Just four days after we celebrate Max, we get to celebrate all over again with Hannah's birthday. It's hard to believe I've been a mom for six years already, but she's there in all of her lovely, enthusiastic, caring self to prove that it's true.
Hannah's birthday was on a Tuesday this year, and she was excited to be in school for it. She got a certificate and special "birthday pencil" from the principal and her class made her a giant card. Parents can come in to help celebrate, but Hannah decided she'd rather we didn't come in. She chose The Cheesecake Factory for her birthday dinner, and the four of us had a nice meal together.
The following Sunday was her party, at Build-a-Bear Workshop at the Natick Collection. Ten of Hannah's girlfriends joined her and Max to pick, stuff and clothe new bears. Afterward we trekked across the mall to the food court for a pull-apart cupcake cake. I think everyone had a great time, and aside from some drama with a lost (and then found) coat, it went really well. Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John were a great help, and we all had a nice dinner together after the party.
Hannah is an amazing girl. She is very sensitive and cares deeply about her family (particularly Max) and her friends. She's very curious about the world and wants to understand how things work and why it's so. Hannah is at such a great stage of life, where she is now so independent and can do much for herself, but still wants to hug her mom several times a day. She's doing really well in school, learning to read and working hard, and now has the presence to stop and ask when she hears a word she doesn't understand, rather than let it sail past her. She is beautiful, generous, funny and kind, and I couldn't ask for a better daughter. Happy birthday, Hannahbelle.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Seven
Seven is a big number in our house right now.
Hannah, at the time of this writing, has lost seven teeth. The first two "shark teeth" came out in December 2008. Numbers three and four spent months doing some dramatic wiggling and shifting into new positions before coming out with very little drama (except that we accidentally threw out #3 - oops). Number five was assisted out by Max (when he happened to kick her in the face - don't worry, all okay). Six fell out at a playdate, and seven happened at after school care yesterday. I'm a bit worried that the dentist won't have anything to look at when she has her next appointment, but also hopeful that her mouth won't be a mess of gaps at Julie's wedding next summer.
Meanwhile, Max is repeating practically everything that we say. Or rather, he's repeating the last syllable or so. Therefore, guitar becomes "tar" and we'll hear "gofen" when he means to be saying the Hebrew prayer over wine. But the funniest version of this trick is the silly screaming of "seven!" For those locals out there, that would be the end of the jingle we hear quite often in our car: "Magic one-oh-six-point-SEVEN!" Max has impeccable timing when he hears it and chimes in with that final number, but he'll bust out a "seven!" at other moments too, seemingly to lighten the mood. So, SEVEN!
Hannah, at the time of this writing, has lost seven teeth. The first two "shark teeth" came out in December 2008. Numbers three and four spent months doing some dramatic wiggling and shifting into new positions before coming out with very little drama (except that we accidentally threw out #3 - oops). Number five was assisted out by Max (when he happened to kick her in the face - don't worry, all okay). Six fell out at a playdate, and seven happened at after school care yesterday. I'm a bit worried that the dentist won't have anything to look at when she has her next appointment, but also hopeful that her mouth won't be a mess of gaps at Julie's wedding next summer.
Meanwhile, Max is repeating practically everything that we say. Or rather, he's repeating the last syllable or so. Therefore, guitar becomes "tar" and we'll hear "gofen" when he means to be saying the Hebrew prayer over wine. But the funniest version of this trick is the silly screaming of "seven!" For those locals out there, that would be the end of the jingle we hear quite often in our car: "Magic one-oh-six-point-SEVEN!" Max has impeccable timing when he hears it and chimes in with that final number, but he'll bust out a "seven!" at other moments too, seemingly to lighten the mood. So, SEVEN!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Max Turns Two
So New Year's Day will always mean something extra to celebrate around here - Max's birthday. My little boy is officially two. Not that he has any idea what that means. :)
Max was up early, of course, but for once it was helpful. His birthday present was a new toddler bed, which uses the same mattress as he used in the crib. Marc and Hannah had worked together to assemble the bed the night before, so I quickly sneaked back upstairs and put his new "Thomas the Train" sheets on the bed. Max was beyond excited. He seemed to get the importance of this transition, and looked back at his crib fondly and said "all done cribby." He's done amazingly well with it, too. After being put back in the crib for one nap where he refused to go to sleep, he's slept every other time in the bed without any issues. We worried that he wasn't quite ready, but he is very, very proud of his "Thomas bed."
