith said, "As I pondered over these things which are written the eyes if my understanding were opened, and the spirit of the Lord rested upon me." Doctrine and Covenants 138:11) I can be like Joseph Smith. If I reverently think about Jesus, I can feel the Holy Ghost. I believe in God and in his son Jesus. I know Jesus loves us.

Halloween

2011-10-31T09:12:00.000-06:00

Mongolia

2011-09-22T23:17:00.003-06:00

Patrick has traveled to Mongolia a lot lately for work. In September he had to go for a three week long trip. I joined him for a week and a half. We stayed in Ulaanbaatar. He worked all day and I cruised around the city getting to know the culture and trying to read street signs. On the weekend we stayed in a ger (Mongolian term for a yurt) camp. It was cold!

The countryside wasn't what I expected. It reminded me of parts of Idaho. I thought it was funny that I traveled all that way to go to Idaho which is a short drive from Salt Lake City.

We rode some camels that were randomly by the side of the road.

This vulture was only six months old. This family let people play with their birds they had two eagles and a vulture. The eagle was traditionally used for hunting.

A December Post

2011-01-31T10:31:00.005-07:00

Patrick went on a business trip to New York in December. He did a lot of work and saw a lot of our friends. He took pictures of our friends, but I didn't know if they wanted pictures of themselves up on the net... Especially because a lot of those pictures were taken in the freezing cold with red faces and drippy noses. So I am just putting up shots of New York.

Alex's school had a Christmas program.

After a candy opening frenzy we watched "How to Train Your Dragon." Our remote has been missing for two months, and our dvd player won't work without a remote. We gave it to him for Christmas and it is the only movie we have that plays automatically. Its nice when things work out like that. (We have since replaced the remote.)

The most important part of Christmas is celebrating the birth of the Savior. On Christmas Eve we read scriptures about the nativity and set up a stable scene. This year Alex included a Christmas snake in the scene. After we read we think of gifts that we can give the Savior. We then light a candle and sing Happy Birthday.

I just want to say on this last day of January... Merry Christmas!

Blackberries

2010-08-11T01:03:00.005-06:00

We are moving to Great Grandma Bertha's house to help take care of it. The other day Alex discovered overgrown Black berry bushes hanging over the fence. The result has been three days of scrapes, cuts and scratches. Sarah, my friend and raspberry expert, helped me trim them back and we got about a gallon of blackberries. My half of the berries quickly became pie and jam. We'll have to see what became of Sarah's half.

While we were working we found peas which had died on the vine... oh well better luck next year. We also found apricots grapes and pears, not yet ripe. My Grandpa has been gone for seven years, and his garden is completely overgrown. There are trash trees and waist high grasses, roses gone wild and Iris spreading into the grass. Finding this fruit has been like discovering treasures that my Grandpa has left for me. Thank you Grandpa! Oh, and Dad, thanks for letting me borrow the pie plates!

Back to school, back to school...

2010-05-20T13:13:00.004-06:00

That's right, I am back at the U as a chemistry major. When I was a kid my mom took this picture every year. I had Patrick take it in honor of her. I was on my way to Math 1050.

Alex wishing me luck!

One of the best things to come out of our Kitchen

2010-05-13T10:36:00.005-06:00

I am not much of a baker, but some mornings I just can't help myself. This morning we had Raspberry and cream scones with Maple Glaze. And I am not certain but it may be one of the best things to come out of our kitchen. Maybe because I made the recipe up, or maybe because I just love raspberries.

i l,ike sconesds! ( Alex typed that last line, he wanted to "bwog", so I told him what letters to push.)

Scone Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, grated on a box grater or cut into small pieces

Glaze ingredients: (to make glaze just whisk this stuff together)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup real, pure maple syrup

Directions: Makes 12 Scones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Grease baking sheet with olive oil using a paper towel. you could also use crisco or line the pan with a silpat or parchment paper.

Stir the eggs and cream together and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl. Using a box grater, quickly grate the butter until all is shredded and add to the dry ingredients, using your fingers to quickly incorporate the butter and flour mixture. If you don’t have a box grater, you can also simply cut butter into the flour mixture using two knives, until the butter is in small pea sized chunks and evenly distributed into the flour.

Pour the egg and cream over the flour mixture and knead with your hands just until the dough comes together. It will be pretty sticky.Then gently fold in the berries.

Gather handfuls of dough and make fist sized balls. Then put them on your greased pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until their tops are golden brown and your house smells good. Move them to a rack, and drizzle glaze over the top. The hotter the scones are when you put the glaze on the thinner that the glaze will be. After you have glazed them you could sprinkle some oats over the top for a garnish.

Nutrition info: Makes 12 servings, Per serving: 354 calories, 15g total fat (43% saturated), 6g protein, 50g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 56mg cholesterol, 316mg sodium

Toast and Jam

2010-05-03T17:24:00.002-06:00

Last Monday we came home to discover that our Araucana Chicken Cazuella had broken her neck. So we went to IFA and got two more Araucana chickens. Jam is good by herself. Toast can't stand to be more than a foot away from Jam. If Toast had her way the two of them would always be snuggling.

Meet the Girls

2010-04-16T10:02:00.009-06:00

So, I have been growing an herb garden in my apartment. It is going to do wonders for my cooking my basil is enormous. Every once in a while I will walk over and pull off a leaf and snitch dill, oregano, basil, mint or chives. There is nothing like the freshest of the fresh food. This has got me thinking. I have decided to grow heirloom tomatoes, maybe some carrots and peas in the apartment as well. I have made my own butter, ricotta and yogurt. I got a dehydrator and have been using fruit to make granola using maple syrup from the trees in my aunts backyard. Lately have been exploring the possibilities of cooking with fresh buttermilk. This is better than the farmers market, this is instantly fresh food, this is my food. I feel ownership over its creative processes. Lately I have tried to make everything that can be made possible be made from scratch all our bread, noodles to tortillas, yogurt and some simple cheeses. And I often have thoughts like wouldn't it be cool to have grown these black beans which are in my quesadilla? Or how strong would a fresh picked onion taste in this salsa along side home grown cilantro? One question in particular has been nagging me. What would a fresh egg be like. A really, really fresh organic egg? An then it hit me. We NEED chickens. mmmmm.... imagine newly created hours before breakfast. Now that could be one amazing omelet. I researched chickens and have been reading all about them while Patrick was at work. Then last Wednesday I confided in him my secret desire to have chickens. His response... We live in an apartment, where would they go? I had two ideas move... this idea was out of the question, or keep them on the balcony... also out of the question. I was discouraged then Patrick said sarcastically, "All you need to do is convince someone to raise the chickens for us." He thought it was a joke, but I called my sister. At first she was hesitant, but her husband actually seemed to think raising chickens in their backyard wasn't a big deal.

