July? Really?

The last time I blogged was July? Well, much to catch up on then, isn't there?! We are happily back in school now after all the Jewish Holidays (and after a fantastic summer of camp and a super awesome LA vacation) and off on all the exciting adventures that THIRD grade and KINDERGARTEN will G-d willing bring. Little tiny baby Aaron/Aharon (sigh, long story, but if you care to voice an opinion as to the spelling of the cutie's name (henceforth to be referred to as AY) please do so in the comments section!) is now 9 1/2 months old. He crawls like crazy baby, climbs in and on everything, but does not yet sit without toppling over after a while. I was worried enough to call early intervention, but since he is not delayed in any other area, and since technically he CAN sit for a while, he did not qualify, though I am thinking of just going private. He has one little tooth and loves to eat- I can't believe he is already at the eating cheerios stage (and that I am in the finding little cheerios all around the house stage) and is happiest "playing" with other babies. I just scheduled his one year well visit for December...and THAT is just plain crazy.

The big brother continues to keep us all in stitches. Over the holidays I asked him if had gotten a lollypop at Shul and he said no, I just had zero. I said, what's a zero (assuming it was some sort of fancy candy) and he looked at me like I was crazy and said "A number, Mommy!" Heh.

Yaakov loves Kindergarten, loves his teachers and is slowly making new friends. He is still not with his "best friend in the whole universe" and finds that very hard, but is learning a ton. We read a book before bed tonight about math grouping and he really got the concept (3 groups of 10 and 1 left over is 31...just like Mommy!) which surprised and thrilled me. I always compare him (I know, I know) to Amira and assume he will just be behind her, but I think I need to stop assuming.

Amira loves third grade. I love that when I tell stranger that I have a daughter in third grade they all tell me I don't look anywhere near old enough to have a child that old. I certainly don't feel old enough to have a child that age or to be parenting one, either. Her teachers are fantastic, she transitioned beautifully and when I had a whole talk with one of her teachers about how in every previous year it has taken a while for her to warm up and be able to participate, she looked at me with surprise and said that Amira was eagerly participating from the first day!

Hopefully I will be able to get back into blogging more regularly, now that we are back in a routine!

Hearing vs. Listening

I cannot believe we are already halfway through the summer. I am not ready to start buying school supplies and it drives me crazy that the displays are already out in full force. Why can't we just enjoy what we are currently doing? Currently, the kids are very much enjoying summer camp, and I am enjoying the more relaxed summer schedule- later bed times, no homework. We are very excited about our two trips that we will be taking in August- first to MA to celebrate my Grandfather's birthdays (85 and 90, Ka"H!) and see my brother, sister in law, nephew and brand new niece who are in from Israel and enjoy being with my large and wonderful family to celebrate happy things. Then we are off for our LA Trip to see the other side of the family! In the meantime, Amira lost her second tooth (on her own, no dentist pulling!), learned to swim the crawl, and is practising her part in the camp's production of "Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat!" Aaron started eating food (doesn't love it yet), still has no teeth and doesn't sit or sleep unless he's being held, but started to creep across the floor and gets up on all fours and delights friends and strangers alike with his huge smile.

And Yaakov had the big 5 year old Karate party and it was a blast for all of us! And now, the story that inspired the title:

At camp after swim, Yaakov's bunk was changing from swimsuits to clothing, but Yaakov was running in circles naked. His counselor called him a couple of times and he didn't listen and she went over to him and said "Yaakov, I was calling you, did you hear me?" And he answered "I heard you, I just didn't want to listen."

Oy.

When I was little

The scene:
Pre Tisha B'av Fast, sitting on the floor eating our sad little meal.
Yaakov looks at us and says, in all seriousness:
"Abba, did you know that when I was little, Gatorade wasn't even Kosher?"