We invited families from Max's class at the JCC to join us for a New Year's Day brunch and birthday party for Max. It was a bit chaotic, and Max had a hard time sharing his stuff, particularly his new bed, but I think he had a good time. Hannah was very helpful with taking presents upstairs and playing with the older siblings of Max's toddler friends. We had seven two-year-olds, plus three siblings and a slew of parents here, but it was fun to celebrate together.
Max is becoming less and less of a toddler every day. He speaks so well, and is beginning to hold real conversations to tell you about his day. He loves Hannah so much, and wants to be wherever she is. He has a favorite blue and white blanket, and calls the tags on it "dee-dee" (I have no idea where that came from, but I'm thrilled I figured out what it means). He prefers to snack instead of sit and eat meals, but seems to enjoy vegetables more than anything else (I'm sure this won't last much longer though!). While he's a typical boy, wanting to run and create as much mischief as he can, he's also very sweet and loving. While I often get frustrated with this stage of childhood and wish he was older, I know in a few years I'll look back on it fondly. So happy birthday, little buddy, and thank you for giving me a reason to always be happy about a new year ahead.
Max was up early, of course, but for once it was helpful. His birthday present was a new toddler bed, which uses the same mattress as he used in the crib. Marc and Hannah had worked together to assemble the bed the night before, so I quickly sneaked back upstairs and put his new "Thomas the Train" sheets on the bed. Max was beyond excited. He seemed to get the importance of this transition, and looked back at his crib fondly and said "all done cribby." He's done amazingly well with it, too. After being put back in the crib for one nap where he refused to go to sleep, he's slept every other time in the bed without any issues. We worried that he wasn't quite ready, but he is very, very proud of his "Thomas bed."
We invited families from Max's class at the JCC to join us for a New Year's Day brunch and birthday party for Max. It was a bit chaotic, and Max had a hard time sharing his stuff, particularly his new bed, but I think he had a good time. Hannah was very helpful with taking presents upstairs and playing with the older siblings of Max's toddler friends. We had seven two-year-olds, plus three siblings and a slew of parents here, but it was fun to celebrate together.
Max is becoming less and less of a toddler every day. He speaks so well, and is beginning to hold real conversations to tell you about his day. He loves Hannah so much, and wants to be wherever she is. He has a favorite blue and white blanket, and calls the tags on it "dee-dee" (I have no idea where that came from, but I'm thrilled I figured out what it means). He prefers to snack instead of sit and eat meals, but seems to enjoy vegetables more than anything else (I'm sure this won't last much longer though!). While he's a typical boy, wanting to run and create as much mischief as he can, he's also very sweet and loving. While I often get frustrated with this stage of childhood and wish he was older, I know in a few years I'll look back on it fondly. So happy birthday, little buddy, and thank you for giving me a reason to always be happy about a new year ahead.
Rounding Out 2009
As I said in my last post, we had a lot going on during the final weeks of 2009. Here's what we were up to.
Christmas Eve was the start of Hannah's first official winter vacation. It was funny to have to explain the concept to her, as she had no idea she was getting a break from school! Hannah and I had some girl time and went to see "The Princess and the Frog," which we both really enjoyed, and then went to get burritos (Hannah's choice). Then we picked up Max from school and Marc joined us at home as we hit the road to go back to Connecticut. We met up with Grandpa John's side of the family at Aunt Carol's house for her traditional Christmas Eve party, and it was great to spend a little time with that side of the family, which seems to be growing by the minute with new cousins-in-law.
On Christmas Day Marc and I left the kids with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John and started a mini-vacation of our own. We had a traditional Jewish Christmas featuring Chinese food and a movie, "Nine" (I know, two movies in two days! Amazing!) which we both enjoyed. Then we drove to Foxwoods Resort and Casino, where we had reserved a room in the new MGM Grand portion of the giant complex there. The room itself was really nice, and we enjoyed a night away. We had dinner at Alta Strada, which was good, but not as good as this place, and lost a little money on the slot machines. We even checked out the Shrine nightclub (SO not my thing). But my favorite part was room service for breakfast. Any meal I can eat in my pajamas that I don't have to prepare myself or clean up has to rank pretty high on my relaxation list.