Last Friday I had a cold and was at the pharmacy buying cold remedy stuff when I ran into my dad on the way out. This resulted in eating lunch together. I explained to him my chicken idea, no you don't need a rooster for them to lay, they lay at around 20 weeks old, they can eat your table scraps, and when they quit laying tada! Barbecue chicken for dinner, yada, yada, yada. Then we talked about other things. 3 hours later I got a voice message from my mom. "Patricia, I really need to talk to you dad is buying chickens? we are at the store we need to know which breed is best call me back." Evidently my dad (the man from whom I got my foodie tendencies) thought chickens were an excellent idea and went that day to purchase 6 Rhode Island Reds... that's right 6 chickens!

Several days later Catherine, Mike and I had a chicken meeting where we discussed different breeds of chicken and decided on four breeds. Monday we bought the chicks and brought them home to our apartment where they live in a box... atleast for now until they get too big and then they will move to my sisters backyard.

Meet our girls:

This is Meatball. She is a Buff Orpington, she will most likely be our biggest chicken... right now she is our smallest.

This is Coco. Catherine named her after Coco Chanel. I call her Cuckoo because she is a Cuckoo Maran and will lay dark brown eggs.

This is Cuisine Mary. She is a Black Sexlink- a hybrid most likely between a Rhode Island Red and Barred Rock. She is the oldest... and suprisingly seems to be the last of the pecking order.

Last but at the top of the pecking order- meet Cazuela, named for a Chilean meat stew. She is an Araucana which is a Chilean breed of chicken. I thought we should have named her Psycho or Spaz because she runs around in circles all the time... not the brightest bulb in the box.

And these are my dad's chickens with names like: Constance, Phyllis, Edna, Birdie, and Wanda.

D.C

2010-03-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Of course Froggy went with us to D.C.

All those amazing museums you hear about in DC. Guess what they are FREE!!! Upon recommendation we went to the Air and Space museum. It was so incredible. There was some kind of flying machine everywhere you looked.

I couldn't believe how beautiful some of those machines were, let alone their enormous size. Would someone please tell me how they got all those planes, rockets and space shuttles into that building?

So Alex has this thing for Einstien. We went the library a few months ago and he found on the shelf a short biography of Albert Einstein... written for like a 10 year old. Alex loved it and sat through the whole book while I read it to him. So we thought it would be appropriate to take a picture of Alex at the Einstein Memorial.

We visited Bobby's digs while we were there. Bobby is a college friend of Patrick's. He showed us some sites and we caught up with the goings on of his life. One site we saw was the US Navy Memorial, which was amazing. It is on a giant world map. And there are small sculptures of famous moments in Us Naval history. And on the map is the statue of a man with his bags looking out across the world. It was beautifully done.

Baltimore

2010-03-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

Then next stop on Patrick's Business trip was Baltimore Maryland. To be honest there isn't whole lot to see. But a friend gave us a tour of the town and we got to see Johns Hopkins. This is the front of the hospital and the famous Hopkins Dome.

Underneath the dome is a famous replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen's "Christus Consolator." It was made by a danish royal academy of arts professor Stein, out of a single piece of Carrara Marble. It was installed there in 1896 and the original was sculpted in 1820 and stands with corresponding statues of the 12 apostles in Copenhagen's Main Cathedral.

Alex got good at taking photos with our big Nikon camera.

I am posting this picture because I thought it was great. My mom may ask me to take it down at some point. What you see in this picture is my mother. What you don't know is that she is facing a closet in which Alex is hiding and laughing hysterically. Alex thinks she is one of the funniest people ever. She would do anything to make her grandkids happy.

Allentown

2010-03-12T17:07:00.003-07:00

I was born in Allentown PA. We drove through there during our trip to the East. Living there was a pretty miserable experience and I have often been told that the only two redeeming things about Allentown were that 1. I was born there and 2. that is where my mom met her friend... Aunt Lonnie. (Lonnie doesn't live there anymore either.) I have to say, now a days it wouldn't be so bad to live there they have both a Sephora and a Friendly's. So on days when you felt down you could always buy make up and eat more ice cream. I think my mom was seriously offended when she realized that Allentown got a Sephora before Salt Lake City did.

This is the house that my parents brought me to when I came home from the hospital 28 years ago. (Almost exactly... my birthday is in a few days!) It was kind of weird to think that my parents were our age (Patrick and me) when they built this house, and it was their second house! I guess it made me realize that my parents were so much more grown up than we are.

Thanks Mom and Dad for giving Allentown a try. I love Lonnie, and it helped you to be sympathetic to me when I lived in another common wealth and had to deal with weird government... Massachusetts.

New York

2010-03-10T16:46:00.001-07:00

Patrick told us he had a business trip to New York... because of the $10 air fare Alex and I decided to tag along. We flew the red eye. Alex says it wasn't a red eye because he has blue eyes.

Alex was so comfortable in the city. At first he thought we were in Boston. He kept telling us how much he loved Boston and how glad he was to be back... we kept trying to explain that we were in New York City. Now if you ask him where he went on an airplane he will tell you Mexico City... why I have no idea. We learned the the worlds lightest sleeper, can sleep in a subway station under construction, if he is tired enough.

Spring Skiing is here

2010-03-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

Looking for bunnies on the bunny slope

Chili Cook Off!

2010-02-25T17:54:00.002-07:00

We've seen cut outs before, but this time Alex couldn't stop playing with it. He LOVED it. He literally played with it putting his head in and out of it for ten minutes-until I pulled him away, so other kids could have a turn.

Learn A Snowsport Month

2010-02-16T10:16:00.002-07:00

We went with Laura to Solitude. She works for the Salt Lake Visitor's Bureau. She needed to film someone learning to ski and she picked Alex. We had a lot of fun skiing with her, and as it turns out Solitude was a pretty cool place. She made this video for the Salt Lake Visitors Bureau Blog.

Eror Family Ski Day

2010-02-15T15:12:00.001-07:00

Alex and I on Cecret Lift at Alta

Uncle Steve and Carsen

Carsen

Grandma Judy, Alex and Me

Patrick kept Alex entertained and warm in the lodge... it was a really snowy day.

AHHHH... breakfast at the lodge.

Love One Another

2010-02-12T09:28:00.001-07:00

I don't normally include other videos. But, this recently came out on the LDS.org website and I thought that this song was so beautiful. I wish I knew where to get a copy of the sheet music for this.

Tiny Skeleton

2010-02-09T09:53:00.002-07:00

Alex had the same symptoms that I did when I had pneumonia around mid January. The doctor wanted to make sure he had something other than what I had so we took a chest x-ray. He wasn't that sick. But he did throw a huge temper tantrum while having a chest x ray. People walking by the x-ray room were asking me if he had a broken arm he was screaming and crying so loud. Funny thing is now if you were to ask him about the experience he will tell you he went in a really cool tube and got a skeleton picture.

