Purim is in the air..

    Purim really feels like it’s just around the corner…  the kids have been learning about it and are so excited.  Racheli’s “ganenet” (‘teacher’ – but don’t forget that kid is two years old..) really outdid herself.  Two weeks ago Racheli came home all dressed up as a chicken.  Last week she was a “grandma”…  I just hope our *real* Purim costumes are as good as these :0)

I’ll try to attach some pics.  It was adorable. 

My sister in law Miri got married last week and Shalom just couldn’t get enough of it (we took him and Tori to the wedding – Racheli is a good sleeper so she stayed by a neighbor – - she still thinks she ‘lucked out’ by getting to sleep over a friend..).  He was glued to the band from the moment we walked into the hall, and he now asks for a wedding every day.. and if you ask him what they do at a wedding, he says “(sing with a) microphone” :0) 

Some cute quotes:

My older sister in law, Suri, asked Shalom – “what does your Mommy do all day?”  He thought and thought (he had a very hard time thinking what DOES Mommy do all day..”) and then he said – “eat!”  – hey, don’t believe him, ok?

Racheli repeated a story she heard about the little boy who wanted wool to make a sweater.  he goes to the hen, the cow, etc. – she was able to say where each one lives, the sound they make and what they produce.. we were amazed, B.A.H.

 Tori’s crying (sorry, no quotes for you yet, honey!) – gotta go for now..

Whaddaya know… snow!!

Well, we actually had some snow here!  And not just “some” – enough to actually go out, step on, and PLAY!!!  The kids were ecstatic.  Shalom loved every second of it and couldn’t wait to finish breakfast so he can go out and play.  Racheli had a harder time walking on it and clung to me (and her bottle..) most of the time – but all in all they had a great time.  We went back home when they complained that their shoes are wet (no need to own boots here, nor did their Californian-bred mom know to put bags in their shoes..) and didn’t get a chance to take pictures by the two huge snowmen that the neighbors made.  We did good timing too, because the snow lasted all of two hours..

 Attaching some pictures.

Third but not least….

With our camera cable left in LA during our visit in the summer, we had no means of transferring photos onto our computer (and of course, all the neighbors’ cameras use different cables..).  We had but one picture of Tori on our camera on the day that we suddenly were able to borrow a camera and cable to use to upload the pics.  So that’s how it happened that my mother received a very unflattering photo of our beautiful little Tori.  In the picture she came out sort-of flat, and, somehow, cross-eyed too.  That marked the start of worried phonecalls (“of course I believe you she’s not cross-eyed.  But please can you have her eyes checked just in case?”)

Now that we finally received our long-lost cable, I consider it my urgent oblication to set everyone’s mind at ease…  attaching some recent photos of our girls – with their eyeballs very much in place.

Get to know our duo

This is when Shalom N and Rachel were still a twosome – when a tiny intruder by the name of Tori was just a few weeks old and not yet so domineering (acc. to Racheli at least).  These two little people alternate between being great friends (as the pictures show), and cat-and-mouse (as we try not to let the pictures show – because that doesn’t look very pretty..)

A trip with their aunt from LA to the rose garden.

Introducing…

Loving (well..) sistersSo… after trying unsuccessfully to share photos with “groups”, I decided to try and create a blog with photos. Seems to work for others…

I am attaching some pictures of the kids on Chanuka.

Shalom Noah, age 4.5, is lighting the Menorah (almost) all by himself!

Rachel (Cheli, or “Chelsie” as she is fondly called by some family members), in purple and very unflattering pajamas (to go with the messy hair) but cute anyway (if I may say so myself) also brought in her own Menorah from gan (pre-nursery). Rachel is 2 years old although at her height she almost looks like SN’s twin.

Baby Tori will have to wait for next year to light… :0(

Notice that on top, near the pictures, there is a link to another one (of Rachel and Tori wearing matching outfits)

Party time…

Uploading didn’t work before (I’ll try again soon) but I’m trying again…

I am going to try and upload pictures of the party we had at SN’s class.  What a difference than the party – same day – in Racheli’s pre-nursery class!  In Racheli’s party, it was beautiful, but based on the kids putting on a performance for the moms (yep, these two year olds..)  Of course, none of them did :0)  They even had this blue light (sorry, I forgot what it’s called) – that makes all white objects glow in the dark – as part of their very fancy performance..  but basically all the kids ran to their mothers as soon as they came and refused to go up on “stage”.  But it was nice anyway, because their “gananot” (caregivers) were very sweet and did not pressure them.  In SN’s gan (class) it was all about playing with Mommy.  There were tables with different activities and we went from one to the next trying out different things- we made an arts-and-crafts projects about cleanliness (their major issue now), a speech-game with the ST, a “blow-the-Menorah-candle-out-first” contest between kiddos and mothers, and more.  Very very cute – I just wish Racheli’s teachers were there to see what a real party should look like..

 OK, I’m trying the “upload” option again..