Thursday, November 27, 2008

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Zoo Comparison Shots...

These were taken during our first trip to the zoo...in September 2007. What a difference 14 months makes, eh?

The Zoo!

It was a really nice warm and sunny day today so we headed over to the Oakland Zoo. It was a lot of fun and Liberty was able to enjoy looking at all the animals much more than she did a year ago when we went. She had a slight temper tantrum when we first got there because she wanted to buckle up her doll "Bee"(bee=baby) into the stroller and push it all over the place. And you better believe she did not want our help with pushing the stroller.


We diffused the situation by putting Bee away and giving Liberty a snack, then everything was nice....well, at least until she barfed on the way home, but that is a story for another post.



"Hi Birds"

Buckling up Bee
*sigh* if only she would look at the camera

*sigh* again Checking out the Monkeys

Strollin' along with daddy

haha....can you tell I was saying "cheese" ??
Strollin' along with mommy
The Giant Moth
The petting zoo area....
Elephants!!
In the cave with daddy

Our fun new freebie....

Liberty scored big time this weekend! Our friends parents had this in their backyard for when their grandkids were little and they didn't want or need it anymore so they gave it to us! They brought it over on Friday night so Liberty didn't see it until Saturday morning...when she spotted it out the back window, she started yelling "mommy! outside! slide mommy! outside!" over and over. We are thrilled! Thanks Silva Family!


Saturday, November 22, 2008

She can count!

Liberty can officially count to ten!! Seven sounds a little iffy, but every other number sounds clear as day and she even gets them in the right order!
I, of course, can't take all the credit (since she most likely learned from watching Sesame Street or something), but I'm thrilled that she finally learned something that doesn't involve making a mess!!


Sunday, November 16, 2008

Bed Time=Fun Time

A lot of cuteness happens around here right before bed time. Liberty likes to go in our bedroom, turn on the stereo and jump on the bed while rocking out to music. Lately, she has been wanting to try on all of daddy's hats at the same time.







Fun times.

Taco Party Extravaganza!

We had a taco party the night before my *ahem* 29th birthday....I made the best taquitos in the entire universe (I added the recipe...they're that good!) and chicken and carne asada tacos.















We had a HUGE spread of food and the kids entertained us with their Rock Band skills. It was so fun.


Plus, my hubby got me a meat cleaver AND a hot pink 16GB iPod Nano for my birthday...which made turning "29" sting just a little bit less. _______________________________________________________
No Can Beato This Taquito

Recipe from Guy Fieri

Foodnetwork.com


(* these really are the best taquitos I have ever eaten. They are pretty time consuming, but I made the filling a day ahead and then just rolled and fried the taquitos before the party. I even froze some unfried taquitos and fried them up a week later and they were just as good. I forgot to buy the red peppers at the store but they were delicious anyways. I can't wait to have an excuse to make these again!)



Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 jalapenos, diced and seeded
2 medium red
potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
3 ounces your favorite tequila
1
lime, juiced
2 tablespoons minced
fresh cilantro leaves
24 corn tortillas
Directions
Guacamole, recipe follows



In medium saute pan over medium to high heat, add oil, onions, red bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, potatoes, garlic and chicken. Saute until chicken is cooked and vegetables are soft. Add the oregano and cumin and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Deglaze with tequila and the lime juice and let simmer until liquid is almost evaporated.
Remove from heat. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and let cool. Stir in the cilantro.
Wrap tortillas in paper towels and microwave for 2 minutes to make tortillas pliable. Place about 4 tablespoons of chicken mixture on 1 tortilla, roll tightly and close with a toothpick.
In large cast iron skillet, heat 1/2-inch of canola oil to 350 degrees F.
Add rolls to hot oil, placing toothpick seam down. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown and turn to other side.
Remove and drain on paper towel. Remove toothpicks and serve with guacamole and salsa.



Guacamole:
3 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/2 bottle of your favorite beer
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 lime, juiced
Small handful cilantro leaves, about 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.


Dia de los Muertos Festival...

We didn't take Liberty this year since it can get very crowded and pushing a stroller through the crowds can be tricky...but we walked around and checked out the sights for a couple hours. I love this festival and look forward to it every year.



the Altars:






Aztec Dancers:




Other: