Last week of vacation

On Friday, aside from the cooking and cleaning, we took the kids along with the Balsam family to "Ligadoodim" which is a playspace with water bouncing castles. We went there with the Kellman's while they were here so we knew it was a good place to go. The kids all had a great time(here is a picture of Danya and Jordy fighting over the ball in the pool).

Friday night we had a nice quiet night. Jordy fell asleep on the living room rug he was so tired. Shabbat we had 2 families for lunch and had a great time. Lisa and Nafi came for dessert and stayed and chatted with everyone. Then we all went to the park until havdallah. Saturday night Meira slept over with Danya. Sunday I have no recollection of what we did. On Monday I took the kids to the local pool and we spent a long time there. We had a great time and I feel bad we haven't been there more. Monday night we went to Sheva Brachot for the Speiglman's daughter. Tuesday we watched the Balsam children while Lisa and Nafi ran a few errands. We were going to go to the pool when they returned but it was too late so we decided to go to dinner at Burger King instead. Nafi and Josh didn't go(Nafi because he needed to attend a school meeting and Josh because he was working). The kids were happy to be at Burger King(like usual). After we returned from dinner I went to the Mamad(Danya's new school) for a first grade parents meeting. I got a little nervous when we got there and had to fill out forms in hebrew, but was really proud that I understood almost everything that was said in the 2 hour meeting. Today we met Danny at the beach in the morning. We stayed until 2 and then came home. Here is a picture of Danya and Jordy digging a hole in the sand. Danya announced very excitedly that she dug so deep she found water. I didn't want to break her heart and point out that we were right next to the water as she was so proud of her finding.

Here are Josh and Danny who are looking kind of bored.

After we got back I ran an errand in Modiin and then Myrna and Nana stopped by to say goodbye along with Lori and Yakir. While they were here Lisa came by with Moshe and Michali.
Also here is a picture of Jordy with a baseball bat that Danny left at our house. Jordy wanted to know if it was for him to keep so Danny told him that he would buy him one for his Bar Mitzvah. Jordy then spent the remainder of the day showing anyone who would listen that this is the baseball bat uncle Danny got him for his Bar Mitzvah.

Welcome Balsam Family!

Monday was spent mostly at home. Danya's friend Natalie came over with a movie and the girls watched it while Jordy and I took a drive to the art store in Kfar Rut. Then Jordy was invited to a friends to play but when we got there he didn't want to stay so we brought the friend home with us. On Tuesday morning I woke up VERY early(at least for me) at 6:15am. I got dressed quickly and woke Danya and we were out of the house by 6:45 on our way to the Nefesh B'Nefesh welcome ceremony to welcome Lisa and Nafi and family. We were told to arrive no later than 7:15 but the flight wasn't scheduled to land until 8:10. Danya and I enjoyed all the nice breakfast food they had and we talked to a few random people(including Rabbi Lopatin from Chicago) and patiently waited. We went outside to greet them and I have to say it was so different from our arrival! I guess the first and biggest difference was that when we came there were 3 planes arriving simultaneously so there were a million people. We were welcomed on the tarmac and our ceremony was in a hangar where it was about 110 degrees and jam packed. Here the ceremony was in baggage claim and the passengers were bussed from the plane to the baggage claim area. The 1 plane wasn't full so there really wasn't too much pushing and shoving as it wasn't so crowded. The ceremony was substantially shorter as well. But back to them arriving. It was so great to see them coming off the bus and I have to say I didn't recognize Nafi right away because he shaved his beard! Danya and Meira were so happy to be reunited and while Moshe was sleepy he seemed happy. Michali was huge! Last time we saw here she was a little baby and now she is a real person! So cute! We stayed for the ceremony but left after so they could get their paperwork done. This is another major difference. When we came the paperwork took so long and we didn't get home until closer to 4. Lisa called me at 10:30 to say they just got in the cab! I grabbed the kids and we went to do a few last minute things to help get them organized and then met them as they pulled up. Josh joined us moments later and we helped them unpack and get settled. Later in the day I took all the kids except Michali to a carnival on the basketball court which was fun for all. On Wednesday We watched the Balsam children while Lisa and Nafi ran some errands. Then I took Lisa and Nafi to a grocery store and hardware store. After that we left them alone and we went to Ramat Beit Shemesh to Josh's cousin Tutty(Jerry Yudkowsky) for a BBQ. I ate way too much and we all had a great time. All the Buckmans were there(except Jeffrey who left that morning) along with the Terin family and Melissa and Jonny. Today the Balsam children returned while Lisa and Nafi went to Misrad HaPanim. We also had Daniella Kaplansky over to play and all the kids played nicely for the most part. I also took Jordy and went to Lori's to say goodbye to Jodi who left tonight. (Blogger isn't letting me put up pictures so I will add them later).