Skiing in January

2010-01-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

We are having fun with Alex, but I am still Dreaming about the Cirque on a powder day. In the meantime we are rocking Sunnyside at Alta.

Extreme Potty Training

2010-01-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

Now Alex looks like Prince Zuko!

Our Haitian Heroes

2010-01-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

The quake in Haiti has been heartbreaking for us. It is our dear friend Olivier's homeland and where my brother served his mission. Some of our friends have been injured or lost family members and the Cordozo's hotel, The Montana has been completely destroyed. The day after the earthquake after much prayer and thought we decided to unite other Americans with a love for Haiti, and we formed the group Our Haitian Heroes. Our goal is to give back to our friends by helping their country become self sufficient, and set them up to succeed in a way that they weren't before the quake. I like to think that we are going to rebuild a better Haiti.
My life will never be the same because of the influence of my amazing friends from Haiti, in particular Olivier Cordozo. I am a better person for knowing them, they are truly my Haitian heroes. So, as a group "Our Haitian Heroes" gathered in front of the Salt Lake Temple to sing and pray in Kreyol. For more information about Our Haitian Heroes check us out on facebook and as soon as we get our website up and running I will post about it.

Christmas Morning 2009

2009-12-25T14:56:00.001-07:00

We are just learning how to use our video camera. So... here is a tiny experiment with it!

Snowman Cookie

2009-12-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

Grandma Nana gave snowman cookies to all the children on Christmas Eve. They were really cool. They had half melted snowmen on top of them.

Vegas!

2009-12-15T15:17:00.007-07:00

This is the view from the beautiful Sky Lounge and Tea room in the Mandarin Oriental. After our dinner at Le Bouchon we digested our food for a while before going out and having some more fun.

The bright building is the new west tower of Planet Hollywood.

When we were in Vegas in October Alex noticed these enormous garlands. He thought that they were bird nests and he has been talking about them ever since. So while we were walking through the Palazzo we decided to take pictures of us in front of the garlands to show Alex. Left to right: Eric, Diana, Patrick, Patricia.

We explored the new hotels going in that are a part of the city center. Patrick was being really funny in the Vdara. There was a crazy couch in the restaurant
.

Eric took all of these pictures.

I think this is the best picture Eric took all weekend. It is a bit grainy, but he had a point. This women really does match the couch. And she was even better in person! you gotta love Vegas. It has some of the best people watching in the world!
And the City Center had fun architecture. They were selling condos... and I have to admit I considered it for a minute. But then I remembered that we aren't in the market for a luxury condo and so I just smiled and and visited the Chihuly glass exhibit.

The city center has a really cool website.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-07T20:11:00.004-07:00

Fondue Emergency

2009-12-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

I have a favorite fondue recipe which calls for Gruyere and Vacherin. That being said Vacherin is extremely hard to find. Probably because it is illegal to import into the United States. Low and Behold our local imported food market had the real deal! And for half off. I asked them how they got the cheese in their store and they said, "i don't know..." Plausible deniability and it was half off. Patrick was leaving town and the opportunity to even purchase the cheese would be gone. it was Seven Pm and Patrick said. Lets have it tonight. So we invited my parents over to have Suisse Fondue! Between the four of us we ate two pounds of cheese two apples and a pomegranate between the four of us!

Trimming the Tree

2009-12-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

A couple hours later I discovered these bells in the couch.

A tree of our very own!

2009-12-03T18:58:00.002-07:00

The last several years we have traveled to see family for Christmas. This year we live in the same state as our family so we are staying here. One word of advice it to remember how tall your ceiling is. Patrick thought it was nine feet tall. I assured him it was ten feet. Taking my word for it and ending up with a nine foot ceiling meant we had to chop 12 inches off the top!

Luckily there is a nursery two blocks from our house. Patrick was able to help get the tree during his lunch break.

Christmas Tree Sword
Uploaded by patriciabarnes. - Videos of family and friends from around the world.

Alta Dude!

2009-11-22T19:25:00.005-07:00

Alex had is first day on his very own skis yesterday. And he loved it! The best part was when we let him glide on the snow back and forth between us. There is a definite learning curve for teaching your toddler how to ski.

First lesson was that it is bad when you run out of hill to ski down, Alex will always want more hill. Second lesson was that it would be easier to wear Alpine boots skis instead of telemark. Third lesson, its not a good idea to keep goldfish crackers in your knee pocket, he doesn't want them and eventually you WILL have to kneel down. Next time I will wear a backpack, strap my poles to it, and have a place to put our cameras. Hand warmers are a must for the little dude. Get a harness or a hoola hoop and let him experiment with gliding on his own. Crashing is the best part. (according to Alex!)

Pumpkin Patch 2009

2009-10-17T09:21:00.002-06:00

pumpkin patch 2009
Uploaded by patriciabarnes. - Family events, birthdays and parenting videos.

New Skis

2009-10-16T08:56:00.003-06:00

The Romark Ski swap was really good to Alex this year! He loved his goggles so much that he insists on sleeping with them in his bed.

New Skis
Uploaded by patriciabarnes. - Family events, birthdays and parenting videos.

Halloweens

2009-10-10T09:25:00.001-06:00

We heard a rumor that the Eror's were setting up their "Halloweens" today. So, we went to check it out.

This is the spectacular Autumn view from my parents' front yard.

Grandpa Steve is a good sport... up on the roof tacking down an enormous blow up spider. It amazing what he will do to get the grandkids excited about Holidays.

Happy Birthday Grandma Nana

2009-10-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

Coconut Cake with seven minute frosting and baked pineapple chips... Anne you really out did yourself!

We love Grandpa Ted

2009-09-01T09:32:00.000-06:00

Losing the beard after at least 25 years... has been a fun change.

Tiny Kayaker

2009-08-25T22:16:00.002-06:00

One of these days he'll be big enough to hold his own paddle. In the meantime he can sit in daddy's lap.

Too much Catching up to do

2009-08-25T16:11:00.003-06:00

So, here are a bunch of slide shows to catch you up.

August... so far

July's Slide Show

June's Slide show... ok so I haven't created it yet

May's Slide Show... Many more pictures to come!

April's Slides

New to Me

2009-08-10T16:00:00.004-06:00

We have a piano!!!! (Pictures to come soon!) Patrick's grandparents gave us their 100 year old player piano, and we love it. It's in our bedroom so that I can practice and sing during Alex's naptime. I didn't anticipate how much Alex also loves the piano. When the movers brought it in we had fun playing "twinkle twinkle" and "the little lamb song". (Mary had a Little Lamb)

Alex: This is Grandma's piano.
Patricia: Well, actually this is Mommy, Daddy and Alex's piano--it's ours.
Alex: ours?
Patricia: Yep.
Alex: Ours?
Patricia: yes its our-
Alex(interrupting): IT'S OUR PIANO!

Then Alex laid his head on the keys and started to cry.

Patricia: "Alex, whats wrong?"
Alex still crying: "I love piano."