So that brings us to the day after Christmas, when the four of us, Marc's parents, and Marc's sister Rachel, her husband and 7-month old twins all went for a photo session at Portrait Simple. The photographer made a great effort to get 10 people, three of them under the age of two, to look at the camera at the same time, if not actually smile. Max was very reluctant to participate, but in the end I think we got some nice photos that capture who we were as a family at this moment in time. Afterward we had a little party to celebrate Max's upcoming birthday.
The following day we reconvened Grandma Fillis's side of the family for one last serving of latkes at our annual Hanukkah party. We had fun catching up with Marc's cousins there as well, and Max loved having Aunt Melinda's home to explore. With this last party, our holiday season was officially over. A fun, but busy, season, to be sure.
Max was able to go to school all last week, which was truly a blessing. While I was at work, Marc took Hannah to the Museum of Fine Arts one day, and then helped her work on a school project the next before picking up Max and driving back to Connecticut for the third time in two weeks with the kids. Hannah was left behind to take a trip to New York City with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John to see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway (yes, she is the luckiest little girl alive). But this suddenly left me with an evening to myself! So I took full advantage of that by getting Thai food and scheduling a massage. :) While Hannah was gone on Wednesday, I got to continue some "me time" and finally got a much-needed haircut and had a lunch date with Marc. Thursday morning I spent a bit of time at school with Max to read his favorite book ("Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?") to his classmates as a special treat before his birthday. Hannah got home from her trip and we all spent a relatively crazy night in for New Year's Eve. Marc and I enjoyed some proseco given to us by Rachel and Jon, and I have to admit - I was asleep by 9:30. Midnight and I don't know each other well these days.
And that's the last moments of 2009. I know it was a rough year for so many people, but I feel very fortunate. While I'd been dealing with lots of pain issues since April, December brought some progress on that front and I've been feeling a lot better. Marc and I both have good, stable jobs that have afforded us the opportunity to take the kids to Disney World and Storyland, and we've had lots of wonderful times with family and friends. It's been a busy year, but I hope 2010 brings no slowing down. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful new year!
Christmas Eve was the start of Hannah's first official winter vacation. It was funny to have to explain the concept to her, as she had no idea she was getting a break from school! Hannah and I had some girl time and went to see "The Princess and the Frog," which we both really enjoyed, and then went to get burritos (Hannah's choice). Then we picked up Max from school and Marc joined us at home as we hit the road to go back to Connecticut. We met up with Grandpa John's side of the family at Aunt Carol's house for her traditional Christmas Eve party, and it was great to spend a little time with that side of the family, which seems to be growing by the minute with new cousins-in-law.
On Christmas Day Marc and I left the kids with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John and started a mini-vacation of our own. We had a traditional Jewish Christmas featuring Chinese food and a movie, "Nine" (I know, two movies in two days! Amazing!) which we both enjoyed. Then we drove to Foxwoods Resort and Casino, where we had reserved a room in the new MGM Grand portion of the giant complex there. The room itself was really nice, and we enjoyed a night away. We had dinner at Alta Strada, which was good, but not as good as this place, and lost a little money on the slot machines. We even checked out the Shrine nightclub (SO not my thing). But my favorite part was room service for breakfast. Any meal I can eat in my pajamas that I don't have to prepare myself or clean up has to rank pretty high on my relaxation list.
So that brings us to the day after Christmas, when the four of us, Marc's parents, and Marc's sister Rachel, her husband and 7-month old twins all went for a photo session at Portrait Simple. The photographer made a great effort to get 10 people, three of them under the age of two, to look at the camera at the same time, if not actually smile. Max was very reluctant to participate, but in the end I think we got some nice photos that capture who we were as a family at this moment in time. Afterward we had a little party to celebrate Max's upcoming birthday.
The following day we reconvened Grandma Fillis's side of the family for one last serving of latkes at our annual Hanukkah party. We had fun catching up with Marc's cousins there as well, and Max loved having Aunt Melinda's home to explore. With this last party, our holiday season was officially over. A fun, but busy, season, to be sure.
