Jordy's Birthday

Wednesday I thought I would be feeling much better, but I wasn't. I can't remember much about Wednesday but I am pretty sure most of it was wishing I had Puffs Plus with Lotion and sleeping.
Thursday was a little better. Josh and I took Nadav and went to Modiin in the morning. Jordy really wanted a bath robe with his name on it for his birthday(Nadav got one as a baby gift and every day since then Jordy points it out to me each day and says "I want one of these in red and that says Jordy"). So we ordered it for Jordy and then headed to the mall where I bought a bat mitzvah gift and then we stopped at the grocery store, picking up some Kleenex with lotion(a decent alternative) and a cake mix for Jordy's birthday. The problem was that I didn't have a working oven. The fuse on our oven blew last week and since we were so sick this week we didn't get a call into the electrician until Thursday and then he wasn't able to come until next week. So later in the evening I took the cake mixes to Lisa's where I made Jordy his cakes.
Friday was Jordy's 6th birthday!!! He was so excited but all he did all day was ask for presents. Josh bought take out for Shabbat and he picked up the robe. Jordy also opened his Power Ranger toys from Bubs and Pops. It was really good that they bought him 2 because he and Danya played with them all Shabbat! I frosted the birthday cake . Then Jordy got his robe which he wasn't so excited about because it was a little to big. Oh well! Friday night the kids played with the Power Ranger toys most the evening and we had a nice quiet dinner.
Shabbat morning Jordy woke up around 6am and asked when his friends were arriving for his party. I had to inform him that his friends were still sleeping and he should be too. Later Danya and Josh went to shul. When they returned we had a nice lunch. Then every 20 seconds Jordy asked when his party was. At 3 people finally started arriving. I think there were a total of 12 kids. Josh led the kids in some games and then it was time for the main event..the cake! Once all the kids had enough sugar they went outside to play. Nafi's nephew David, who was in town visiting with Nafi's sister Yael, led the kids in Simon Says. Eventually all the kids went home and Shabbat ended. After Shabbat Josh and I took Nadav to Yerushliam to go bowling with Oren and Yael Kleirs(that isn't their last name, but I don't know it), Kenny and Jessica Green and Shlomo and Malka Hubscher. A semi Moshava reunion. We had a great time and it was so nice getting out. I am proud to say that I won on the girls team and Josh won on the boys team. We went out for coffee after and then headed home.
Sunday I remembered that I had an envelope of money for Jordy from Bubby Gladys. After he got home from school I gave it to him. He was all excited about the money. Then we headed out to a toy store to buy stuff for goodie bags since Jordy was having his party at school on Monday. Jordy went to English in the evening and returned with presents from the Balsam and Kellman families(Lisa lives a few houses away from the English class). Danya and Jordy were excited to watch The Bee Movie and made a movie theater upstairs(they make it dark and shut the door) after dinner.
Monday morning Jordy was all excited because each month on Rosh Chodesh(the new month) there is a joint birthday party for all the kids who have a birthday in the month(they have to do it in groups because there are 36 kids in his class-otherwise there'd be a party each week). There were 5 boys with birthdays this month(3 of which are triplets). The mothers divided up the requirements-1 mother bringing food for the lunch(Israeli lunch-pita, chumus, chocolate spread, cream cheese, cottage cheese, pickles and cucumbers), one the cake(which couldn't be me because my electrician was a no show)and 1 the goodie bags-me. I picked Jordy up after school and he was adorned in a very girlie crown. He had a picture frame with his picture in it, a box with a letter game and a book of drawings from all the kids in the class. They really go all out with the birthdays at school. Jordy was very happy! After he got back I was heading to the grocery store. He asked if he could come with me. He insisted on wearing his very masculine crown. After the store he went to karate. Lisa drove him home from Karate and in the car he had told everyone that Bubby had given him 200 million shekel for his birthday(she really gave him 200 shekel). Apparently Moshe responded with "Hey, how come I didn't get 200 million shekel??" Too Cute! Here's a story I know my Mom will love. Jordy is really interested in reading and loves going to his English class. The teacher recently started giving him more work because he wasn't being challenged. Jordy is really proud of this fact and will read his stories to anybody who will listen. So when Lisa brought him home he told her "I got 2 stories from Morah Helen(am I the only one who thinks it is funny that they call the English teacher Morah?) because I am the goodest in the group". Makes you wonder how all the other kids are! Danya returned from her ceramics class with an elephant figurine that she made. Monday night Josh and I took Nadav and headed back to Yerushaliam to go to a Bar Mitzvah for our next door neighbor. Most Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties we have been to have either been on the Yishuv or nearby so this was a real outing. However it was at the Great Synagogue and we have never attended a simcha there, so we were curious. We had a lovely time but had to leave early as Josh had to get back to work(we did stay until around 10:45pm).
Today Josh and I took Nadav to Modiin. We had some business that needed to be done at the bank(it's been a while) but we forgot the letter we needed so that was a waste of time. Jordy came home and got ready for swimming. On the way to swimming we had this conversation about the plays he sees at gan:
Me:Do you like being in plays or watching plays better?
Jordy: I like watching them better
Me: How come?
Jordy: Because it makes my heart happy
Me(reeling at the revelation): Where did you learn that?
Jordy: I just said it
Me: What else makes your heart happy?
Jordy: Things that are good like eating healthy food and drinking milk and learning to blow my nose

