Last Day of Vacation

This morning we woke the kids at 8 and dragged them out of bed. Nadav is still sick. We got him all Tylenoled up. We spent a little time cleaning the house and then we piled into the car. We first went to Kiryat Sefer to drop off the dry cleaning and buy Jordy an alarm clock(which we gave Danya and Jordy got her old one). Then we got a very necessary car wash. We then went to Modiin where the kids requested we eat at Burger King. We gave in and they were happy. We then stopped at the money changer and back home. We spent some time in the afternoon covering Danya's school books and getting her stuff ready. The kids ate dinner and bathed and got into bed at a decent hour so they will be fresh and ready for school tomorrow.

Getting Ready For School

Sunday morning we woke everyone at 8:30 however Nadav was burning hot. Poor kid has fever. Once his tylenol kicked in I took the kids and we went to the book store to buy the kids books for school. When we got home we then labeled all Jordy's books and school supplies and got them ready to go. In the afternoon the kids played at home and then Jordy and I went to the store where we bought him his school t-shirts. After we got back he and Josh headed to school for the first grade orientation. Josh came back and reported that there are about 37 boys in his class. Gasp. Josh said that some of the parents want to divide the class into 2 however that would involve paying for it and not everyone wants to do that so we will see how that plays out. Regardless, Jordy had fun and is excited for school.

Shabbat At Home

Friday morning we all eventually fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning. Once we really woke up, closer to 11, we got up and dressed pretty quickly and out the door. We first went to the take out place where we bought food for Shabbat. Then we returned to one of Josh's favorite places-Falafel Ofer. Yum. Then we came home and did the best we could with cleaning up and getting ready for Shabbat. Friday night we let everyone stay awake until 11pm. Then we tucked everyone into bed and of course everyone was up and out of bed a little while later. Danya and Jordy were pretty much up until 4am.
Shabbat morning I tried my best to wake Danya and Jordy and keep them up but it wasn't working so well. Daniella came over for lunch and that finally got the kids moving. After lunch Danya and Daniella headed over to Daniella's house and Nadav and I took a nap. A while later Jordy, Nadav and I went on a walk so Josh could nap. We walked to the Balsam's and spent a little time there, then we stopped and said hello at the Gerson's and then we went to the park. We saw a lot of people at the park and stayed out until Shabbat was almost over. We returned home and got the kids dinner and to bed(sort of).

Back To Life

Thursday morning we finally got up around 11. I got Danya and Jordy out and to Lisa's where they were happily reunited with Meira and Moshe(and Michali and Merav). I then took Nadav to the grocery store where I bought a ton. After picking up Danya and Jordy I dropped Jordy off at Ariella's house for a short play date. After he came home Danya went to Daniella's house for a while and Jordy, Nadav and I headed to the mall to get Jordy a brand new backpack and his school supplies. He was so excited it was very cute! We came back and picked up Danya and headed home. We ate dinner and then attempted sleep yet again.

Travel

On Tuesday morning we woke up at 6am and started moving. Josh reweighed all our bags and he loaded up the huge van. We were about to say our goodbyes when Danya complained that her foot was hurting. I took a look and realized that she had a piece of glass in her foot. I got it out but not without much screaming and crying. Now we really had to get going. We said our tearful goodbyes and began our 24 hours of travels. We loaded our bags and headed into the airport. We were happy to see that Bubs and Pops scale is off by 5 pounds-aside from realizing we all weigh less than we though-all our bags were under. We headed to plane #1-Chicago-NY. This flight went fine except that there was no food and it didn't occur to me to bring lunches. There were tons of snacks though so we were ok. We hung out for a few hours in NY and then headed to flight #2-NY-Brussels. This was the long flight but luckily there was food. Danya and Jordy both slept a while along with Nadav who fell asleep in the baby bjorn and slept until after we got off the plane. Nadav fell asleep at the end of this flight. When we got to Brussels we headed to the terminal and knew we were in the right place when Josh was approached for the minyan. After a few hours of playing in the kids area
we checked in to our flight. We were told that we would have a bulkhead seat with a bassinet but of course once we boarded flight #3-Brussels-Tel Aviv, we did not. It didn't matter though because we were so exhausted that we all slept most the flight. We arrived in Tel Aviv at around 5pm Wednesday. We went to pick up our luggage and duty free. When the last piece came off the conveyor belt smelling like Knob Creek I knew we had a problem. Of course I should have listened to Jodi when she told me not to put it in the luggage with my clothing. The weird part was that only some things smelled and the bottle, which had been double ziplocked inside bubble wrap, was completely missing. My theory is that somebody from homeland security is enjoy the perks of his job. Anyhow, we gathered the luggage and headed to the cab line. There were no cabs big enough for us however Josh found a guy who had a minivan and insisted he could cram us in. Surprisingly, after trying to close the trunk about 27 times, he got us, our stroller, 6 carry-ons, duty free purchases and 9 duffels/suitcases. Not bad. We happily arrived home and after getting everything inside and my clothes into the washing machine went to the makolet to find food for dinner. Everyone had something to eat and we attempted some unpacking and then sleep. Notice the word attempted. If memory serves all the kids and either Josh or I was awake at all times until 7am.

