Morning 2 of school was a success. We got up, dressed and out of the house without incident. Nadav wasn't eating breakfast and then I remembered that his new gan provides breakfast AND lunch so all was well. I dropped Danya and Jordy near school and Nadav and I headed out to gan. He was happy enough to go in and found some toys to play with right away but wasn't so happy when I left. I then went to my zumba class which had been on hiatus over the summer. Before I knew it it was 11am and I had to go get Nadav. They said he was really good and played nicely and ate his omelet. I brought Nadav home where Josh kept him entertained while I headed to the grocery store. I need to mention that Israeli's have begun panicking about the 3 day Rosh Hashana that we are heading into. We are used to 1 day chag and 2 day Rosh Hashana but 3 days? Man is that long. So people are shopping as if it was Y2K all over again. The store was crowded and everyone's carts were overflowing. I tried to buy all the staples and anything that wont spoil as I can only imagine that next week when I return to the store to buy fruits and veggies it is only going to be pandemonium. Anyhow, I returned home and as I was unloading the car Jordy arrived home followed shortly by Danya. School was good and so far no homework. In the afternoon Tamar came to play with Danya and Jordy headed out to play with Yakir. I did a little cooking and freezing(but my freezer is going to be full very fast so I am guessing I am not going to do too much of that). Nadav and I stopped by Laura's house and Nadav had a blast chasing their dog and eating chocolate while I chased after him. Eventually we had dinner and the kids went to sleep.
For those of you who missed it a few weeks back we went on a family bike ride and then Pops sent us a picture of an older family bike ride circa 1983ish. This morning I got the following email and picture from Pops, who along with Bubs is visiting David and Jodi and kids in Boston: At least this time I was wearing a helmet or is that a half of a watermelon? It was hard for Bubs to keep up with us, so we did not get too far. Other then that, it was a great ride. We all got a laugh out of that one. Thanks Pops! Who had to schlep the exercise bike outside for the photo???
This morning everyone got up nice and early. Everyone was dressed, breakfasted(is that a word) and ready to go on time. We loaded up the car and headed out. First stop was the school where Nadav and I helped Danya and Jordy in with all their books. We helped them find their classes and their teachers. Jordy went straight to his class and didn't look back. He knows Morah Michal as she taught him one class last year and his friends saved him a seat in the front row so he was fine. Danya was a little worried as she has had the same teacher for the past 3 years and nobody knew who her new teacher would be. When we got to her class she was really happy to see that Morah Edna, who had previously been the music teacher and is really nice, is her new teacher. She quickly settled in next to Tamar and was happy to catch up with her friends and send us on our way. Nadav and I headed out and our next stop was gan Dena. I was a little overwhelmed to be in a small class with 20 kids and their parents however Nadav was not phased. He found some toys and happily began playing. He did not want the name tag they kept trying to put on him. The teachers asked all the kids to sit on chairs for circle time and Nadav was not so interested. He wanted to keep playing and dumping toys on the floor. Eventually he did join in and liked the tambourines that each kids got and happily cheered along to the music. He also really liked the chocolate candy they then handed out. Next it was time to play outside. Once he found a ball and was happily playing I headed out. I spent a very quick hour at the gym and returned as it was time to leave gan(today was a short orientation day). When I returned Nadav was happy and showed me yet another candy they gave him(which they didn't open and he was trying to eat through the plastic). They also told me he ate the sandwich they gave him and that he had been very happy and didn't cry. Not bad. He came home and after showing Josh his candy we put him in for a nap. Then Danya came home. While I was talking to her Nadav came down the stairs. Yes, he climbed out of his crib again and this time also down the stairs. Jordy returned soon after with Moshe B. in tow. Everyone reported great first days of school. I took Danya to the doctor as she had an infection behind her ear and then we stopped and picked up all the school supplies she was just told about today. While we were in car Danya told me one of the good things about having the music teacher as her teacher was that when it was time to sing for davening the teacher had a really good voice instead of a cracking voice like her old teacher. I thought that was hysterical. The rest of the afternoon was spent at home chasing Nadav. The kids ate dinner and eventually went to bed. I then headed out to a hat sale and came home and cleaned the kitchen.