Well Alex, I agree!

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T19:41:00.005-06:00

Today was Easter Sunday. We had a great day. In the morning we had brunch with some friends. But before that Alex got to eat a lot of candy!

Alex and the eggs
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

DYING EASTER EGGS IS FUN!!!

Tada!

Dying Easter Eggs
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

A happy silly face proves how much fun Alex is having.

Alex chats up the camera
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Yesterday, our friends the Harpers invited Alex to Reina's egg hunt. Reina tried to help Alex a few times... she was really good at collecting eggs. She would get his bag and bring it to him. But, he thought it was really fun to re-hide the eggs. I love this picture of us on the couch. You can see Alex and Reina were happy to see each other. From left to right Heather, Baby Ivy, Heather's mom, Me, Alex and Reina.

I loved how patient Reina was with him. She shared candy. She waited and waited for him to pick up eggs. She didn't hoard them. She was so sweet. We love Reina. She was so nice to share with us.

The Hunt
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

When Alex says, "op-it!" It means, "Open it."

The Hunt Up Close and Personal
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

The Bread Maker

2009-01-27T21:20:00.002-07:00

I came home from visiting teaching tonight to the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread. I can't believe how amazing modern technology is! I LOVE my bread maker! this is is a picture of my first truely succesful loaf. In other attempts I put in the wrong kind of flour and accidently messed up my yeast.(I made a small bread brick) But after talking to faf today and trying again I got bread bliss.

New Years Eror Family Ski Day

2009-01-01T21:42:00.001-07:00

We had an awesome time at Alta with the Eror Fam this winter even though the day turned out to be frigid. Here is Grandma Judy and Grandpa Steve skiing with Carsen.

Alex thought my goggles were cool. He kept asking to try them on.

Since is was pretty cold we kept Alex in the lodge for most of the day. But that is ok, because he had a baked potato and gummy bears!

I can't believe we have it on video, but here it is. Carsen is skiing from his daddy to his grandpa! Carsen you are awesome!!!!!

Carsen Skiing
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Georgeous Day at Snowbird!

2008-12-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

We couldn't believe how beautiful the weather turned out to be... especially after it started out so crummy!

I forgot to put on my knee pads before I put on my snow pants. So this photo looks incriminating because I have my snow pants pulled down around my knees and I am bent over on the side of the road putting them on. In reality I had about six layers covering everything. So. the photo wasn't as bad as it looks.

Snowbird Tunnel
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Dad, Patrick and I decided to take the tunnel from the Peruvian lift to Mineral Basin. We had a little dance party in there.

Playing in Park City

2008-12-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Alta December 2008

2008-12-27T09:58:00.002-07:00

It took us a little while to get on the Slopes. Alex had fun in the front seat of the car and found daddy's wallet. He found two looking Alta Ski passes in there. Which he put in the crack between the console and the airconditioning unit. After finding a random pair of chopsticks in the glovebox. Mommy and Daddy were able to extricate the passes from the front of the car. In this picture you can see my legs poking out of the car... this was just before I discovered the location of the Alta passes.

Ready to ski
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

The Lift
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

I love this picture becuse he spends most of his time asleep in there. In this photo you can see his eyes peeping out. All the way down on that particular run he shouted "Wee! Mama Wee!"

We'll be honest Alex spends quite a bit of time in the lodge.

the lodge
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Alex got to watch the "ish-show" (Finding Nemo) on the ride home... grandma's car has a dvd player.

We were tired but happy on the way home. We were a bit sore the next day... I hadn't realized how much more Alex weighs this year than last year. My legs were exhausted! With Alex, the cameras and snacks, the pack weighed about 30 pounds.

The Boar's Head Carol

2008-12-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

On a Sunday afternoon several weeks before Christmas Patrick and I heard the most inspiring piece of music we had yet to hear in our lifetime, The Boar's Head Carol. believe it or not it is a real christmas carol. Legand has it that a Student at Queen's college at Oxford over 500 years ago was attacked by a boar on Christmas. He choked the boar with a copy of Aristotle, cut of its head and wrote a song about his experience.

The culinary arts are something we take seriously in the Eror house. Every year at Christmas time we attempt new and glorious culinary feats. This year Catherine's white chocolate orange mousse in a cup layered with chocolate mousse was the winner. In years past we have had enjoyed dishes such as roast goose and seared foi gras. (Well most of us love foi gras... in my opinion it best left unseared and eaten strait out of a can!) We like to try the new and fabulous. (Some of us, think that the new stuff is scary and would rather watch from a reasonable distance.) And its ok that Catherine doesn't like seafood and Melissa doesn't like unusual textures and I hate all green salad. We all take part and make due and often we make marvelous discoveries. It was at meals like this that we developed a love of stinky cheeses and perrier. Well, the boars head carol gave us an idea. A real culinary shocker!

Imagine the families' suprise as mom stood and put a green felt hat on her head and with a strait face recited the story of the boars head carol along with a translation of the latin lines in the song. As she finished her lines Patrick and I jump out from the corner with a pigs head roasted and bedecked with bays and rosemary singing the boars head carol. We wore tights and tunics along with the beautiful hats that mom made.

The best part was that no one expected it. Carsen thought that it was awesome until Grandpa told him he had to try it... then he freaked out. This video is awesome. Watch for Carsen standing on his chair at the end of it! This is a video of Mike trying it. And ofcourse most of us took a bite or two... Why? because we are the Eror family... and when it comes to food we are a pretty adventurous group. However I think mom drew the line at narrator and didn't actually try any. Catherine did you try some? I can't remember.

Mike takes a bite
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

If you don't have a weak stomach you can watch this weird video of mom and I trying to figure out how to open it's mouth for an apple. I don't know if it was rigor or what but we couldn't get it's mouth open. Patrick attempted prying it open with his bear hands... and keep in mind he had the flu at the time.

opening the pigs mouth
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Here is the first verse of the song... Sorry about my bad latin spelling.

The boars head in hand bear I bedecked with bays and rosemary!
I pray you my maasters be merry
Qui estis in convivio!

Caput Apri Defero
Reddens Laudes Domino

I just want to make a special thank you to my team
to mom our translator, costume designer, and co conspiritor (have no idea how you kept a strait face!)
Patrick for the guts to go through with it
and the Barnes for driving to the middle of nowhere to find a slaughter house and then letting us store the head in your garage for a while. And you didn't even get to try it.

Santa Cookies

2008-12-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve we slept at Grandma Judy and Grandpa Steve's. We got there just in time to decorate some cookies with Carsen and Raegan and to go to bed.

Alex caught on quickly to cookie decorating by following Carsen's example.

Carsen took his cookie decorating very seriously and he was excited to show his sister and cousin how to do it.

It is a good thing that there were pink sparkles for Raegan to put on her cookies... pink is her favorite. if you ask her she'll say pink is her favorite and red is Carsen's.

