OMG You Guys: New Pictures!!

We have 3 new albums posted!! Check out our best shots from May, June, and July (so far). Subjects include (but are not limited to): New Photos of Noam, Our Day with Ari, Libi's PreK Graduation, Marigold at the Little Gym, Julia's Junior Drama Play, Shoshi's 9th Birthday at Rye Playland, and our 2 Parades on July 4th.

Speaking of July 4th. Marigold spiked a fever of 102 that evening while we were at our friends' bbq. She had an ear infection--we discovered the next day at the Dr--but I actually think she's been teething. Those 2 year old molars are KILLER. We spent the morning at our neighborhood parade and festival, and then the evening at the aforementioned bbq. It would have been great fun but for our sick baby. Still produced great pics though!

Julia spent this past week at Art Camp at Main Line art. She really enjoyed it. Next week there is no camp for Julia (help!). She has 2 days of gymnastics practice, and 1 hour per day at the library learning about DNA. Oh, and Grace is sleeping over on Monday and we have the Ice Cream Social on Tuesday evening, and it's Michal's bday party on Wednesday evening. Hmmm, maybe we won't have so much time to kill.

Libi's really enjoying Friend's Central camp. So many of her school friends go there. She has moved up from the "orange" to "yellow" swimming groups. Now she can jump in the deep end! She also has a great tan! Have I mentioned Libi has the best skin you've ever seen and felt? Well she does.

We're all starting to really prepare for both of the weddings we'll be attending in the Fall! Josh Klaff and Blair's is only 6 weeks away! All 3 of our girls are flower girls, and they are so excited! Josh (Warmund)'s 1st cousin Peter is also getting married soon and he and Jane have also asked our girls to be in their wedding. So there is so much excitement and preparation! We're travelling to Boulder for Peter & Jane. I've never been there, so we're taking 1 extra day after the wedding to sight-see a little.

strange weekend

Julia and Libi spent this weekend at my parents' house in Westchester, NY. They told me they had a lot of fun so far. We still have to pick them up somewhere on the NJ TPK this afternoon. Josh dropped them off on Friday at Exit 9. He did a quick and simple exchange with my mom (or at least it was supposed to be quick & simple). They had Shabbat dinner, went swimming, visited Manor Park, ate sushi on Saturday night, and had lunch with David & Natalie on Sunday in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, Ari had foot & mouth disease this weekend, so they couldn't spend time with him. I definitely hope to repeat these types of visits!!

Here at home it was both strange and very normal. We had a quiet family dinner on Friday night---too quiet. On Saturday, Josh went to shul alone while I dragged Marigold to the babysitting at my gym. Usually we all go to shul, but I took a break this week. Then we all went to the pool in the afternoon. That was the beginning of the very strange feelings! Josh and I both went with Marigold to the baby pool. She asked first if I would be with her and I said yes. Then I said Dad would be there too. And she paused and repeated this information like she couldn't believe it. It was like, "I get both of my parents at the same time??" Poor little third child...We left the pool after an hour with a downpour of rain that ended as quickly as it began. We then spent the evening in Manayunk. This weeked they had a Craft Fair/Artists Bazaar. This was a surprise to us!! Josh started to get stressed out (it's a habit) when we discovered the Fair, probably because he was thinking of all the hassles we'd have to go thru for parking, and walking around, and finding somewhere to eat...But another surprise came our way! There was absolutely no hassle. We found parking easily. Marigold was happy to be in her stroller, and the Thai place we had dinner was lovely. This would NEVER have happened with all 3 children with us!! It almost felt like a date. At the same time I missed Julia and Libi like crazy and I was constantly thinking of them and what they were doing at that moment.
So I think it was a great weekend all around--a treat for Julia & Libi to be with their grandparents, and a treat for Josh and I from the frantic pace of life with 3 children.

Saying Goodbye to Paci

Marigold is beginning the process of saying goodbye to her pacifier--although she doesn't know it yet. Two days ago Josh and I agreed on new rules for the paci: She will only be allowed to have paci's in her crib. If she asks for the paci during the day she can go into her crib for as long as she likes, but she can't walk around with the paci in her mouth. It's amazing! 2 days later she has only asked for it a couple of times. She stands up in her crib, sucks for a couple of seconds and then she's ready to get out! Sometimes she'll absent-mindedly put my fingers into her mouth (a sad replacement for her paci), but she laughs when she realizes what she's done.
Now all we have to do is potty-training and moving to a big girl bed!

WOW!! An Addition to Our Family!!

Welcome to Noam Ben-Zvi!!!!
Keri gave birth to a healthy, maybe red-headed, 8 lb. baby boy today in CT!!
It sounds like the birth went well, and mommy and baby are happy! In fact, Keri called me back like an hour after he was born. INSANITY.
We all can't wait to meet our new bubbela (although Marigold is definitely confused about who is really the baby--she thinks it's her).

And everyone breathe a sigh of relief that the bris is not the same day as Julia's school play!!
We send LOVE to Keri, Lavi, Ari and Noam!! And special Mazel Tovs to Granny & Grampa and Suellyn!

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!