Yes, the day he learned to blow his nose was a happy day! The electrician came and fixed the fuse so I am happy to report that the oven is back up and running! After Danya and Jordy went to English we went to a fair that was being held to support the people in Sedrot. They were going to have vendors selling their wares and activities for kids, all the money going to these people. I went thinking we would buy some stuff and help out but there wasn't much to buy. I bought a couple things for the kitchen and then we headed home.
Just so he wont be left out here is a picture of Nadav looking at his book:

Sick Day

Not to much to report today. I took the kids to school in the morning and then returned to go back to sleep along with Nadav. I was really hit hard with this cold so I spent most the day sleeping and feeding Nadav. Danya and Jordy were out of the house most the day which worked well for me. When I picked Danya up we were discussing the fact that she is a bit better. She wanted to know if she was allowed to kiss Nadav now that she is better. I told her it would be good to wait a little longer because we don't want to get him sick. She was upset and said "but it is so hard not to kiss him because he is so kissable". While I was making dinner Jordy was discussing his birthday and the fact that it is in a few days. He informed me that he wants to play "pinch" the tail on the donkey. I asked him what "pinch" the tail on the donkey is. He told me there is a picture of a donkey and everyone gets a tail and you have to try and pinch the tail onto the right spot. What a cute one he is. The rest of the night was spent getting the kids into bed and drinking tea.

A Lot To Report

So much has happened since my last post...
Thursday morning we were happy to wake up after having slept through the night...hooray! I took Nadav to Modiin in the morning where we ran a few errands. We returned and picked up Jordy from Gan a half hour early. Then I took Nadav and Jordy to Tipat Chalav. Nadav needed a weigh in and measurements. Jordy needed those as well as 2 vaccines that he missed along the way. I can't remember now, but Jordy was really funny in the car. I told him we were going to a doctor who keeps people healthy and sometimes to do so they have to give people shots. He didn't fight but he just kind of asked in a sad voice "Am I getting shots?". Jordy did enjoy the developmental tests...the walking, jumping etc. Then Nadav had his turn. He weighs 5kilo 530 grams(12 lbs. 2 oz.) and is 59 centimeters(23.2 inches). Then they gave Jordy a vision test and brought him in for the shots. He only fought a little for the first one but then realized that it hurt so the second one was a little harder. He did cry a bit but not bad. We then stopped at a store to pick up a few more things I needed for Shabbat along with a special treat for Jordy since he was so good. Thursday evening I began and finished most of the cooking. Thursday night Nadav slept for 7 hours in his crib. Friday morning was spent in Shabbat preparations. When Jordy returned from Gan we realized that he was sick. He has 102 fever, probably a result of the shot he had the day before. Then we realized that Danya had lice. I spent an hour combing the lice out. Then David and Emily and kids showed up for Shabbat. Right as we were about to light candles the power went out. Apparently either something was shorting the system or it was overloaded as the dishwasher was finishing up, the oven was on, 2 blechs were on, a crock pot and hot water. We thought the problem was the refrigerator but shut down power to a few things so that the lights and chulent would make it. The fridge was really the biggest problem so Josh came up with the idea to bring all our stuff to the shul across the street and put it in the fridge/freezer. Electricity, lice, and fevers aside we had a nice time on Friday night. Danya went to bed WAY to late on Friday night and then all the kids got up at 5:30(but not Nadav-he went to bed at 11:30 and slept until 8!). We had the Neumans over for lunch as well(ok, Yocheved and kids since Jon was out of town). Another cold meal, crazy kids....fun for everyone! Considering the illnesses and the lack of power we actually had a really fun Shabbat. After Shabbat Josh and I brought Nadav with us to a Bat Mitzvah. We had a nice time and were happy to be out without most of the kids. At 4am Sunday Danya woke up crying that she didn't feel good. Sure enough she had 102 fever. I gave her motrin and sent her back to bed. In the morning she said her throat hurt. So she stayed home from school and we all hung out. I took her to see Akiva in the afternoon and I was really happy when he said that he could see that it was strep and it wouldn't require a swab unless we wanted it. I was happy not to wrestle Danya to get a q-tip down her throat. I went and got her the medicine. I also called Emily to apologize since now they would have to watch out for strep too. Sunday night Nadav slept well again and Danya woke up at 3am with 104. I gave her more motrin and sat with her for 45 minutes until she was feeling a little better. I went back to bed but she came back at 4:15 and ended up sleeping on our floor. This morning after getting Jordy to gan, Josh, Nadav and I all slept while Danya watched TV. The rest of the day was spent at home drinking tea and hoping the germs go away(Josh and I are now sniffling and have scratchy throats). OK, I am sure I missed some stuff but that was the jist of it....all caught up!

