Connor took this shot

I didn't even crop it.

Latest update, from Jonathan

I installed an upgrade to our toilet this week. Michal approves. When I say approves, I mean cracked up and told me this is why we are married.

(Savta, the decal says, "Ministry of Magic This Way," because in the Harry Potter series, public toilets were used as a magical portal for the wizarding government.)

A successful Sunday

Kung Fu Panda.

Banana chocolate pancakes.

Ari's bestie over to play.

Swimming.

Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate for snack. (It was the last day for those bananas!)

Truck races, marble run, kinetic sand.

Swim lessons with an instructor.

Laundry folding, by me.  Vacuuming, by children.

Soccer in the backyard.

Mac and cheese with peas per request.  Then... ewww, no peas, no peas!

Bathtime.

Stories.  Bed.

Connor only got up four times to go potty before 10pm (good for him, as he uses it as procrastination).

Fascinating indie film called No Men Beyond This Point, about what the world would be like if men weren't needed for procreation anymore.  Definitely worth watching and discussing.  Jonathan and I had a field day analyzing.

And before I know it the day is over... after two weeks away, I needed a day like this where I didn't leave the house!

Toddler fence!

It's in in the backyard, finally.  (One of our posts was rotting, so we had to replace it, which meant new measurements, so we had to go through a whole second round of applying for city permits).  We also sold the horrible moldy pool table left over from the last owners.

My pretty sister

Camp Coleman

I was privileged this past week to spent time at Camp Coleman, the local URJ camp located in the gorgeous mountains of Georgia.  It's 30 miles from North Carolina, known for its beauty and hiking trails.  I'm used to Camp Newman in CA, with its hills and shrubbery... this was so very different.  The scenery was gorgeous, the ability to bond with the kids from my temple was incredible, and most of all, it got me so excited about the future of Judaism.  These kids have ruach, spirit!

One of the girls' cabins.

Campers canoe-ing on the lake

Campers playing Jedi battling pool noodles on the ropes course

Me gearing up to go on the rock wall.  I got up about halfway.  This section of camp is called Etgar, "Challenge," and as I'm afraid of heights, I challenged myself.  Apparently only one rabbi had gone up beforehand the whole summer!

Reconnecting with my friend and colleague Matt Cohen, the first person I ever met in rabbinical school, who lives in North Florida.

And who, you may ask, was watching the kids when we were away?

Mom and Amanda!  They all had a wonderful time.

Eating the mango-pineapple smoothie pops I had made for them before I left.

Amanda and C at ECC Shabbat

Mom and A

Reading bedtime stories

So so long ago... Jonathan and I went to New York

What a difference two weeks make!  Jonathan and I went with half of the Confirmation class to New York City.  The itinerary included: eating at Katz’s Deli, walking tour of Borough Park (largest ultra-Orthodox area outside of Israel), wandering Broadway and Times Square, meeting a 5th year rabbinical student for lunch at Chelsea Market, Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty, Friday night services at Central Synagogue, Tenement Museum, Eldridge St. Synagogue and Temple Emanuel, 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Chinatown, and more!  We traveled via foot, taxi, subway, and Uber to get the whole experience.

I won't post all or even most of the pictures, because they had the teens in them, but below are a small sample.

Luggage on the way there. Thanks to Mom for the loan of the carry-on and Carrie for the tag, which says in true Star Wars fashion, "Not the bag you are looking for"

Biggest chocolate bar ever in Hershey's store in Times Square

Lady Liberty

Our family name on the Ellis Island wall!  My grandmother is a Boltax, and her father Morris brought the family over from Russia.  "The Boltax Family" are his mother (my great-great-grandmother), his brother Lazar, and Lazar's wife and child. 

Egg Cream at Katz's Deli.

Central Synagogue's main sanctuary.  The service is what I aspire to.  Inspirational speaking, incredible music.  They're the flagship of the Reform movement in so many ways.

Walking into a true Chinese restaurant in Chinatown

Eldridge St. Synagogue, the first and oldest synagogue built by and for Lower East Side immigrants in 1887.

Starbucks all lit up on Broadway.

Obviously playing tourist

Waffle cart in Central Park.

And my personal favorite photo: a teen was teaching me about social media.  Caption: "Rabbi Loving is loving Snapchat"  :)

Off again

Now at Camp Coleman in the hills of Georgia.

Much to catch up on when I return next week!

Back from NY!

We were there for five days with the Confirmation class.  Tons of pictures to come.

Cultural differences

People still ask me what the difference is between FL and CA.

I had a great example the other day.

I was buying new frames for my glasses.

I spent a long time perusing the aisles, picking one I liked.

I got to the counter to attempt to pay for it.

In CA, the cashier would have said, "Thank you," taken my money, and that would have been the end.

In south FL, this very New York older Jewish woman said, "Honey, those glasses are MUCH too big for your face!  You look like a little girl trying on her mother's glasses.  I'll be your mother today and help you.  Come with me."  And she got up from the counter and we spent another 20 minutes trying on different pairs until we found one that she liked more.

And darned if they weren't actually nicer than the ones I had originally picked!

4th of July

At the Friday night service on the 1st (welcome Cantor Barry!)

As far as the day itself:

- slept in

- watched Zootopia for the hundredth time (Connor's favorite movie)
- Fireworks!!

My attempt at making a chai frappucino.  Starbucks is still better, but it wasn't bad!

Ari at swim lessons (through school)

On the bus on the way there

Action jumping shot!

More house updates... big and small

- Mounted brackets on the guest room drywall, bought and cut a pole to size to make a clothes closet

- Bought and mounted fire extinguisher on wall

- Installed gutters with leaf protectors to prevent clogging on outside of entire house

- More light switches installed

- Installed floor lights in our bedroom

- Fixed water machine in kitchen

- Installed hanging lights on outside patio

- Bought and assembled/installed pool vacuum and outside storage cabinet

- Install remote-control dimmer switch in guest room, replaced light switch and dimmer switch in boys' room with one that illuminates, so they can see it in the dark

- Install bay window curtain and rods

- Install wall protector and doorstop in bedroom (to keep children from slamming door into wall)

- Add mirror in laundry room

- Install shower curtain and liner, plus rod, in kid bathroom

- Pretty metal towel hooks on back of master bath door

- Universal remote!

Magformers

Jonathan picked out the best toy for all our kids, that they can all learn and play according to their abilities (though technically it was given to Ari for a reason I can't remember right now): really really cool magnets.

Ari holding a creation he made up himself.

Xander demonstrating how he makes creations by follows the instructions, making the creations flat...

then pulling them up by the center point...

until, voila, in this case, a 3-dimensional rocket.

Honoring my grandfather

My grandmother married Avraham when I was in my early teens, and he was my grandfather in every way but blood relation.  In their house was a framed newspaper clipping from when he was in the audience in Tel Aviv the day the UN announced the creation of the State of Israel.  Now it hangs in my office.  And I had a plaque made. :)