Friday was a quiet day. The usual laundry, cleaning and cooking took place along with a few erev Shabbat errands. The kids hung out-Jordy playing DS and computer most the day and Danya, when the medicine was working, reading or watching Short Circuit, when the medicine wasn't working complaining that she doesn't feel good. Nadav napped and otherwise spent the day tearing the house apart. Friday night we had dinner and a lachaim in honor of our niece Lillie Hannah(since Robert was with us). Speaking of which, Lillie has a blog. The link to her blog is on the right side of the page-check it out! Shabbat morning I stayed home with the kids. We spent a lot of time playing trains in the attic. We all got dressed and out to the Gale's for a delicious lunch. After lunch we returned for nap time. Meira came over and played with Danya and then the girls and Jordy fought for a while pulling me out of bed. Eventually Josh entertained Jordy and distracted him from bothering the girls. Michali came over later while Lisa and Nafi went to a Bar Mitzvah seudat shlishit and she was very entertaining. She happily played with everyone and before we knew it Shabbat was over. Everyone ate dinner and went to bed nice and early so they would be ready for their fist day of school. Bags packed, lunches made and water bottles filled. We are ready for school.
This morning we were a little lazy in the morning. We finally got our act together and made it to the pool at 11. Danya and Jordy had fun showing off their diving and flipping skills:
We stayed for a few hours and returned to eat lunch. Nadav was going crazy so Josh put him in his crib for a nap and this time he went to sleep. We hung out at home for a while and then after Nadav woke up I took the kids and we went to Pardes Hannah for Roberts tekes kumta(his ceremony where he gets his beret). It was a long drive and we got there a few minutes late so it was kind of hard for us to see but what was saw was pretty cool. The kids liked watching the mifaked(Sergent) switch the hats on the soldiers heads. They also thought it was funny that at the end they threw up their hats like a graduation. Robert tells us there were 400 soldiers at this ceremony. It was pretty crowded there. After the ceremony we found a picnic table and along with 400 other families we had our picnic dinner. We then headed home with Robert. On the way home Danya announced that her tummy hurt. She seemed ok most the ride home but I was a little worried when she asked me to turn the air down. She is never cold. After we got home and got everyone into bed Danya told me she felt like she had to throw up at which point I directed her to the bathroom and sure enough she had to throw up. She was burning up so I gave her some Advil and returned her to bed. Here's hoping she is feeling better in the morning, she is so sad when she is sick.
This morning we had to actually set an alarm to wake up for the first time in a while. Danya and Jordy were going on a tiyul with the kids minyan(it is a reward for attendance). They had to be at the shul at 9:15am with lunches, water and snacks. So we got our act together and got out the door. I then went to the gym. After I came home Josh put Nadav in his crib for a nap. About 10 minutes later the phone rang and I went upstairs to give Josh the phone. Nadav was standing in the hallway rather than sleeping in his crib. He said "oh, hi Ima". So now Nadav knows how to escape his crib and room. Which leaves the places we can contain Nadav down to his stroller and his high chair. Uh oh. Since Nadav wasn't napping I decided to run an errand. We dropped Josh off in Modiin with his bike so he could do a few things and then Nadav and I bought bagels and went to the butcher. Not long after we got home Danya and Jordy returned along with Moshe B. Danya headed to a friends house for the afternoon. I spent most the afternoon trying to entertain Nadav and keep him out of trouble-not an easy feat. Tonight after dinner I went to the school for a orientation for the 2nd grade boys class. Both Danya and Jordy have new teachers this year(I know that doesn't sound like a big deal however usually at our school the kids have the same teacher for 2 years in a row). The meeting was typical-run through the schedule, parents argue about what snacks are acceptable and nobody volunteers for the parents committee. I headed home with a big headache.
This morning we made a few different attempts to do a few different things. First we stopped at a local store that sells school books and supplies. We had called several times to order/make sure they had all the books we needed for both Danya and Jordy. So of course when I went to pick them up they weren't ready and they didn't have half the books. Sigh. We then headed to go to a mall in Kiryat Ono that was having something called Olam HaYelidim(Kids World). The kids decided we should rename it Olam HayeleDUMB as it was basically nothing. We then had to decide how to entertain the kids at the mall. Luckily there was a bowling alley. Danya did not want to bowl but she did in the end, sharing her turns with Nadav. I should mention that for some reason Nadav LOVES bowling. I think it started with Wii Bowling. However his love for bowling(and really all sports) has multiplied and he is happy watching bowling games on youtube. So he was really excited to be in a real bowling alley.
