Lions, Tigers, Bears and Mozzarella!!!

Fall is my favorite time of the year, crisp air, leaves changing colors, and the bluest of skies all make for a perfect day outside.  With the temperature a mild 62 degrees in November we decided to head to the Bronx - first stop, the Bronx Zoo.  Let me preface this post by stating our oldest did not have a nap all day and by the time we reached the zoo, said toddler, was in no mood for pictures.  Along those lines, Mimi told her there were giraffes and whales at the zoo so we were on the hunt for probably the only 2 animals that don't exist at the zoo - thanks Mimi!! 

Probably the only time we've left anything unattended in the Bronx

Smiley little guy

Little girls that don't listen have to ride in the stroller.

Fabulous fall foliage all around.

Sunbathing seal

These tigers were so playful and fun to watch. 

Can you believe there are less then 2000 tigers in the world?? So sad.

Final Destination...The Real Little Italy!!!

This was a true Italian deli, ordered my mozzarella and gorgonzola olives and left thinking that I might actually be Italian...well, at least my kids are part Italian.

Italian Yumminess!!!!

Waiting for our table, Mimi pulling up the Tom Cat app on her iphone.

We asked a man on the street where we should eat and he told us about Zero Otto Nove Restaurant, this place looked like we stepped into Italy.  Exposed brick, wood-burning fireplace, and high ceilings made this venue so charming. Unfortunately, all the pictures I took came out dark.  We dined on antipasti, insalata, pasta and pizza.  All the food was amazing.  I got to experience what Joey often calls, "Old New York" where actual Italians make the food versus underpaid immigrants.  It tops my list of wonderful NY experiences and a place I'm sure we'll be visiting again soon.

The restaurants of Arthur Avenue make Mulberry Street's look like stepchildren of the Olive Garden.

Funtopia Par-tey!!

Our neighbor and Ava's friend, Isabella had a birthday party at Funtopia, it was a romper room extravangaza!  Kids everywhere - running, playing, screaming, jumping, truly a child's dream, parents - not so much.  After getting jacked-up on sugar the big kids enjoyed lazer tag and bumper cars while we took the younger kids to the toddler area and let them run a-muck. 

Ava is such a silly girl, she loves making us laugh. She wore these glasses upon leaving all the way to the car, she could barely see out of them but of course she thought she was hilarious (and so did we).

Mommy's little helper

Now that Aiden is 8 months old I have officially stopped nursing him, with the exception of middle of the night feedings.  I absolutely love nursing, it is such a precious time to bond with your little one.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to exclusively nurse Aiden for 8 months but now that our monkey has 6 teeth it is time to stop.  Nursing my babies is something I am very proud of and any nursing mother would tell you the same.  While nursing is the most natural way to feed your baby, it does not come naturally to you or your baby, it's a huge challenge and very painful and time consuming but I was determined.  A few weeks ago we started mixing my milk with organic formula and let me tell you, my little man was not a happy camper.  At first, he would give me a look of confusion, "what is this stuff you are feeding me?"  Aiden is a great eater and is no longer turning his head away from the bottle.  Ava loves getting in on the action and enjoys feeding her brother every chance she gets.  She is so sweet towards him, loves hugging, kissing, feeding and holding her little brother, often telling him, "It's OK Papi, don't worry Ava's here."  I beyond enjoy watching my kids interact with one another it makes my heart swell with joy.

Dorothy and Penguino

The past month we went to 3 birthday parties in 3 weeks but were invited to 4. I knew the birthday parties would be a part of growing a toddler but was not expecting to go to one every weekend. A few weekends ago we went to cousin Daniel's second birthday costume party. Let me preface the photos and say that all we had was our zoom lens since our regular lens broke, hence all the close-ups. I only have one shot of Ava's shoes that actually make the whole costume and Toto and her basket aren't in a single photo - her outfit was really cute just wish I would have photographed the entire ensemble. Since Aiden was a few weeks old Joey nicknamed him Penguino since he would move and make a noise like a penguin. The name has stuck with him and even Ava calls him Penguino at times. So for the party we had to dress him as a penguin versus a lion which would accent Ava's 'Dorothy' costume. The kids had fun at the Cars themed birthday party, there were some really cute costumes and Ava won second place for her costume.

Rodriguez Photoshoot in Deepdene Park