Max was able to go to school all last week, which was truly a blessing. While I was at work, Marc took Hannah to the Museum of Fine Arts one day, and then helped her work on a school project the next before picking up Max and driving back to Connecticut for the third time in two weeks with the kids. Hannah was left behind to take a trip to New York City with Grandma Fillis and Grandpa John to see "Mary Poppins" on Broadway (yes, she is the luckiest little girl alive). But this suddenly left me with an evening to myself! So I took full advantage of that by getting Thai food and scheduling a massage. :) While Hannah was gone on Wednesday, I got to continue some "me time" and finally got a much-needed haircut and had a lunch date with Marc. Thursday morning I spent a bit of time at school with Max to read his favorite book ("Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?") to his classmates as a special treat before his birthday. Hannah got home from her trip and we all spent a relatively crazy night in for New Year's Eve. Marc and I enjoyed some proseco given to us by Rachel and Jon, and I have to admit - I was asleep by 9:30. Midnight and I don't know each other well these days.
And that's the last moments of 2009. I know it was a rough year for so many people, but I feel very fortunate. While I'd been dealing with lots of pain issues since April, December brought some progress on that front and I've been feeling a lot better. Marc and I both have good, stable jobs that have afforded us the opportunity to take the kids to Disney World and Storyland, and we've had lots of wonderful times with family and friends. It's been a busy year, but I hope 2010 brings no slowing down. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful new year!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Hanukkah 2009
This has been one busy but wonderful Hanukkah.
I was really looking forward to it this year. We don't buy a lot of toys for the kids during the rest of the year, so Hannah began making requests in September, and I felt so fortunate to be able to get her so many of the things she wanted. But the big cause for excitement was Max. At this age, Hannah attended a family daycare, so Hanukkah wasn't such a big deal with her. But with Max attending the JCC, he had the holiday down. We'd been hearing about candles, dreidels, latkes and Chanukiahs for weeks, so he was ready to go.
We had some wonderful events during the last eight days. The first night of Hanukkah was Shabbat as well, so we got to enjoy celebrating both simultaneously. We opened the Wii Fit, and (mostly) Hannah's been enjoying that. Saturday night Marc and I attended a holiday party at our friends Darci and Ben's house, and we had a great time there. On Sunday I finally got to meet my friends Allison and Mark's new baby, Micah, who was just adorable (and loves being bounced around). Sunday night brought Julie and Mike over for our 3rd annual Hanukkah celebration with latkes and more time with the Wii. On Tuesday night Marc took the kids to the Temple Emanuel Hanukkah party while I attended a party for work. Wednesday night Marc and the kids also made a stop at the JCC ELC Hanukkah party. Thursday was our last night to celebrate at home, after Hannah enjoyed an after school play date, and Max was a bit upset when he woke the next morning and saw there were no more presents to open. Friday night we traveled to Hartford to spend the last night of Hanukkah with Marc's parents, and then Saturday morning we had a mini-family party with Rachel, Jon and the twins, and Aunt Melinda, scaled down because of the impending snow storm. Hopefully we'll get to see everyone else when we try to reconvene the party next weekend. We definitely crammed a lot in.
It may be a bit gratuitous, but I'm going to list what we got for the kids this year. We really put a lot of thought into what we chose for them, and I think it was our most successful flurry of presents yet. We bought almost all of it online this year, and if I was really motivated, I'd put in links for everything, but this will have to do (it doesn't total to eight since Julie and Mike were one night, and the Stobers another night). Hannah got American Girl doll bunk beds, Bendaroos, a color-your-own messenger bag, a candy jewelry maker, the Littlest Pet Shop game for Wii, and a really girly kipah. Max got a stuffed Torah, new letter magnets, wooden blocks and a wooden helicopter, and two sweaters, one with a train and the other with a Jeep. Marc's present is this new sign for our kitchen, reminding us of a great trip we took to New Orleans in 2001 (and documenting the most requested items in our kitchen, coffee and milk). I received a new scarf to go with my new winter coat.
So today we'll be sitting home and admiring the snow. Marc will finally get to try out our new snow blower. I'm only working three days this week, and will be taking a bit of time off to spend Hannah's first winter break with her. We've got a lot planned for the coming weeks as well, so stay tuned!