(I KNEW he had a pacifier today! When we left the bowling alley Nadav didn't have his pacifier and I was sure he had one when we went in! I was right-and there is a duck pacifier on the floor of the bowling alley in Kiryat Ono).
After bowling we went in search of something to eat and found pizza at a bakery. Then the kids got barad(slushies) and ice cream. Then we headed home. Nadav was a mess and needed a nap but he would sleep as it was well past nap time and he got his second wind. I took him with me to a book store in shilat in search of the missing school books. I was very impressed with how easy and efficient it was to buy the school books there. We were in and out in no time. We came home and then Danya and Jordy each took turns going through their school supplies and labeling everything with me. We also covered the books that needed covering. For some reason the book covers in Israel are made out of plastic. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep the plastic from slipping while you are trying to hold it in place and put tape on it??? I miss brown paper bags. Of course during this time Nadav found an open bottle of gazoz syrup and poured it on the kitchen floor. Eventually all the school supply stuff was taken care of and we got dinner on the table. Nadav was very tired and was happy to go to sleep-as were we. After dinner Danya and Jordy watched the movie Aladdin for the first time. They LOVED it! The were hysterically laughing through most of the movie.
Monday morning I took Danya and Jordy to the pool. Nadav was going to take a nap so Josh stayed home with him while I read and the kids swam. We were there for 2 hours and then returned home for late lunch. Danya built a lego tower. She wanted me to take a picture of her with it and Jordy wanted to be in it too. She wasn't happy that he jumped in on her picture so I also took one with just here. They both came out cute so here they both are:
Nadav hadn't napped-poor Josh. We hung out at home most the afternoon. Jordy went to Amitai's house for a play date and returned in time for dinner. After dinner we called Bubby to wish her a happy birthday. The kids were excited to talk to her and wanted to know when we are going to visit her again.
Sunday morning I took Jordy to the doctor to get his stitches removed. He was excited to get them taken out. I don't think he enjoyed the not being allowed to swim(even though if you noticed we let him in the water on the tiyul because we are bad parents). After the stitches he joined me at the grocery store where we bought 2 boxes of cereal, pez and mini pita all of which weren't on my list. After we got home Danya came with me to school to pick up some of her books. We came home and everyone had lunch. We were going to go on a family bike ride however Jordy got invited to a friends house and he said he would rather go there. This worked out fine as we wouldn't need to rent him a bike and I would be worried about crashing him on the bike. So after Nadav woke up from his nap we loaded the bikes onto the car and headed to the port in Tel Aviv. We went on a nice ride and even got to see some animals. We picked Jordy up on our way home and then had dinner.
Friday morning we were so tired! Nadav however wasn't. We hung out at home and contemplated Shabbat. At some point in the morning Josh took Nadav and went to pick up take up food and Challah while I made some food. After they returned Nadav took a nap. I decided that was a good idea so I also napped. At some point Josh must have also thought it was a good idea too because when Nadav woke me up Josh was also sleeping. We eventually got our act together and finished getting ready for Shabbat. We had a quiet dinner and all went to sleep a little too late. Shabbat morning I actually convinced Danya and Jordy to join me and Nadav in going to shul. Of course this was bribery as we were going for a Bar Mitzvah so they knew there would be candy. After a very hot visit to shul we came home and had lunch. Josh, Nadav and I went to a seudat shlishit for the Bar Mitzvah(which was for the son of one of my most loyal readers Talia-so loyal that she even commented that she knew we were giving up playing Settlers in order to be there!). The Bar Mitzvah was beautiful and the food was delicious(and I am not just saying that because you are reading Talia!). We took a tired Nadav home to go to bed and I got Danya and Jordy dinner. Before we knew it Shabbat was over.
For those of you wondering, our beautiful new niece and cousin was named on Shabbat in NY. Her name is Lillie Hannah(Leah Hadassah in Hebrew) and we can't wait to meet her!
Thursday morning we woke up and I can't speak for everyone else but every muscle in my body ached. The kids and I met Josh at breakfast after shul. After breakfast we went to our room to pack up and load the car. Not much later we headed out. Our first stop was the beach to take a few pictures. Then we went nearby to a trail for a small hike which really was light. Then everyone was undecided what to do next. There was a little pow wow and half the group decided to go on another water hike. We joined the second group and headed to the cave where Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai hid. We also saw the carob tree that sustained him and his son while in hiding. We then headed into the city of Pekiin which used to be largely full of Jews and now there is only 1 Jewish woman there. Josh went with the group to hear the woman speak and then we all went to see the ancient shul. The group then decided to go out to eat(kind of lunch, kind of dinner) on the way back home. We had a misunderstanding about where we were going so we just headed home which worked out fine as we got home at almost 7. We unloaded the car, began the laundry and ate some dinner. Then we collapsed. We had an amazing Tiyul and we hope to go again for many summers to come. We met some lovely people and made some great new friends.
