Where is the Mom?

A couple of nights ago I spent 45 minutes in intense discussion with Amira regarding strikes, picket lines, factory worker's rights, factory owner ethics and the mechanics of health insurance and other benefits received in addition to salary. And it is moments like these where I sometimes find myself wondering: "where is the Mom?"
Other such moments; in the midst of a battle of wills between one of my children and myself as I find myself on the losing end, with my temper flaring and my objectivity non existent...."Where is the mom, and why can't she get her kid to behave??"
Also- anything involving throw up or large amounts of blood. "Where is the mom" is generally followed very closely by: YEHUDA!!!!!!!!
Well, the throw up and blood I am learning to handle, mostly. My kids know from a very early age that "throw up makes Mommy nervous" and thankfully as they have grown older, their aim has improved. And I am really trying not to hover nervously as my kids run and jump and ride and just let them learn and explore while I grit my teeth and close one eye nervously at close calls as if that will make any scrapes and falls easier to bear.
But when it comes to knowledge and Amira's prolific reading and both kids inquisitive natures, well, then I find myself wondering when I will ever know as much as my parents always do. Even now I sometimes find myself responding to a question of Amira's, well- I don't know. Let's call Saba and Savta. And they always know. And sometimes we call Yehuda, and sometimes I google, and sometimes, luckily, I can explain.
And those explanations often evolve into these amazing conversations with a little 7 year old girl who loves to learn and to know and finds just about everything fascinating and a little 4 year old boy who may not care about factory worker ethics, or just how a uterus sustains a baby, but can discuss endlessly what the fastest and best car is, the way to properly throw a baseball, and why C3PO and R2D2 are friends.
And those are the parenting moments that truly remind me that I am the Mom. I am the one responsible for everything about them, and while those responsibilities are constantly changing and evolving as they get older and bigger and stronger and smarter, I am evolving and changing and learning more as a Mom, at the same time. And I remind myself that I may not think that I know anything, but my kids think that I know everything. For now.

Happy Birthday little big guy!!!

Yaakov is still not 13, much to his continued chagrin, but now that he is FOUR he is much closer! This morning started out wonderfully with the kids sleeping until 7:10 AM! Happy Birthday to ME!! And there was no fighting, no kvetching, and lots of smiling. A great way to begin any day!

Yaakov happily had us sing every birthday song we know for him, particularly his favorite"numbers one" and yelled along with us "Are you one, are you two, are you....and then he yelled out very happily are you THREE! while Amira and I laughed and continued: are you FOUR! And his face just lit up as he realized he is four now, not 3 and 3/4 anymore!

Four, you see, is VERY big. Four means you can ride a super fast scooter (Thank you Saba and Savta!) down the block with the big kids and keep up. Four means you can ride your bike for 2 miles without getting tired and get ice cream from the ice cream truck at the end. Four means you can race your sister on her 2 wheeler (!!!) and almost win. Four means you can run really fast and jump really high, and take swimming lessons in a really big pool, wearing cool goggles and not be scared at all, even of dunking under the water!

Certain parents of said four year old are wondering, however, if four will finally mean sleeping every night, all night in his own bed...and hope with all our hearts that four means more laughing, more fun, more hugs and kisses and snuggles, more fascinating conversations about rockets that shoot fire and smoke, how airplanes fly, what makes an engine run, which race cars are the fastest and the best, and why battle droids are good or bad (lucky boy that his mother has always loved Star Wars, too!) and how to build a Lego car that is both symmetrical and super fast, among other things.

We hope and pray that our sweet, funny, loving, creative and all around delicious boy continues to grow and develop and learn and love and thoroughly enjoy everything he does, Ad Meah VEsrim. We are so very proud of you, Yaakov.

Amira rides a bike!

Today we took Amira to a parking lot and with the help of my friend she learned to ride a 2 wheeler all by herself! She started out nervous (which is exactly why she hasn't been taught until this point- the combination of nervous child plus 2 nervous parents apparently equals not learning to ride a bike, and why we brought my un-nervous and well practised at 2 wheel teaching friend), but quickly gained confidence and by the end of the hour she was even starting by herself and can ride perfectly! (see videos below) We are, of course, extremely proud and excited but more importantly- she is so proud of herself! What a great day! And Yaakov is riding his training wheel bike really well now, too! My friend and I took Yaakov and her almost 4 year old son (Yaakov's best friend) to a bike path a couple times this week, and they very easily biked a mile plus, while we jogged along behind them! And maybe next summer, the (less now? Eh, probably not) nervous parents will be able to teach a clearly not-nervous son how to ride his 2 wheeler!