The two cousins were really sweet to Alex. There were really sad that he had to go to bed. Raegan kept telling me that Alex wasn't tired. (He agreed with her... but he fell asleep quickly.) He was so glad to have little cousins who wanted to play with him.

Barneseve 2009

2008-12-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

Alex bonds with certain people very quickly. He really liked Jeff.

Linda got Elizabeth and Alex on her lap. The kids were both a bit subdued because they weren't feeling very well. It was fun to see Elizabth share Grandma with Alex.

It puts a bit of a damper on the holidays when you have the flu on Christmas Eve. Alex still had a good time he was just very mellow... and not as busy as he normally is.

Intro to Snow

2008-12-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Were were nervous that Alex wouldn't love snow. After all he hasn't been a fan of grass, dirt, sand or anything messy for that matter. So we thought we would gradually get him used to the idea of snow. He was really excited to see it out the window. He was really good at pointing it out to us from indoors. But, he didn't really want to walk in it. After three weeks in Utah he got to the point where he loved it and liked walking in it. I am so grateful that he is an open minded kid and he tolerated us putting him outside in the snow until he liked it. This picture was taken the first time we took him outside to play in the snow. It is in Grandma Judy and Grandpa Steve's backyard.

Making the Flight

2008-12-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

plane delayed
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

We flew out of Boston on December 19th. It was the day of the first big snow storm of the year. Our flight was delayed, but it was one of only ten flights to make it out of Logan Airport that night. I still can't believe that we made it to Utah. Alex was a champ. Its fun to snuggle with him for hours on end on a flight... he gets a lot of attention on flights. Left our apartment at 2:00pm Eastern Time and we arrived in Park City at 3:30 Eastern Time. Alex stayed awake the entire flight. He was determined to not miss a second of our exciting travels. He didn't want to miss de-icing the plane or circling Brigham City three times waiting for a spot to land on the run way.

Go Celtics!

2008-12-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

For family night this week we went to the Celtics-Jazz game at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Celts won 100-91 for their fifteenth strait win. We decided to get into the Boston Spirit of things and Cheer for the Celtics. Which was funny because whenever the Jazz would score, out of habit Patrick would cheer and then look around and say, I mean Go Celtics. The Blue and purple team have always been the "good guys"... its hard to fight old habits.

We had planned on leaving the game early whenever Alex got tired of the game. Well that never happened. He loved it and watched the entire thing. Only at the end when there were a lot of time outs did he get frustrated. He prefers to see the ball moving on the court. So did the crowd. they were shouting "It's all O-vah!" I couldn't believe Alex's focus he would get frustrated when we would distract him from the game by taking pictures. When we first arrived he was in shock... wait I get soda, french fries, I get to watch a ball bouncing, and I can use my outside voice indoors? COOl! (He must have said cool a hundred times in the first quarter.

I think that this picture makes it pretty clear where our seats were. These Banners were eye level. However, I have to say that we had an amazing view of the game. The Garden has really steep stairs so the veiw of the game is actually really good. Patrick carried Alex up all those stairs from the subway to the top row of the arena in the backpack. And yes we sat on the TOP row. I think that work out will help him be ready for ski season.

I am so glad we sat in the "bloody-nose" section... which I think should be renamed the "Die-hard" section. We sat behind Russell the most Bostonian Sports fan I have ever met. And of course he was rough and unkempt, but he was loud and he loved Alex. The camera guys know the regulars and it is a big deal to get on the jumbotron. Russell helped Alex get on the jumbotron two times. Once while doing the peanut-butter-jelly-time dance. The feeling of the game was amazing. Everyone was so into it. Dancing the whole time and shouting D-fence! We even got Alex to shout defense once. I am so glad we took him. it was an awesome experience.

Peanut butter Jelly Time
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Excited for Utah

2008-12-12T18:32:00.011-07:00

We have been so blessed! Our family is flying us to Utah for Christmas. Over the last few days I have made a list of things I want to do while I am there.

1. Hug my nieces and nephews. (and maybe give Carsen and extra tight squeeze!)

2. Ski

2. Eat Neilsons Frozen Custard, Chocolate Peanut Butter.

3. Ski

4. See Twilight with Catherine, (No I haven't seen it without you.)

5. Ski

6. Take Alex Snow Shoeing on the trails behind Ted and Linda's house.

7. Ski

8. Hike up a mountain on Telemark Ski's, and test out Patrick's new Skins.

9. Ski

10. Get a pedicure at my favorite place in right off of Foothill and 2300 East.
Get Nails Salon
(801) 582-9661
1400 Foothill Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

11. Ski

12. Buy canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce so I can cook Pineapple Chipotle Chicken when we get back to Boston.

13. ski this is a picture of my Tele's with an Alpine Binding

14. Have Carnitas at the Rio Grand Cafe... most likely with the Barnes

15. Ski this is what Patrick's skis look like but with a tele binding on them.

16. Play the Bean game... with anybody.

17. Ski this is a photo of my Alpine Skis

18. Drink French Hot chocolate the way my mom makes it

19. Ski

20. See the Allreds remember they are our friends in Philly (see thanksgiving blog post)

21. Ski

22. Meet Baby Vernon we have no picture and I am starting to get burned out of putting pictured next to everything on this list.

23. Ski
24. See Linda's Dining room center peice
25. Ski
26. See Alex, Kathy and River
27. Ski
28. See Jed and Emma Sorry guys I started getting burned out from this post just as I was getting to you on my list.
29. Ski
30. Have Alex paint with his Grandma Linda
31. Ski
32. Sing for my dad
33. Ski
34. See the christmas lights on temple square
35. Ski
36. Hire's Big H, with fry sauce and onion rings
37. Ski
38. Sit in the hottub (Hopefully I will remember my swim suit this time.)
39. Ski
40. See Faf's christmas decorations.
41. Ski
42. Eat homemade toffee, caramel and fudge
43. Ski
44. Introduce Alex to Snow Drifts.
45. Ski
46. I should probably get Alex some Snow Pants, Mittens and Boots before doing number 44.
47. Ski
48. Pull Sleds behind the car behind Jeremy Ranch... Alex is too small for this exercise.
49. Ski
50. Grilled Chocolate Sandwiches
51. Ski
52. Have some of Linda's Fresh homemade salsa
53. Ski
54. Cheesy mashed potatoes!!!!!!

55. Ski some more?

Sleep-Over Party

2008-12-11T19:13:00.002-07:00

The kiddo's had a sleep over tonight. I fed them cookies and milk. Then I put them to bed. Sleepovers are kind of funny when you are only 1.3 years old; you go to bed at eight and your buddy disappears during the night. (Mom and Dad come and take Reina home at 11:30 pm)

I let Alex pick his outfit... this was not what I expected

2008-12-11T19:02:00.005-07:00

This afternoon Alex was still in his pajamas. I asked him, "Alex should we put your clothes on?" He ran in his room and rifled through his drawers. He came back with pants a shirt AND a hat.

I think he looks like a little Beantown Boy. He has his Sox hat on and a dress shirt over jeans. I wouldn't have thought to put these items together. Maybe I should ask him more often.

A Burning Fire for Soldiers Feild Park

2008-12-07T20:36:00.003-07:00

This is our fireplace! Follow the link and see what keeps me warm while sitting at my desk.

Crimson Kids Christmas Party

2008-12-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

The party decorations were beautiful. I wish I had taken more pictures. Alex loved the ballons. He kept dragging me over to show them to me. He loved the decorations. His Aunt Melissa would be proud of her nephew who appreciated the details.

Alex naturally gravitated towards his buddy Reina. (As he does at every party.) He doesn't necessarily want to play WITH her he wants to play NEXT to her.

That was Alex's honest reaction when Santa entered the room.

Reina was thrilled to meet Santa.

The boys ready to go home.

I can't tell here if Alex was gloating because we didn't make him to sit on Santa's lap. All I know is that once Santa left his mood improved.

Alex escaped with a balloon.

Holidinner

2008-12-05T18:29:00.003-07:00

This year we didn't go to Holidazzle. (The HBS Christmas dance) But our section still planned a dinner. So we went to Legals and dressed somewhat respectably and left Alex at home. (Thanks Alisa for watching him!) We had a really great time.

We told Matt and Meredith that this was a test shot. I guess we'll use it anyway. Meredith I think it is a pretty good picture. If you don't like it let me know and I'll remove it!

December 1- Day 1

2008-12-01T06:46:00.001-07:00

Day 1 Alex opened the door with Olive in it!

Olive the Other Reindeer

2008-11-30T21:27:00.002-07:00

This is Alex's Advent Calender! I am so excited. We start opening the flaps on it tomorrow.

Little Climber

2008-11-30T21:18:00.003-07:00

Alex is becoming quite the climber. Today he found a way to climb on to his highchair and the kitchen table too. We are so proud of him... we are beyond words.

Philadelphia For Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is Squanto! Thanks Grandma Linda for the headdress, Alex wore it almost all day.

The turkey was a success. Patrick and Jordan dressed it and roasted it. I am not quite sure about some of the technics they used, but the dressing was awesome and nobody got sick. Actually it was quite good!

Here are Bex and Cassi. With a turkey twice Bex's size.

Daddy holding Alex the turkey and his unfortunate compadre.

Evidently Squanto enjoys mashed potatoes.

Cassi set a beautiful table. We ate yams (Jordan's family recipe), mashed potatoes and gravy (Eror family recipe), cranberry sauce (Patricia recipe), pumpkin pie (Linda's recipe with Kohler pie crust), turkey and stuffing (Mary Barnes' recipe), Apple pie (Claire's recipe), pecan pie, fresh hot rolls, green beans, and cranberry jellp salad. Basically we all made pigs of ourselves. And unfortunately we just ran out of left overs.

On Patrick's birthday the Allreds suprised Patrick with a candle and a song. We had celebrated his birthday also with philly cheese steak sandwhiches. Yummy!!! We had a great time and were really sad to leave the Allreds. We miss you guys and hope to see you soon! It was our first thanksgiving away from family. It was nice to have friends to share it with while we were away from Utah. Also, thanks Linda for fixing up some of the photos for me. And family, I hope you had awesome feasts... we'll be home for Christmas.

"The Game" (not the other, better game)

2008-11-24T07:00:00.002-07:00

We went to the 125th edition of "The Game!" Harvard vs. Yale is always listed as one of the biggest rivalries in sports, but people seemed much less fanatical than just about any other rivalry we've seen. Someone described it as being similar to England vs. France - sure, they used to clash on a global scale, but now the rivalry is a bit less significant... it's only a big deal because it used to actually BE a big deal. Still, it was crazy to go into such a historic stadium with such (relatively) little football players. So different. However, it was completely natural to cheer for the red team and against the dark blue team with the big block "Y" on their heads. About 50 people from the section all went together and sat in the frigid icebox of a top section. By halftime we were all frozen most of the way through.

Quilts for Young Women of Cambridge 2

2008-11-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

F Football Finale... WE WON!!!!!

2008-11-18T23:00:00.002-07:00

Hello From Boston

2008-11-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Cleaning Day

2008-11-10T22:40:00.001-07:00

cleaning day
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

uh oh

2008-11-03T18:25:00.002-07:00

This is a fun video that we took sometime during October. Alisa and I went to Costco and Alex was in the backseat of her car. He kept saying Uh-oh over and over. When I turned around in the car he was pointing to his toy keys on the floor of her car. We now know the words: Uh-oh, Ball, Mama and Dada (althoguh he is not certain which is which)and Nana.(which means No!)

uh oh
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T19:03:00.002-06:00

Halloween was really a three day affair this year. It started on Wednesday. Alex won Best kids costume at the ward party. His prize was a container of bubbles. He loves the bubbles. He has spent the last five days trying to figure out where the bubbles go when they disappear.

The next major event was the Crimson Kids Halloween Party on campus. Alex was pretty tired, but we stuffed some grapes and pizza in him and he was good to go. That was where he first ran into the Bee. Reina was a Bee. It was pretty funny because it took her a while to realize that it was Alex inside the costume. Once she knew it was him, she kept touching his face. She was just holding onto the only part of him that she recognized. Sometimes when his ear came out of his hood she'd grab his hood. He didn't mind and it was really funny.

On Halloween morning we ate Orange rolls and carved pumpkins.

Alex has been working on his "monster sounds" for Halloween. It is a game we play where he roars and I shreik. This goes back and forth until he gets tired of it... never. So, I was cleaning up pumpkin guts and I could hear him in our bedroom making monster shoudns and shreiking. I went in there to discover that he was roaring at himself in the mirror and then shreiking. I got a couple of pics of him mid roar.

So, after a few laughs Patrick and I went back to cleaning up pumpkin guts. While I was lighting the pumpkins Patrick found Alex in our bed with Saltine crackers. He was rolling around giggling blisfully going through a while box of saltines in our bed. What is it with food in our bed? First it was the strawberries and now crackers!? He had also very carefully balances a cracker on top of our lava lamp, and lined several up along the radiator on the wall.

So we finally get out the door and go trick or treating! We went with the Harpers. Reina was a Bee. And she was so cute. We went door to door at beacon hill and had a really grat time. I had so many pictures that I put together a slide show of the whole day. I am singling out the picture of Alex and Patrick with John Kerry... in case you don't want to watch the whole slide show. Oh yeah, did I mention that Kerry lives on Beacon Hill?

Also in case you are wondering I learned two things: John Kerry's wife was really sweet, and they gave out pretzels.

Halloween 2008
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

taking the T on halloween
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

going home
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Campus Exploration

2008-10-22T08:01:00.003-06:00

Alex and I decided to go for a walk before dinner. He wanted to see all the leaves and flowers.