(written by Josh) Everyone woke up at a decent hour, including Nadav who usually is up around 6:30. Today we all were awake around 7:15. I went to daven in the shul that overlooks the ocean while Arica got everyone ready for breakfast where I would meet them afterward. It should be pointed out that when we got to the room we stayed at, the most exciting thing about them, according to Danya and Jordy, was the fact that they each had their own bunk beds. Danya and Jordy would have been happy to spend the entire Tiyul laying on the top bunks of their beds and playing Nintendo DS. We may spend next years tiyul at a bunk bed store. After breakfast, we went back to the room and waited for the SMS letting us know that it was time to leave. After about 45 min, and no SMS, I decided to walk over to the room of the guy who was supposed to send it (his name is Eldad). As I walked out of the room, my cell phone rang. It was Eldad. "Have you left yet?" he asked...(in Hebrew). I answered "umm...lo" (translation: "umm...no") Apparently he had told me earlier that everyone was leaving around 9:30 - 9:45 and to be ready then. I do remember him saying that, but he usually would send an SMS regardless. He explained to me where they were and we quickly loaded the car and headed out. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it) Israel is a small country and we found them. Today's tiyul was going to be an all day tiyul in Nachal Kziv. We would start the tiyul at the top of the mountain and make our way down an easy path to the nachal ('brook' in English). At the bottom there was supposed to be 2 pools of water which we would swim in and then head home. All went fine except for the 'easy path down the mountain' part. Somebody needs to update the tour guide book which lists the trail we took as "easy for families"...they must have meant a family of professional mountain climbers because the path we took was, at points, pretty scary. There was no way it was intended for people carrying babies and walking with small children. We don't have any pictures or videos that would do justice to how the path looked since we were too busy making sure we didn't fall down a mountain. Here is the only video we have of walking down. (this was before it got really bad)
Don't forget that it was REALLY hot out. The sweat on our hands made it difficult to hold on to the rocks for balance. A lot of people were wearing shoes that were not intended to be worn for path we were on. It was almost like when the Jews left Egypt. We had a leader who assured us that at the end of our journey, we would reach "the promised land". As we were walking down, I could almost hear the same complaining from 3500 years ago. Luckily, we didn't send spies to go ahead of us and check out what was at the bottom or we'd have ended up walking down that mountain for the next 40 years. Thankfully, though, everyone made it down safely. At the bottom, as promised, there was a pool of cold, refreshing water which we all happily jumped into. We stayed here for about 1/2 hour, ate and moved onto the second pool about 10 min away. This pool had some rocks which we were able to jump off of.
After spending some time here, we decided it was time to start heading back. We still needed an hour to get to the end of the trail and another 1/2 to get to the place we were staying. The trail, though, ended in a different place from where our cars were parked so one driver from each family (the men) had to climb back up the mountain to the parking lot and drive 40 min. to where the trail ended. Arica walked with the kids and I met them with the car at the end. All in all, everyone had a great time. We headed back to the Beit Sefer Sadeh (we stopped at a grocery store on the way to pick up a few snacks, including ice cream for everyone). When we got back, we got our towels and headed straight for the private beach on the Beit Sefer Sadeh property. The beach was very nice, and there were lots of big waves that day. After the beach we went back to the room, everyone showered and changed for dinner. After dinner, we went to put Nadav to bed, but it seems that the excitement of being on vacation got the better of him and he didn't want to go to sleep. We put Nadav in the stroller and sat outside talking with everyone. We eventually rocked Nadav to sleep. Danya and Jordy also came outside and played with the other kids for a while. Finally, around 11:00, we went back to our room and went to sleep.
