It's a Wonderful Life

My mom told me before I had Adam that there is nothing more special than witnessing Christmas through the eyes of your children.  She also told me when your children get presents it’s as fun as when you do.  Neither of which I really understood until this Christmas. 

This was Adam’s second Christmas, however the first Christmas he was such a little teeny baby and Randy and I were new parents and everything was such a blur.  This Christmas both Adam and his parents got to enjoy every minute and sleep in every day….ok maybe not sleep in.

We left REALLY early the Friday before Christmas.  By really early I mean we were on the road to the airport by 3:30 am.  By the time our flight took off at 7 am Adam was fast asleep.

 
Oh wait, that’s right we had ten minutes of screaming on the tarmac first.  Our airplane neighbors loved us 🙂
 
We landed in Detroit and were so excited to see everyone.
 
There were yummy cookies, chocolate banana bread and not one but two Christmas trees waiting for us. 
 

 
There were also toys galore and two little dogs. Adam decided to dig right in and was in heaven the whole weekend.  He was seriously so happy the whole week we may need to get some dogs around here.
 

 
It was non stop yummy food the whole time.  Friday night Sandra made a delicious turkey bolognese that we will definitely be making a lot of in the future.  Saturday morning we had potato latkas and evil skeevers which were a big hit with everyone.
 

Adam got right into the Christmas spirit and into Grandma Yuyu’s suitcase.

 
After a yummy breakfast the boys started to get a little stir crazy so we decided to bundle up and get to the park across the street.
 
 

 

Before we knew it, it was Christmas Eve! It started to snow which made it all the more special.  Grandma Gertch had arrived and we were ready to have an amazing Christmas.  Sandra made delicious appetizers, goat cheese covered in herbs and blinis with salmon, creme fraiche and dill.   Then for an amazing Christmas Eve dinner we had crab legs with two types of melted butter, corn bread, rice with herbs and roasted vegetables all of which was DELICIOUS.  I ate more corn bread and crab legs than I ever thought I could and loved every minute.  The boys and Isla were asleep and it was nice to have such a yummy adult meal.

 

Christmas morning was here before we knew it. 

Adam was still a little too young to understand Christmas but the paper tearing he loved and he loved all of Romans presents!  We got Roman a Melissa and Doug train set that Roman and Adam loved so I think it’ll find its way under our tree pretty soon.  Thanks Aunt Daf for the great idea 🙂
 

‘Santa’ got Adam the coolest airplane.  Thanks Aunt Sandra!
 
The cutest Christmas butt I’ve ever seen.

Adam reading Christmas books.

 
Sandra had gotten all three cousins matching pjs so we attempted to take a picture with all three in front of the tree after opening all the gifts.  Attempted being the key word.
 
 

 
After A LOT of outtakes here is the winner.  Those people at Sears who photograph babies deserve medals because this is NOT easy people.
 
 
After a yummy breakfast of french toast casserole and a yummy egg dish that Adam loved we all got dressed and took a bunch more pictures because that’s what you do on Christmas 🙂 

 
Adam and Randy trying to boycott photos.  I foresee a lot of the boys doing this in my future.

 Randy, Grandma Yuyu and Adam

Grandma Yuyu and Isla

 Aunt Sandra, Randy, Grandma Yuyu and Isla

Randy and Isla (I love seeing Randy with babies smaller than Adam, it reminds me of how sweet he is with little babies)

 The Ley’s first Christmas as a family of four 🙂

 
The Ali’s with Grandma Gertch

An attempt of a picture of the Alis and the Leys which was a fail even with an attempted bribe of an orange ball. But at least Roman looks cute!
 
Happy that papparazi session is completed.
 
 
After some more snow we ended up spending an extra night in Detroit and left Thurseday to head home.
 
We explored all of Detroit Metro Airport for a couple of hours before our flight.

Followed by a nap on daddy
 
 
We had a great week full of amazing food,  Christmas movie watching, talking and watching the babies play together. 
 
