Camp Ema: Day 4

This morning, while all the grown ups just wanted to go back to sleep, we decided we needed to do something low key with the kids. So Lanie and I loaded the kids into the mini-van and headed down Lake Shore Drive to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. I had never bee there before but I had heard it is free on Thursdays and that it had a butterfly haven. We paid a trillion dollars to park there and headed in. We first saw all the bugs, snakes, spiders and frogs. Then the kids ate lunch. After lunch we tried to see the snakes being fed but it was hard to see so we went to the water room. We then headed to the "green" family house(aka. environmentally friendly) where the kids were happily playing for a long time.
We then headed into the butterfly haven where we saw tons of beautiful butterflies. Danya was sad that none landed on her but one landed on me and Lanie. Not long after that we headed home since Maayan was very tired and so were Lanie and I. On the way home I made a quick stop in at the bank. When we got home I lifted Maayan out of the car and noticed that she was burning up. Poor kid had a fever. No wonder she was cold. We then spent the remainder of the day lazying around the house waiting until the fast was over.

Camp Ema: Day 3

Wednesday we had limited time for "Camp Ema" since Josh and I were going to Uncle Joe's funeral in the afternoon. I took the kids to mini golf. They had never been before and the only way they knew about mini golf was from the Madagascar video game that we have on Playstation 2. They were so excited. When we got there the lady asked if we wanted to play the 18 hole course or the 9. I asked how long they would take and she said the 18 holes would take about 45 minutes. I said ok and we went with that. As we got to the first green I realized that neither Danya or Jordy had a clue how to play and I am not the best one to teach them. I did my best and then watched as Danya took her first swing. We then all had to chase her ball in the bushes. This was a common occurrence. They got a hang of it and had a good time.


Only problem was I had Nadav in the stroller and there were a lot of stairs throughout the course. So I did a lot of schlepping. Since the kids were so well behaved and I had a little time I took them for ice cream before returning home. Josh and I then headed to the funeral. I have never been to a funeral with so much laughter as it was more a celebration of life. Also, Uncle Joe had a lot of funny stories. We got home from the cemetery at around 4 and then spent the rest of the day at home getting ready for the fast and getting the kids into bed.

Camp Ema: Day 2

On Tuesday morning we went to the Kohl Children's Museum. This was another outing the kids had been looking forward to. You may remember that a few weeks before we came to Chicago Eva's brother and sister, Robert and Sarah, came to stay by us for Shabbat and they gave us a pass for 4 to the museum as Sarah works there. Danya then spent all Shabbat asking Sarah about the Museum. So we were obviously looking forward to this trip. When we got there Sarah met us and we got a private tour. Danya and Jordy especially liked the mini grocery store and the cooperation station. Nadav liked the baby play areas that he happily played in while Danya and Jordy were exploring.









We went to Bubs and Pops house for dinner. On the way to their house I told Danya and Jordy that Uncle Joe died. I was quick to tell them that while we were sad about his death we were happy that he had lived a long life and we got to spend time with him. Both Danya and Jordy had good questions. They discussed the fact that Nadav never really got to know him and I told them that when he is older they would tell him that Uncle Joe liked to sing "Ain't She Sweet" to Danya and he always made joke and was happy to see us. I took the kids home and got them into bed and then went back to get Josh and we went back to the Goldberg's house to watch the end of the Terminator movie.

Goodbye Uncle Joe

On Tuesday we got the very sad news that Uncle Joe past away. He was 101 years old. While we were saddened by his loss we were happy that he had lived a full life. We are also glad we had a chance to see him again and that Nadav got to meet him.

He will be missed by all who knew him, for his sense of humor, sharp wit, and the love and devotion he had for his family and friends.

Camp Ema: Day 1

Today began what I have entitled "Camp Ema". Since the kids are no longer in camp I am now required to keep them entertained and happy all day every day until school starts. The Tabak family was in Chicago visiting family and thought it would be fun to meet at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. So the kids and I headed to DD for breakfast. I hadn't told them why we were going and when they walked in the door I pointed to them and asked Danya if she knew the people who were walking in the door. She glanced at them and said no. Then she did a double take as she saw Martina walking towards her. The girls were happy to be reunited! We all enjoyed our breakfast and took a bunch of pictures before saying goodbye until Israel. We went home and the kids watched some TV and ate lunch until the main event. The kids had been begging me to take them back to Nickle City since our last visit and I had told them I would take them back. Every day last week when Jordy was on the verge of misbehavior I would say "If you don't behave we can't go to the game store" and then Jordy would behave. So we got to Nickle City at 2 since that is when their website said they opened and of course they opened at 10am. Regardless, the kids had a great time again and were really well behaved.
We returned home and the kids played with Maayan and watched TV. I made omelets for dinner and the kids headed to bed eventually. Day 1 a success.