A Tummy Ache

Well last night was not as successful as the night before, but still wasn't terrible. Nadav did his sleeping in his crib all swaddled up. Danya woke up once at around 4 to tell me that Nadav was making a lot of noise(in case I didn't notice the screaming baby in my arms) and then again at 6:30. Josh and I had big pans to run some errands this morning as Danya was scheduled to be in school until 2:30 and Jordy was going to a friends house straight after school for a birthday party and we didn't need to get him until 3. It took us a while before we dragged ourselves out of the house. We stopped at Lisa's to pick up her broken Challah board from Hatzorfim as we were going to their outlet/factory to see if they could fix the glass on ours that just broke. Then we stopped to drop off the cookies I made for the soldiers. We then were heading to Ben Shemen to Hatzorfim and my cell phone rang. It was Danya calling to tell us that her tummy hurt and wanted to know if we could pick her up. UGH!!! I told her that she should go back to class since we weren't home and we would pick her up when we returned(she gets tummy aches when she is tired, no need to panic). We brought the challah boards in and they examined them. They then wrapped them up in bubble wrap and handed them back to us and said they can't help us. I believe the woman said "It's not supposed to last forever". Apparently it is only supposed to last 9 1/2 years. So we headed to Shilat where we returned an outfit at the baby store and then went to the grocery store. After the grocery store we headed home. Josh dropped me and Nadav off and then he picked Danya up. At 3 I picked Jordy up from the birthday party and we all hung out at home the rest of the afternoon. Danya fell asleep while Josh was getting her dinner ready and I am sure that tonight will be the night Nadav will sleep through the night but Danya will not. Oh well. After the kids went to bed I packed up a shoe box with treats and toiletries that Jordy needs to bring to his gan tomorrow as a project for the soldiers. We'd like to thank Saba for providing the toiletries as they all came from his airplane packages or the hotels he stays at when he is here. Also thanks to Bubs as the single antibacterial hand wipes she left here were also included. The soldiers thank you!

Thanks to all of you who "delurked". I know there are a lot more of you out there reading, so please comment and say hello!

One More Thing

Apparently I missed it yesterday, so I will do it today...
It was National Delurking Day. For those of you not in the know, that means if you are a regular, sporadic, or first-time reader of my Blog, you should leave a comment and say hello. Let me know that you are out there reading.
Simply put, as the logo indicates, expose yourself!

As always, I am looking forward to your comments!

I Take it Back

I shouldn't have mocked the "magic blanket". After posting last night I wrapped Nadav in said blanket again and was going to let him cry for 5 minutes but after 3 minutes he fell asleep in his crib. He slept for 2 1/2hours, which was a new record for him in the crib. I fed him and then although he was wide awake and laughing, wrapped him in the blanket again and he smashed the record to pieces, sleeping for 5 1/2 hours in the crib!!! I couldn't believe it! Hooray for the blanket! We hung out at home in the morning. Nadav and I went to pick Jordy up and then spent the afternoon doing laundry and carpools for swimming and English class. The kids requested pizza for dinner. Since we hadn't had pizza in a while we decided to give in. Everyone was showered and in PJ's before dinner. After dinner Jordy went right to sleep and Danya read to me and Nadav before going to bed.

