Birthday grandfather

"Are you really ALL THAT?!" Ari asked, when he saw the numbers.

Don't set the cake on fire!

I love my dad's smile on this one.

Sharing a moment.

Bedtime stories with my dad

Reading himself.

So many books.

Laughing at something.

God I look tired.  

Hangin' with Connor while Sabba reads to the older boys.

Loving his book with Mommy.

Okay, I know it's a lot of pictures of Connor, but he was especially cute that night.

More big boy reading.  While Sabba read Ari's book, Xander was picking which entries in the Marvel superhero encyclopedia he preferred.

Attempting a somersault like his big brother Ari.

4th of July

We only took pictures of the very beginning smokers this year, and none of the real fireworks.  There were too many kids to deal with!!

He's mid-air!

Xander discovered the selfie feature on my phone

Ari's photography

Going up the stairs to see Sabba

Turning back down toward Daddy

My dad very amused at the picture-taking process

Ari's still working on framing...

Brothers at play.

 Artsy shot of Xander

Me waking up

Connor playing with cars

The very last of the Sacramento pictures

The very last Caryn challot: black and white with chocolate chips, and apple cinnamon.

Caught red-handed.

5 things about my weekend

1) On Friday evening a congregant came up to me and shared that her 3 year old had realized something startling at the preschool Shabbat earlier that morning, which he had attended with my own children:  "The rabbi's a Mommy!!"

2) The teachers had been talking to the older boys' class about Community Helpers, and in that context brought up what the kids wanted to be when they grew up.  Xander of course wants to be "a scientist and an inventor."  Ari "a firefighter."  They talked about their mommy, how mommy is a community helper and helps people when they're sick, or sad, and is there for them when they're happy.  Then they asked Ari what his daddy did.  "Um... he cooks!" said Ari.  "That's what he does!"

3) On Saturday we met up with Rachel and Marc, colleagues from Cincinnati who are now based in Miami.  Our kids played, we went to dinner, and the adults played board games when the younger set fell asleep.  The perfect social outing.

4) Ari and I were both sick today so spent a lot of time coloring, doing puzzles, and watching Scooby Doo.  It was actually a really relaxing day off.

5) There is no better hot chocolate than milk with an entire melted Hershey's bar. That is all.