The Big Trip, part 2

On Friday, after little sleep and waking up VERY early, we headed out to Northbrook Court. We were going to Stride Rite to get Danya her sandals. We found her a nice, cheap pair and she was happy. We also found Crocs for Jordy so he also got something. We walked around the mall and headed to the Tree House play area but it was being renovated so we spent a lot of time trying on sunglasses at the sunglasses stand. Then we headed to see what was new at Garden Fresh Market. After that we located the new Falafel restaurant in Highland Park called Mizrachi. People say it is good but I guess our falafel standards are higher now that we are Israeli. We weren't impressed. After lunch we headed to the wonderful place that is the Skokie Public Library. It was good to be back! Everyone got some books and the kids each got a movie. Then we returned to Bubs and Pops to get ready for Shabbat. I made a kugel and the kids bathed and got dressed. Matthew, Marissa and Ori joined us for both meals on Shabbat. We had a great Shabbat. The food and company were great. On Shabbat afternoon I took the kids over to Rebecca and Jeremy's and we hung out there for a while. When we returned we ran into Max. Then Pops took Danya and Jordy to the park while Josh and I went on a walk and found Zev and Becky. We hung out with them at the Senior Goldbergs until shabbat was almost over. When we returned Jordy reported that Danya had kicked his hand while playing soccer and he was hurt. Danya then responded that "it was an accident. And I am hurt too-Jordy threw a rubber fish and it hit my face". Josh and I both lost it then and started cracking up...a rubber fish to the face?? Danya got really mad and stomped off. We eventually calmed everyone down and got them into bed. After Shabbat we headed with Rebecca and Jeremy to Slice for a late dinner.
Sunday morning Jordy reported that his thumb still hurt from the soccer incident. Sure enough it was quite swollen. We decided that I would take him to the ER and get x-rays if necessary. It didn't take as long as I expected it would. An hour and a half later we were told it was a sprain and he needed a splint for 3 days(or as Jordy calls it-a cast). So we got our splint and headed home. We then decided to go to Pirates Cove for the afternoon. Although I thought it was kind of lame Danya and Jordy had fun.
After that we stopped at the Elk Grove Little Boots Rodeo which was free and in the attached parking lot. The kids did a few things there and we headed home for dinner and bed. After the kids went to sleep Josh and I headed out. First we picked up a bike from my Dad for Josh to use. Then we went to pay a shiva call to the Cohn family. After that I dropped Josh off at home and I headed to Jewell again.
Monday morning the kids were up at 6 asking when camp started. It was a long morning from then until 9:30 when it began. Once they got all settled Nadav and I headed to reunite with Target! It was nice to be back. I did minor damage and then headed to meet Leora, Yael and later Rebecca at Bagel Country. After that I stopped and found a few things on sale for Danya at Old Navy. I headed back and not much later picked Danya and Jordy up at camp. Their camp has a special carpool lane and each car is assigned a number. When you pull up your "carpool"(or in my case my kids) are walked to your car and buckled in! I love it! I have since dubbed this the parade of the mini-vans. The kids got in the car and announced that camp is "awesome". They were both excited about the new game they learned called kickball. Jordy spent a lot of time explaining it to me. We had dinner with Bubs and Pops and after the kids went to bed Josh and I headed to the half price book store....ahhh....books. We also stopped at Matthew's and then headed home.
Today(I can't believe I am up to today!) after getting the kids out the door I went to the ATM to get some case as I have had about $2.00 on me since we arrived. My card was rejected so I went into the bank. I thought maybe I forgot my PIN as it's been about 3 years since I used it. The banker told me the reason it was rejected was because they no longer use the card I have and they haven't for about 2 years. So he ordered us new ATM cards. Then I got in touch with Gila who had been out of town until yesterday. I went to her house and we finally got to meet Max!
He is a cutie! Nadav also liked playing with him. Gila made me a fancy cup of coffee and then we went to Ken's for lunch. After that I stopped at Hungarian to get stuff for dinner. I came home and unloaded the groceries to the door and got Nadav out of the car. Then I tried opening the door and it was locked. Apparently Josh didn't realize I didn't have a key. So I had to call my mother-in-law and she left work early to let me in. Sorry! Nadav and I headed back to the parade of the mini-vans and picked Danya and Jordy up from another successful day at camp. Later Bubs and Pops headed out for Sheva Brachot but Matthew, Marissa and Ori joined us for Taco night.
Now everyone is all tucked into bed and I am all caught up!