Lots and Lots of Lego

On Tuesday, after getting the kids to camp, I headed to Half Price Books to look for 2 books in particular. When I asked about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society I was told that they had one copy but someone just called to hold it. Shoot. I picked up a few books that Danya wanted and then I headed home. I was hanging out and my Mom mentioned that there was an Amit Women book club meeting and she was thinking of going. I asked her if she had gone before and she said yes, they had reviewed the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. I asked her if she read it and she said yes, she has it upstairs. Coincidence? I hope it is a good book after that! I then took Nadav and we went to DaNali's to meet Missy for lunch. Just our luck there was a Gan Israel boys field trip there while we were there. It was a bit noisy but we had a good time catching up. After lunch I headed home and if memory serves I met Rebecca at Lincolnwood Town Center. We strolled around until it was time for camp pickup. After getting the kids we returned home and hung out eating Popsicles and watching TV. After dinner I went to Missy's house where Ayellet joined us. It was so great seeing her but so bittersweet as I hadn't seen her since her sister died last year, so there was a lot of crying. Sunny also joined us for a short time so it was a quasi high school reunion of sorts.
Wednesday morning after getting the kids out the we(my Mom, Lanie, Ari, Eliora, Nadav and I) headed to Gurnee Mills. It wasn't the best time season wise to go outlet shopping as the summer deals had past and the fall stuff wasn't on sale yet. We each bought a few things and made it back home with plenty of time for carpool. I got Danya and Jordy and when we got home we brought the kids in the back yard to play on the swing set but the weather wasn't great so it was short lived. At night Jordy read his books to Maayan. It was really cute!
Thursday morning my Mom and I stopped at the AAA offices to get some info regarding the road trip we are planning for August. We then went to Hungarian where we only got most of what was on our list. In the afternoon I took Nadav to Jewell to get the remainder of the list. We picked up the kids from camp and came home and did nothing.
Friday, after getting Danya and Jordy to camp and making Nadav take a nap, I began cooking. I pretty much spent the whole time they were in camp cooking. I picked them up and we came back and began getting ready for Shabbat. We got all the kids fed before Shabbat and then into bed before dinner so we had a nice dinner.
Shabbat morning my kids didn't want to go to shul. I realized that I had left Nadav's stroller in the car so it wasn't really an option anyhow. I did convince Danya to go with Savta to shul and got Nadav down for a nap as she left so Jordy and I got to play for a while. We made another Lego truck. Then we played about a dozen games of Guess Who(in case I haven't mentioned this yet, my parents have the Guess Who game that I got as a kid and Jordy, Danya and Maayan-but mostly Jordy-LOVE IT! Jordy could play 24 hours a day if we let him-we are all sick of it!). We then played Go Fish and War. We set the table and cleaned up a bit and Nadav woke up. Saba, Savta, Danya and Josh returned from shul and we had a nice lunch. I then took a nap until Josh brought Nadav to me. Then Nadav took a nap, but Josh didn't. Shlomo came over with Orly to say hello. When he was there the Kellmans returned from their lunch out. Everyone enjoyed a meat Seudat Shlishit and then we got the kids to bed. When Shabbat was over Josh and I headed over to Zev and Becky's for a late viewing of the newest Terminator movie. We got a late start and it is a LONG movie, so we didn't finish yet.
This morning we all got up and went with Savta to visit Bubby. We had told the kids that we were going to play BINGO with Bubby when we got there. Except Bubby wasn't in the BINGO mood. Josh took Danya and Jordy to play BINGO anyhow after getting the OK from the nurse. So Savta, Nadav and I visited with Bubby for a while. Josh and the kids came back and after visiting for a while we left. We ate lunch and then we all(us, Saba and Savta and Lanie and kids) headed to Legoland.









I had been warned that it was lame and had low expectations. We were impressed. We LOVED the mini-city. The kids had a great time at each part and I marveled at how long it must have taken to make all these Lego creations as I could hardly handle the little trucks. Of course we had the obligatory stop at the Lego store on the way out and we headed home. We picked up dinner and then I spent an hour and a half trying to get all 3 kids to sleep. My Mom, Lanie and I got slurpees and now I am happy to report we are all caught up.
In Nadav news I want to report that he has 5 teeth-you can see some of them here:

Also, he has taken to picking up Eliora's pacifiers and chewing on them. He never was interested in pacifiers before and it is funny to see him chewing on them.

He has also learned how to say "Uh Oh" and he has also learned that if he strums on his lips he can make a funny noise and bother his sister. Cute!

A Night With Jen

Today the kids slept a little late as they all went to bed to late last night. I have been plagued by allergies since my arrival on this side of the pond so while we slept late it wasn't a comfortable sleep. Today I was supposed to take Pops car to drive the kids to camp but after I got Nadav buckled in and Danya and Jordy came to the car we realized that one of the buckles didn't work. Luckily Savta was home and watched Nadav while I dropped the kids off. Then Nadav and I dropped Savta off at her dentist appointment and headed to Toys R Us. I had fun exploring without anyone asking me to buy them something. I did buy a bunch of stuff but Danya and Jordy don't know yet, so don't tell them! Then we picked Savta up and headed to yet another Target. We picked up a couple things and headed back. We had some lunch and then went to Sam's Club along with Lanie, Ari and Eliora. We bought a bunch of stuff there and then I went to get Danya from camp. Since Jordy was staying late for an "undernighter"-which is where they eat dinner and have extra swimming but don't sleep over-I took Danya to the candy store Illinois Nut to get a treat since on Shabbat she gave her treat to Jordy. She spent a lot of time deciding what to get but finally settled on a chocolate covered marshmallow lollipop. We got home and Danya went with Savta to see Bubby. Then we got take out from Ken's. Nadav ate half my burger buddy. Josh picked Jordy up from camp while Lanie and I headed out to Lincolnshire to hear Jennifer Weiner speak. We were surprised to see how many people were there. We got a number to get our books signed and we were numbers 203 and 204. She spoke for an hour and read excerpts from her new book. She was very funny and she made many Jewish jokes. I particuallry liked when she refered to JDate as the website for the "unchosen chosen people". Then we waited about an hour to get her to sign our books.

Doody Potty Kiddieland

Friday morning all the kids were so excited to see each other. Once we got my kids got out the door I dropped them off at camp. I stopped at Bubs and Pops house to pick up some of the things I forgot the day before. Then I headed back to my parents to finish cooking for Shabbat. We were also going to go out for lunch but in the end decided to order in from The Sandwich Club which I am really liking. They opened not long before we moved so I had only been there once or twice. Later I had the chance to test drive my Dad's hybrid when I picked Danya and Jordy up while Nadav slept in the car. The kids played for a while and then we got everyone bathed. Lanie came with me and we stopped at Janice's to pick up the earrings she had repaired for me and then we stopped at Walgreen's. We came home and finished getting ready for Shabbat. Shabbat finally started after 8pm. We got Jordy and Maayan in bed before dinner. Then I got Nadav down and Danya went to bed after kiddush.
Shabbat morning we made it to shul. This week it was quieted in shul and not so crowded. We came home and had a long lunch. Josh took a nap for a while and I watched the kids and then we switched. When I woke up Josh was at the Drapkins with the kids so. Not much later they returned. We got the kids into bed as Shabbat was ending. Saturday night Josh went to play hockey for a short while and the rest of us stayed home. Ari gave Saba and Savta a Wii tutorial and got them playing. Savta had played once before and tried a few different sports.
She and Ari played boxing which was quite entertaining for all the spectators. This was Saba's first time and he played bowling. It took him a little while to get a hang of it but he did eventually. We then all took our Wii age in Wii sports which was quite funny.
This morning, after Nadav waking up about a dozen times last night due to a stuffy nose, we had a slow start. Josh went out with a few friends for an early lunch while I got the kids lunch here. While they ate I helped clean up as my parents got an unexpected call from someone who wanted to see the house. Since they didn't want to miss this opportunity to show the house we all had to do a lot of cleaning. We finally headed out to Kiddieland where we were supposed to meet the Needle family and possibly Missy and kids. For those of you who don't know, Kiddieland is a family run amusement park which had been in the Chicago area for 81 years. Josh's family would always go as a reward for being potty trained. Doody, potty, kiddieland. When we finally got there the Needles had been there for hours and were heading out. Most the day was spent with Josh, Danya and Jordy on a ride or in line for a ride and me and Nadav hanging out at the exit of the ride.

The kids had a great time and were sad that this was the last time we would ever be going to Kiddieland as this is it's last summer. (Note Danya frowning in the picture since she is sad it is closing). We got home in time to eat dinner. Jordy really wanted to see the attic in my parents house as Danya had told him that once she got to see it so he had been waiting anxiously to see it since Thursday. My Dad finally let them see it tonight and Jordy was a little disapointed.