Bar Mitzvah Week

Wednesday morning we woke up early(which is very hard for us!) and went to the Kotel for Dov Gerson's bar mitzvah. We were a little late but it was nice seeing everyone and we took advantage of the fact that we were already in the old city and walked around for a little. We took the kids to the cardo. The kids were kind of tired and crabby so we headed out. On the way back we decided to go to KFC for lunch. We knew there was one in Malcha mall but it was the wrong direction so we decided to try Miveseret mall. Turns out the one in miveseret moved to Malcha so we settled for McDonald's, which the kids loved! The rest of the day was spent at home and the kids played astronaut. On Thursday I ran a few errands in the morning and then took the kids to Raanana to meet up with Emily, Simon and Eli. They took us to their pool which had a massive kiddie pool so the kids were able to "swim" by themselves. After swimming Simon showed us his favorite part of the pool-the ice cream stand. We all had ice cream before saying goodbye. On Friday I ran a bunch of errands and did some stuff to help Lori out before the Bar Mitzvah. Melissa and Jonny slept over along with a cousin of Seths. We had dinner and lunch at shul with all the family who were in for the Bar Mitzvah. On after lunch Danya went to play with friends and Josh and I convinced Jordy to take a nap! After nap time we went to Seth and Lori's for Seudat Shlishit. After Shabbat, since Melissa and Jonny were sleeping over again, Josh and I went to Yerushaliam to this massive art fair they have every year. We brought Jodi along since she was meeting a friend there. It was nice to get out and do something different. We got home after 1 and were exhausted on Sunday. Sunday morning I went to Lisa and Nafi's soon to be apartment to drop some stuff off and plug in the fridge. Then Danya and I went to the store to buy them some food to get them started. We returned to the apartment to unload the groceries and made the beds. Then I went to buy the rest of Danya's and all of Meira's school supplies. After that I dosed off before the Bar Mitzvah and woke up 15 minutes before it started! I quickly got myself and the kids dressed and we left in no time. The party was very nice and Danya had a great time dancing the whole night. Jordy was pretty sleepy the whole night and fell asleep n the car on the way home(at midnight).

Our Buddies

On Monday morning, while Danya was in camp, Josh and I took Jordy to run a few errands. We ended up stopping at a few more stores than planned and were out the whole morning. We invited Naava Drapkin over for a play date but she(read:Tami) got sidelined and didn't make it over until almost 6pm. Adina also came to play with Danya and all the kids had a great time. Today was Danya's last day of camp. When I picked her up I noticed that the new olim down the block had arrived. We are their "buddy family". Basically we arrange meals for them and help them get acquainted with the area. We stopped to say hi and we ended up bringing their 6 year old daughter home with us to play with Danya. The girls and Jordy played nicely for a while. Then everyone went to the attic to watch TV. About 10 minutes later Josh went to the attic and came back down reporting that the girls was out cold on the couch! I returned her to her house so her parents could keep her awake until bedtime. After dropping Danya off at a birthday party, Josh, Jordy and I returned to our buddy family to deliver dinner.

We have a vacancy

Wednesday morning we hung out at home and Maayan and I played while Lanie and Ari packed. When they were mostly done Josh and I joined them for falafel. While Lanie went to go get napkins Maayan stole a fry from her falafel along with a huge glob of humus. I find it funny that Maayan loves humus-she would make a good eating partner for Josh! She also was more interested in Lanie's falafel than her own and took a few bites. After lunch everyone but Josh headed to Yerushaliam to go swimming at the pool at Saba and Savta's hotel. It was a little cold but the water wasn't bad. We all had a good time. After we dried off and warmed up we went to Little Italy for dinner. Jordy was very overtired and cried the whole ride home yelling about something or other("Where is my water bottle", "You are driving too fast", "I want my window open", "I didn't get to see the chayliam"). It was an enjoyable ride for all! As soon as we got home Jordy went to bed. Maayan and Danya were wide awake so the two played while Lanie and Ari did last minute preparations. We said our goodbyes and were sad to see them go. On Thursday morning my parents moved in. We went with them to the money changer and then took them to Holy Bagel for lunch. Then we stopped at the butcher and headed home. My mom then joined me on a few errands. We picked up my newly framed pictures(see the previous post from today) and then went to the grocery store. My parents were in and out at meetings the rest of the day. I started not feeling so great during the day and by dinner time I wasn't feeling so good. However I told Lori that my mom and I would join her for our coffee to soldiers run so at around 11 I took some Tylenol and we headed out. Luckily there weren't too many chaylim so it was quiet. Myrna, who had arrived earlier that day, joined us as well. On Friday Danya had Daniella over for a play date while Josh and my Dad took Jordy to a local pool. My mom stayed home and we got ready for Shabbat. Danny came over later in the afternoon and cleared out the refrigerator. He played ball with Jordy for a while. Shabbat was pretty quiet. We ate, we slept, my parents took the kids to the park. After Shabbat my parents headed to the airport. Josh and I noticed that it is eerily quiet in our house after all the guest we have had...but not for long! Today I wasn't feeling well so I spent most of the day drinking tea and in bed. Josh took Jordy(who is finished with camp) to a park with Akiva Silton and his boys. Then Jordy played over there. Josh picked him up along with Danya from camp and everyone hung out at home for the rest of the day.