The Big Trip, part 1

So much has happened since my last post! I am going to try and remember everything.
On Monday I ran yet a few more errands and spent some time packing and getting the house cleaned up. I also did a ton of laundry. In the evening I went to Danya's Chumash Bereshit Party. I am sorry I forgot to post those pictures before we left as I don't have them with me on this computer. So if you want to see them remind me in September. The party was really cute and well done. The teacher that Danya has had for the past 2 years will no longer be her teacher next year and it was sad saying goodbye. The school is still in session until June 30th however since we were leaving this was when we really said goodbye.
Tuesday was crunch time in terms of packing and getting the house ready. We cleaned out our fridge so we spent some time dropping off various food items at various peoples houses. Then around 1 I took Nadav to his tipat chalav appointment. The main reason for this one was for a standard heading test. In case you were worried, Nadav has wonderful hearing. He weighs 18.5 pounds. We stopped to pick up a refill on his vitamins and get some cash and then headed home. Jordy had returned from his last day at Gan. A little later Jordy and I went to pick Danya up from what was her last day at school. She dallied saying goodbye to Sarah, the secretary(and recieving candy for doing so). Then I dropped Danya and Jordy at the Balsams to play with their kids and go to English. I then went home and tried to get as much done as humanly possible. Then a friend of Josh's from High School, Darrel Cohn, stopped by with his wife. They are in town for a week and wanted to say hi even though we will probably see them in Chicago. I picked the kids up and we ate french toast(which I had made in the morning) for dinner. We attempeted getting the kids to bed but after many failed attempts we allowed them to lay on the couches as long as they didn't talk to us. I finished doing everything I needed to do at around 1am however was afraid to sleep as the cab was supposed to arrive at 3:15am and I was scared I would sleep through. I eventually realized I needed to close my eyes and called Lanie and Ari and asked them if they would call us in an hour and a half and make sure we were awake. I dozed and then got up at 2:30am. Josh and I got all finished, got the kids up(who had fallen asleep eventually) and then we waited. I had arranged a cab for 3:15am but was not so confident about the fact that they guy would show up. That was obviously a case where I should have trusted my instincts. At 3:20am we called the guy who said he thought it was the following morning, but he would be there in 10 minutes. 10 minutes later he showed up, not in the van we ordered, but a 5 passenger car. As we were already running late and we had nobody to call at 3:30am we piled in with luggage and a stroller tied to the roof. The driver wanted to prove to Josh that we told him Thursday morning so he showed him a piece of paper where he wrote our information and it said Wednesday. Needless to say, he did not get a tip. When we got to the airport the ElAl woman told us that our 2nd flight(which was not on ElAl) was not a confirmed flight but standby. This was news to us as the tickets we held in our hands and we showed her said confirmed. She said that she couldn't really help us and that we would have to speak to the agent in Brussels. She said that for the same reason we couldn't check our bags through to Chicago. She said to ask the agent in Brussels if they could get our bags through without us going through customs in Brussels and recheck our bags(in the 2 hour layover). We hurried through as by the time they worked out all our ticket info we had 10 minutes until boarding. After security Josh ran into duty free while the kids and I waited. We heard them call boarding on our flight but we were still waiting...and waiting...Josh eventually made it and we got on flight #1-Israel to Brussels.
We had bulk head seats and after we took off they set up a bassinet for Nadav which he spent about 15 minutes in. The flight was about 4 hours and went fine. When we arrived in Brussels we went straight to the gate for our next flight and told the agent that we were standby even though we had confirmed tickets. She told us, no, we were not on standby and that yes, we are on the flight. She then said we are going to have a problem with our luggage as the ElAl woman screwed up. She said that since there wasn't a lot of time she couldn't guarantee that our luggage would make it but would try. This is when I decided the herring I brought for my father-in-law was a bad idea. We got on flight #2-Brussels to London and before we knew it we had landed as the flight was 45 minutes. When we got to London we weren't so happy to see that the stroller/car seat for Nadav was check through to Chicago. Luckily I had the Baby Bjorn so I had to lug him around with that. I also noticed about then that Nadav had broken out in a rash all over his cheeks and chin. I was a little worried about that as it looked like an allergy to me and he already has an allergy. Luckily I had benadryl with me and knew how much to give him. We then eventually made it through the London airport. We found a Duty Free store with a Wii set up and the kids played for a little while. When we got to the gate we finally found someone who was able to tell us that our luggage did indeed make it onto the last flight and was on board for the trip to Chicago. We boarded the plane and again got bulkhead seats(no bassinet this time). We apologized ahead of time to the man next to us but realized quickly that he didn't care how noisy we were as he was deaf. We then waited and waited to take off but it wasn't happening. The pilot said something about being in line for take off but then a few minutes later a whole bunch of airport staff came through the plane. Apparently there was a sick passenger. We were given the all clear and eventually took off. Danya was yelling and crying because she was so tired and crabby. Jordy was crying that he was hungry and Nadav was just plain screaming. An hour after take off, during dinner, Jordy conked out and slept until hour 7 of the trip. About 15 minutes later Nadav finally fell asleep in the Bjorn and with the exception of waking up once to eat he slept until we were in the car on the way to my inlaws and Danya, with the help of some benadryl, fell asleep in hour 2 until hour 7. Josh and I happily dozed off part of that time as well. We were amazed that the leg of the trip we were dreading the most ended up being the easiest. We arrived in Sweet Home Chicago at around 7:30pm on Wednesday. We spent 24 hours door to door and since we started in the morning and flew with the sun almost 24 hours were daylight hours. Once we got through customs we claimed our luggage and our broken stroller(a piece was bent and it wasn't lining up to open but Josh fixed it). Pops picked us up with the Dunkin Donuts that Danya and Jordy had requested. When we got to Bubs and Pops house my parents were also there along with Matthew. Danny showed up later. We got Danya and Jordy to bed at around 11pm. Nadav went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 1ish and again at 3:45am for the morning. He and I hung out downstairs while he ate Cheerios and I tried to stay awake. At 5 Jordy joined us followed by Danya. At 6, when my father-in-law came down I took Nadav and he and I went to sleep for a little. Once we were all awake and moving I took the kid to go see Bubby Gladys. Jordy was a little scared and shy at first but he warmed up eventually. Bubby was so happy to see and talk to the kids. It was also great to see her doing so well. After our visit there we went to Nordstroms to get the kids shoes. Rebecca and her kids met us there. Jordy got sandals and then I tried getting for Danya but they didn't have any for her so she had a tantrum. We then headed to Bagel Country for lunch and to run into half the people I know in Chicago. All these things took a while and by the time we left Bagel Country it was 3. We stopped home to change and then headed to Marissa's to FINALLY meet our cousin/nephew Ori and go swimming in their pool(side note-Danya was telling Meira that Matthew and Marissa live in a hotel...I guess if you have to take an elevator and have a pool then it is a hotel). Ori is adorable!!! He is such a nice, well behaved baby. Hopefully he will influence Nadav and not the other way around. We had fun at the pool and were sorry we had to leave so soon but the kids had camp orientation at 6pm. At the J we saw the other half of the people we know in Chicago. I was so tired and spaced out I have no idea what I said or who I was talking to. Danya was majorly tired and was unhappy when we left the J. We came back, had dinner and got the kids to bed. Josh and I then headed to Jewell since he was done working-so weird to have him not working at night! We bought a bunch of stuff in a slow fog. We came back home collapsed.

