Celebrate!

Happy Diwali! Yes, it's that magical time of year... we're not talking turkeys and trees (not yet, anyway)... we're talking Sita, Ram, Lakshmi and a festival of lights. I'll spare you the details of this holiday, but Diwali is one of the most important festivals for Hindus. Dave and I, being India nerds, still like to celebrate the unique days that we came across in our time on the subcontinent. I feel like we're sort of removed enough from our time oversees that friends and family members are thinking, "Okay... you lived in India, we get it. Get over it!" So we don't always make EVERYONE celebrate with us, but since Molly is 2,  and happens to be our daughter, she doesn't get a choice!  Our celebration was pretty tame this year. We decided to hit up some Indian fast food on Monday evening (Dave has class on Tuesday, the real Diwali) in downtown Chicago. Curried was the name of the place and it was perfect for our little gathering. You can't beat instant dishes of Dal Makhani, Chicken Tikka Masala, Steak vindaloo (would Hindus be eating beef?), and Biryani, with some garlic Naan and Mango Lassi on the side. Molly stuck to the white rice and sips of the lassi... she's working her way up the spicy big leagues. The restaurant had some bollywood classic videos playing and my only gripe was that our server had never heard of Diwali. Oh well. What do you expect from a fast food place in downtown Chicago? Curried has a food truck, so Dave is planning to keep his eyes open on his downtown days. So Molly, get ready for a lifetime of wacky holidays. Your cultural education is already a work in progress, so light your diya and join the fun!

Some more Samosas please! Our Indian food at Curried was acha.

Happy little family in our kurtas!

Aww! We bought Molly's kurta for her before she was born. Technically, it's a little boy's kurta (we had some girl Indian clothes for her when she was younger), but Molly's favorite color is blue, so all is well!

"Good morning, little buddy!"

Jayden is getting so big! Here he's wearing one of Molly's old outfits. I think this one made it onto Lucy Hatch in Korea too!

What a face! Dance party in the PJs!

Drum time with our neighbor, Haitham!

Molly's sporting this (hunting) season's hottest color. We went to Michigan this weekend and spent some time wandering around in the baby Christmas tree/milkweed patch.

Good old potty bonding time. I love the way our bathroom is so tiny that Dave's feet stick out the door.

Hanging out at Emily and Bryce's place with Grammy.

Firefighter Molly strikes a pose! We took a trip down to Dad's fire station to check out the equipment. Molly is really into safety gear!

Bompy took us for a spin around the parking lot in one of the rescue trucks!

All suited up and ready to rescue.