He carefully selected a few leaves that were his favorites.

At this point Alex was tired of exploring and wanted to eat dinner.

He was also tired of walking. This is how he tells me that he wants to be carried. And you would think he was focused on getting home to eat by the looks of his face at this point. However, we got distracted on the way home.

Alex wanted me to take a closer look at the flowers.

Snuggleberries

2008-10-17T08:47:00.000-06:00

Alex loves strawberries... he begged for them at the store.

I generally don't condone naggining. However, if he wants to beg for fruits and vegetables, well then I don't want to stand in his way. So I bought the strawberries at which he was pointing.

When we got home. Alisa and I were unloading the groceries from our cart, when Patrick came in the kitchen and said, "Hey Alex, How's the strawberry?" I turned around and asked Patrick... "Did you give him a strawberry?"
"No I thought you," did was his reply. Alex really must have wanted the strawberries to dig through the grocery bags as soon as we got home.

So we cleaned him up and let him finish the two strawberries and continued organizing the refridgerator. Patrick reiterated the events of his day, whilst we threw away spoilt produce and made room for fresh eggs. Then a percing squeal of joy came from our bedroom. We investigated... Alex had somehow gotten a hold of two more strawberries. He had one in each hand. He bit into them alternately and rolled around in our soft white bedsheets. He looked absolutely blissful. He loves to snuggle... he loves berries... why not snuggle with the berries?

Leaves In Bloom

2008-10-17T08:32:00.000-06:00

Play Date

2008-10-10T19:57:00.000-06:00

New Hat

2008-10-04T08:27:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that there are Red SOx hats this small.

We actually got Alex a winter beanie as well, but I will have to post pictures of that another time.

Playground Day

2008-10-01T22:23:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Alexander

2008-07-17T06:12:00.001-06:00

Alex was really excited to open the presents. We made him wait till after dinner.

Alex's Happy Birthday
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Here he is opening a pack of raisins.

He got some good loot: baby book, disney movie, little people farm, animal book, colors book, forward facing carseat, rasins, goldfish crackers, that movie I made of his first year and puffed cereal!

Some of our friends came over. And we sang the "Happy Birthday" song, we ate cake and had gummy worms in oreo dirt. Here is everyone that came left to right front to back: girl 1, girl 2, Alisa, Taryn, Patricia (me), The Birthday Boy (Alex), Rick, Rachel, Matt, Meredith, and Brooke.

Birthday Birthday
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Needless to say, he took a bath afterwards.

The Grandma Judy, Grandpa Steve, Aunt Faf and Uncle Mike called Alex to sing happy birthday... and we discovered a cute message from Carsen wishing Alex a happy Birthday as well.

Alex Production 1

2008-07-15T20:03:00.002-06:00

Well, I am almost in tears. This video is mpeg4 quality so it isn't great but I really wanted everyone to be able to watch it. It is a video/slide show tracking Alex's growth this year. He turns one on Thursday!

AlexProduction 1
Uploaded by patriciabarnes

Alex at the Beach

2008-07-06T18:58:00.002-06:00

Meredith introduced us to the beach. Alex and I joined her on Friday. I can't decide which is best the ocean or the fresh fried clams & Lobster Rolls at the end of the day. Alex would probably vote for the clams. He was really afraid of the ocean... thus no pictures of him in the water.

June Poll Closes

2008-07-02T10:15:00.002-06:00

The June Poll was a funny one because I asked for your predictions. How many teeth will Alex have in August. The thing is it still isn't August. So I am watching as our predicitions are proven one by one to be incorrect. I voted that he would still have only one tooth. And well, only one person voted for that. One person guessed that he would have two teeth... I am thinking this is probably Patrick.Three people voted that he would have three teeth. All of these people are already wrong.

Alex curently has four teeth. And It's only July second. So, somewhere there are four people who are currently correct thinking he won't grow another tooth between now and then. And some where some one is wishing that he will get another one.

It's been a while

2008-07-01T14:39:00.008-06:00

I have been getting a lot of questions lately... why haven't you published to your blog lately? Here is where my attention has been over the last month.
1. War
2. Peace
3. War and Peace
4. The beach... a sunburn
5. an amazon kindle
6. the girls from church
7. Leaving for lake powell August 14.
8. Rescuing random things from the clutches tiny hands.
9. Alex's birthday video and book
10. Watermelon... how long can it sit in your fridge until it's bad for you?
11. Patrick without homework
12. wondering where Heather and Taryn have gone
13. wondering how many miles mom has put on her bike
14. the color red
15. this
16. that
16.the other
17. missing my family
18. Soldiers Field Park the novel
19. Novartis
20. youth
21. Beauty
22. Youth and Beauty
23. our new air conditioner
24. Mount Monadnock
25. camping
26. leaving my camera in Meredith's beach bag
27. lobster rolls
26. everyone else's blogs

Any way, I have still been reading everyone else's blog. So I feel a little bit like I am cheating. I know all about Heather's birthday and Catherine's book review. I have been taking without giving. So, I am going to post a random recent picture just so I feel like I am contributing a little bit. Here you go!

The Gummy Bear Strikes Again

2008-06-11T07:33:00.002-06:00

Alex likes this video almost as much as the last from my April post...why? I probably wouldn't watch it if I were you.

T-rex takes his first steps

2008-06-08T09:52:00.000-06:00

Sometimes we tease Alex and call him weird names, for example "T-Rex". This name comes from they way he holds his hands when he walks. Another example is "Snaggle-tooth". This is due to the fact that he has only one tooth. His single tooth is sticking out on the front right side. Poor Alex, we don't mean to tease you so much. Luckily, he doesn't seem to mind.

Angle of Repose

2008-06-06T10:14:00.000-06:00

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is beautifully written and thought provoking... as I have come to expect from Stegner. Lyman Ward is writting a biography of his grandmother, specifically of her marriage. His grandparents' marriage parallels his own. And he is searching for the meaning of the phrase "angle of repose". However, Lyman Wards future is yet unwritten and his grandparents have long since passed on. We observe Lyman trying to learn more about himself, through his study of the past.

One major theme in the book is that history must be presented as it was and then seperately judged for ourselves. The theme is stated plainly several times thorughout the novel. In the meantime, Stegner presents the Story of Susan Burling Ward. He presents her with both her strengths and weaknesses. In the beginning I didn't relate to her... I found her snobbery insufferable. But as the novel pregressed and her character developed, I saw her as a survivor on the western fronteir, and I couldn't help but wish the best for her, ans I began to understand her circumstances better. While she committed many greavences in the book, her story teaches the reader about compassion and understnading. If I had judged her solely on the first 35 pages of the book, would my assesment have been fair? This is an interesting commentary on life, and raises and important question. Is it ever fair to judge another human being?