It was a bittersweet holiday this year.  I kept thinking about how the next time we see sweet Isla she’ll be walking and talking,  the next time Adam and Roman play together Adam will be able to play catch with Roman and talk to him, the next time all three of these little babies are together they won’t be babies anymore.  But I do know that we were extremely lucky to get to celebrate holidays the last two years with all of our family.
 
 
Merry Christmas everyone! Here is to a New Year with a new city to explore, amazing countries, islands and beaches to visit, new friends waiting for us and old friends that we’ll look forward to visiting and having visit.  This year has been an amazing one for the Alis and we are ready for all 2013 has to offer!
 
Happy New Years!


Adam, Adam and more Adam

A friend of a friend took some amazing pictures of Adam last week and it’s the perfect Christmas present!  

I’m so happy to have this memory of Adam at this amazing age.  He’s just on the cusp of being a full blown toddler and almost not a baby anymore (tear).  His personality is starting to come through in the most amazing ways.  I love how these pictures show so many of his faces and expressions. 

 ‘About to get into trouble’ face

‘I didn’t hear that first no I swear’ face

 ‘You have to love me because I’m so cute’ face

 ‘Deep in thought’ face
 ‘Oh house maid (aka mom) can you go draw my bath for me’ face

If you let me touch that cord I’ll give you a kiss’ face

 ‘Do you know what I’m about to do?’ face

 ‘You really have no idea what I’m about to do’ face

 ‘Yes please, I would love a cupcake. I deserve one, I’ve barely chewed on any cords today ‘ face

 ‘I’ll give you a million kisses for a cupcake’ face

 ‘I love you’ face

 
Here are some amazing pictures of Adam playing in front of the tree. These are going to be so great to remember our last Christmas in the states for a while.  
 
 

 
It was hard to get pictures of Adam outside because all he wanted to do was RUN, RUN and RUN! But here are a couple.
 

 
 

Merry Christmas everyone!  We’re off to Detroit tomorrow to celebrate with our family.  Lots of pictures when we get home.

Love, the Alis

 

Adam's First Christmas

Adam’s first Christmas he was just 19 days old.

He was such a sweet little peanut who slept all the time 🙂 anywhere and on anyone who would hold him and there were A LOT of willing arms!

 

He slept through our family dinners and for anyone who’s joined us knows that our dinners are loud!

 
Everyone came to meet little baby Adam and to celebrate Christmas together.  Adam is a lucky boy, his family loved him so much already and came from Detroit, New York and Maine to meet him.
 



 

Adam picked out a super cool fire truck for his cousin Roman.

Randy and I were in a sleep deprived haze of love and awe and we’re so happy we got to celebrate Adam’s first Christmas with all of our family.

 
We are ready for another family Christmas with our family in a couple of days! We’re off to Detroit on Friday and we cannot wait for another Christmas with our little peanut. 

 

Adam and Claus

So we decided to take Adam to the mall and get a picture with Santa.

First I’m going to discuss all the things we could have been doing on this beautifully sunny Saturday had I not decided this was a necessary task for the Ali family. 

We could have gotten diplomatic passports for Adam and me (a very necessary task that requires all three of us to be present).
We could have gone for a walk to Eastern Market and gotten some hot apple cider.
We could have gone to the Baltimore Aquarium.
We could have stayed at home and played with our new snowman balloon.

 
But instead we headed to the Pentagon City Mall and got on line for Santa…five minutes later we were told Santa was going on a break and we would have to come back in an hour.  This is probably where we should have packed it in and headed home.  But we decided instead to get some errands done and then get back on line.  The following half an hour wait for Santa was a VERY long one for one little boy who was tired, wanted his milk and to be free to walk wherever he wanted.

We finally made it to the front of the line and we were ready for some Santa pictures.

Here is the one and only picture we got.

Please note how scared Santa looks…

Luckily both Randy and I think this is actually the cutest picture ever and I have big plans to show it to all of Adam’s future girlfriends.

And just so everyone remembers what a cute smile Adam has here is a picture of Adam from Friday.

 

Trains and Little Boys

After weeks of trying we finally managed to get a bunch of babies together and walk over to the Botanical Gardens to see Train exhibit.  I wasn’t sure if Adam would be that excited or if the exhibit would be set up for little boys.  But I should have known that there’s a reason train sets have been little boys favorite for generations!

The minute Adam got into the exhibit he was so excited! He let out a yelp that he saves for when he’s really excited, usually when he sees dogs.  His face would light up when the train came by and then he would get sad when the train left again, a vicious cycle but the whole exhibit was a huge success.  The exhibit was beautiful.  It was a small room and easily managable for little boys who have just learned to walk.  Almost everything in there was made of trees and plants.  The detail and amount of work put into this exhibit was amazing. 

Excuse the Iphone pictures.

 Adam and Simone train spotting.

 

 

 Little peanut waiting for the train!
 
  On the walk home we were treated to this amazing sunset.

Thank you Knicks

Last night, while the Knicks game reigned supreme in our house I finally took out my wedding album that I STILL haven’t completed.  Thank you Knicks for forcing us to take a break from Downton Abbey and allowing me to work on my album finally!

Working on the album reminded me of our wedding and I dug out this little beauty that our good friend Erika made us.  I LOVE this video, everything about it- our awkward first dance, my fist pumping at the cake, Daphne and I dancing, the ‘fertility’ belt, the Greek dancing and everything in between.  It makes me smile and perhaps brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it.

Adam's Favorite Chicken Cacciatore.

This favorite of Adam’s is a Batali recipe, our son is already partial to fine dining.  This is called Chicken Hunter style.  It tastes exactly how chicken cacciatore should and is delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 roaster chicken, about 5 to 6 pounds
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 branch fresh rosemary, leaves removed and minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
  • 1 pound portobello mushrooms, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 4 ounces pancetta, finely diced
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 cups Basic tomato sauce  * Recipe below.
  • 1 cup chicken stock, recipe follows
  • Pinch sugar
  • Pinch red chili flakes
Directions
 
Cut chicken into 8 pieces.  (I just buy a chicken already cut up.)

Combine the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to make a somewhat dry paste. Divide the paste evenly among the 8 pieces and let sit, covered and refrigerated, for 2 hours.

In a Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat until smoking. Brush the excess rub from the bird and sear each piece of meat on all sides in the hot oil. Remove seared meat to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the onions, the mushrooms and the pancetta and cook over high heat until onions are golden brown and fat has been rendered from pancetta. Drain the excess oil, then add the wine and stir the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the browned bits. Add the tomato puree, chicken stock, sugar and chili flakes and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan. Cook for 20 minutes, covered, then 15 to 20 minutes more, uncovered. Remove from heat, cut each quarter in half, and divide meat evenly among 4 warmed dinner plates, giving each plate 1 section of breast and 1 section of leg. Top with the sauce and serve immediately.

Basic Tomato Sauce-

This is my favorite tomato sauce ever.  I try to make a lot and freeze some so I always have some when needed.

  • 1 Spanish onion, 1/4-inch dice
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
  • 1/2 medium carrot, finely grated
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

    •  
    In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.

    First Birthday

    As the finale to Adam’s never ending birthday hurrah (we Alis love a birthday week) here is a recap of Adam’s birthday party!
     
    All of our family came to visit for Thanksgiving and we decided it was a perfect time to have Adam’s birthday celebration.  Aunt Sandra, Uncle Shawn, Cousins Roman and Isla, Grandma Yuyu, Grandma Gertch, Uncle Meej, Aunt Daf and Uncle Ari all came!
     
    We had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner.  Randy has become quite a turkey roasting expert!
     

    I made a sweet potato souffle which was a big hit.  It tasted like sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, which is a hint as to how much butter and sugar was in this dish, but it’s only Thanksgiving once a year!  My mom made cranberry sauce and we made stuffing and mushrooms and everyone had an amazing meal.

     
     
    Adam’s birthday party was a huge success! His family was here and all of his friends came.  We got Adam a special cake which he loved! 
     

     
    It was a Cookie Monster party so we needed to have loads of cookies. 
     
     Daphne brought some Momofuku cookies which were delicious!

    Grandma Gertch made some delicious Greek Sugar cookies.

     
    I made some yummy shortbread cookies, chocolate chip cookies made famous by my friend Erika and Spanikopita.
     
    We got Adam balloons which he LOVED.  We have started a lifelong love of balloons it would appear.
     
    We put pictures of Adam up all around, well it was his party after all.
     
    Adam got a special bib for his cookie monster party!
     

    Some balloon love.
     
    Adam enjoying some yummy birthday snacks.

     Adam enjoying his birthday party!
     
     
    Our neighbor Tom who is a photographer took some beautiful pictures of Adam at his birthday party that I have to share.
     

    

    Adam got the most amazing birthday gifts! He’s been OBSESSED with these two.

     
     

    I’m so happy that the person who had the best time at his party was Adam.  With this post, Adam’s birthday week comes to a close.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have 🙂

    December 6th

    With a missed second nap and a fifth tooth coming in it took a little effort to get Adam’s little frown to turn upside down on his birthday.  But since it was his birthday it was worth every second to see his little smile on his first birthday!

    Fix number one: some laps around the house with Dad and some Christmas tree watching with mom.

     
     
     

    Fix number two: Yummy chicken cacciatore.  This dish is Adam’s favorite. It has soft chicken stewed down for hours and mushrooms, Adam’s favorite.

    Fix number three: CUPCAKES WITH CANDLES! And a Happy birthday song.  This was super needed as it was way past the bedtime of a one year old who missed his nap.  Watch the mood transformation.

    Judging by someone’s smile, I may need to buy stock in cupcakes.

    Fix number 4:  Eating a cupcake!

    Dear Adam

    I found this email I sent Adam almost a year ago:

    Dear Adam,

    It’s 6 am and we’re on the third and final feeding of the night. As hard as it is to be up with you every two hours it’s also special that we have this time. You’re eleven days old today and I already feel like you’re so much older already. Time is going to fly by and before I know it you’ll be a strong handsome man and I’ll be wondering where my little baby went with Elmo socks on his hands.

    I love you, mommy

    PS – mommy would love it if you didn’t poo on her anymore. Twice is more than enough thank you!

     Adam’s mittens wouldn’t stay on but socks always did!

    Here is one from yesterday:

    Dear Adam,

    Sometimes I look at you and I can’t imagine that you were inside my tummy this time last year.

    You’ve been taking more and more steps this week! You continually surprise me with how much you understand and change every day.

    You’ve figured out how to put your squirty bath toys under water and fill them up…luckily you haven’t figured how to squirt them at us yet!

    You get so excited when you see a dog. You spot them a block away and point at them until we go see them.  You’ve been saying ‘da’ all week and I wonder if you’re saying dog.

    I love when you take the brush out of my hand after I brush your hair and try to brush my hair.  I love when you give me kisses and even keep your mouth closed!

    You love to sleep and wake up with bed hair showing how fast asleep you really were. You actually are a great sleeper. If someone had told me that you would be a great sleeper six months ago I would have laughed, but you are a great sleeper! You love to curl up in bed on your belly with your butt up high and sleep and sleep and sleep.

    Your favourite thing to do is to hide behind the chair in your room while I ask ‘Where’s Adam. You then poke your little head up with the biggest smile!

    Grandma Gretch said it best. She said you are a wonderful adventurous child and you are! You are curious about everything and already ask questions with your eyes and sounds. I can’t wait to hear your little voice asking me why a million times!

    You’ve given us the best 12 months of our lives and we can’t wait to see what the rest of your life brings!

    Love, mommy and daddy