The many positions of a sleeping Bracha

More pictures: December 2012

Pictures galore

Enjoy these bunch of random pictures from the last couple of months. There are two especially cute pictures from the special Thanksgiving-themed story time we went to, that included an edible arts and crafts project: turkeys!

Videos!

Sorry for all the background noise, I don't know what's going on with my phone that's causing that. But enjoy the cuteness!

E-L-I...

This morning the girls and I sat down to draw letters and numbers that were similar, like the different ways to draw a 4 or a 2, or capitals vs. lower case English letters and script vs. print Hebrew letters. Then Eliana asked to practice drawing an E. then my amazing daughter blurted out,"E-L-I-A-N-A!". Yes, Eliana knows how to spell her name! She can't write out the letters yet, but she can identify them. I am so proud of her! Video to follow. Ps- for the record, both she and Bracha mastered the spelling of KITTY earlier this week.

Happy Birthday Dodah Rona and other belated videos

Sorry for the lack of updates. We've been busy living life. But here are some fairly recent videos for your enjoyment and a very special birthday message to the newest addition to our family:

Here's the video I promised two posts ago (of the girls making a big, silly mess of themselves...and also sharing very nicely) plus some recent pictures (including the new adorable dresses from Shawn's parents. Thank you Bubby and Zaidy!

General update

The girls are now 3 1/2. So big! Next week they start their second year of gan. They're staying at the same place, we're very happy with it. It's a relief to not have to feel the same anxiety I felt last year at leaving them somewhere new and not being around them all day. It took a while to understand that it's good for them to be with other people who will care for and educate them, with other kids (around) their age, and that it's also okay for me to appreciate all those hours a day that they're out of the house! Now that they've been hope for summer break for a while it's amazing how little I can get done. It'll be nice to have some morning time to myself after they go back.

Which isn't to say I haven't also loved having them around! We've done so much together we actually never once relied on old staples like the zoo or gymboree this entire summer break! Yesterday the whole family went to the amusement park in Tel Aviv (see two posts ago) and last week we tried to go to the beach but Bracha was sick so Shawn stayed home with her while Eli and I went (she slept through the actual beach part but still had lots of fun visiting Uncle Joey and Doda Rona and riding them train with Ima).

They're also such amazing walkers! We took them to the annual international arts festival. Chutzot Hayotzer, with no stroller and they made it through the whole night! Earlier this week they were at my office for a visit and afterwards we walked all the way to Emek Refaim!

I'll post some pictures soon.

Eli-ism

Background: Yesterday Eliana and Bracha were sharing a bag of melted ice cream chocolate treats. I have a video I'll upload. Of course they both got horribly messy and, having passed out on the train ride home after not napping all day, we brought them up to bed as is so they slept in their chocolately clothes. But before falling asleep we put long sleeved shirts on the because it got cool in the evening. So this morning Bracha got dressed in clean clothes and I tried to get Eli dressed, too.

Me: Eli, let's change your clothes.
Eli: No.
Me: But Eli, look, there's chocolate all over your pants. They're all messy.
Eli: Okay, but just the pants.
Me: We have to change your underwear, too.
Eli: But they're not dirty.
Me: Yes they are, you wore them all day yesterday, and each day we put on a fresh pair of underwear.
Eli: Okay, but not my shirt.
Me: But Eli, you got ice cream all over your shirt, too.
Eli: On my green [short sleeved] shirt.
Me: Yes, so it's dirty, so let's change it.
Eli: But that's why I have this [clean, long sleeved] shirt on top of it!

How do I argue with that logic?

Luna Park

Two weeks ago Shawn and I took our first child-free vacation. The girls did wonderfully well staying at home with their favorite sitter, Abby. We told them Ima and Abba were going on a small vacation but would be back very soon, then the whole family would go on a vacation together, ride a choo-choo train, and go to a REALLY BIG playground. Well, yesterday that's just what we did! Enjoy these videos from our day at the amusement park:

Videos galore!

Long time no update

What can I say, we've been too busy living life to bother blogging about it. See, mom? No apologies. I will try to update videos and pictures this week, though. But for now I will share some recent stories.