The End Is Near

Monday was packing day. In the morning I tried to get as much done as possible but it was a little slow as I had Nadav who only took a little nap. Jodi took Danya and Jordy to Target to buy them some things for the plane. Thanks Jodi(and David who Jordy found out pays the bills). In the afternoon Tami came by with her kids and pizza and the kids ate and played. After that I took the kids and we went to go see Lanie and Ari's house, which they were just moving into. It is a really nice house! I helped them unpack a tiny bit and then the kids started fighting so we said our goodbyes and headed out. Soon after Saba came over and we did my taxes(yes, it is late and yes, I was in town for 9 weeks and we waited until the last day). We had already said goodbye to Avi and Eva as they had left earlier in the day. We had one more giant dinner and Danya had the Bubs special(hot dog, green beans, noodles and ketchup). Here is a picture of Bubs and Pops with all their grandchildren. It's not the best picture but the best of the 4 I have: We said goodbye to Matthew and Marissa and Ori and got the kids into bed. Then I went to meet Rebecca at Jewel where I was going to buy snacks for the plane. Then Josh returned my Dad's bike and I picked him up and we switched cars with Lanie and Ari. We then headed home and finished off packing at 2am.

The Big BBQ

Sunday morning we got an early(for us) start. We headed over to see Bubby Gladys for her 91st birthday! Saba and Savta and Lanie, Ari, Maayan and Eliora were also there. We gave Bubby a gift, balloons and flowers.
We also took a picture with the help of a camera timer and a coffee cup.
We said goodbye to Bubby and we headed out. As soon as we returned we loaded into the van-David and Jodi and Co., Matthew, Marissa and Ori and Josh and me and our kids. We headed to pick up Uncle Lenny and continued on to The Museum of Science and Industry. We first ate lunch and the walked around the museum. The kids enjoyed the circus and eye spy exhibits. We also saw the submarine exhibit which they had changed. We then headed to the Omnimax to see a movie. Nadav kept making noise during the movie so I gave him some noodles to eat so he would be quiet but he ended up throwing them at the guy sitting in front of us. Luckily the guy thought it was funny too! After the movie we went to a play area, (who do you think was enjoying the play area more? Danya or Matthew and Josh? ) the chick hatchery, the farm,
the main street, the toy factory, the train and the castle. It was getting late and the BBQ was starting soon so we headed back. Thanks for taking us Lenny!

When we got back the BBQ was in full swing. My in laws had invited all their Machatanium(in laws) and their other kids along with Lenny and his family. Everyone had a lot of fun and ate A LOT of food.


Again, everyone went to bed to late.

More Togetherness

Shabbat was a lot of fun. After everyone returned from shul we all sat down to have lunch which included Bubs famous chulent. Yum. We sat around the table for a long while(I forgot to mention in my Friday post that since we were all together for the first time in a long time we celebrated everything-there were haggadahs, succah decorations, a chanukiah, birthday and anniversary cake etc). At the end of lunch Bubs and Pops pulled out some of the old photo albums and we all had fun looking at those. Josh, Avi, Matthew and Danny played pinners while Pops took most of the kids to the park later in the afternoon. Eva and I spent most the afternoon chatting. We had seudat shlishit and then Shabbat was already ending. After we got the kids into bed the boys(Pops and sons) headed outside for cigars and drinking while us girls prepared for the BBQ on Sunday.
Everyone stayed up to late again.

All Together Again

Friday morning we actually left on time! All 15 of us(Bubs, Pops, David, Jodi and their 4 kids, me and my 3 kids and Matthew, Marissa and Ori) piled into the 15 passenger van with 2 strollers and enough food to feed our small army. We headed out to Navy Pier. First we purchased tickets for the boat ride. Then the kids got to go on the Ferris wheel and another ride(the swings for the bigger kids and something else for the smaller ones). Then Jordy spotted the mini golf. He really wanted to play mini golf. We needed to get on the boat but Jordy was going crazy that he didn't want to go on a boat and only wanted to mini golf. I gave Marissa my seat on the boat and I watched the babies and Jordy. We sat for a half hour eating dumdums(thanks Marissa) and people watching. When everyone returned from the boat ride we sat down to eat lunch. We then headed back home. David then took some of the kids to mini golf(Yes, Jordy went) while the rest of the kids hung out and got ready for Shabbat. In the meantime, we were all monitoring the weather as Avi and Eva's original flight had been canceled earlier. They were on another flight but it was delayed and we were all anxious for them to make it. Eventually everyone was ready for Shabbat and Avi and Eva arrived. We all sat down and for the first time in almost 3 years Bubs and Pops had all 5 their children, 4 daughters in law and 8 grandchildren around their table(yes, that is dinner for 19)! Dinner was a lot of fun and the kids stayed up very late. The adults even later. I finally went to sleep around 12:30am and I think Josh, Danny and Avi were up until around 3am.
Here is Moshe with Nadav:

And Atara with Ori:

Reunited

Last night David, Jodi, Atara, Moshe, Talya and Yoni finally arrived after being diverted to Detroit. Danya had been waiting up anxiously for them. We were so happy to finally see them after almost 3 years! The kids were all a little wired and nutty. They finally went to bed probably close to 11. The grown ups were also wired and stayed up until after midnight catching up.
This morning the kids were excited that Pops brought them Dunkin Donuts. Yoni was disappointed that there were no powdered donuts so Pops bought him his own box of Entenmann's. He was so excited to have the WHOLE BOX! Eventually all the kids got dressed and Bubs, Pops and all the kids(minus Nadav) loaded into the GIANT van that Pops rented. They headed out for a day of fun at a 3D showing of Ice Age 3 and then back to Danya and Jordy's favorite place....can you guess???? Nickel City!!!!! They also stopped at the library where each kid was allowed to choose 2 books and a video. While they were out having fun Jodi, Nadav and I went to Jewel. Then we headed to do a little shopping at Marshall's and stopped by my Mom to pick up a few things. We returned home to pick up David and we all met for dinner at Danali's along with Matthew, Marissa and Ori. That poor waitress! After a loud dinner everyone but Pops headed to Dairy Star for some ice cream.
Missy, Gabe and Dina met us there as well. It was getting late so we headed home and tried to get all the kids to go to sleep but it took quite a bit of time. Then Bubs started cooking for Shabbat with Jodi and I as her sous chefs. We packed lunches and tried to get all organized so we can head out early tomorrow. Wish us luck!

The Bean

This morning we got out of the house, stopped at Jewel to pick up lunches and headed downtown to Millennium Park. I had never been to the park since it opened. I used to work across the street from it and watched them building it but then switched jobs so never made it back. We met Savta, Lanie, Ari, Maayan and Eliora there for a picnic.
Then we headed over to The Bean.
The kids thought it was so cool(OK-So did I) and were happy playing there and looking at themselves for a while. We then headed to a tent that was set up with kids activities. Jordy, Lanie, Ari and Maayan jumped rope for a bit

while Savta and Danya did some art projects.
Then we headed over to the fountain. They have these 2 tall towers that have water pouring off them and there are faces that change. The face stays on for about 5 minutes and then water shoots out of the mouth. Then the face changes and it does it again. It was perfect since it was really hot and the kids were thrilled to be in the water. We were at the fountains for a good hour. We then headed home to organize our stuff. David and Jodi and their kids are arriving tonight so my kids were switching bedrooms. It was a good chance to reorganize all our stuff. Then we ordered out dinner from Great Chicago. Pops headed to the airport since David and Jodi's flight was supposed to arrive around 7. Then it was delayed to 7:15. Next time I checked it said 9:15. Nadav and Jordy went to bed. I then headed out to meet Yael and Rebecca for an impromptu Starbucks. When I got back Bubs was asleep but Danya couldn't sleep. She was to excited to see her cousins! We will have to wait until tomorrow to welcome them on the blog!

Camp Bubs and Pops

This morning I took the kids to Target to buy them a few things they had been waiting for. They really wanted new slippers, lunch bags and Webkins. I had told them we would buy these when we were in America and since time is running out I figured that today was a good day to do it. Then we stopped at Half Price Books to get Danya some chapter books and Jordy some easy reading books(nope, I didn't buy one book for myself...this trip). We came home and I left Danya and Jordy with Bubs and Pops who were taking then to lunch and the zoo so I could run some errands without them. While dropping off Danya and Jordy I picked up Josh and dropped him off in Northbrook. Then I headed out to return some of the things I bought, buy a few more of some things and spend a store credit at Toys R Us. I returned home about 5 minutes before Bubs and Pops returned with the kids. Then I took all 3 to meet Marissa and Ori at her pool. We all happily swam(ok...Ori wasn't so happy about it) and then came home for dinner. Josh went to play hockey and Matthew and Ori showed up as Marissa was out for the evening. Bubs and Pops had gone out so once my kids were in bed it was nice and quiet. So I spent the night blogging.

