I am sick

Not that this really matters in the grand scheme of things.  But for posterity - I hate being sick.  I hate having a cold and not being able to breathe.  Not being able to sleep unless it's the drugged sleep-of-the-dead when you wake up and don't remember your dreams and still don't feel rested.  Having to go to work and be an adult and do things when all you really want to do is crawl under the covers and do nothing... because life still goes on.

Being sick sucks.

Just thought I would share.

Ari shopping at his mock grocery store in school

They did a unit on healthy versus unhealthy foods.

The Flash

I am surprised by how good that show is!  Jonathan and I have been binge-watching it on Netflix.  It's addictive.  You think it's gonna be on superheroes or action only, and instead it asks all the big questions about what matters in life, and pulls at my every heartstring.  Everyone is gray, there's no "bad guy" because you feel for them all... it's very well done.

Sports thoughts

The older boys and I changed into swimsuits yesterday to get into the pool, but OY.  Was it cold.  So we changed our minds and played in the backyard instead.

At one point I started singing random songs for everyone to sing along.  And during "Take me out to the ballgame," Xander kept interrupting to ask questions.  

His questions reflected both a keen intellect, being born in 2008, and an utter lack of knowledge of sports.

"Why did they root for the home team?  Why is it a shame?  Why is one team better than the other team?"

"What are cracker jacks?"

"What does it mean to have three strikes?"

After I explained the latter, he was silent, thinking, then said decisively, "That's just like kickball!"

Mini milestone

I feel like we've reached a new day.

Connor took Tylenol out of a little cup.  Not a syringe.

Our syringe days are over forever.

It's been six years.

A little milestone, but a milestone nonetheless.

Riding the trains with Becca!

This was a miniature of a steam engine... we got to ride the rails.

Connor's not quite sure what to think of the horses.

It happened.... by Jonathan

It happened. I haven't been here 4 months and it's already happened.

I got out of the car this morning to drop the kids off and thought "Wow, it's actually chilly today!"

I checked the temperature: 76 degrees.

Face meets palm.

House husband at work

"You can't wear that outside!  It's way too wrinkly!"

Xander's first piece of fiction

Ari's house

Connor's Shabbat book

Spontaneous love

Xander the budding writer/photographer took a shine to the white board last week, and took pictures of his messages to show me later.  They're self-explanatory.

A major fan of Nerf guns.

Why this picture, you ask?  I didn't know either.  As Xander told me, the next picture explains it.

Finally, self-portrait of the artist.

Ari's self-described journey through life

This is the first in a short series of posts about the kids' artwork.

Ari's teachers made an awesome "book" for back-to-school night.  They prompted him, and all the words are his alone. (I made the pics extra-large so you can read it.)

Front page. 

 Inner top page.

 Inner bottom page.

They asked the parents to write a note back.  This was Jonathan's.

Toddlers

Connor netted himself.  Literally.  He put the gecko-catching net on his head and walked around excitedly, thinking it was the best game since sliced bread.

Hilariously ungrateful children

Yesterday I was out of the house by 8am.  Torah study, services, prepping for other things.  I got home at 1:30pm.

I immediately took the kids out in crazy heat to go bike riding.

Then we came home, had snack.  We went swimming.  We bathed afterwards with lots of splashing.

We arrived back in the kitchen at 6.

I kissed Jonathan hello.  He had taken a nap, then made dinner.

I was exhausted.

After dinner, Ari wanted to give Daddy a special treat [a red Uno card, of all things] because he had "made the day so special."

Jonathan was confused.

"But Mommy took you bike riding.  And cut up yummy fruit for you.  And you went swimming with her.  And played in the bath. Why do I get the card?"

Ari's brow furrowed, he was perplexed.  The answer was obvious in his mind.

"Because YOU made challah French toast for dinner!"

Comparing toddler obsessions

Xander loved trains, and construction vehicles.

Ari loved planes and helicopters.

Connor loves cars and trucks.

It's amazing how their personalities are evident from such a young age!

More birthday pics

The other photographer got a lot of pics of Xander.  Here are some of the other boys!

Pre-party selfie

Playing Duplo

Ari at the Chuck-E-Cheese carousel

YAY carousel!

"What ARE you??"

Tickets for the win!

Xander's 7th birthday!

His actual birthday is the 7th, but we went to Chuck E Cheese over the weekend.  

Family.

Iron Man cake by the amazing Salina at www.mycakekreations.com

Loving his cake.

Blow out the candles!

You can do it!

There was a moment of drama when Xander chose one of his friends to go into the Ticket Blaster with him, instead of Ari.  Ari assumed he would have been picked because he went in there with Xander in Sacramento.  He was so sad and Xander gave him 140 tickets he won in recompense.

Keeping Connor on my head was the only way to keep him away from The Mouse.

Birthday song.

The Mouse that posed with Xander and whom Connor loved so.

 The next day, Mom took Xander to Toys R Us to pick a birthday present for himself.  (A Nerf gun, of course.)  But he insisted on getting presents for both of his brothers!  Ari got a smaller Nerf gun and he picked the car transporter above for Connor, so they wouldn't feel badly.  He's a real mensch.

(Xander was crushed when his Nerf gun broke after the first use.  Back to Toys R Us for us tomorrow.)

Ari-ism

After watching Return of the Jedi:

"Mommy, Darth Vader wasn't a bad guy!  He was a good guy who made bad decisions!"

Etrog box!

Darryl and Judy made me the most unbelievable present and shipped it from Sacramento!

Darryl is a metal-worker and created the box, and Judy the raw silk lining that the etrog rests within.  The Hebrew means "pri etz hadar," which is the description of the most beautiful etrog that we would want. The etrog is one of the symbolic items we use for the holiday of Sukkot.

Connor in his classroom sukkah

Rabbi at work

At religious school tefillah (kid services)