The Most Beautiful Blanket

Aunt Dani crochet the most beautiful blanket for Aliya. It is the softest pink with raised teaddybears, hearts and stars. The little bears have bowties made of ribbon. Aliya is so very lucky to have Aunt Dani who loves her so much she spent so much time and put in so much effort to make her this wonderful blanket. I will cherish it forever! Thank you so very much Aunt Dani! We love you!

Aliya's 3 babysitters

Rob and I went dinner the other night so Robs Mom, Aunt Terri and Aunt Dani Came over to babysit Aliya. She loved being with her 3 Grandma's. Rob and I had a great time and can't thank them enough! I hope she was a good girl. Next time they come to babysit we may stay home with them, it looked like they were having so much (counter intuitive, I know).

Never Forget

As we reach the eight year anniversary of one of America's greatest tragedies, all of us should look back with great respect, to honor those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. Pay tribute to the heros and pledge to never forget. God Bless America.

Happy Birthday Fua!

Mazzaros Italian Market and Coffee Bar

Ashley and Lola took Aliya and I to Mazzaros Italian Market at Coffee Bar yesterday. This place is really great! They have a huge selection of meat, seafood, cheese, wine, fresh pasta and groceries! They also have a deli, a coffee bar and a bakery. I ate a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich while I was there and brought home a sun dried tomato and spinach Lasagna, garlic bread and a piece of canolli cake. Rob loved the food and can't wait to go there! If you live near St. Pete you should check it out! The address is 2909 22nd Avenue North 33713 Next time I go I am going to order the hazelnut encrusted chicken and bring home the walnut and Gorgonzola cheese pasta. Not sure what I want from the bakery yet but whatever I get it is bound to be good! Check out their website at http://www.mazzarosmarket.com/index.html

90% restaurant.com

Mom gave me this great tip! Restaurant.com is having a sale! You can get $25 gift certificates for $1! All you have to do is type coupon code ZOO in when you are checking out on the "my cart" page and the discount is taken off! I got $130 of gift certificates ($325 Value) for $13! Just be careful because they come with exclusions and terms. Most of the $25 gift certificates can only be used on $35 or more purchases. Still your $35 meal only costs $11! It is really straight forward what the terms of use are. When you click to add the restaurant to your shopping cart the terms are listed right under the button! Happy Shopping and Eating!!

P.S. Expires Sept 12th at midnight!

http://www.restaurant.com/

Wrights Deli and Cafe, We finally made it!

Rob has been talking about going to eat at this sandwich shop in Tampa called Wrights. We finally decided to go last Sunday and of course they are closed on Sunday. We headed back again on Monday and of course they were closed for Labor Day. We tried again today and lo and behold it was open! Rob had a Reuben and I had a Paris. A Ruben is corned beef, sauerkraut, and mustard on Rye... not for me! The Paris is turkey on white with apple slices and Brie with a little bit of mustard, then grilled! It was so yummy! Aliya didn't have anything but she'll get The Paris in 4 - 24 hours! :) We also shared a red velvet cake cupcake. I'm glad he finally got his Wrights fix! I'm sure we'll be back again soon!

Am I blogging too much..?

Mom came over today to play with Aliya and practice babysitting, she has a solo job this Thursday night, while we were talking I would mention something I did and she'd say "I know I saw that on the blog". Then a few minutes later the same thing would happen. I realized I blog to much and now I have nothing new to contribute to a conversation! Everyone knows everything about me and Aliya!! Aliya loved seeing her Grandma! We are glad she came to visit!

Happy Birthday Adam Wiarda!!

Hyde Park

Rob was off today so when we woke up this morning we decided to go out to breakfast and walk around Hyde Park. Hyde Park is an outdoor shopping area in Tampa. It has brick roads, big shady trees, lots of trendy stores and a park with a playground. It was Aliya first time at a playground.They had a swing there that you can completely strap them kids and babies into. I don't think Aliya cared one way or the other that she was in the swing. She didn't like the slide very much either. I think we'll try again in a few months. Right now it was lost on her. We saw a really cool palm tree growing next to an oak. The oak was wrapped around the palm at the base and the pal swerved to get sun at the top. They were both huge and doing well.

Major Milestone for Aliya

Guess what Aliya had done today? She had her ears pierced! She was so good and looks so cute. I wasn't planning on having it done but we went to the mall we passed by Piercing Pagoda and a 3 month old little girl was having her ears pierced. The lady who pierced her ears did such a good job and the little girl seemed completely fine after a few minutes. I was planning on doing it myself when Aliya became around 6-8 months. The lady told me 3 months is a perfect age because they don't squirm around as much and they don't touch their ears so their chance of infection is much lower. I was convinced and Rob was okay with it. I picked out cute little Zirconium studs in 14k gold (the same ones the little baby before Aliya had, I copied), I signed the liability papers saying if Aliya's ear falls off I won't sue (not settling) and after a few tears (from me, not Aliya) she got her ears pierced. She was so good. She cried for a minute but her dad comforted her and in no time she was flashing big smiles at me and Rob. She looks adorable and they turned out really well! I am really glad we got them done. She still looks just like Rob but at least everyone will know she is a little girl!

White Chicken Chilli

I Don't have pictures but I wanted to put the receipe up for the Chilli I made for the potluck at Sasha's house.

White Chicken Chilli - it is a huge crowd pleaser!



3 cans (15.5oz) Great northern beans

1 16oz jar Salsa

2 lbs cooked chicken breast pulled apart

1 pack shreeded cheese (2 cups)



Place beans, chicken and salsa in slow cooker for 2 hours. Add in cheese and stir until melted then serve! So easy and tastes so so good. I added a bag of mixed frozen veggies for this potluck but next time I think I will only add corn. The peas, green beans and carrots didn't add anything to the chilli but I really liked the corn in it.

Sasha House for Dinner

All the interns and Residents had a dinner at Sasha's House. We had a great time. There were so many kids! It was fun to watch them play. Hungh was the official photographer and he took so many awesome pictures. He also rocks at Dance Dance Revolution. Susan played and held Aliya for so long. Aliya loved sitting with her! Usman brought awesome Rum cake from Wrights. Rob has been trying to get us out there to try the sandwiches, we just haven't made it yet. Ashley (another stay at home mom) and I are planning to get together since we both are home with our beautiful daughters all day. He baby Lola (pic above) is so cute. Sasha played a wonderful host. She cooked great food and was so hospitable. Her and Marks house is gorgeous and they have amazing kids. Clarissa's room has the coolest mural of a unicorn in this fantasy land. Other people who were there were John and his wife and their beautiful blonde girls, Hannah and Ella. James cracked me up with his witty comments I didn't talk to Suzanne or Lorrain but I can't wait to have another get together so I can!

Happy Birthday Sean

We went to Sean and Debs house to celebrate Seans birthday! They had a whole new set up of instruments, Rob tried his hand at the drums but I think he should leave it to Sean and Deb! Jen played with Aliya for so long and Dave and Dakota played Rockband on the TV. Aliya loved sitting with her Grandma and Grandpa Wayne. We ate tons. Deb had bought this cheese spread and I was addicted. I couldn't stop eating it. It was so yummy. We tried the chocolate version of raspberry elegance cake and the consensus was that the regular version is better. We also saw Earl the huge Banana spider outside.Deb had some really funny Blone jokes, my favorite was Blonde on Sun: A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day. The Russian said, 'We were the first in space !' The American said, 'We were the first on the moon !' The Blonde said, 'So what ? We're going to be the first on the sun!' The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads. 'You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up !' said the Russian. To which the Blonde replied, 'We're not stupid, you know. We're going at night !' It was a lot of fun! We love Sean and hope he had a great birthday!

Aliya in her bouncy seat

Check out Aliya double fisting it! She has her monkey in one hand and hippo in the other! If she had a third hand I know she'd have it on the lion!

Mother Goose time at the Library

Today Aliya went to the Library for the first time! Rob had half the day off so we meet up at the library near the hospital where they had Mother Goose Story time for babies and toddlers. It was super cute, lots of singing and dancing. I think Aliya had fun watching the other kids. They blew bubbles for the kids to play in and Aliya was just watching the kids pop bubbles! It was so cute. She also got her first sticker today! It was of a monkey. Rob read her a book about puppies that she like because he had to make different barking noises, ruff ruff, bow wow, arf.. ect. She liked to hear him make the different sounds. I know she is a bit young but I think it was fun for her anyway. I think we will go back next week.

Talking Girl

Aliya had so much to say this morning! I know she can't really talk but I swear Rob and I have heard her say the following words:

1. boy
2. good
3. no
4. hey
5. love you
6. wow
7. mom
8. I agree
9. okay

The strangest part is she says them when they are completely appropriate to the conversation! She also has her standby baby talk. Some of her favorite sound to say are:

1. Ahgoo
2. gaga
3. bree
4. AHHHHHHH (which she now likes to scream at me!)
5. Ohhh
6. voooh

Splish Splash Aliyas takin' a bath

Aliya is now loving bath time! She splashes water all over the place. By the time she was done half her bath water was on her dad! She still isn't too interested in toys but now that she knows how to splash water she is entertained to no end.

Butterflies

Aliya is now really studying her butterflies on her gym. She loves to look at them and pull at them down. They are held by velcro but she is getting so strong the velcro is no match for her!

Now thats what I call a good crib!

Yes.. you are looking at the picture correctly. That is me in Aliyas crib with her. It looked so comfy so I climbed in. We didn't hear one noise or crack. It didn't wobble or shake! That crib is going nowhere! I can't believe how big the crib is. I could easily sleep in there for a night!

Future Las Vegas Show Girl....? I hope not!

At the mall last week we passed by the kiosk that sells fun girly headbands. Aliya tried this one on. I think it is a bit much for anyone but on her tiny head she looks like she stepped off a stage in Vegas! It is kinda cute on her though!

Stealing Glasses

Aliya stole her first pair of glasses right off of Bapas face! We went to Maa and Bapas house on Friday to see them and Issa Ada. Maa made really good pilau but the highlight of the meal was Gonja dizzi. I have no idea what Gonja means but dizzi means banana's in Swahili. This is an African dish. You take ripe plantains and cook it with sugar, coconut milk and a few spices such as cardamon. It is not the prettiest most refined dish but it tastes amazing! Yummmmm. I need to learn to make it! Maa made it a few weeks ago but she used regular milk instead of coconut milk...not nearly as good. I am glad she made it again.

Pio Pio

We went to eat at a Latin Bistro, Pio Pio, last weekend while we were home. They make amazing sauces which we call the green sauce and the white sauce. I have no idea what is in them except yummy goodness. They taste great with the whole fish we order and the chicken they are famous for. On a side note how amazing is moms hair! It has grown back so much it looks like a hair style! She beat Aliya in their hair growing competition.