A few images to leave you with...
I was really looking forward to it this year. We don't buy a lot of toys for the kids during the rest of the year, so Hannah began making requests in September, and I felt so fortunate to be able to get her so many of the things she wanted. But the big cause for excitement was Max. At this age, Hannah attended a family daycare, so Hanukkah wasn't such a big deal with her. But with Max attending the JCC, he had the holiday down. We'd been hearing about candles, dreidels, latkes and Chanukiahs for weeks, so he was ready to go.
We had some wonderful events during the last eight days. The first night of Hanukkah was Shabbat as well, so we got to enjoy celebrating both simultaneously. We opened the Wii Fit, and (mostly) Hannah's been enjoying that. Saturday night Marc and I attended a holiday party at our friends Darci and Ben's house, and we had a great time there. On Sunday I finally got to meet my friends Allison and Mark's new baby, Micah, who was just adorable (and loves being bounced around). Sunday night brought Julie and Mike over for our 3rd annual Hanukkah celebration with latkes and more time with the Wii. On Tuesday night Marc took the kids to the Temple Emanuel Hanukkah party while I attended a party for work. Wednesday night Marc and the kids also made a stop at the JCC ELC Hanukkah party. Thursday was our last night to celebrate at home, after Hannah enjoyed an after school play date, and Max was a bit upset when he woke the next morning and saw there were no more presents to open. Friday night we traveled to Hartford to spend the last night of Hanukkah with Marc's parents, and then Saturday morning we had a mini-family party with Rachel, Jon and the twins, and Aunt Melinda, scaled down because of the impending snow storm. Hopefully we'll get to see everyone else when we try to reconvene the party next weekend. We definitely crammed a lot in.
It may be a bit gratuitous, but I'm going to list what we got for the kids this year. We really put a lot of thought into what we chose for them, and I think it was our most successful flurry of presents yet. We bought almost all of it online this year, and if I was really motivated, I'd put in links for everything, but this will have to do (it doesn't total to eight since Julie and Mike were one night, and the Stobers another night). Hannah got American Girl doll bunk beds, Bendaroos, a color-your-own messenger bag, a candy jewelry maker, the Littlest Pet Shop game for Wii, and a really girly kipah. Max got a stuffed Torah, new letter magnets, wooden blocks and a wooden helicopter, and two sweaters, one with a train and the other with a Jeep. Marc's present is this new sign for our kitchen, reminding us of a great trip we took to New Orleans in 2001 (and documenting the most requested items in our kitchen, coffee and milk). I received a new scarf to go with my new winter coat.
So today we'll be sitting home and admiring the snow. Marc will finally get to try out our new snow blower. I'm only working three days this week, and will be taking a bit of time off to spend Hannah's first winter break with her. We've got a lot planned for the coming weeks as well, so stay tuned!
A few images to leave you with...
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Not-Your-Average Morning
Today had the kind of morning that while still in the midst of it causes me to stop and think "I can't believe I'm doing this."
There was only supposed to be one wrinkle in the day: Max's classroom Hanukkah party. Since I'm at the JCC so infrequently, I said I'd attend it. No big deal.
Then Marc scheduled an appointment to finally get his seasonal flu shot at 8:45 this morning. But again, no big deal. I had Max, Hannah would be off to school by then, Marc's time was his to use to his liking (if you include getting flu shots on your "liking" list).
Yesterday we woke up to the local weather girl harping about a bad storm to be hitting during prime commuting time this morning. I tried to reassure myself in various ways: if it's that bad, school will be called off or delayed; the forecasters will be wrong; how bad can it possibly be?
Well, it was pretty bad. Down right awful by my "I hate to drive, especially in the snow, with my children in the car" standards.
And wouldn't you know it, that after waiting at the stop for 30 minutes, the Hannah's school bus didn't show? And Marc had to leave to make his appointment?
So I piled both kids in the car and drove Hannah to school. Down a narrow, not well-plowed street. With Max kicking my seat and screaming (because I'd told them to be quiet). And almost hitting a parked car. We all had to get out, walk a block and take Hannah in to school and tell the office she'd arrived safely. And Max and I walked out just in time to see the kids getting off her bus.
Which sent Max further spiraling into tantrum mode. He wanted to ride on the bus, and I was the most horrible Mommy ever for not letting him. As I carried him to the car, he pounded on my (thankfully hooded) head. His poor hands, since I hadn't brought him gloves, were bright red with cold and wet and fierceness of tantrum by the time we reached our car. He continued to SCREAM as we drove to his school, for a time stuck in traffic due to a downed tree branch in the road.
Finally we made it to the party. Max seemed shocked by the sudden transition and a bit overwhelmed by all the people in the room. I snuck out at 10 - I have no idea how he may have reacted when he figured out I was gone. Somehow I got the car back home, pulled out my umbrella and walked to the T. Thankfully fewer people were driving around at this point, so only three cars splashed me on the side of the road. For once a Green Line employee saw that I was coming, took pity on me and held the train for 30 seconds as I made my way to the door. Phew. I don't think I've ever been so happy just to sit on the train.
So that's my contribution on how one morning can go from slightly complicated to completely insane in four moves - class party, doctor's appointment, snow storm, delayed bus.
There was only supposed to be one wrinkle in the day: Max's classroom Hanukkah party. Since I'm at the JCC so infrequently, I said I'd attend it. No big deal.
Then Marc scheduled an appointment to finally get his seasonal flu shot at 8:45 this morning. But again, no big deal. I had Max, Hannah would be off to school by then, Marc's time was his to use to his liking (if you include getting flu shots on your "liking" list).
Yesterday we woke up to the local weather girl harping about a bad storm to be hitting during prime commuting time this morning. I tried to reassure myself in various ways: if it's that bad, school will be called off or delayed; the forecasters will be wrong; how bad can it possibly be?
Well, it was pretty bad. Down right awful by my "I hate to drive, especially in the snow, with my children in the car" standards.
And wouldn't you know it, that after waiting at the stop for 30 minutes, the Hannah's school bus didn't show? And Marc had to leave to make his appointment?
So I piled both kids in the car and drove Hannah to school. Down a narrow, not well-plowed street. With Max kicking my seat and screaming (because I'd told them to be quiet). And almost hitting a parked car. We all had to get out, walk a block and take Hannah in to school and tell the office she'd arrived safely. And Max and I walked out just in time to see the kids getting off her bus.
Which sent Max further spiraling into tantrum mode. He wanted to ride on the bus, and I was the most horrible Mommy ever for not letting him. As I carried him to the car, he pounded on my (thankfully hooded) head. His poor hands, since I hadn't brought him gloves, were bright red with cold and wet and fierceness of tantrum by the time we reached our car. He continued to SCREAM as we drove to his school, for a time stuck in traffic due to a downed tree branch in the road.
Finally we made it to the party. Max seemed shocked by the sudden transition and a bit overwhelmed by all the people in the room. I snuck out at 10 - I have no idea how he may have reacted when he figured out I was gone. Somehow I got the car back home, pulled out my umbrella and walked to the T. Thankfully fewer people were driving around at this point, so only three cars splashed me on the side of the road. For once a Green Line employee saw that I was coming, took pity on me and held the train for 30 seconds as I made my way to the door. Phew. I don't think I've ever been so happy just to sit on the train.
So that's my contribution on how one morning can go from slightly complicated to completely insane in four moves - class party, doctor's appointment, snow storm, delayed bus.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Stuff
The last few weeks have gone by very quickly, filled with lots of "stuff." We've had playdates, doctor's appointments, hair cuts, and all the usual errands. Here are some of the highlights:
- Hannah went on her first elementary school field trip to the Jackson Homestead, and is still talking about it, weeks later. She also attended her first kindergarten birthday party, but thankfully it's not the crush of parties that summed up the preschool years.
- Max had his first playdate with a friend from the JCC. We knew they were a bit young for this, but they seemed to enjoy having each other around (even though Max got hit on the head repeatedly, despite being much bigger than the other boy!).
- We did our annual pilgrimage (HA!) to Solon for Thanksgiving. This year's drive was our best ever - the kids held up so well, with less whining than we'd probably have experienced had we just been at home. They also got to ride a carousel on both legs of the trip at two malls in NY. Thanksgiving itself was wonderful, with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Hal, Uncle Ryan and his girlfriend Allison, Allison's parents Barb and Jim, and my Aunt Debbie. It was wonderful getting to spend time with everyone, and special thanks to Ryan for bringing along his Wii. Hannah and Grandma Susan both really enjoyed bowling with it, and it was fun to watch. Even Max got in the act by cheering for everyone. Max also really loved Grandma Susan's doggies, and he's now telling every dog he hears "quiet doggies!" Thanks for having us, Mom and Dad, and thanks for all the early Hanukkah presents too!
- The week we got back was pretty chaotic. Work was suddenly very busy, and the kids weren't on the top of their games. Hannah took a tumble off the balance beam in PE and hurt her ankle. The following morning I took her over to Newton-Wellesley Hospital and she got her first set of x-rays and a first ride in a wheelchair (but thankfully, she's fine and fully recovered). Max is letting us know that he's turning two any day now with all new tantrum abilities, and he's had a few good falls resulting in a bruise on his face and a bloody nose while at daycare. But his vocabulary is exploding, and he's recently picked up "latke" "dreidel" and "kiah!" (Chanukiah). I also went to my own doctor as well as physical therapy, so needless to say we were ready for a quieter weekend. Thank goodness that it was!
- Well, quiet except for really getting into the swing of the upcoming Hanukkah and birthday-double-header season. We (mostly) finished shopping for our gifts (thanks to Fillis and John for watching the kids yesterday!), sent out an Evite for Max's birthday brunch, ordered our New Year's cards and are organizing Hannah's party as well. We did the vast majority of our present shopping online this year, so our house has seen a parade of cardboard boxes. I need to start getting things wrapped up - can't believe Hanukkah starts on Friday night!
So that's the big update with us. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying this busy season too!
- Hannah went on her first elementary school field trip to the Jackson Homestead, and is still talking about it, weeks later. She also attended her first kindergarten birthday party, but thankfully it's not the crush of parties that summed up the preschool years.
- Max had his first playdate with a friend from the JCC. We knew they were a bit young for this, but they seemed to enjoy having each other around (even though Max got hit on the head repeatedly, despite being much bigger than the other boy!).
- We did our annual pilgrimage (HA!) to Solon for Thanksgiving. This year's drive was our best ever - the kids held up so well, with less whining than we'd probably have experienced had we just been at home. They also got to ride a carousel on both legs of the trip at two malls in NY. Thanksgiving itself was wonderful, with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Hal, Uncle Ryan and his girlfriend Allison, Allison's parents Barb and Jim, and my Aunt Debbie. It was wonderful getting to spend time with everyone, and special thanks to Ryan for bringing along his Wii. Hannah and Grandma Susan both really enjoyed bowling with it, and it was fun to watch. Even Max got in the act by cheering for everyone. Max also really loved Grandma Susan's doggies, and he's now telling every dog he hears "quiet doggies!" Thanks for having us, Mom and Dad, and thanks for all the early Hanukkah presents too!
- The week we got back was pretty chaotic. Work was suddenly very busy, and the kids weren't on the top of their games. Hannah took a tumble off the balance beam in PE and hurt her ankle. The following morning I took her over to Newton-Wellesley Hospital and she got her first set of x-rays and a first ride in a wheelchair (but thankfully, she's fine and fully recovered). Max is letting us know that he's turning two any day now with all new tantrum abilities, and he's had a few good falls resulting in a bruise on his face and a bloody nose while at daycare. But his vocabulary is exploding, and he's recently picked up "latke" "dreidel" and "kiah!" (Chanukiah). I also went to my own doctor as well as physical therapy, so needless to say we were ready for a quieter weekend. Thank goodness that it was!
- Well, quiet except for really getting into the swing of the upcoming Hanukkah and birthday-double-header season. We (mostly) finished shopping for our gifts (thanks to Fillis and John for watching the kids yesterday!), sent out an Evite for Max's birthday brunch, ordered our New Year's cards and are organizing Hannah's party as well. We did the vast majority of our present shopping online this year, so our house has seen a parade of cardboard boxes. I need to start getting things wrapped up - can't believe Hanukkah starts on Friday night!
So that's the big update with us. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying this busy season too!
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