I know I have a lot more to tell but it is 12:30am and I need to sleep so this is going to be continued.....

Happy Father's Day

This morning I woke up the the alarm clock going off and I couldn't figure out where I was or what time it was because I didn't remember getting up yet with Nadav. Then it hit me...he slept through the night!!! Happy Father's Day!!! We assume this was because he hardly napped yesterday but we'll take it. I helped get the kids out and then did a little post Shabbat cleaning. Then I got dressed and Nadav and I headed to Modiin for a couple things. I rarely have so many errands however recently I keep forgetting something or get the wrong thing and have to return. I made a few stops and then we headed home. Nadav was whimpering as I was approaching the house so I drove around a little longer and he was out cold in a few minutes. I came home and ate lunch and then got a call from Lori asking if she, Yakir and Dov could come hang out as her house was being exterminated and she couldn't go in for another hour or so. So they came over and we chatted while watching Nadav crawling all around. When Jordy got home he was happy the Gerson family was over because then he was allowed to play Wii before dinner(we have strict Wii rules). Danya returned from school after having stopped at a friends house. Then I brought Jordy to English. Nadav and I stopped at Lisa's and then I ran to get the figs I was asked to bring to Danya's Chumash Breshit party for tomorrow. After we returned we called Saba and Pops to wish them a happy Father's Day! Then we ate dinner(spaghetti and meatballs) and after much nagging I finally let the kids begin packing. I got all 3 kids to bed and now I have to make lunches.

Splish Splash

Friday morning, once Danya and Jordy were at school, Josh, Nadav and I headed to the take out store to buy some food for Shabbat. We also stopped to pick up Josh's "Friday falafel". Not long after we got home Danya and then Jordy returned. They quickly cleaned up what they needed to so that we could head out to the pool. Everyone had a great time, including Nadav who loved splashing and just being held in the water. I had forgotten how nice the pool is and how many people from our neighborhood go there. We stayed there for quite a while and then headed home to get ready for Shabbat. I had hoped to have all the kids sleeping or almost sleeping by the time Josh got back from shul but when he returned all 3 were still awake. Luckily we got them to bed pretty quickly and then went to sleep not long after.
This morning I hung out with the kids while Josh was in shul. We read stories and had an in depth discussion about our upcoming trip. Then Josh returned and we all got dressed to go to the Rotters. We were looking forward to getting out of our house as the air wasn't on however the sun was beating down on us. Luckily we were welcomed to a nice cool house with friends and lots of good food! We had a great time and especially enjoyed Dvora's desserts. Thanks again Dvora for the Whoopie Pies....WHOOPIE! We hit a few parks on the way home. Josh stayed at the last one with all 3 kids a bit longer than I and I took a 15 minute nap on the couch. When he returned Danya wasn't with him but one of Jordy's friends was. She stayed for almost an hour and not long after she left Danya returned. Everyone ate dinner and Jordy and Nadav(who took 1 short nap today) were asleep before Shabbat was over. We made havdallah and Danya went to bed and now I am cleaning up.

Sloppy Joe

Not a lot to report today. Josh got Nadav when he woke up the second time and let me sleep a little which is always much appreciated. After that I got Nadav to take a nice long nap during which time I folded a few loads of laundry, washed dishes and organized Jordy's bedroom. After Nadav woke up he and I ran a couple errands in Shilat and then came home. Nadav and I went on a walk to go get Jordy from Gan but got a call from his friends mom that he was going home with them. I told him he could only stay a little as Lori had asked if Jordy could come over and play with Yakir who idolizes Jordy. A little later Danya came home except she was supposed to go straight to Meira's after school. So she had a Popsicle and then I drove her over there. After I got back Nadav took his afternoon nap and I did more cleaning and a little being lazy. After he woke up I put him in the stroller and we walked to pick up Danya and then Jordy and we came home. I made Sloppy Joe for dinner but Danya wasn't interested, she only wanted tacos. Too bad. Everyone finished dinner, played a little Wii and went to sleep. Everybody but Nadav that is. I put him down to sleep at 9pm but he cried for a while so Josh took him out and we let him play for an hour before returning him to his crib. Now it is 10:30 and I am thinking that I may go to sleep before my usual 12:45am. Night!