There were many thought provoking themes but what rang most clearly with me was the question of judgement. Lyman Ward loved his grandparents, how then should he react to their circumstances, and more importantly his own.

It is emotionally difficult to read about people who are ignoring life's warning signs, like the girl in the horror movie who goes into the basement alone. It is easy to echo the frustration of Lyman Ward... no matter how much we shout Susan cannot hear us. We are only left with the chance to learn from her situation.

I probably would have given it five stars except that I already read Stegners "Crossing to Safety"... so the intial awe in his writing style has warn off a bit. And I just can't bring myself to give five stars to a "fall from grace". I would write much more but my son is defacing my copy of Oscar Wildes' "Picture of Dorian Gray".

View all my reviews.

May poll: When are we old?

2008-06-01T13:23:00.000-06:00

Well, this is a May poll I don't intend to dance around.

When do you consider someone old?
18 1 (5%)
30 1 (5%)
When you/they forget how old they are 7 (41%)
When they make cookies for neighbor children 1 (5%)
When they buy a sedan 1 (5%)
When they back into parking spots 6 (35%)

Honestly, I live by the motto you are only old when you think it or act like it. But I have to admit backing into parking spots is something that well, I call grandma parking. (Sorry Heather!)
And maybe someday I will have neighbor children to make cookies for... although these days with the peanut allergy scare no one would eat them anyway... even if they weren't peanut cookies.
18? 30? Come on, people... that has to be my mom or dad goofing around with the poll. But if it is not SHAME, SHAME, SHAME. Whoever thinks that age is what makes you old has never met Ryan Livingston's grandpa who can still ski better than most people and he is in his eighties... or Patrick's grandpa who go the the gym and lifts weights daily.
I think that forgetting someones age can happen at any time in life. I forget people ages all the time, and sometimes my own. Actually, right now I can't remember how old Patrick, Catherine, Melissa, Mom, Dad, or Laura are... I guess either I am old or not good with numbers. Sometimes and this has happened ever since I turned 20, I forget my own age and I am off, plus or minus a year. Hey I am in my twenties, is there really any need to be precise? This was a problem when I tutored elementary school kids. Becuase, third grader takes it as a serious offense if you confuse them for a second grader.

No Longer a Turtle

2008-05-18T13:11:00.000-06:00

Well, for a while now we have been joking that Alex is a turtle. I can leave him anywhere on his back and he is stuck there. He doesn't want to roll over and he can't crawl or walk. So I have been able to get a lot done during the day by setting him on his back while I have gone about my business. Then this morning I awoke to this site! I guess he isn't a turtle anymore.

Alex catches a Flick

2008-05-17T13:00:00.001-06:00

We took Alex with us to see Prince Caspian. He did really well as long as we let him explore up and down the isle of the theater. His most important discovery of the night was popcorn! Here is Ryan with Alex and the popcorn. Alex brought, Alisa Corey, Taryn, Ryan, mommy, and daddy to the flick.

After some sharing Alex decided that he also likes burritos.

We were so exhausted when we got to the movie. This is a picture of Alisa, Corey and me. We drank virigin Strawberry Dacqueries and enjoyed a fun Saturday Night.

Bugaboo Creek

2008-05-16T12:36:00.000-06:00

We had a farewell dinner with the section at teh bugaboo creek stake house. Patrick and I were snapping pictures like crazy to try and have some pics of our friends who wont be in Boston this summer.

Marla, Sam, and Brad who believe it or not will be in SLC for the summer!

Here are Haven, Giovanni, and Patrick. Giovanni and I caught our waiter eating Dave's fries before he delievered them to the table. Its a crazy story maybe I will tell it sometime.

Alex was starting to get really sleepy in this picture... can you tell?

Patrick, me and Jonathon saying goodbye. Jonathon will be in New York this summer.

Brad, Jeremiah, Patrick's head... and Chris

Here Alex is being very silly with Brooke and Chris. Chris will be in GA ,but hey we will still have Brooke around.

Alex was totally exhausted by this time. But we wanted to get a bunch of pics with as many friends as possible. Here is Alex, Patrick, Irina, Aaron, Tracy, Preetha, Elliot, Dervan and Marla.

Cookies

2008-05-12T22:09:00.001-06:00

Chocolate Chip

Oreo

These two photographs were taken within a week of eachother.

Happy Birthday Preetha

2008-05-11T22:13:00.001-06:00

Here we are: Tracy, Preetha and me. Not only was the DJ fun, not only did I drink too many sodas, not only were my friends looking gorgeous, but I am wearing my gold pants from college. Patrick had never seen them before. But most of all... We had a lot of fun celebrating Preetha's Birthday!

Linda and Laura in Boston

2008-05-11T22:01:00.002-06:00

This past weekend Laura and Linda came to visit us. We had such a fun time! We took a lot of pictures so I made a slide show. Here is what we did: ate crab cakes and clam chowder at Legal's, saw the "ducks" at the public garden, Visited the New England Aquarium, ate Mike's cannoli, ate in the North End at Limoncello (and watched Alex down all my ravioli), went to church, enjoyed an Ole brunch on Mother's day and wandered in the Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Good Bye A. Lowe

2008-05-11T21:30:00.002-06:00

Alex is graduating this year from HBS. We had an end of the year barbecue and it was our chance to say goodbye to our good friend. Class ended this week, but he has to come back in early June for graduation so hopefully we will see him there.

Rachel joins the Ranks... almost!

2008-05-10T22:18:00.002-06:00

(Left to Right: Brittany, me, Rachel, and Rethsey)

Well, Rick is getting married. He sits on the same row as Patrick but in the opposite side of the room (like three seats over) He is one of the really awesome ppeople that we have grown to love from Patrick's section. he is getting married really soon to Rachel. A bunch of us Mormon girls decided to have a picnic to get to know Rachel a little better. And you know what? I discovered that she is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. I think that it will take me a lot more than one picnic to get to know her. She has lived Ghana and France, she is fluent in French, hates to fly but travels a lot, has a lot of interesting opinions, and most importantly our friend Rick is in love with her.

It was a lot of fun sitting next to Brittany. We went around the group and I actually learned a lot about some of the people with whom I am already friends. For example, I learned that Brittany got engaged at Kingsbury Hall at the U, and Kristy is someday going to become independently rich writing a book so that she and Joel can pay off their Harvard debt. Any way, the weather turned out to be pretty good, I left early to meet my crew at the aquarium. But, I didn't leave before I had witnessed a thorough roasting of Rachel.

Bobby and Boston

2008-05-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

So, I took these pictures forever ago. Well, two weeks ago. I had envisioned an informational blog post talking about what we ate at Wagamama and Finale. However, I am behind. I have recently come to the realization that some pictures are better than nothing. so here are some pictures.

Bobby was in town and it was fun. Cassi and Jordan were there too.

Olympic Gold

2008-05-08T21:32:00.001-06:00

Imagine the world's largest field day.