Passover 2008

I cannot believe that a year has passed since last Pesach! So much has occurred around the holiday this year. Julia's school had a Model Seder which was held at our shul. Surprise--I helped organize this event! It was really fun to meet all the volunteers/mothers and fathers from her school. I also got to see how Perelman events operate from the inside. I enjoyed it a lot. Julia was so excited to be a part of it too! Kindergarten thru 5th grades attended and each class sat at their own table/s. Each grade sang a special song, while the 5th grade led the entire seder. Julia's already in awe of the 5th grade and can't wait until it's her turn to host.
Libi's class (the Eagles) had a Passover Workshop with the other Pre-K class (the Jammers). A number of tables were set up with activities at each one (decorate an Elijah's cup, fill a bag of plagues, make haroset...). This was really fun and intimate because it was only 2 classes and their parents that got together. By this point we all know each other pretty well. Most of the kids are also returning next year for Kindergarten which is comforting for the children as well.
Marigold's class had a sing-a-long that I unfortunately had to miss because of a dental emergency...But today she returned to school and came home with a bag of Passover goodies she had made. Too bad the holiday has passed...but she didn't care. She held on tightly to her Baby Moses project the whole time we were at the library this afternoon.
We traveled to NY on Friday for the real seders. My mother hosted 31 people! It was a great seder. One new and fun part was when each person told their own Exodus story--most of the people immigrated to the US in the last 30 years (and some before that). We learned a lot about each other. Our girls had a blast spending time with Ari on Friday and Saturday at the Seder! He had just turned 2 and he's adorable in every way (and of course he's in love with his cousins, just as they love him!). He's about to be a big brother, and he has no clue that his life is really about to change...Our girls also adore Shoshana and Eve!!! They played all night long.

It turns out that Libi, Marigold, Josh and Julia were all sick with fevers, severe allergies, or just regular colds this past week. So our Passover fun was dampered a bit...but we survived! We broke the Passover eating laws on Sunday night with friends at our house. I served pizza and pasta--what else? Now it's back to normal until the end of the school year, I hope! (Please check out our newest album. It has some beautiful photos of our family, and you get to see Keri at 9 months pregnant)

What is there to say...

I have been reprimanded for waiting too long to post news. This actually makes me happy because it means that people are reading my blog! So let's see what's happened in the past couple of months...
Julia has settled very well into her second grade class. Her Hebrew tutoring will soon be over. It only took her 2.5 months to catch up! We had Parent-Teacher conferences today and her teachers really enjoy our sweet little girl. She has a sleepover scheduled for this Saturday night with a new 2nd grade girlfriend! She will be attending 5 birthday parties in March--what a busy life! Gymnastics is still her favorite thing to do and we've been very lucky that sickness hasn't slowed us down this season. (it seemed to completely overtake many of our friends' families.)
Libi can read!!! She has made amazing achievements with sight words, sounding out, and learning new rules (like silent 'e'). It's such a joy to watch this process happen for our child. She is so proud of herself. She'll be starting a new theater class in a couple of weeks because she was getting too old for her "storybook players" class. Libi is such a sweetheart, she melts my heart.
Marigold is just an absolute joy as well! At home she talks up a storm. She tells us about school, her friends, and then other things she thinks about randomly. She has a really great sense of humor and I am always laughing and telling her how funny she is. She often says, "I'm not funny, I'm Marigold Bubbles." Her teachers don't know how big her personality is yet, she is still reserved at school--but I'm sure they'll find out soon. She loves her class at the Little Gym, especially doing somersaults and hanging on the bar. I think she'll be in gymnastics class before we know it.
I am spending hours trying to figure out Julia's summer plans. Libi will be in one camp with all her friends, but Julia will do a combination of gymnastics classes and weekly art camps. I hope she has fun this summer. Marigold isn't signed up for camp yet, although Adath Israel would be happy to have her. I haven't decided yet. I can't believe we're already thinking about summer before Passover, but that's the reality in our area. We have to sign up now or we'll be shut out.
Speaking of Passover, I volunteered to help chair the Model Seder for Perelman (Julia's school). I'm not sure what's involved yet. I also accepted the position of Co-Chair of the Preschool Board for Adath Israel for the 2008-2009 school year. It sounds like a lot, but I think I'm ready for the commitments. Over the actual Passover holiday we'll be in NY with my parents. We'll be dying to hear about their amazing trip to Israel (they are leaving tomorrow). It will also be fun to spend more time with Keri, Lavi & Ari, and David & Natalie, as well as Shoshana & Evie, Jillian & Brian and Gomer & Gofer (and Oma & Opa too!).

Marigold's First Week of School

Marigold started school last week. She is going on Monday & Wednesday mornings from 9-12. I decided that she would probably enjoy being with a small class of her friends rather than being in the car with me 6 hours a day running around. I am hoping that's true... Anyway, she hardly cried or made a fuss when I left her. The teachers said that she cried on transitions, like when they went to the Play Area, or when the music teacher came into the class. She cried when I came to pick her up, but then refused to leave until she had drawn a picture with crayons. So, I'm fully expecting her to still cry tomorrow morning, but hopefully that won't last long. Click on the new photo album of Marigold's Firsts. You can see how cute she was that first day of school. And there's also a couple of funny shots of her getting her first haircut on Dec. 31.

A couple of Great Photos

I just uploaded the photos we took over Winter Break and found a couple of really great photos! Check out these 2, one with Julia doing the Tree Pose, and the other is Shoshana with Oma & Opa at the Warmund Hanukah party. Enjoy!

Happy New Year, 2008!!

So much has happened since our last post, I must try and remember it all. Here goes: Julia, Libi, and Marigold have all had birthdays and are now 7, 5 and 2 years old, respectively. Julia's birthday party had a "witch" theme, and it was truly adorable. Here's the link to the Picasa Album:

Julia's Witch Birthday Party

Julia wanted all her friends to come dressed as witches; the girls each made a witch's brew with foods like boiled ladybugs (red jellybeans) or toasted fingernails (bugles corn chips); they got into groups of 3 or 4 and choreographed dances...Fun!

Libi's party was "High School Musical" of course!! We decorated with as much HSM stuff as I could find, and the kids all sang karaoke with Libi's birthday present from Gomer & Gofer. They also decorated foam banners with stickers and paint. Each girl took home a set of pompoms and a megaphone, just like the cheerleaders in the movies. Both were really fun parties.

Libi's High School Musical Birthday Party

Thanksgiving came soon afterwards and I hosted a family meal. Josh's parents, as well as his sister and her family (and au pere), drove down to Philly. Josh's aunt, Mary, and uncle, Jacques, and cousins, Jeanne & Peter, also joined us along with Peter's new fiancee, Jane. We had a big crowd but the meal was lovely. Our children are old enough to sit at a "Kids' Table"! I made the meal, Jillian made the desserts, Solange made the salad and Mary made the cocktails. It was all delicious, and it was so nice to host everyone at our house.

On Marigold's birthday we flew to Satellite Beach, Florida where we stayed at the Las Olas Resort for a week. Granny & Grampa were also there, along with Keri & Lavi and Ari!! We really had a great vacation, despite the awful "Red Tide" that stayed with us all week long. The resort was absolutely the best timeshare apartment we've ever stayed at. It was right on the beach with a really nice pool as well! The weather was wonderful (80 degrees almost every day). We took Julia, Libi, and Marigold to Magic Kingdom at Disney World one day. That was so special for them!! (We forgot our digital camera--geniuses--so we still have to develop the disposable cameras we bought on the trip) Another day we took just Julia & Libi to EPCOT. They loved it! My parents watched Marigold all day, and even took her to the local zoo with Keri & Ari. Thanks Mom & Dad!

I recommend going to Disney World before school vacation if you can. There were NO LINES for the rides!! Josh and I love Disney, and we'd love to take another, longer, trip there again with the girls...most likely when Marigold is at least 4 years old.

Then we came home and Julia began 2nd grade. OK, I'll explain. We got a phonecall from the principal after Thanksgiving and she said that they recommended moving Julia up a grade as soon as possible. All her teachers agreed that her math and reading levels were more appropriate for 2nd grade. I'm simplifying a bit for the sake of space here...but after thinking very hard about it we agreed and Julia made the move. So far it's worked out really well. Julia had a Hebrew tutor almost every day of Winter Break and she learned to read and write the Aleph Bet in script (1st grade is still learning the "print" letters, and they are only up to Chet, the 8th letter). Her tutor is extremely happy with Julia's progress and Julia is loving the whole process! Julia even told me that she enjoys learning with the tutor more than relaxing at home.

Libi is beginning to read and we are so proud of her! It's just amazing when the reading process clicks. Marigold has such a big personality. She's a lot of fun to watch and interact with. She'll be starting school for 2 mornings a week after this break and I hope she likes it. I think she really needs to be in a social environment--she'll like it much better than being shlepped around with me in the car all day.

Well thank you for sticking with my extra long post. I hope that I won't wait so long between posts next time...Happy New Year to everyone! And post comments so I can keep up with you too!

World's Sweetest Kiss

Congratulations David & Natalie!!

When Julia and Libi heard that David and Natalie are now engaged they started clapping and said together "Yay, now we have a new aunt!!"
So I think it's clear that we're all ecstatic for my little brother and his fiancee!! We can't wait to start hearing about the plans. Next year will be a banner year for weddings. We've got my brother - David, my cousin - Josh Klaff, and Josh's cousin - Peter. What an exciting time for everyone!!

NOTE: Check out our new photo albums "September 2007" and "David & Natalie's Engagement Photos". The engagement photos are beautiful and sweet. There are some beautiful photos of our girls. Their personalities are really showing through.

Happy New Year

We have officially begun the new year. The girls have started school, we have celebrated Rosh Hashanah, and we survived the fast of Yom Kippur. Today we put up our Sukkah. We're almost ready to breathe and experience the routine that comes with a new year.

Libi's in a pre-K class at Adath Israel Preschool with 9 other children. She knew 8 of them before school began and is feeling very comfortable in her 'new' surroundings. Julia had one of Libi's teachers when she was 3, and Libi's other teacher is the Mini Minyan leader, so we are very familiar with both of them. She has also started Drama class again and LOVES it! I am so happy we've found an activity that she really enjoys. She has also started taking gymnastics classes at Philadelphia Gymnastics. So far it's great. We are also looking forward to Libi's birthday party which has a High School Musical theme, of course!

Julia has started first grade at Perelman Jewish Day School in Wynnewood. It's been a huge, wonderful, exciting adjustment. Julia likes both of her teachers, especially her Hebrew teacher, Orly. I'm still holding out on my opinion of her English teacher...not so impressed yet. Julia seems to be a little bored, but I think that her teachers are still gauging the skill levels of their students. Soon they'll be put into groups with other 1st graders at their level in reading and math. Hopefully Julia will feel more challenged then.
There have already been a number of Perelman events that we have attended, including a PTO meeting (same as PTA). Of course I attended, and volunteered to keep track of Kippah orders with another parent in Julia's class. I can't say NO to volunteering. It's like a disease. Everyone seems really nice though.

In other Julia news, she has been selected to join the "gymbusters" program at Philadelphia Gymnatics Center. She was chosen with 6 other girls to begin a 2-day per week program after school. If they like the program then the girls can choose to train for the Competitive Team next year. Julia really wants to be part of this so we're going to try it. It's a lot of driving, but as long as Josh can still pick Julia up on Tuesday evenings we'll be OK.

Marigold has started a class at the Little Gym. She's a "Beast" and she loves the class! There are 18 little ones from 21 months to 2 1/2 years old. It's adorable. And even though this is my 3rd child I am totally enjoying this stage. Marigold is talking up a storm, and she especially loves singing songs from High School Musical (1&2). I left her for the first time in a school setting when Josh and I attended Yom Kippur services. She was in the classroom with Libi and did great! She cried initially, but calmed down quickly when she found the baby stroller and a dolly. Libi helped her calm down too. I was very proud.

Now we're ready for Sukkot entertaining, running the Book Fair, having 2 intricate birthday parties...and that's just thru October!

Vacation?

So the wonderful 8 weeks of camp had to end sometime...Both Julia and Libi had excellent summer experiences at the JCC this year.
The day that camp ended our family trekked to NY for a short stopover on our way to New Hampshire with the Warmund "Clan". We had no idea what we were in for...Let me explain.

Marigold developed a fever when we arrived at the resort (White Mountain Resort at Bretton Hills). We brought tylenol with us, but no thermometer. Her fever kept coming back every 3 hours and she was burning up. We finally bought a thermometer on Sunday afternoon and her fever was 103.8 (underarm)! So on Sunday evening I went with Marigold and Jillian to the closest ER. Even though she had taken tylenol just 2 hours earlier, Marigold's temperature was 40 degrees celsius at the hospital. That's 104 farenheit. I was dying inside for her. She was diagnosed with an ear infection, tonsilitis, and possible strep throat. They gave us antibiotics and told us to call back in an hour for the strep results. Jillian was freaking out because she didn't want Shoshi and Evie to get strep on the first week of school. Luckily, Marigold didn't have strep. But she did have the Roseola virus. The fever didn't really break until late Tuesday or Wednesday and she then developed a rash on her face, chest, torso, and back that lasted 2 days. Poor Marigold.

We lengthened our stay at the resort because we didn't want to travel with our sick baby. Oh, and Libi also didn't feel well. But at least she didn't have a fever. And did I mention that it was FREEZING in New Hampshire? Why would it be freezing cold in August? I certainly didn't pack for cold weather. Luckily, one of our main purposes for this trip was outlet shopping with Solange and Joram! So we were able to buy some warmer clothes.

The scenery was absolutely lovely in the White Mountain area. We were totally surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests. I went for a short hike with Marigold on Wednesday. We went off the trail to check out a small stream and took off our shoes to explore. Marigold was having fun playing in the water and I was so happy that she was able to feel good for a while that I lost my good judgment for a moment. She slipped and fell in the water and got all wet. I had to take off her pants and top and walk back to the hotel as quickly as possible. At least the weather was a little warmer that day (about 70 degrees).

Julia and Libi had a great time with Shoshi and Evie! They never get to spend such uninterrupted time with their cousins. We had most meals with them and the four girls usually sat at a separate table from the adults. On the last day of our trip, Solange & Joram took us to Chutters which is an amazing candy store. Julia and Libi were enthralled by the sheer volume and choice of the candy. Julia chose slowly and carefully, picking a couple of candies from specific jars and placing them in her bag. Libi, on the other hand, took a handful from each jar! She revelled in the freedom that her grandparents allowed her. Now, 4 days later I'm almost ready to get rid of all that candy...but I can't bring myself to throw it out. Too much fun. Too delicious.

We've been Simpsonized!

This is hysterical!

Breaking Free

As we prepare for High School Musical 2's debut on August 17, I wanted to make sure that I got some tape of our girls singing songs from the 1st CD. Here's Libi singing "Breaking Free". This girl has got talent!!

By the way, camp is going really well, as is the rest of the summer. Marigold and I just finished up 2 weeks of Aqua Tots swimming classes at our Township pool. On the last day of the program she proudly blew bubbles in the water, showed us her "scoops" with her hands, and kicked her legs behind her! It took 2 weeks, but it was great fun! She is talking up a storm and adding new words everyday.
Julia is getting ready to go to her new school. We already bought some school supplies and had fun printing name labels for each item. She has met so many new girls from her school this summer. I am so excited for her, and we're trying to make this an easy transition.
Libi has just shone this summer! She has loved camp so much. Every day when we drive away from the carpool line she opens her window and shouts people's names as she sees them (counselors and kids!). She is also looking forward to starting new afterschool activities this year: drama and gymnastics.

I love my babies

It's hard to put into words the amazing transformations and daily miracles that I see in my beautiful children. I know it's not fair to gush repeatedly about them. Boring for the reader or listener, I know. But it's how I feel.

Today was visiting day at JCC Day Camp for Julia & Libi. I got to see Libi at instructional swim and Art, and Julia at Art and Hockey. Julia is at an age of real development. She is in a group of 24 six year old girls (many of whom will be in Perelman with her next year!). It's no longer pure and innocent reactions and relationships to everything. These girls are already influenced by the world in their attitudes, their speech, their perspectives. But it's so different from Libi's age. At Julia's age they TRY, they're trying to hold the hockey stick correctly, they're trying to tell an interesting story (instead of just stream of consciousness). It seems that this specific group of girls is so nice; really friendly.
Libi's group is about 20 4-5 year olds, mostly boys, and it's crazy! Libi has found a couple of girl friends in the mix, but I didn't meet them today. Libi still clings to me when I visit her at camp/school. I'm not yet able to see her in the way she acts when I'm not around. I hear that she's fun and goofy, and sometimes loud! I'd love to see that Libi. Unfortunately I get the Libi who vies for my attention with whining and defiance. Poor little middle child.... But I did see her swim with her face in the water, and jump into the pool!
Marigold spent both of the art classes drawing with crayons on paper on the floor. She was happy as a clam and ignored the total chaos that filled the rest of the room! Please note, she's 19 months old! And she spent 40 minutes coloring by herself!! Marigold loves shoes and putting on clothes! She goes crazy when laundry is all over the floor, trying on underwear and bathing suits and shorts. She can put on some of her own shoes (usually her crocs). She wants to do whatever her sisters are doing, so if they put on bathing suits for camp, she wants to wear one too. Usually I let her do it--why not?
I think it's important to concentrate on the children because if I look around at my falling-apart house, or the clutter and chaos in my own world I'll get depressed. The children deserve me and everything I have!