Cocktail Night

Wednesday morning I left Nadav at home with Josh and I went to get a pedicure and run a few more errands including the grocery store, butcher and the mall to name a few. Nadav had taken a nice long nap and woke up a little after I returned. He and I went on a walk to pick up Jordy and then we came home. Jordy wanted to play with a friend so we invited his friend Covi but Covi already had a friend over, so Jordy went there instead. I then spent a large amount of time trying to get Nadav to take a nap, but he was not interested. After a while he and I headed to pick Danya up from her friends house and Jordy up from his. After we got home we ate dinner-steamed chicken and pesto potatoes. Jordy got into bed pretty well and then I fed Nadav and he was out cold. Josh got Danya into bed and I headed over to Laura's for cocktail night. She, Claudia and I had a nice time toasting the summer and roasting marshmallows. At 10:45 Lori arrived to pick me up as it was our night to deliver coffee to the soldiers. We didn't get back until a little after midnight.

Car Test, Take Two

This morning Josh took the kids to school and headed out for the car test(take 2). I still have no idea where it was he went or what they did there but I do know that this time he returned with a new shiny sticker that says it expires in June 2010, so I don't really care about the rest. Now I will just have to find something else to nag about. I took Nadav to Laura's house where we had yummy coffee and discussed the latest book which was so bad I am not even sharing with you. I did find it interesting that the books that everyone is in agreement about liking don't always have the best conversations but this book, which was the first that most people didn't enjoy, had quite an animated conversation. Nadav and I came home and I fed him and was ready to put him down for a nice long nap. As I was lowering him into his crib my cell phone rang and woke him. Can you say bye bye nap? So he crawled all around the living room for an hour picking up every dust bunny and crumb and I chased him and removed said dust bunnies and crumbs(I should probably just sweep). Sandy and Dori stopped by for a few minutes. Then Nadav ate lunch, which was a large amount of chulent. We went to get Jordy and since it is 16 bazillion degrees again I let him stop at the makolet and get an ice cream again. As we were walking home from the makolet Jordy asked if he could play with Moshe so I called Lisa and she said to bring him over. The problem was that Josh was still out with the car so we were stuck walking during the hottest hour of the day. When we got there I asked Jordy if he was so hot and he said no, he was a little cold because of the ruach(wind). I thought it was funny because there was one tiny breeze as we were walking into their house. I refilled my water bottle and Nadav and I trekked back home(I am really making this out as if we lived 6 miles in the snow, rain and hail-but man it was HOT). Nadav was starting to finally dose off as I was approaching the house but would you believe me when I tell you that as I was about to push his stroller through the door/finish line my cell phone rang again waking him??? Well it did. So even though I wanted to collapse in my hot house I continued another block with the stroller to get him to fall back asleep. Then I had to gather up every ounce of strength in my body and rather than sit in the air conditioning house and stare at the walls I did a load of laundry, organized Danya's bedroom and read some e-mail. Josh returned from him outing, which had also included a trip to Yerushaliam with Benji and a stop at the shook to get me Cherries(which as I write this are all gone). Of course Nadav woke up so I fed him and then at 5 we picked up Jordy from English and headed out to run one more errand. Of course the store didn't have what I needed but we also stopped at a book store that was having a huge sale for Shavuah HaSefer(book week). We bought a couple activity books for Danya and Jordy and headed back. We picked Danya up from English(after school she had gone to Meira's and then straight to English). We came home and I made french toast with the leftover challah from Shabbat. Then all the kids got bathed and slowly Danya and Jordy went to sleep. Nadav on the other hand was not so happy to sleep. After feeding him I went to put him in his crib but before I could even lift the bar to the crib he was standing and laughing(at me?). I didn't even attempt it, I just took him out and let him play a little while I made Jordy and Danya's lunches. Then Josh put him in the crib and he was screaming. I was heading out to take a walk anyhow, so I just put him in the stroller and took him with me. He was yelling for about 2 blocks but then was out cold. Victory!

Car Test, Take One

This morning, after dragging myself out of bed, I joined Sharon for coffee and then we ran a bunch of errands together. It was so nice to catch up and also running errands with someone else doesn't make them seem so boring. When we returned(we being me and the baby who hates sleep) Nadav sat down to a nice lunch of sweet potatoes and chicken. Have I told you yet that when Nadav is ready for more food he makes a "mmmmm" sound. It's cute but if you don't feed him fast enough he starts to kind of yell it angrily. I picked up Jordy and then took both boys to the post office to pay the bill for the car test.
I know, it's been a while since I have been to the post office to pay a bill. The car test is a yearly test that all cars have to have. I honestly have never gone so I don't know what they look for, I just know that I hear a lot about how the car test people are mean and they come up with dumb little problems with your car that can magically be fixed by their mechanic for a nice fee. Our car is over due for it's test and I have been nagging Josh to take it(really, nagging, just ask him) as I am sure I am going to get pulled over one day and get arrested for driving a car that is so overly expired(lets not get into why I won't do it myself). Anyhow, Josh decided that today was the day for the test and he got all the paperwork and headed over there(I don't even know where there is as I have never gone). He did this in the morning. When I returned and saw he was home I asked him excitedly if it is all done and set for another year. He told me that no, you have to pay at the post office BEFORE you can take the test, so he has to go back. So I figured if I at least pay for it it will be easier for him to return tomorrow.
Not long after the post office I brought Jordy to karate. Then Nadav, whose afternoon nap lasted a whopping 20 minutes, and I returned to get Jordy. We also stopped and got Jordy and Danya ice cream as it is a bazillion degrees outside. Danya returned home from ceramics(she was at a friends after school and went straight there) and happily ate her ice cream after doing her homework. The kids ate dinner(hot dogs, couscous and pea salad) and then Nadav ate. I decided to see if he would eat the pea salad. I was skeptical as he spits out the pea baby food and screams when I try to give him another spoonful. Well he was gobbling down the pea salad. I am not sure if it was the challenge of getting the peas from the high chair tray to his mouth or the fact that they weren't pureed or the fact that they had mayonnaise and spices but he loved them. I then made the kids lunches and we got everyone into bed and went on a walk with Lori.

