Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Mall trip addendum

Yehuda reminded me the other day that I had forgotten to mention in my mall post about what happened with Yaakov in the bathroom while Amira and I were discussing somewhat obsolete phone technology. After washing Yaakov's hands, Yehuda took Yaakov over to the hand dryer to dry his hands while Yehuda washed his own. Yaakov did not realize that he had to bring his hands very close to the machine to trigger the sensor … in frustration, he started blowing on the hand dryer and it went on! The hand-dryer actually went on because in his effort to blow at it, he brought his hands close enough to trigger the sensor, but he kept blowing because he thought that was how you keep it on!

Anyhow, we are busy with all the last minute shopping and packing and checking off lists that inevitably takes place before a trip! As of tomorrow, we are off for 11 days of fun in the (not unbearably and miserably humid-so-you-can't-breathe and mosquito-ridden-so-you-can't-sleep) sun in LA!

Before we head off, though, we have Amira's end of camp musical/dance production of Wicked, entitled "Which Witch is Which," and which we are all very excited to see!

Only one more day 'til we go to California....California is the place for you and me!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

What's that?

In a first for the Isenberg Family, today all four of us went....to a mall. We have never actually done this as a family, and now, at the end of a long day, I remember why that is (Yaakov's comment "but that wasn't really FUN" being part of it).
We needed a new suitcase for our upcoming (yay!) trip to California (Yay!) on Thursday (Yay!) and so we headed off to the one mall that is somewhat close by and not closed on Sundays (we have blue laws here, and oddly, even though I love to shop, I generally like not being able to shop on Sunday) to find a suitcase and a scale for luggage so that we don't get into overcharge for overweight luggage like we did two years ago.
We found a luggage store pretty quickly, found ourselves a new large rolling duffel, in navy because it was the only not black color they had, and I really wanted Neon Yellow or something like that, but alas, the one time in my life I actually want a bright color, it is not to be. We were able to leave the suitcase in the store while we walked around the mall and saw what there was to see, which was helpful. We found a newly Kosher Certified Rita's in the mall, and joined a whole line of excited Frummies and had some truly yummy Italian Ices and custard, and then of course needed the bathroom. While Amira and I were waiting outside the bathroom for Yehuda and Yaakov, she saw something strange on the wall, and after pondering it for a while, she finally asked me "Mommy, what is that?" After I stopped laughing, and after the three women around us stopped laughing, I answered her "That is called a pay-phone. That is what we used to use before they had such a thing as cell phones." Amira (incredulously) "Saba and Savta didn't have a cell phone when you were a kid?" Me: (as the women around me laugh again) no...cell phones didn't even exist until I was almost finished with high school. Amira (pondering) "wow. So how do those pay phones work?" Now that, I can explain. Ask me how a cell phone actually works, though, and I have no clue.
Speaking of cell phones, we also went to the Verizon store to try and upgrade Yehuda's cell phone to something that would actually let him talk on it, and the lovely sales lady who was helping us was named She-Ra. And as we shmoozed about our shared name, I realized that we had met before and asked her if she used to work at the Paramus store and she said "Yes- and I remember you, too! You bought a blackberry and were very reluctant about it!" I couldn't believe she remembered that and told her that I absolutely love the blackberry now!
Yehuda did not find a phone, because the one he liked the best was one of those flip phones, but when you flipped it open, it was purple, and we decided (him somewhat reluctantly) that it was a little too teeny-bopper for him.
And now, for the Sendors amongst us, I will end with the following:

(Music Notes) Only 4 more days 'til we go to California, California is the place for you and me! You see, there's lots of fun, things to do, places to go, pools to swim in, too. Can't wait 'til we go to California...CALIFORNIA! (Music Notes) (I know there is another paragraph, and that of course Atara remembers it, but alas, I do not.)

We leave Thursday for 11 days of fun in the sun with the West-Coast Family and friends and are super-duper excited!!!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

How they grow

Yaakov had his official 4 year old checkup with the pediatrician on Friday. He is now 39 1/2 inches tall (which means that instead of his regular 25% on the chart, he is now at a whopping 35%! Yes! Only short instead of shrimpy!) and 30 lbs, so yay for Yaakov!
The pediatrician always asks my kids what he is going to find when he looks in their ears, and this year he asked Yaakov "Am I going to find Bob the Builder in there?" and Yaakov looked disdainfully at him (like, um, dude, Bob the Builder is SO three years old!) and said with a completely straight face "no, but you might find Anakin Skywalker and his blue Light Saver in there" (he still insists it is a light Saver and that Boba Fett is pronounced Bubba Fett, no matter what I tell him!) and turned his head so that the pediatrician, who almost fell over laughing, could take a look in his ear.
The way their minds work really just fascinates me. Yaakov always loves to run and jump on me to cuddle, and now I have to remind him not to jump on my tummy, since there is a baby growing in there. On Shabbos, he ran and jumped on my lap and then quickly jumped right off with a stricken look on his face and said "Mommy, I have to say sorry to the baby because I jumped on your legs and that could hurt the baby's legs!" I told him, "no Yaakov, the baby's legs are also in my tummy, not in my legs." And with a very confused look on his face, he said "the baby has no legs?" I said "No!....G-d forbid! The baby is just very tiny and curled up in my tummy. And he looked even more confused and said, "but I thought that when you will go to the hospital so the doctor can take the baby out, he would put the pieces all together?" And laughing so hard I could barely breathe, I explained that really, the baby just comes out in one piece, please G-d, and it's not like Legos that you have to put together!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Birthday Party and Sushi

Before I get to the important part of this post: The Birthday Party, I just have to share my excitement and surprise that when the four of us were deciding what kind of take out we wanted for dinner tonight, post birthday party, Amira suggested and Yaakov quickly seconded: Sushi.

Yaakov has loved Sushi since the first time he tried it, probably 2 and a 1/2 years ago, but Amira generally will absolutely.not.under.any.circumstances ever try anything new. A couple of months ago she begrudgingly tried a piece of grilled salmon sushi when Saba and Savta came to visit and actually liked it, and so we ordered tonight from our favorite Teaneck Restaurant: Sushi Metsuyan, and the meal truly was metsuyan (excellent!) for all of us! Amira even tried the picked ginger and decided that it made the Sushi even more delicious!! Gasp!

Next up, we try to convince Amira that fruit actually tastes good.

Anyhow, the main event of the day: The Birthday Party!

Yaakov's best friend (in the whole world since the minute they were both born 3 weeks apart, four years ago) lives 2 houses away from us, and luckily for us parents, they love sharing a birthday party. When we asked the boys what they wanted for the party this year, their only requirement was that it be a pajama party. So an afternoon party with 30 kids in pajamas it was, and boy was it fun! This year we hired a local, highly recommended teen aged magician who was just amazing! He kept the kids (all 30 of them!) riveted and laughing for an entire hour!



In fact, Amira and Yaakov were so impressed with the Magician's tricks that before bed they tried to replicate one of the tricks using a blank coloring book and saying the magic words: "Happy Birthday Tzvi and Yaakov" over it and were both perplexed and disappointed when the blank pages did not fill with pictures as the magician's had!

One of the guests father's laughingly commented to us that birthday parties are like Yom Kippur- at the end of the day you are happy it's over and that you don't have to do it again for another year.