Vote Now!!!

My in-laws bout us a beautiful piece of artwork while they were in town. We had it framed however Josh and I disagree about where we should hang it so we are letting you decide. Here is a picture of the picture:


Here is a picture of it in the front entrance way:


And here are 2 different views of it in the dining room:



Vote Here and let us know what you think!

Autographs

Yesterday I went to the grocery store in the morning. Then at around noon Josh and I headed to the Modiin city hall where the Modiin Miracle was being welcomed to the city they represent. We spent some time with Danny there(and Josh convinced a few kids he was on the team too and signed some autographs with Danny) and then headed to the butcher since he closes from 1:45 to 4. Turns out that while his business card says he is open until 1:45 he actually closes at 1:30 so we missed him. I went home and did some cooking and then after picking Jordy up from camp he and I returned to the butcher a 4. He wasn't open when we got there so I let Jordy play at the park across the street for a while. Then I started getting annoyed and called the butcher. He said someone was on the way. At 4:25 I got in and got my order. I came home and we finished the cooking for the BBQ we were having with Lanie, Ari, my parents and the Geldmans. Ardie and Ivonne stayed pretty late and we had a nice time with them. It has been a while since we saw them last so it was nice to catch up and get the scoop on all the kids(who were all too busy to come to dinner). Today Lanie and Ari spent the day in Jerusalem while Josh and I babysat Maayan. She was pretty entertaining and well behaved. My favorite part was when she stretched out on the couch next to me and we both took a 2 hour nap! My parents came back at about 5 and then Josh and I took Jordy to Modiin to meet with our lawyer who needed us to sign more papers for the house(not sure what since we have been living in it for a year). My parents when out to dinner with the Kleimans and Lanie and Ari stopped home to put Maayan to bed and then headed out to Tel Aviv for dinner. Josh went to Raanana to play hockey and I worked the rest of the evening.

Birthdays, Sprinklers and Family

Sorry for the delay...It has been a busy week and a half and I have been too lazy to take the pictures off the camera. I am going to stick to the highlights...Last Thursday Jordy's camp was at our house. On Friday we went with the Kirschenbaum family to the beach in Tel Aviv. Emily's mom was in town and staying at the Hilton on the beach, so we started there and then went to lunch at the Hilton pool with Emily's mom. Then we swam in the Hilton pool. The kids had a great time and were sad to go.


Shabbat was quiet. On Sunday Jordy's camp was at our house again. Monday was spent cleaning up the mess from the kids and Tuesday the family arrived. My parents came in pretty early in the morning. Lanie, Ari and Maayan weren't far behind at around 2. My parents headed to a hotel in Yerushaliam while we took the Kellman's to dinner at a steak house. They fought their exhaustion and made it through. On Wednesday afternoon we went with the Kellman family to a water play place.
The kids had a great time! On Thursday morning Josh made me breakfast in bed for my birthday and then we went out to lunch with the Kellmans. In the afternoon my parents came by and the kids all played outside in the new sprinkler that Lanie and Ari brought us. On Friday we went to a Modiin Miracle game even thought Danny wasn't there.


Shabbat my parents were over and we had a nice dinner and stayed up too late. On Shabbat we went to the Block Bar Mitzvah and then came home for lunch. Some of us napped for a while and then Josh and I went to the Blocks for the Seudat Shlishit they had for the Bar Mitzvah. Saturday night we left the kids with Saba and Savta and Lanie and Ari and Josh and I went to dinner. This morning I took the Kellman family to the mall where we celebrated Maayan's 2nd birthday at Pizza Hut. We had a mini birthday party at our house and then later Josh and I headed to Yerushaliam for the last leg of the Block Bar Mitzvah. Now I am all caught up!