Fun With Shots

This morning Jordy slept a little late and he got up as Josh left to take Danya to school. Jordy ate breakfast and got dressed and when I finished feeding Nadav his cereal, Nadav and I walked Jordy to school. We had a funny conversation on the way that went like this:
Jordy: Yesterday Yogi(our neighbors dog) made a little poop.
Me:Guess who else made a little poop yesterday?
Jordy: Nadav. I made a big poop today.
Aren't you glad I shared that one? Anyhow, on the walk home Nadav fell asleep in his stroller so I decided to take advantage, since Nadav still isn't sleeping through the night, and nap as well. I got up at 11 and fed Nadav. Then he and I headed to Kiryat Sefer. I was going in search of new tzitzit for Jordy as his only pair say "Ani Ben Shalosh(I am 3 years old)" on them. I went to Israel's version of K-mart, called Ezra V'Achva. I forget each time that you can't bring strollers in with you. I am also shocked each time to see the pile up of strollers, a few of which have babies in them, just hanging outside the store with the "security guard". I put that one in quotations because it is a man with a long beard, bekisha and a sefer. Not sure how secure he is or if his job is to just tell people that they can't bring in strollers and then stamp their receipts as they leave. Anyhow, I schlepped Nadav's carseat through the store and got him 2 pairs of tzitzit. Then we stopped at a grocery store and grabbed a few things. We headed home and Nadav fell asleep in the car-probably because it was a billion degrees. I picked Jordy up and he was so excited to have his new tzitzit. Danya called that she went to a friends house. Jordy headed over to play with Moshe so I took Nadav to Modiin to pick up a few things I needed. I then picked up Jordy from English and Danya from her friends house. We then drove a little around the Yishuv to look at some of the new street signs that were put up today as Jordy loves reading them. There is one right across the street from us indicating the shul across the street. Contrary to popular belief the sign does not say "The Across The Street Shul". Jordy proclaimed the new signs "so cool" and I will photograph one tomorrow so you, the reader, can decide. I then broke the news to Danya that we would be leaving in a few minutes to go to the doctors office to get 2 shots. That is when all hell broke loose. Danya started screaming at the top of her lungs, slamming the door and throwing things. It was actually funny to watch and while Josh and I were trying to calm her down we couldn't stop laughing, which made her even more upset. What made me more upset was I had to take her. We eventually calmed her down with a nice bribe. We told her we would get her a robe with her name on it, that she has been asking for, if she could go nicely. Well let me cut to the chase and tell you there will be no robe. I finally got the kids there(both Danya and Nadav were getting shots, Jordy came along since Josh was heading out to baseball). The second Danya watched Nadav get his shot she ran out screaming in both Hebrew and English. I couldn't go after her as I had Nadav crying but Jordy ran after her which made her more upset and I could hear her screaming at him. I finally bribed her back into the room but she was kicking, hitting, flailing, etc. The receptionist took Nadav and Jordy so I could hold her but man is that kid strong when a needle is coming at her. She was also hyperventilating. I finally told her that if she didn't get the shots that we weren't going to America(yes, for those of you who didn't know we are coming). She was still screaming and crying but finally sat on my lap and about a minute and a half later we were all done. The poor nurse and I were exhausted(remember, it is about 100 degrees today) and wiped out. She even commented to me "how is she ever going to give birth" but then she said "that won't be your problem....her poor husband"! I thought that was kind of funny. Of course we got home and since it took 45 minutes, rather than the 7 minutes I had anticipated, everyone was starving and I had to get them dinner. Speaking of which, Nadav is quite the eater. He ate chulent, pasta and sweet potatoes. I finally got Jordy into bed at 8, Danya at 8:45 and Nadav at 9. Then I remembered that I had to make school lunches. Good thing I got my nap this morning!

