Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A love for music



Today I took little o to a music class over at Toddle Tunes. The teachers played the piano, the violin and the viola. We also sang some great songs like "You are my sunshine" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Then the babies got a chance to show off their talent with a few of the instruments. I think little o really enjoyed it, even though the Violin was bigger than her!

Weekly dinner roundup

Family dinners have always been important to me. When I was growing up, my mom always had a home cooked meal waiting for my sister and I. It was such a peaceful way to end the day and share a meal with the ones I love.

I have been lucky enough to continue this tradition with Nat (and now little o) each night. Usually he cooks (he is an amazing cook!) and he always knows how to please my hungry palate! Check out some of the meals we had this week....

Mushroom & cheese pizza (front) / Fig & gorgonzola pizza (back)

Mushroom & cheese pizza

Shrimp & veggie curry

Potato leek parsnip bisque with roasted cauliflower and sweet potato fries on top

Since little o arrived into our world, she has been mindful about allowing us to have this time together. I don't think we missed one night. She would either take a nap or simply hang out in her swing, entertaining herself by cooing to her friends on the mobile above.





If she ever got too fussy, Nat would simply put her on his lap and tell her all about what was on our plate that evening. He would even translate some of the foods in french or italian.....les aricot vert...gli spinaci, i pomodori!!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Sunday Farmers Market Visit

little o in front of beets and bunches o spinach


A beautiful variety of squash

Today we stopped by the Farmers Market in West LA. It is one of our favorite markets of the week. It is never too crowded and since some of the vendors already know our faces by now, they will occasionally throw in an extra pluot or two. Today I was craving a crepe, so we stopped by Crepes Dusigne for a simple butter sugar crepe. Little o was kind enough to hold the french baguette I was carrying around.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Date Night


Nat and I went out for our first date since little o was born. Has it really been 3 months already?? We decided to check out the new restaurant Zengo in the newly renovated Santa Monica Place. The restaurant specializes in small plates that blend both Asian and Latin American flavors. We got a variety of dishes to share such as seared scallops, shrimp potstickers, chipotle miso soup and these pork arepas (I thought they would have been much better without the pork:)


(This was the only photo I was able to get, since we gobbled everything else before I had a chance to get a shot!) I loved all the dishes, but I have to say they were all a bit salty. The mall itself was something right out of Hollywood (or Vegas for that matter), yet had spectacular views of the ocean. On Friday nights they have KCRW djs during hapy hour-we'll have to check that out!

Here is a photo from the rooftop deck, where all of the restaurants are located and where the djs do their thing.

It was a great night. Even though we missed out little o, we knew she was in great care with my sis (thanks Lis!). It was so nice to have time with just my hubbie out on the town...

Monday, August 23, 2010

Zebra Love




little o with her new best friend

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Laughing Baby




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY&feature=related

It make my heart melt every time I see little o smile-I can't imagine how amazing it will be to hear the sound of her giggle!

Cutest pea in a pod

Nope this isnt little o...

I am always looking for cute outfits for little o to sport around town. I came across this super sweet crochet pea pod outfit from a shop called "Sandy's cape cod originals" on etsy.com. I think little o can pull off wearing it for sure. The listing is for the pattern only, so I I'll have to practice my crochet skills since it has been awhile...

(Via http://iheartbaby.tumblr.com/)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Farmer's Delight

Oh how I love shopping at the farmer's markets here in Los Angeles. On any given day of the week, you can find one in any part of town. They each have their own unique personalities and I like them all for different reasons. Like today, little o and I ventured out to the market on the 3rd street promenade@Arizona Street in Santa Monica. At this market, you'll see the hot chefs gathering their weekly menu ingredients, along with westside residents and tourists. A lot of the booths are pretty pricey, but if you do some searching, you can always find a deal. We got there somewhat early before the crowd, which was nice. I purchased a variety of fruits and veggies for the week-strawberries, eggplant, pluots, kale (my current obsession), zucchini and some poblano peppers. I couldn't leave the market without stopping by the Rockenwagner booth for a multigrain scone-yum!





Tuesday, August 17, 2010

It's a hot one

Today was especially hot, even by the beach. Little o was horrified that she had to wear a tank top-as she doesn't like showing too much skin!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Picnic Fun

Yesterday, my family and I headed down to Palisades Park  for a picnic. This is one of little o's favorite places-she absolutely loves the rose garden! It was so foggy when we arrived, I almost felt like I was back in San Francisco! Just when I thought it was June gloom back to attack, the sun came out, reminding me how lucky we are to live in Southern California. We are certainly spoiled by the sunny weather!








Saturday, August 14, 2010

Family in town

This weekend I have family visiting. Little O will get to meet her aunt Dani and Uncle Chris for the 1st time. My sister and Dad will also be here. Hmmm...it may be a nice day for a picnic tomorrow