The girls are on their first gan summer vacation. They have less than a week now, then two weeks off in August. They're going a little stir crazy but are having a blast nonetheless. They're playing so nicely together which really makes me appreciate that they have each other and aren't lonely this week. Setting up playdates has been too difficult because Shawn and I are still working so the girls spend afternoons with a sitter.

Today I downloaded an app called Drawing Pad for the ipad. I enjoy having the ipad, though I would never have bought one for myself, but for the girls it is incredible. There are great kids apps out there and the girls catch on really quickly to the technical aspects of using the touch screen. After a quick two minute tutorial they were using the new drawing app like pros. They still love 'real' art projects, but it's also nice to let them draw without having to do any cleanup.

Lately they take anything that folds, like hinged Legos, compact mirrors, travel brushes, and call it their 'computer'. They sit with it on their laps and 'type'. It's very cute.

Don't get us wrong with all this technology. The girls still spend plenty of time playing with their toys, running around outdoors, and doing old favorites like baking and playing with their water table. But I do appreciate the technological distractions when it's hot out and we camp out in the A/C. And yes, I'll admit it, Barney and granola bars bought me an extra half-hour of sleep this morning.

Speaking of which, Aunty Barbara you must know Elmo has pretty much taken BJ's place on Bracha's heart, and last night Eli has no idea where her Baby Bop doll was but she did lay in bed clutching Cookie Monster. Blue and red are slowly becoming favored over green and yellow. Bracha still prefers to watch Barney DVDs but Eli asks for Elmo shows.

The kids are amazingly verbal. They really do ay the darndest things. Of course, it's almost on shabbat so I can't record it but I will try to better remember and blog the things they say.

Right now they're jumping around the couch, just about in their birthday suits, shouting "Naked Bracha-Boo! "Naked Eli-Belly!"

From the mouths of babes

Overheard while the girls were in their room where they were supposed to be napping: "...and on his farm he had some animals, ee-ai-ee-ai-oh! ...and on his farm he had some houses... ...and on his farm he had some bathrooms... ...and on his farm he had some kitchens..." (later follows by elephants, blankets, kookoos [ponytails], and more) Eli, this morning, while I was making her french toast: "You is a really good baker lady!"

This one's for Reuben

Dearest, darling nephew, One day, very soon, you will be flying back to Israel to visit your family that loves and misses you so much. I think about you every day because right behind my house there is a large ongoing construction site and I know you would love to see all the different trucks that roll past my porch. Giant dump trucks, rolling cement mixers, dangley back-hoes, thunderous bulldozers, and more! So this post is for you. Enjoy! Love, Doda Yaffa

Pessach!

This year we spent seder, as always with Saba and Savta, during which the girls had a starring role singing Ma Nishtana. We are so proud! Afterwards we all went south to Kibbutz Yahel where we swan in the "blue water" (pool,) saw the cows, including pregnant ones, brand new baby cows, and cows being milked, as well as learned how that milk is turned into ice cream. We also spent a day at the wonderful Eilat aquarium where we saw, huge sea turtles, sharks, a real scuba diver, and plenty of fish. The girls even sat through their first (half hour) movie! Of course we had tons of fun, so much fun in fact that we forgot to take pictures most of the time. But there are some to share, as well as a couple videos, so please enjoy! Talking about Pessach: Making ice cream:

Riding in the car:

The pregnant cows at Kibbutz Yahel:

Bracha hanging out by the pool:

The previous picture is a near replica of the this one, taken at our beach vacation last summer:

Bracha fell asleep on the futon then rolled under Ima and Abba's bed at Saba and Savta's:

Snuggling in bed together at Kibbutz Yahel:

Hanging out with Doda Rona on a cowch (get it?):

Hanging out with Uncle Joey at Yotvata:

Eli and Joey snuggling at the ice cream seminar:

Eli and Joey snuggling at the ice cream seminar:

Bracha-ism

Bracha: Corn! Corn corn CORN!
Me: How do you ask nicely?
Bracha: Corn PLEASE! Woah, that was so loud!

The girls get a present

Welcome to my life

I think she meant Bubbie

Me: Bracha, who loves you?
Bracha: Ima!
Me: Yes! And who else loves you?
B: Eli!
Me: Yes! And who else loves you?
B: Doda Zaide!