Graduation and Shabbat

Thursday was a busy day. I spent most the day either cooking or chasing Nadav(who only took a half hour nap twice). Also, to add to the fun, Jordy got out of school at 11am as they were having their graduation at night. At 5:45 Jordy and I headed to the shul across the street for the party. There was a LONG show where the kids sang and danced. It was really cute but a touch long(we didn't get home until almost 8pm). Also, they always have a parent sit directly behind their kid, so you can't see them to take pictures or videos so I didn't get too many good shots(in addition, I forgot to change the battery in my camera, so it died halfway through). At the end Jordy was excited to eat the cake and get his "diploma". I then returned Jordy home and fed Nadav. Then Nadav and I headed to Raanana to go to a surprise party for Emily Kirschenbaum for her graduation from business school. We got there late which meant we missed the surprise and the sushi, but we had fun. Nadav, who was suppose to sleep in his car seat the whole time, woke up when we arrived and was tired and crabby. At one point while I was talking to David he touched Nadav's face and Nadav was screaming really loud for a good five minutes. David felt really bad and it was kind of funny. Nadav fell asleep on the ride home but woke up again 2 more times before I actually got to sleep.
Friday morning I may have discovered an excuse for Nadav's crabbiness. He cut 2 teeth! So....the list of things Nadav has learned to do includes: Smiling, laughing, crawling, sitting up, standing up. walking holding on, eating solid foods. The list of things he still needs to work on: Sleeping through the night. I hope that is next. Friday Jordy went to the elementary school for a practice day of kitah aleph(1st grade). I think Danya was more excited than he was. Josh brought them to school and then we spent the morning cooking and cleaning. After Nadav's 20 minute nap Josh took him to get falafel. Josh said he gave him some and he loved it. A true Israeli! The kids returned home and quickly cleaned up so that they could go with Josh to the pool. I figured I would stay home, feed Nadav and he would go to sleep and then I would get a lot done. Nadav didn't like the plan and didn't go to sleep. I did get some stuff done though. Robert and Sarah Rubinson arrived eventually, after a little detour on the bus. Not long after Josh and the kids returned from the pool and we all got ready for Shabbat. We had a nice dinner hearing about their experiences volunteering on an army base. Danya and Jordy also warmed up to them really quickly, particularly Sarah who answered Danya's ENDLESS questions about the Kohl Children's Museum where she works.
Shabbat day we had the Goldrich family over for lunch. They hung out until about 3 as we were all chatting and having a nice time. Since Nadav was napping I decided to lay down for what I assumed would be about 5 minutes but I didn't hear him wake up and Josh got him so when I woke up at 5 and I was well rested. We then took a walk with Sarah and Robert so they could see our neighborhood. I think they were entertained by all the people we ran into along the way. I am not sure how many times we had to do the "this is my sister-in-law's brother and sister" routine but it was funny each time. As we were returning home around 7:30 we ran into the Blocks in front of their house. Then we saw the Brodskys and we all hung out talking until after Shabbat. Sarah and Robert were talking to a guest of the Brodskys and they made plans to go out later. After Shabbat Danya and Jordy went to sleep after having something to eat. Sarah and Robert figured out their plans and said goodbye and now I am going to sleep!

Rocks

This morning after another night of interrupted sleep, Josh took Nadav in the stroller with his to shul so I could get a little more sleep. It was much needed and appreciated! Nadav and I headed out to the grocery store for a few things. As we returned a truck arrived from the gardening store. Apparently Josh ordered a "bag" of rocks for the garden. I use the word bag in quotes because if I heard the word bag in refrence to rocks I would think like the size of a sack of potatoes or a bag of dog food. This was a "bag" that is about as tall as I(that would be 5 feet 4 inches for the record) and massive. I have no idea how much it weighed but the truck it came on has a crane that lifts it and puts it on the ground. Well while I was watching this take place I witnessed the guy misdirect the crane and accidentally tearing the "bag" next to ours and tons of rocks pouring out. I am sure it wasn't funny to them, but I thought it was. Josh gave the guys duct tape and helped them pick up some of the spilled rocks.
Then he videoed the lifting and placement of our "bag".
Then Josh got to work on the garden some more. He is really making progress. I should take some pictures, especially now that we have all the nice rocks. Nadav took a big nap and I went to get Jordy from Gan. He and Ariella wanted to play but after I confessed to Ariella's Ema that I am a bad mother and sent Jordy to school with a scratchy throat she declined the invitation. Soon after Nadav woke up and Danya returned from school. She and Jordy ate Popsicle and discussed which Crocs they are going to get next(are Crocs still popular in the states or it that so 3 years ago? We live in a time warp and Crocs are still hot here). Then I took Jordy to Akiva who laughed when he saw us come in. He looked at Jordy and said he is fine and unless it gets worse or he gets a fever he is all clear. We then called Ariella to see if she could come but she was already busy. Oh well. Not much later Danya and Jordy assisted me in making one of their all time favorite dinners....pancakes. The kids all got bathed, including Nadav who tried the entire time to climb out of the bathtub. Speaking of Nadav and his climbing, here is the video of him crawling up the stairs. It is bad quality as it was taken with my phone, but you get the general idea.

If only he would sleep through the night.....(sigh).

