Four generations...

I say this over and over again, but I just feel really grateful that Diana not only has an amazing grandma (my mom!) that makes time to play with her and be a part of every new stage, but she also has a wonderful GREAT grandma or "Gigi" (my grandma Sally) that is energetic enough to keep up with her and enjoy her as she grows up.

My mom, grandma and I have a long-standing tradition of making "Haroset" together for our Passover Seder. Every family has their own version and ours has apples, walnuts, honey and lots of wine! When I was in college, my grandma and mom even made and shipped Haroset to me in New York so I wouldn't miss out.
This past Saturday, we included Diana in this fun tradition. Four generations together! What could be better? She sat in her little purple seat right on the counter and she watched as we chopped and mixed away. She held onto a whole apple and had no idea what to do with it! Tonight we have our Seder down in Weston - it's nice to be together on this holiday. My Aunt Stace and cousin Jamie flew in from North Carolina last night so they'll be joining us too. Life can be crazy and we're all busy, but knowing that we make time for a big dinner and to be together a few times a year no matter what is going on in our lives is a comforting thought.

Family Ties

It's days like today that make me grateful we have our immediate families nearby. We love our house in Deerfield and are happy to be raising Diana in her early years right here in sunny South Florida where both Danny and I grew up. BUT...we really don't know where the next job or the next step in our lives will take us, so it's important that we take time to enjoy having our parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles just a short drive away.

My mom and I have been trying to take Diana out and about for a fun activity once a week, her work schedule and weather permitting. Today was just a beautiful South Florida day - mid 70s, mostly sunny, a little breezy - ahhh! After Diana's morning nap and a quick lunch, we piled in the car and made the 20 minute drive up to Atlantic Avenue on Delray Beach - mom had never been and I've only been a handful of times. This adorable beachy street is lined with quaint shops and restaurants and is right on the Atlantic Ocean.

We parked and headed straight to the sand. This was little Di's second time at the beach and she had a blast. Toes in the sand, looking in fascination at the waves and seagulls and beach-goers. After that, she sat in her big girl stroller and we strolled along the avenue, stopping at the Mellow Mushroom for my favorite - the Kosmic Karma pizza with tomatoes, pesto and spinach - of course Diana wanted to eat some pizza in addition to her carrots! We were so tired when we got home that the three of us collapsed into Diana's play area in our living room - then Danny came home from work and we showed him the pictures. I think we have a beach baby in the making : )
We had some leftovers for dinner after Grandma Susie went home and then headed over to Danny's parents' new house to have some cake and say hello. They're busy settling in and it's nice to now have them only 10 minutes away.

So that was today - spending time with the people we love! Couldn't really ask for more...

Finger Foods and Beyond...

Even though I must say that I've made some pretty delicious baby food over the past few months since Diana started eating "solids"(including butternut squash and quinoa with cumin and banana pear cinnamon sauce), I can tell my baby girl is starting to become a bit bored with eating mushy mouthfuls at every meal. Thanks to a great suggestion from our good friends Sandra and Alvaro, we started feeding Diana rice cracker Mum Mum snacks a few months ago - they dissolve right in her mouth and she goes crazy for them! Grandma Linda (Nonna) found a HUGE mega box of them at Sam's Club last week (see picture above) so we are definitely set with those until she's 2 years old I think!

Anyway, we decided a few weeks ago it was time to expand her culinary horizons. This includes yogurt puffs in banana mango and mixed berry and veggie puffs with spinach. She's been picking up the bite-sized pieces with her little chubby hands in the last few days and has started feeding herself! When did she become so independent?! She's come a long way since her first encounter with rice cereal at 4 months old (see above right). We've also started feeding her our "adult" food and she opens her mouth like a little bird, ready and willing to try anything! Made some Mac & Cheese last night and gave her tiny pieces of cheesy pasta...and made Moroccan Chickpea soup the night before that, put her portion in the food processor and we had an instant gourmet baby meal!

I hope she follows in her mom and dad's footsteps and gets excited about eating and cooking! So far, so good. We have a messy, but fun adventure ahead of us!

Spring Outings

Traveling is pretty much out of the picture for us right now due to a very active 8 month old that doesn't like to sit still for long and Danny's busy school schedule. SO...we decided to take advantage of some cool "touristy" places right here in our own backyard. In South Florida, we also like to take advantage of the beautiful 75 degree weather in the early spring before the summer heat is upon us and we're stuck walking around shopping malls or in the house. Grandma Susie, Great Grandma Ann, little Di and me headed to Butterfly World this past Friday afternoon. Diana is sprouting that first little bottom tooth so this was the perfect distraction. We walked around the butterfly, bird and plant aviaries and Diana was reaching and grabbing for everything of course! A butterfly even landed on her little sunhat (center picture). She was just so in awe of the colorful, fluttering insects...very cool to see something as simple as a butterfly through her eyes. She also loved the waterfalls and the orchids..the parrots and their loud squawking...not so much!

Danny had a big paper due on Saturday and headed to the library so Grandma Susie and I decided to continue our adventures and take little Di to Flamingo Gardens down in Davie. I hadn't been since a class trip in 5th grade and it was such a fun afternoon! We took a tram tour through citrus groves and drank the most delicious tangerine juice I've ever had. We browsed their spring garden show, walked through their wildlife conservatory (see picture above on right) and of course, saw about 100 flamingos! We stopped at the snack bar for a lunch break and Diana had the BEST time covering herself in a watermelon popsicle. She definitely was ready for a good nap after all that.

I'm also including a picture of the three of us at Danny's 27th birthday dinner at Japan Inn from last Thursday night - a great way to kick off the weekend. We met up with Nonna and Grandpa and Alex, Matthew and Roman to celebrate both Danny and Gary's birthdays. Diana wasn't scared of the Hibachi cooking at all - she loved it so much we told the chef to bring on more fire and smoke. She tried tofu for the first time and birthday cake too!

Even though life is busy, we are still finding time to have fun and enjoy each stage with our fast-growing little girl. I can't believe she's 8 months old - before we know it, we'll be getting ready to celebrate her 1st birthday.