On Tuesday morning we were up and about early making last minute preparations for our tiyul up north. We were going with a group of Israeli families from the yishuv. I believe we were 13 families all together. The plan was to leave around 8:30am and arrive at our first stop before our meeting time of 11am. We finally got loaded and out the door at 8:45. Not bad. We were about 7 minutes from home when Danya pointed out that Nadav didn't have shoes on his feet. So we turned around and went back. Second time around we hit the road at 9am. We made pretty good time and only one gas/bathroom stop. In the car we discussed the fact that it was a heat wave this week(it seems that ever week of this summer has been unseasonably hot) and Danya and Jordy were excited because it was going to be cold in the north. Josh and I corrected them and explained that "up north" refers to northern Israel and not the North Pole and that no, it wouldn't be cold at all. They weren't so happy to hear that. We were the first of our group to arrive at May Kedem. Eventually everyone who was joining us at this stop(not everybody did every planned stop) arrived and we were off. We met a lot of people who we have seen around but didn't know, people we have never seen before and 2 families who live on our street that we didn't know. We watched a film about the area-none of which I heard because Nadav was on my lap begging to go outside. We walked to a cave where we walked through cold water(it was a really hot day-as every day of the trip was-and all cold water was welcome). I carried Nadav most the way as Josh was in charge of lugging Jordy whose knee was not supposed to be in water. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it! We went to the entrance where we all had our picnic lunches. The kids weren't so patient and they wanted to go on to the next thing. Soon we headed out to drive the rest of the way north. We arrived in Achziv which is just north of Nahariah and a few minutes outside of Rosh Hanikra. We were staying at a Beit Sefer Sadeh Achziv. Danya and Jordy were so excited to see that our "hotel" had 2 bunk beds and they quickly claimed their beds. Our group was splitting up here-some were staying at the hotel and settling in or going to the beach which was right across the street from us. Others, us included, were going to go on a small hike at 5:15pm. Josh took Nadav out for a walk while we got settled and waited the hour. When he returned he and Nadav were wet and covered in sand. They found the beach. After they got cleaned up we headed to Park Adamit where we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful views, the main attraction being the "Rainbow Cave" (it's not really a cave, but you can read the history on why it's called that). We returned at 7 just in time for dinner. The food was pretty good and we were hungry after being out in the heat all day. After dinner we put Nadav into his pack and play and he went to bed. Then Josh took Danya and Jordy and they joined some people at a beach where they watched some baby sea turtles (born in captivity) crawl to the ocean for first time. They then spent time trying to capture the many crabs crawling on the beach. Somebody managed to catch one and Josh managed to get a close up view. (now our kids know what REAL crabs look like and will hopefully stop trying to be like them).
They came back close to 10 and we all fell asleep after the long day.
This morning I headed out to the gym after Josh returned from shul. I am happy to report that for the first time in my life(hopefully not the last) I ran 10 kilometers! I ran for 64 minutes and 44 seconds(that is 10 and a half minute miles for anyone interested). By the time I got back from the gym Nadav was napping. I showered and headed to Rami Levy to buy some snacks for our upcoming outing. When I returned all the kids were in the kitchen and still in their pajamas despite the fact that it was 1pm. After everyone ate I took the kids to a shoe store in shilat to buy water sandals. This was a big mistake as there were none that weren't a fortune and then Jordy wasn't happy that we didn't buy him shoes. Without going into detail there was a lot of yelling and crying. Eventually everyone calmed down and packed. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and then Danya came to tell me that Josh told her that Pops told him that we have a new niece!!! Avi and Eva(ok, mostly Eva) had a baby girl this morning! We have yet to see pictures however we hear she is big, with a head of dark hair and beautiful. We are also told that Mom and Baby Girl are doing well! Mazel tov guys!!!! Danya is especially excited that it was a girl as she was beginning to feel outnumbered. Everyone ate dinner and eventually went to bed.
Today we joined the Balsam's in 2 different outings. Josh remained at home watching Nadav and a Bears game. Danya and I took Meira, Michali, Yael, Shana and Shira and we headed to Bat Yam to the Michal Negrin factory for a tour. On the way there we made a few wrong turns thanks to Google Maps bad directions. I pulled out our handy map and figured out where to go. During this detour Danya announced from the back seat that she thinks "we need a UPS". I know she is reading this and thinks I am making fun of her but I am not, I thought it was very cute of her to mistake a GPS for a UPS. The tour was very interesting and well done and ended where else? In the gift shop. As part of the cost of the tour you also got a coupon for coffee(or chocolate milk) and cake. So after browsing the store we sat down to a huge piece of cake and coffee(OK, I am the only one who had the coffee). I told Danya I would buy her a small pair of earrings however she had her heart set on a locket. I told her if she really wanted it then I would pay the amount of the earrings and she would have to pay the rest. She thought it over for a long time and decided this was a special thing-the kind of thing you save your money up for so she bought it. (This is a Michal Negrin car)
After everyone made their purchases we headed to Modiin where we ended up meeting Lisa and the boys(ok, and Merav). They had gone to the bowling alley where Jordy won 2 games and had a great time. They then went to the mall where they, like us, had Sbarro's pizza. We all headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon at home. We eventually had mac and cheese for dinner. Before the kids went to bed we caleld Saba and Savta to wish them a happy anniversary-Happy Anniversary Saba and Savta! After Jordy got into bed Danya wanted to call Bubs and Pops and tell them about her purchase as well.