I would like to point out some new additions to the blog. On the side I have added links to my friends Dvora's blog. Be prepared to drool if you click over. She has a cookie business and her cookies are delicious and gorgeous!
I have also added a link to Gila Rose's(not to be confused with Gila Needle) blog Aliyah By Accident. Her blog shares the day to day encounters in Israel, similar to mine, but hers is much funnier.
Happy Reading!

Camp Ema and Bubs

On Monday I wasn't feeling so great as my back and head were hurting but the natives were getting restless. Bubs suggested we Go Bananas. We also had Ori with us as Marissa's babysitter was a no show. So we piled in the car and headed out. Danya wanted to go on rides right away but Jordy wanted to use his tokens and play games so he could get tickets and win prizes-shocking. So Bubs and Ori
went with Danya while Nadav and I followed Jordy around. Once he was out of tokens Danya started playing games too. Bubs got some more tokens and they finished those quickly. We tallied up the tickets, got some junky prizes and then Danya and Jordy went on more rides. They LOVED the roller coaster and went on it about 47 times.
We came home and Bubs headed to work while the kids played. After Marissa came to pick up Ori Pops decided to take Danya and Jordy to the pool. I decided that since Nadav was about to fall asleep this was a good time to go get a pedicure. We all returned at dinner time. I then headed out to girls night out. This time the only people who showed up were me and Gila. We had a good time and had a nice dinner. I stopped at my parents house to pick some stuff up and then headed home and to bed.

The Air and Water Show

On Sunday we got a slow start but eventually got lunches and snacks packed and headed downtown. Josh's Uncle Lenny has an apartment on Lake Shore Drive that we were able to go to to view the Chicago Air and Water Show. We were only going for the air part as the water part took place earlier. The weather wasn't great so some parts were skipped and delayed but we did get to see some pretty impressive planes. We spent part of the time on the roof with the Cardash family. Danya decided that she didn't like the show part of the way through so she sulked in the apartment for part of it and Jordy was more interested in watching the Cubs game part of the time. I thought it was really cool and particularly liked when the planes flew right by the window I was sitting at. While on the roof a child, I will not name which one, dropped my camera and broke the lens cover. Anyhow, on the ride home we decided we should rent the movie Night at the Museum. Bubs really wanted to get it from the library even though Pops said we should just go to a Blockbuster. Bubs then tried to get the phone number for the library through a free 411 but the automated system couldn't understand her. She kept repeating the same things over(government, Chicago Illinois, Sulzer Public Library etc). We were all cracking up when she ended up with the phone number to Soldier Field. In the end Pops rented the movie and the kids watched it before they went to bed.

Camp Ema, Bubs and Pops

Friday morning I did a little bit of cooking for Shabbat while the kids watched TV and played. Josh realized we had a flat tire on the minivan while he was at Minyan. So, during the cooking, AAA came out and changed the tire and then I took the flat in to be patched. I was impressed that it only took 15 minutes to patch. Luckily that didn't ruin our day. After the kids ate lunch we headed out with Bubs and Pops downtown to the Shedd Aquarium. Pops dropped us off as he had some work to do downtown. Bubs and I took the kids through the museum. We all had a great time looking at all the fish. Danya and Jordy loved watching the man in scuba gear in the main tank feeding the fish. They had a lot of questions about if he lived in there and how he got out. Flash photography wasn't really allowed so this is all I have:
A picture of Danya and Jordy each dressed as penguins:



A picture of Jordy touching the coral reef walls:


A picture of Nadav's hand touching the coral reef wall and trying to pull it off:

And a picture of Danya and Jordy in a row boat:


After we were done we HAD to visit the gift shop! Danya got a seahorse necklace and Jordy insisted on buying a giant pen. Pops picked us up and then we decided to go to poppy water for a short while. What is poppy water you ask??? Well it is the fountain at Navy Pier that has water that shoots up at random intervals, or pops, and the kids can play in it. Bubs and Pops first took Danya there when she was about 4 and she named it Poppy Water and the name stuck. Last time we were there, 3 years ago, Jordy was to scared to go in it. This time Jordy had a blast.
We were only there a short while since it was almost Shabbat and both kids were sad when we told them it was time to go.
We quickly got ready for Shabbat and then we had dinner. The kids went to sleep not to far into the meal.
Shabbat day Matthew, Marissa, Ori and Janice joined us for lunch. Bubs made her famous chulent and everyone was stuffed. After they left we took the kids and stopped to say hello the the Merzels and then headed to the Amsters for Seudat Shlishit. If we weren't stuffed before we were sure stuffed now. The kids all played knock out in their backyard while the grown ups chatted. Then Josh and Jeremy left for shul and I took the kids and headed home. The kids were all asleep before Shabbat was over. We contemplated going out Saturday night but in the end I read while Josh played hockey.