Israel--ani ba'ah

I'm 2 1/2 hours into my flight to Israel. It's the first time I'll be there since 1995. I have so many emotions surrounding this trip! Mostly I am excited. I haven't seen Josh in what feels like two months; it's actually only 10 days. For some reason I didn't expect to spend much time together in Israel, but I was wrong. I'll explain--the US lost two out of three games in the first round of the Maccabiah Games, so the pressure is off. The team has much more free time. And, hotel rooms in the beautiful Dan Carmel hotel in Haifa are still booked...the children are safe in NY...it's summer, we can pretend we are 22 again!
Just pray we are safe. Pray we have a safe flight home, and that I arrive safely. Anxiety abounds.
I upgraded my iPhone 3g software when the 3gS came out and they added this cool voice memo feature. Libi discovered it last night and recorded a few messages. She was just playing around, but I just listened to the last recording and she is singing to me. She says "never leave me" over and over. I am freaked out. And my iPod just shuffled to Five for Fighting's "Superman" which starts out with , "I can't stand to fly". This happens to be the song I was listening to on the radio as I watched the burning buildings on 9/11. Did I say I am freaked out?
I plan to post happy and carefree messages in the days ahead. (smileyface icon here).
Love to all!


-- Post From My iPhone

Vacation!

First I must say Mazel Tov to David and Natalie on their beautiful wedding and promise of a wonderful life together. We all had a great experience in Richmond, despite my broken foot and crutches.
After the wedding we caravaned with my mom and dad, Pam and Mike, and Keri, Ari and Noam. Josh couldn't join us in Cape May. He went back to Philly to give love to our kitties (and work)! It was lovely weather during the 8 hour drive to Cape May from Richmond...and then four days of rain and cold ensued. Ugh. And Ari wasn't feeling well, and then Pam wasn't feeling well...we actually all just gave up on Cape May by Thursday morning.
It does get better though. I promise.



We went home for one day to recharge on kitty-cat love, and have a great Shabbat dinner at a friend's house. The drive to Cape Cod was uneventful and our timeshare place is really nice (big sigh of relief). But steady rain and cold from Sunday thru Wednesday.


-- Post From My iPhone

David and Natalie's Wedding

It's the end of the wedding weekend and we have truly had a wonderful time. For our side of the family it is selfishly a chance to see all our cousins, aunts and uncles. We are spread all over the world, so we don't see each other on a regular basis. But amazingly, we all come together for family events, even though it gets harder as our family grows.
But, as my mom spoke about last night, the wedding is not about the family, it's about the newlyweds! They were obviously deliriously happy last night. I will post photos when I get back home to our computer. I got some really expressive shots of David on the dance floor.
Of course, my girls were out-of-this-world adorable at the wedding!!!!!!!! Marigold did not make it down the aisle, but Julia and Libi looked beautiful and they were perfect flower girls. All three loved dancing on the dance floor; Libi even cried when we tried to take her out for a photo op...she just didn't want to stop dancing!
Unfortunately, Ari was fighting a virus, and Noam seems to have got it too. We hope we don't get sick! But there was no chance of keeping my children away from their cousins.
Today we are off to Cape May. Weather reports don't look good. We brought some games and DVDs just in case it pours all week. Josh had to head back home to work, and we will miss him so much. This could be an opportunity to just take it easy this week, which is exactly what I need.


-- Post From My iPhone

Julia with Madelyn

 

Here is Julia with her best friend, Madelyn, at the Perelman Passover Model Seder, 2009.

My 3 Beautiful Children!

 

 

I was looking through our photo albums for the newest photos and found this treasure hiding in March 2009! OMG my children are amazing.

Defensive driving

Here I am, fifteen minutes to go till this four hour course begins. What an ass am I. Who gets speeding tickets anymore? I have already modified my habits--you would be proud.


-- Post From My iPhone

Happy May!

Wow, I really had such a nice weekend! It started on Friday. My parents came to town for "special persons day" for Libi and Marigold. Josh sent me to a day spa where I was pampered with an exotic mani/pedi, massage, steam, brine (don't ask), and makeup! I came back home after this full day to a dinner that my mom prepared and a house full of people who were happy to see me.
Then on Saturday we went to shul where somehow my bday was mentioned in the weekly announcements...so many people came to me during kiddush and wished me a happy birthday. That was silly but nice.
We went home though and couldn't find Flash. Julia was sobbing; we made signs; we told our neighbors...after about an hour of searching throughout the house and the neighborhood guess who sauntered into the playroom stretching and yawning--Flash of course!
So my birthday was not ruined. Then we went to Costco and Target. Not too exciting but not stressful either. We ended my day with dinner at an Indian restaurant and dessert at Baskin Robbins.
I still hold a very special place in my heart for 31 flavors.
But the weekend kept getting better because on mothers day we went to Ikea and bought some bedroom furniture! So I ended my lovely weekend putting together the stuff which is one of my absolute favorite things to do!


-- Post From My iPhone

Fast pace

So I'm chillin at the Little Gym watching Marigold kick butt in her leotard! She is a little girl now, no trace of baby left. She is really strong willed and fun and independent! She loves our new babies, Cocoa and Flash. She doesn't like them she LOVES them!
She is totally ready for a five day per week program. But yesterday she had a playdate from 3-5 and then fell asleep in the car. Marigold is awful when she wakes up from a nap. She never naps anymore so we are not used to it. But I digress...we have to sign up for a week of camp in NY while I am with josh at the Macabi games in Israel! And no one in lower westchester takes 3 year olds for a full day on a weekly basis. Hello? What is up? Basically our best option is Solomon schechter but that costs an arm and two legs. I'm going to call the JCC and ask for special favors.


-- Post From My iPhone

High on You

On our way to Ari's birthday party and I dowloaded this awesome app so I can post to our blog from my phone!!! This iphone has changed my life in many amazing ways but the one major negative is that I don't use the PC so much except for conceptis puzzles. So I haven't kept up with the blog but now I can!! Woe is the day that conceptis makes an iPhone app.
It's only 8:15 and the girls are already watching a DVD. That can't be good. But josh and I found channel 2 on Sirius radio, the blend. Josh describes it as Amanda's top ten. Right now it's High on You by Survivor.


-- Post From My iPhone

Is God angry? That is what Libi asked with fear written all over her face as balls of hail pounded our car last Sunday night. God's anger must be on her mind as she is learning about the 10 plagues for Pesach. I have asked myself that same question recently as many mainstays of our modern life seem to be falling apart.

Now, as I lie in bed today with swollen glands, a terribly sore throat, and aches and pains, I don't have the mental energy to blog about the future of life as we know it.

However I can try some brief updates...
Julia has now competed in two Developmental Team Meets in far-away parts of Pennsylvania. She did so well at both meets. She practices so hard during each week and has clinched some important skills for getting to Level 5 which may happen next year. The Championship Meet is on May 31 and we are looking forward to it. Third grade is going well too. Julia has found a best friend, Madelyn. They have a special babytalk language that they speak with each other (it drives me crazy), but I'm happy for her.

Julia's Opera Club Performance: Modi'in

Julia played Devorah in this musical about the Maccabees. She had a pretty large part and she was wonderful! She practiced speaking clearly and loudly and took great care to memorize all her lines and songs. Brenda Alpar, the music teacher, wrote all the songs and lines in the show. I was so impressed.

Here are the words to the song in case you can't make them out from the video:
Come along join in rejoicing up to Jerusalem
We set her free
Sing a song and lift your voices
Cheer in Jerusalem
The Maccabee!
Up and down as we go climbing ever still through the olive groves that turn to silver in the sun
Hear the sound that echoes back and forth across the hills telling all the world that we have won
Yad b'yad, kulanu yachad shiru b'kol echad ANACHNU PO!
shir echad b'kol bokey'a tzion v'yerushalayim he ear echat
(hand in hand, we're all together, singing in one voice, WE ARE HERE!
One song, the voice describing Zion and Jerusalem, she's the city)

Marigold's Third Birthday Party

This party was such fun! Marigold felt like a true princess. When she first saw the cake that I made with my mom she said "Pink! Just perfect for me!". All of her friends from school and playgroup came to celebrate. We decorated treasure boxes and then we had a 'scavenger hunt' in the living room. I arranged this game specifically for 3 year olds--I just placed hanukah gelt and rolls of smarties on shelves and other surfaces and told the kids to find them and put them in their new treasure boxes. It was frustrating for the non-3-year olds to watch this because we wanted the kids to hoarde the candy...but they only took as much as they felt like at the moment. Some kids left with 3 or 4 pieces. It was a very innocent scene.
The cake was pretty special this year. We made it from scratch with a gourmet pound cake recipe. Then we made a sugar icing out of 9 parts confectioners sugar, 1 part egg white, and a couple of drops of glycerin. The doll inside is Gabriella, from the High School Musical series. Libi let Marigold borrow it for the party. My mom helped me with the icing and the design. She also styled Gabriella's hair.
The best part is that Marigold really appreciated it. She is a doll.