Stinky Dinner

Well Nadav woke up twice last night as opposed to his usual 1 time. So after feeding him at 8 and giving him breakfast he and I headed back to bed for a nap. This afternoon I finally went through and filed the pile of mail that has been building up for almost a year now(yup...it was bad). Then I dropped Jordy off at a friends and Nadav and I headed to the doctors for a check up. I asked the doctor about what foods he can eat as a while back the nurse at tipat chalav told me that I am supposed to give him fish, peanut butter and eggs. The doctor confirmed that the new protocol in Israel is that you are supposed to give kids the highly allergic foods as early as 4 months so that they can build up a tolerance to them. He then examined him and when he was looking in his mouth he asked me if Nadav wasn't feeling well. I said that yes, I thought he was warm yesterday and he seemed extra crabby and not so hungry. He said that his throat was all white and he has a virus. He asked me if anyone in the family has strep throat. I said no. We headed home and Nadav ate and took a nap. I picked Jordy up and made dinner. I made a ground beef and noodle dinner that was simmering on the stove over low heat but it burned a drop on the bottom. Danya came into the kitchen for dinner and announced that "Dinner stinks a little". It actually tasted good though. When I was tucking Jordy into bed and he was taking a drink of water he told me that...can you guess???....his throat hurts him. Of course it does. I guess it is back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon.
In other good news Josh has tracked down his teudat zehut. For those who don't know a teudat zehut is an Israeli identification card that is supposed to be with you at all times. Josh noticed his missing about a week or so after Pesach. He hadn't really attempted to find it as he was sure it would show up or that it was in the pile with the mail(hence my filing). When it didn't show up with the mail Josh tried to backtrack and figure out when he saw it last. With the help of the blog he realized that the last time he remembered seeing it was when he rented the kids bikes at a park over Pesach and that he gave it in as collateral. He called the place up and sure enough they have it there. You would think they would have tried to get it back to him-it has our address, they could have mailed it back. Anyhow, the mystery is solved and no need to get a new one, just need to get to Tel Aviv to pick it up.

Vaccine and Good Behavior

Ooh-I have followers. I didn't even know I could get followers. Apparently if I switch the whole format of my blog I can have a little box(I am sure there is a technical term for it) on the side of the blog showing my followers and allowing people to become followers. Not sure how my current followers signed up but if you want you too can be a follower. So....a shout out to my 2 followers. Anyone want to guess who they are???
This morning Nadav woke up at his usual 5am. He and I went back to sleep until 8, which we often do. When he got up at 8 he seemed a little tired and wasn't all that interested in the rice cereal or cheerios I was offering for breakfast. I loaded him up in his car seat and took him for a ride to Modiin. First we stopped at a toy store to buy a prize for Jordy. Jordy had been having a difficult time behaving and a while back I made him a behavior chart. By a while back I am talking over a month ago. A few days after I made it I realized a month was way to long to keep him engaged and was concerned that he wouldn't stick with it. But here we are a month later and he has been behaving most of the time. He missed a few days but then behaved a few extra after the month. So hooray for Jordy and behaving!!! He really wanted 2 prizes. The first was a art kit to decorate rocks and the second was a plastic water bottle with a gel ice in the middle(yeah, there is also a more technical term for that as well). I was going to get him both but when we went to the store we had seen the bottle at they only had it in pink so I will try elsewhere. In the meantime I bought him his rock kit.
After the toy store Nadav and I went to the pharmacy at the kupah(doctors office/insurance company). I had to get Jordy new inhalers(all is well just preventative), Danya apparently needs some shots and I was going to see if I could order the vaccine that Nadav needed that I had been attempting to buy for over a month now. I handed the pharmacist the prescriptions and she quickly grabbed all the drugs. I couldn't believe that they had Nadav's vaccine! The doctor just told me the other day that I will probably need to special order it and it will probably cost about 400 shekel. Well they had it in stock and it was 90 shekel. Hooray for Clalit! Nadav and I headed home and he fell asleep. He woke up not much later and again wasn't so interested in lunch. I noticed that he felt a little warm but it is so hot that I couldn't tell if it was because he is sick or because it is hot. Jordy and his friend Amitai came over after gan and were excited to decorate rocks. Then I took the boys to karate. Nadav was being a little cranky in the afternoon but I still wasn't sure. For good measure I gave him some Tylenol. I also decided that his vaccine is going to have to wait until Sunday rather than taking him tomorrow. Better safe than sorry. I picked Jordy up from karate and then threw dinner in the oven. I went to go get Danya from her ceramics chug and waited there a while. I called home and she answered the phone. Apparently she got out a few minutes early and decided to walk home(I specifically went to pick her up because she requested a ride as it is so hot outside and she didn't want to walk). Apparently nobody thought they should let me know that she arrived home. This seems to be a problem between me and Danya lately. When I got home we ate dinner. I made a chicken and rice bake but I used brown rice and the rice didn't really cook. Jordy wouldn't even try it(the chicken part was really good). The kids all went to bed and now I am too.

The Shores of Hertzilyah aka Happy Anniversary To Us

Thursday morning Nadav and I headed to the mall in Modiin to meet my friend Inbar. We were best friends in high school and haven't seen or talked to each other for 8 years. We recently reconnected through Facebook and found out that for the past 3 years we have lived 15 minutes apart! It was so great to see her, and her beautiful little girl, and catch up. When I got home Danya was all excited about the zimryah that was taking place later that evening. She kept asking me if it was time to go yet. Nadav and I went to the zimryah and it was really well done. The kids all sang a few songs together and then each class did a song or 2 and they closed with hatikvah. Nadav fell asleep to the music clutching his blanket.
Friday morning Josh went to play baseball and the kids were in school. Nadav and I were home and we(mostly me) spent the morning packing everyone up. Danya was sleeping at a friends house and Jordy was heading to the Gersons for Shabbat while Josh, Nadav and I were heading to the beach in Hertzilyah for Shabbat to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We stayed at the Dan Accadia which is right on the beach. We got a room with a patio door that opens right onto a grass overlooking the hotels pools and the beach. It was absolutely beautiful. Before Shabbat we took Nadav down to the beach so he could "swim" in the water.
He did not like the waves and was holding onto us for dear life. Then we let him play in the sand but he didn't like that either. He did enjoy the pool at the hotel better. Otherwise Shabbat was great. The food was delicious, the weather was perfect and except for the fact that Nadav was awake many times in the middle of the night, we got a lot of much needed rest. This is the view from our room:


The photos don't do it justice-it was breathtaking. After Shabbat we stopped in Raanana for dinner and then picked up our sleeping children.
Today was back to real life. The kids went to school and to friends houses for play dates. While they were out we saw Nadav do a new trick. He crawled over to the stairs and then proceeded, with me standing behind him, to crawl up all of them! Oh boy is this one trouble. He also pulls himself up to standing on assorted things like laundry baskets, his crib and the couch. Then he attempts, sometimes successfully, to walk holding on. Did I mention that he is trouble?? Shouldn't he be learning how to sleep through the night before he walks??? At least so I am not too tired to chase after him? We also gave him Cheerios today(thank Lisa for the stale Cheerios!). He loved them and ate about 100 of them.

Plumber, Shavout and the Dentist

For some reason I thought I updated the blog a week ago but it turns out it was 2 weeks ago! Oops! Don't worry though, I have some really cute pictures and lots to tell.
Going back to where I left off. The Shabbat before Shavout was a busy one. We had Josh's cousin Yoni who stayed over. In addition we had a family over for lunch. I also made part of a meal for a family on the Yishuv whose son had a kidney transplant.
Most of the next week was spent planning, shopping and cooking for our 2 day yom tov. Israelis don't deal well with 2 days and they panic. The stores are jam packed as everyone stocks up and it is insane. I spent quite a lot of time waiting in the line at the grocery store.
Tuesday Danny came over and spent the night. He was going to leave earlier in the day but he decided to stay and help Josh with the lawn. When Jordy returned from gan he also helped.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent cooking. I also brought food over to the kidney donor family on Thursday. Thursday night Jordy fell asleep on the couch during dinner. Danya had a program at her school so I walked her there at 9:45pm. Only I then had to hang out waiting for her(OK, I didn't have to as all the other kids walked to and from the school by themselves but she is 8 and it was dark....it is the American parent in me I guess). So I hung out at Lisa and Nafi's in between. I went to pick Danya up after the first session and she wanted to stay for the second one so I told Danya that I would meet her at the gate of her school after it was over. I headed back to Lisa and Nafi's for another 45 minutes and then I went back to get Danya. Well I was about 5 minutes late and Danya was nowhere to be found. I was worried that if I headed home she would be waiting at school and scarred(plus I would get home and she wouldn't be there and I would have to turn around and go back for her) so I waited for her for about 15 minutes at the school but she was not there. I headed home and as I was almost at home I saw her and our neighbor walking home together. When I caught up I asked her why she didn't wait for me. She said I wasn't there so she left. I asked her what she thought "I'll meet you at the gate" meant? She apparently thought it meant if I wasn't there when she was done then she should walk home herself. So bottom line was I hung out for almost 2 hours waiting for her and she ditched me. Nice.
Friday morning Jordy woke us up saying he wanted breakfast and that there was water on the laundry room floor. Josh went to investigate and reported back that the pipes that leaked last time were indeed leaking again and we probably needed to replace them now(last time they said that this day was approaching). Lisa and Nafi and Co. came over for lunch and hung out for a while. I took a nap and woke up just before candle lighting to a nice, quiet house. Josh had the kids at the park. Friday night was a quiet dinner.
Shabbat morning we had Josh's cousins, Jason and Mira, who live in Beit Shemesh but were staying by her sister, along with another family. By the time everyone left it was almost 4. I can't remember what we did the rest of the day-perhaps the park? Or naps?
Sunday the plumber came over. He did a temporary fix and said he would come back later in the week as it is a huge job and he had a lot of appointments on Sunday.
Tuesday afternoon I took Danya and Jordy to the dentist. They were eager to go and were fighting about who would get to go first. It was decided that Jordy would go first. The kids were really excited to see that the dentist had cable in the office so they got to watch TV while they got their teeth cleaned. Jordy wasn't so happy one they got started as he kept gagging. Danya sat better and in addition to getting her teeth cleaned she also got her molars sealed. We also got the not so surprising news that Danya will need braces. Yippee. But...neither kid had cavities.
Today the plumber came back. He arrived as I was taking Nadav and heading to the grocery store. He was still there when I returned. A half hour later he said it would be another half hour. 2 hours later he was finally done. Hopefully we won't need his services for a while. His kids should thank us for paying for their college education. In the afternoon I took Danya and Jordy to the doctor to get check ups and get their medical forms filled out. in addition to other things the doctor reported that while Jordy is in the 48% for weight he is in the 9th percentile for height. I am guessing that won't change drastically. After the doctor I brought a meal over to friends who just had a baby(I have been doing a lot of cooking lately-since the bed rest I try and do my part). I came back and then fed my family. I was happy to see that Nadav enjoyed eating the stew. He also enjoyed meatballs last night and challah. He is a good eater...just doesn't like his green veggies.
Here are a few cute pictures:





This last picture is Nadav's feet next to Merav's feet: