Hey everyone...Riz here. We spent a LOONG time trying to get the video from Manu's 1st birthday party up on the interwebs, but YouFace wouldn't let us publish the video with the audio embedded. Unfortunately, we couldn't come up with any elegant way to do it. So even though it's quite a bit farther of a trip down memory lane than we anticipated, we've finally come up with a solution to allow everyone to see it. (I take full responsibility for the jankiness of this post.)
So here's what you do:
1) Start the video.
2) When the countdown gets to 3, click play on the Audio widget. (Thank you, Grooveshark!)
3) Enjoy! After you've watched it, leave us a comment back on the new blog:

Looking for Us?

Looking for Riz and T? We're here now!

November

In November Manu experienced his first salon hair cut. Before this time only Aunt Sameena had touched his precious locks. It took 3 adults to get the job done. He sat in Riz's lap and I distracted/bribed him with gummy bears and cookies while the stylist went to work. Here's the "before". Doesn't he look skeptical?

And here's the clean-cut "after". Personally, I prefer his hair a little on the shaggy side which is good for all of us because that experience was a bit tortuous for all involved.

Our local PBS station opened up the old set of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood to the public (Pittsburgh being Mr. Rogers' real-life neighborhood) and of course we had to go. Manu really has no idea who Mr. Rogers is. He's pretty content with the characters on Sesame Street for the time being. I on the other hand was totally excited to get our picture in The Land of Make Believe. Someday, he'll appreciate the awesomeness of that opportunity...or not.

Riz had a couple more interviews in CT lined up for the days leading up to Thanksgiving. My sweet Aunt and Uncle generously offered their home to us for the entire week. When Riz wasn't interviewing, we spent our time scoping out New Haven and the surrounding areas considering where we might want to settle if Riz was accepted there.

Manu checking out the exhibits at Kidcity Children's Museum in Middletown.

Thanksgiving, more than any other holiday I feel, says "family". As soon as we've put away the last bite of Aziza's delicious cooking and changed into our elastic-banded sweats, I'm thinking about how much I miss them already and can't wait to do it all again next year. I love our traditions: Dinner at 4pm on Thursday, West Farms Mall on Friday (always an hour later than we planned...always), Sleighride Mochas at Gloria Jean's, and the mandatory sibling couch picture. I was so excited for Manu to be a part of it all this year; to experience the joy and liveliness of it all.

Seemed like he was pretty excited to be a part of it too.

October

In October we hit the interview trail together as a family. We limited our choices to fellowship programs in the northeast to make sure we stayed close to the grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles. We first headed to Connecticut for a Riz's two day interview at Yale. This also provided a great opportunity to stay and visit with family in the area. We then made our way to Rhode Island for the Brown interview and then foolishly decided to drive the 9 hours back to Pittsburgh on the same day. Crazy kids. Once we hit the NYC rush-hour traffic we knew there was no way we'd make it back before 3am. We booked a hotel somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania and decided to finish our journey in the A.M. That was rough. If I had to sing B-I-N-G-O one more time.... On a positive note, Riz can expertly clap along to the song while maintaining control of the steering wheel. The skills of a parent.

Manu with his Great Grandma in South Windsor, CT.

The fall day we spent at Reilly's Summer Seat Farm is one I hope to remember for a long, long time. It was Manu's first time at a pumpkin patch and he was such a joy to watch. We enjoyed a hayride up to the patch, munched on warm funnel cake, and picked out a little Manu-sized pumpkin to take home with us.

Aunt Aziza came to visit the weekend of Halloween this year and we wanted to show her one of our favorite places: The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. If you're ever in the Pittsburgh area, this is a MUST do. It's such a blast! Here's Manu checking out the Air Box exhibit in the Nursery.


Later that afternoon we donned our costume and headed out for some trick-or-treating. Don't know what it is with me and feathered friends, but we followed last year's chicken with a sweet little owlet. Soon enough he'll have an opinion on what action hero he should be and where I should be buying the overpriced plastic get-up from (why are kids so opposed to homemade?), so I'm squeezing in the fuzzy homemade costumes in while I can.

September

September found us in Horseheads for Jeff and Melissa's nuptials. Don't you just love wedding season? Manu and I made the trip a couple days early to spend some quality time with the family.

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What better way to spend your time than playing dress-up. Medina and I raided her closets and donned the little guy in old dance costumes and party dresses. With a little accessorizing and a little protest, we created the lovely "Armana". Poor kid.

It was another gorgeous wedding. Jeff and Melissa exchanged vows at a lakeside ceremony at the camp where they first met.

We made our way back to Pittsburgh by way of Buffalo where I got to hold sweet baby Owen for the first time. Yay for new babies!

September also brought some firsts for Manu. He went from taking his first steps just weeks earlier, to fearlessly running.

He also created his first works of art, which of course we proudly framed.

Last but not least, Manu discovered the yuminess of the Whole Foods prepared foods bar. We scooped up some of their delicious mac and cheese for him, but it true Manu-style he wanted the good stuff and shamlessly devoured my entire plate of Indian food.

August

At the end of August we made the looong 6 hour trek out to Brooklyn to witness our friends Jon and Maria, tie the knot. It was one of the most memorable weddings we've attended; an intimate, personal, and heartfelt affair from start to finish. Free of cliched vows and dyed to match satin, all the elements of the day truly reflected and celebrated the couple and their commitment to each other.

The bride and her mom make their way through Prospect Park. How gorgeous are they?! Now that's a Mother of the Bride dress. No frumpy- dumpy here. At the reception she dedicated a tango to the newlyweds. How brilliant!

The exchange of rings

The vows.

August 27th marked our 11 year dating anniversary. The hubby surprised me with a Le Creuset grill pan in "Dijon". I had my eye on the baby for months and was so pysched (do people still say that?) that Riz snatched one up for me. It's one of those items you know you'll use but would never buy for yourself. Now only if I had an extra grand lying around, I could finish off the collection.

Manu presents Mommy with her new grill pan. And yes, he's sporting a pony tail.

This pic is one of my favorites from the entire summer. It's not great technically, but I love the feel of it. My little/not so little boy. I wonder what caught his attention. A passing car? A barking dog? Is he sensing the transition from summer to fall? Or marveling at how much world there is to explore? Maybe like his momma he's wondering how he got so big so fast.

And We're Back!

Yep! After a lengthy 9 month hiatus, I'm ready to blog again. Why gone so long? No time? Nah. We all have time for the things we want to make time for. Truth is, blogging was feeling like a real chore and goodness knows I have enough of those. It simply wasn't fun anymore, so I dropped it. I wasn't sure I was ever going to pick it up again but I have to say, it feels really great to be back.

So what changed? I'm not so sure. Maybe it's this gorgeous spring weather that's rejuvenated me. Maybe it's because overnight, Arman turned into a hilarious little man who can now count to twelve and has strong opinions on what should be served at snack time and I don't want to forget a moment (well, most moments anyway) of it. Maybe it's because our family has gone through a whirlwind of major life changes in the past nine months and I'm desperate to document and share the on-going drama that is our life. I dunno, but today feels like the right day.

Whatever the reasons, I'm back with renewed energy and excitement about this blog. I have some ideas brewing for future posts that I'm really looking forward to getting started on. It's going to be great! Before we dive in though, a recap of the past nine months is in order and boy has it been a crazy time. Weddings, an engagement, moving and moving again, our growing family, holidays, babies, the interview trail, Ivy League, and growing up. We begin in August...

Front Page

As many of you know, I'm currently enrolled in Palm's Real Reviewers Program. As part of that program, I've been hooked up with a Palm Pre and service through Sprint. In return, they ask that I comment from time to time on how I'm using the device. Well, one of my review posts has been picked up by Pre|Central and posted on the front page!

Another Day, Another Dinner

Clipped this winner from Country Living (which is surprisingly quite fresh and modern) several years back and finally tried it out last night. The hubby and I both give it 2 thumbs up. Make sure you treat yourself to some good quality swiss. Makes all the difference!

Baby Steps

Yes folks, these are Manu's very first steps, caught on tape. Now that's a great ending to a great weekend.

Joy

Dinner Tonight

Mmmm! Tamale Pie! Tonight's dinner comes to you courtesy of Williams Sonoma Kitchen. I usually cut the recipe in half (it serves 16) and serve left-overs the following night.
It's Tuesday night and I'm wishing I could gather around the table with our old Tuesday Night Dinner crowd. I'm pretty sure they'd love it.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. canola oil

3 yellow onions, thinly sliced with a mandoline

3 large green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

3 to 5 serrano chilies, seeded and minced

4 1/2 lb. ground lean beef

4 cups corn kernels, fresh or thawed frozen

1/4 cup ground cumin

4 1/2 Tbs. chili powder

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

3 1/2 Tbs. coarse salt, plus more, to taste

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 box Buckeye corn bread mix

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Sour cream for serving

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

In an All-Clad lasagna pan or a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil until almost smoking. Add the onions, bell peppers and chilies and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same pan over medium heat, cook the ground beef, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the onion mixture, the corn, cumin, chili powder, tomatoes, tomato paste and the 3 1⁄2 Tbs. salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. If the meat mixture was cooked in a sauté pan, transfer it to a lasagna pan. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

Put the corn bread mix in a large bowl and stir in the cheese. Prepare the corn bread batter according to the package instructions and spread the batter evenly over the meat mixture. Bake until the corn bread is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the tamale pie rest for 20 minutes before serving. Accompany with sour cream. Serves 16.

Life in a Nutshell

"Uh-oh!" (New favorite word btw)

"I should really pick these up"

"Yum! This should go quickly!"

"Wait... Only 7 chips per serving..."


"I'm just gonna push the rest of them under here for later."

Baby Owen

A BIG CONGRATS to our dear friends, Dennis and Teresa. On Friday, June 26th they welcomed sweet baby Owen to the world.

Isn't he the cutest lil thing?

D&T, you guys are going to be fantastic parents. I'm sure in the few days you've had with him, you've already shown that you are. We can't wait to get up to Buffalo and meet him! XOXO.

kiss me, kate!

Today is the final day of the kate spade sample sale! Definitely worth checking out! She's offering an additional 30% off sale prices and a flat $5 shipping rate. Some really cute stuff still left at amazing prices!

LOL

I couldn't help but laugh out loud when flipping through the July issue of Gourmet Mag today I came across an article entitled:

"Summer Savvy: Make pie dough and homemade crackers part of your routine."

Ha! A routine that includes homemade crackers?! Seriously? If I time it just right, maybe I can fit that in between vacuuming lunch crumbs off the floor and running down to the basement to move the laundry to the dryer for the second time today. And if I'm really savvy, I may even get to use the bathroom.

Homemade crackers...who are these people?

Dinner Tonight

Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta has become the perfect summer go-to at our house and comes to you courtesy of Ms. Martha.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

• 2 1/2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound long fusilli, or linguine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. On rimmed baking sheet, toss zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic with 5 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread into single layer; roast until zucchini is lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot. Toss with remaining tablespoon oil; cover.
3. Pour reserved pasta water onto baking sheet of cooked vegetables; scrape with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Stir vegetables and juices into pasta. Add parsley and Parmesan; toss to combine. Serve with more Parmesan.

Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium

After hearing many rave reviews, we decided to check out the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium during Riz's week off from work. Although we had already snagged memberships to the Botantical Gardens, Children's Museum and Aviary, we knew we would have to add the Zoo and Aquarium to our ever-growing list before even stepping foot inside.

I'm doing my best to pose for a darling mother-son photo, but Manu decides to keep it real and kick me in the face.

Manu spots a kitty. This is my "I'm smiling but I'm not sure I want you to be calling that kitty over here " face. Note the tension in my neck.

These two extra large kitties sure were amazing to watch but I was kinda nervous about their proximity to us .


Especially given that I could easily rest my arms on the fence that was supposed to keep us separated.


I'm usually not a fraidy cat (ha!) and I'm all about trying to recreate an open, natural habit, but it was lunch time. I also overheard someone say that they each eat about 10 pounds of food a day. Hmm. One twenty pound baby divided by two lions.... moving on.


This pretty kitty was behind a wall.


Too into his salmon lunch to even notice us.


Along with our furry friends there was of course the scaly, bumpy, creepy friends. This guy held so incredibly still I don't think Manu even noticed he was there.

Unfortunately, our camera's battery konked out on us by the time we made our way to the aquarium where we watched in awe as a pair of polar bears swim around and over us; twirling and turning sommersaults like they were light as can be. Super cool. Definitely have to make another trip back to capture that one.

Back at home, Manu was able to get up close and personal with a bear more his size (Thanks, Osman!).