It's a good thing we were already sitting on the floor, and not exactly the proper mind set to go into such a serious day with, not to mention that I had already drank 3 liters of water...
Gatorade did in fact become Kosher within the last couple months (when Yaakov was little) and Yehuda and I drank some (not so much my taste, too sugary) in preparation for the fast, and Yaakov was thrilled to partake.

The Five Year Old

Some quotes from the five year old:

How do Mommy's know EVERYTHING? (We just do.)
I wish five year olds were really big- bigger than their Mommy's. Why can't we first be big and THEN get little? (Because then it would be really hard to carry you around)

I think I burped my orange juice. (Um, thanks for sharing)

I wish I could be a baby with Aaron. Then we could wear matching clothes every day and be really cute. (You are really cute and you are wearing matching clothing today!)

Me: Go find your sister, she will build the legos with you.

Yaakov: No she won't, she's just a really grump today. (True...)

The birthday celebration continues with the birthday party next Sunday, G-d willing. In the meantime, here is the birthday boy doing what he does best and the baby "russling" on the ground with Yaakov and his best friend (who happened to be wearing the same outfit that day)

Summer Birthdays=A lot of parties

Yaakov will be 5 tomorrow. And in honor of this momentous occasion (one year closer to 13!) he will have an equal number of parties to celebrate. First there was the "summer birthday party" in school, for all those who are unlucky (or lucky? I'm going to go with lucky since poor Amira only had the one measely celebration this year) enough to have their birthdays not fall out during the school year, where we celebrated with ice cream and balloons. Then, his Hebrew birthday celebrated with family. Next, he will have his camp birthday party tomorrow, where we will celebrate with cupcakes and warm apple juice. Then we will have a block birthday cake party tomorrow night, followed by his choice of dinner (I'm curious to see what that will be!) Then, his real (as in, a birthday is not real to a 5 year old unless the actual party has been held) birthday party (A Karate party, pictures will absolutely follow) later in July. So, yes, five celebrations. And what does the birthday boy wish for his birthday:
A BIG Lego set. A really, really big one. (Anyone surprised?)

And then, he asks:
Mommy, when can I get an iPod?
Me: (distracted) Um, I don't know?
Yaakov: How about when I am six. Or Thirteen.

Summer!

The big ones are off to Day Camp! Amira was up, dressed, hair done, shoes on, bed made at 6:30 this morning, that's how excited she was! Yaakov is really thrilled to be going to "Big Kid Camp with a Real Pool" and Aaron and I are enjoying a clean, quiet house, though I kind of wish I could go to camp and swim and play all day long, too!

Here is a poem that Amira wrote for her last school assignment about the end of school that I just love: (As always, spelling, punctuation and grammar are all as she wrote it!)

My School Year

My school year was so much fun,

There was always fun for everyone.

I'm sure the teachers enjoyed it, too.

I always liked to play with you.

I'm sad to fade,

From second grade.

I think the teachers will miss me.

Because everyday the teachers I was very glad to see!

Both Amira and Yaakov accomplished so much this year. I am excited for them to have wonderful and fun summers and to see all that they accomplish in Kindergarten and Third Grade!

Here are some happy summer pictures, hopefully more to come!

(Ephraim didn't want to sit for the group picture, so here's a cute one of him!)

Well...that didn't last long

Must go back and read last night's post post haste...Yaakov decided to take a pair of scissors (you can all see where this is headed, right? Get it? Headed?) and gave himself a trim.
Which lead to a very stern talking to in front of his sister and cousins, all of whom were silent, then began to discuss how they had all given themselves hair cuts as well. Amira at age 3, in the bathroom one Shabbos lunch, cut her (very fine and thin) hair to the scalp and then again, in first grade decided to give herself bangs. Ahuva, also at age 3, and Chezzie, well- his hair still shows his handiwork.
Thankfully Aaron is too small and too bald to attempt such a thing, but oy, this thing seems to be genetic.
The 5 bigger ones are in the basement playing Star Wars (I wonder if that, too, is genetic?) and I am hiding with the small naturally bald one, very grateful that camp starts tomorrow.