Doing Our Part

Last night Nadav had a really bad night of sleep and so did I(shocking, I know). He and I slept a bit this morning. Danya was out all afternoon and Jordy hung out at home. I baked 2 batches of blondies to be delivered to soldiers fighting in Gaza. Later in the afternoon Nadav and I took Jordy to the youth center where they had requested kids come to make pictures for the soldiers. These pictures will accompany packages that are being delivered. I asked Jordy if he knew why we are making pictures. He told me that one of his friends Dad's is fighting in Gaza and we are sending food and pictures to give him and other soldiers strength. All very matter of fact. He drew a nice picture and then received a taffy for his efforts. We picked Danya up from her ceramics chug and returned home to make dinner and do laundry. Danya did more reading before going to sleep. We wrapped Nadav up in the "magic blanket"-which hasn't been so magical for us. We then placed him in his crib and let him cry it out. It worked and he slept for a whopping 35 minutes(which I think is a new record for him sleeping in his crib). Wish us luck for the rest of the night!

King Nadav, No Cable and The War

Since Chanukah we have been busy with daily life. I can't remember all the details as the main focus has been on getting Nadav to sleep at night and/or in his crib. We are failing at both. The earliest he has gone to sleep is 2am. The longest he has slept in his crib is 20 minutes. We are tired and sleep deprived.
Josh and I spent the morning in Yerushaliam one day. Of course we picked the coldest, rainiest day to go. The good news is we finally got Nadav's American passport, so now we can go anywhere-but will probably just stay here.
Last Shabbat we brought out the Bumbo seat for Nadav. Nadav seemed happy sitting in it and Danya and Jordy thought it was funny and crowned him king, sitting on his throne, with his teething ring crown, and rattle scepter-the picture says it all:

Last week I had my book club and we discussed the book Molokai which I highly recommend.
This past Shabbat we were invited out for both meals so there was no cooking required. I did invite a friend over who wanted to watch me make a potato kugel because her husband liked mine and wanted her to make hers just like mine. I felt silly showing her how I make my kugel, as all I do is follow a recipe, but she and her husband were grateful and I have a kugel made for next Shabbat.
Otherwise the kids have been in school. Danya has been reading a lot(school is having a incentive program where for every 5 books you read you get a prize so we have been encouraging her to read each night). She doesn't love doing it but once she is done she likes the story. Jordy has begun reading English and we found the old Bob Books for him to read. He is doing really well with it and is really proud of himself.
Another major thing that happened recently was Josh decided we should get rid of cable. I was not thrilled with this decision but was willing to try as cable here isn't great and it is expensive. We have been watching TV on the computer and I miss my FOX news. Jordy also doesn't understand what happened to his HOP(the Israeli kids channel). He keeps asking to watch it and I have tried explaining to him several times that we don't have it but he doesn't get it.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the war that is taking place here. Even though this is a small country, we are not really effected. We do know people who have kids or husbands who are in the south and we pray for their safety. We have been asked to write letters, bake cookies, buy candy, pack care packages etc. for the soldiers and people who live in the rocket range (and we are participating in some of these), but otherwise life here goes on as normal. Thankfully we are pretty safe here in the West Bank.
I think that is about it. If there is more I can't remember it due to lack of brain power...must get sleep.

On the Eight Night of Chanukah

Yes, I know the Eight Night was a while ago but I figured I got all 7 nights in I may as well include this one.
On Sunday we spent most of the day at home. The plumber came to fix the kitchen sink which was clogged up. Nocky and Ruanne stopped by with 3 of their grandchildren to give the kids Chanukah gifts. The kids were thrilled and played all afternoon. Danny came over in the afternoon and hung out until the evening. We lit candles and did the present thing and then on with the evening.



At night, the last night of Chanukah, we had another family party. The Aaronson families and the Knapels came over. We ate the traditional Chanukah meal of Falafel(traditional in our house).
On Monday Nadav and I slept most of the day(I believe because we were up most the night) while Josh took Danya and Jordy to Burger King, bowling and the park for a last hurrah of vacation.