Tuesday morning Danya and Jordy went to their respective camps. I went to the gym in the morning and Nadav hung out at home with Josh. I think we were just home in the afternoon doing nothing. Wednesday we were going to go on a family bike ride in the morning but by the time everyone got up and got our act together it was almost time for Nadav's nap so instead I took Danya and Jordy to the pool. Since Nadav wasn't there I didn't need to go in the pool, I just watched them and read for 2 hours. Nice. We came home and Nadav was still sleeping so Josh took Danya and Jordy out to lunch. When they returned and after Nadav woke up we went to the new "fun place" in the mall. I decided that what we call a fun place is similar to a Gymbore in the States. This was our first time at this one and it was nice because you pay and you can come and go as you please the whole day. Also, you can leave older kids there. So I left Danya and Jordy there for an hour while Nadav and I did a few things in the mall. Then I went with Nadav and he happily played for a while- he really enjoyed the individual trampoline. It was basically the only thing he did. Danya and Jordy wanted a drink so Nadav and I went out to buy everyone drinks and then we came back. At 6 I took all the kids to McDonald's in the mall(since your entrance to the fun place gives you a discount there). Everyone ate and we came home. After I got everyone into bed I joined Lisa at Rami Levy. Thursday morning Danya and Jordy went to their camps again. In the afternoon I did some cooking and cleaning. Rabbi and Mrs. Shandalov came over in the evening for a BBQ. We had a great time catching up with them and the kids enjoyed all the games they played with them. Friday morning Josh took the kids to a Legoland type place which he said was lame and that we have more lego in our attic. While they were gone I finished off my cooking, laundry and most of the cleaning for Shabbat. When they came back they ate a little and then we all went to the pool along with Nafi and Michali. When we went to leave Josh, Nafi and the kids went ahead while I was saying hi to someone. As I was walking out I saw them all coming back and Josh carrying Jordy who was crying and had a large amount of blood on his leg. Apparently he slipped and landed in a pile of glass. The people at the pool were very helpful and had us bring him to the lifeguard who is trained in first aid. He cleaned it off and checked to see if anything was in the cut which thankfully it was not. He did say that the cut was deep and may require a stitch if we were so inclined. We dropped Nafi and Michali at home and then Josh, Danya and Nadav went home to finish Shabbat prep while Jordy and I went to Terem in Modiin. We arrived a little over an hour before Shabbat. I was really impressed with how quickly they got us through. They informed us that it was a deep cut and would require 2 stitches. Jordy did not appreciate the shot to numb the area. He then insisted on sitting up and watching them stitch his knee. I was very impressed by the fact that while it seemed to hurt a lot he still let them do it and he didn't go crazy. Unfortunately for Jordy the first stitch didn't go so well so they took it out and started again. The bottom line was we were home with about 25 minutes until Shabbat. Friday night was nice and quiet. Robert was with us for Shabbat and we all ate and went to sleep. Shabbat morning we had an Israeli family over for lunch. Crazy that we have lived here 4 years and this was our first Israeli guests. Although I was a little apprehensive we had a really nice time and they stayed for a while-their kids stayed even longer. I took a nap and not long after waking up the Brodsky's arrived with Zev and 2 guests. 1 was Oren who has been here a few times. Their new guest, Adam, is a new oleh and will be going into the army soon. Adam didn't know how to play Settlers and after a few minutes decided to join Danya who was attempting to use all the letters in Bananagrams. The 2 of them played and chatted while the rest of us played Settlers and snacked until Shabbat ended. After Shabbat Jordy made everyone come look at his stitches while I cleaned it and changed the bandage.
