We are suckers

Bedtime rituals begin at 7pm.

Lights out is at 7:30.

Occasionally if we're running late, it's closer to 7:45. But usually, we're pretty good about it.

Until a few nights ago when we were reading The Periodic Table: Elements with Style.  

Lights out was extended til 8.

Neither Jonathan nor I could stop reading.  It's so hard to put your foot down when children insist plaintively, "Just one more element!"

Transition begins

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Chili face

Bedtime, in its myriad of forms

Connor loves climbing up to Xander's top bunk.  We have to pull him down almost nightly.

Hugs post-bath, pre-bed.

Passed out post-night meeting.

Xander reading to Ari.

 Osher taking advantage.

Overwhelmed

The City of Coral Springs just emailed me with a lovely invitation to give the invocation at one of their Council meetings when I arrive in town.

It's April.

I was flabbergasted.

And then I realized... it's not that crazy.  We move in six weeks.

You just gotta laugh

The epitome of humor lately in our house is to put a whoopee cushion under someone and wait for the noise.

Jonathan and I have "accidentally" sat on a whoopee cushion countless times now.

The boys think it's hilarious.

We've been cracking up ourselves too... who knew that with a few flatulence noises, a child can literally fall over laughing?

The many moods of Connor

Ecstatic toddler.  Note that this was taken during a horrific thunderstorm.  Xander used to be terrified of the lightning sounds, but not Connor; "I have never-ending cheese," he's thinking, "so all is right with the world."

Livid toddler.  "How DARE you take away the cell phone I wanted to play with!!  Yes, YOU!!"

Content toddler.  "On Daddy's lap at a birthday party for a friend of my big brother's... all is well, but man, my gums hurt."

Technological toddler.  "I bet if I grab the remote off the kitchen table, and open up the laptop resting on the couch, I'll be just like a grown-up!"

Sneaky toddler.  "When Mommy leaves her desk momentarily, I'll climb up on her chair and call China on her phone!  I wonder if she'll mind..."

Feeling wonderful

"I have the best view every weekday morning," says Jonathan.

Creativity at work

#dying

In case you're unaware of this awesome-ness, this is Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti at the International Space Station.  She's wearing a Star Trek: Voyager uniform, the type worn by Captain Janeway.

One of Janeway's most oft-quoted lines is from an episode entitled "The Cloud" where the ship was running low on replicator power and Janeway was denied her morning caffeine.  In quest of an alternate power supply, she directs the pilot with the following words: "Set a new course... there's coffee in that nebula."

When this picture was taken, the SpaceX Dragon freighter had just arrived at the ISS with new supplies, among them a special espresso maker designed specifically for making coffee in space.

So Captain (yes, that's her real rank in the Italian Air Force) Cristoforetti's caption to her Instagram photo?

"There's coffee in that nebula"... ehm, I mean... in that #Dragon.

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This woman went to Space Camp, can quote Janeway, and brought a Star Trek uniform into space.  I realize that I'm straight.  And married.  And have no chance of ever meeting her in person.

But OMG I think I'm in love. :)

Hogwarts sorting

When my mom was here, we watched the first Harry Potter movie with the kids.  Ari's too young for it, but Xander loved it.

I started reading him the book.  We're on page 85.  He keeps asking for more.

And in honor of the series, we "sorted" our family.

Me: Slytherin.  I like schmoozing with people, and politics, and I'm ambitious.  (But no, I'm not turning evil anytime soon!)

Jonathan: Hufflepuff.  He's loyal as the day is long, and loves his family to the end of the earth.

Xander: Ravenclaw.  He has a sense of curiosity and always wants to learn.

Ari: Gryffindor.  The boy has no fear, he'll try anything and stand up to anyone.  Bravery and recklessness are a fine line.

Connor: Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, the jury's still out.  He's very smart and is a problem-solver, but he's also a major cuddler.

We're a magical family, what can I say? :)

Toddler at the mall

Connor was so delighted with his car, he and Bubby kept having conversations about it.

Driving at 16 months - I'll just know that I'll blink and it'll be 16 years.

Coloring at the food court.  I can't remember when I started carrying crayons in my purse...

OMG OMG OMG I love the car!  I love crayons!  I love Mommy and Bubby!  The mall is AWESOME!

Weekend days with Mom

Xander drinking a mango smoothie out of his eyeglasses straw, while Connor stares in confusion.

Ari making "vroom vroom" sounds with the toy cars.

Excitedly choosing which strawberries and raspberries they would like in their bowls.

How I spend the majority of my Passovers: slathering matzah with cream cheese and jam.

Snugglin' ain't just for kids!

Day at the park

Mom's selfie with a passed-out Connor.

Later that day... Xander climbing.

Continuing from one to the next.

"Hi, Mom!"

Ari a little wary of climbing up.

This isn't the best picture, but it shows X helping his brother climb up.

Joy mid-flight on the swings.

He got almost 7 feet high!

Mom's first day with us last week

When she arrived, we went to a celebratory breakfast at IHOP.  "Buh buh buh!" says Connor.

Where's Xander?!  He seems to have disappeared....

Found both of them in the IHOP parking lot!

Then back home... Ari's explaining to Mom how his truck works.  The engine is fascinating.

Telling her all about how he's going to play with the rocks.

I believe this was the point in time where he told me to go back in the house, that he was having special time with Bubby.  I like how the rocks and leaves are laid out so specifically, not touching, in the bed of the truck... also, that he obviously talks with his hands, like I do. :)

Both boys having parallel play while we watch.

Graffiti... from Pompeii

So I found this site about Pompeii online, it looks genuine at first glance.  A Classics professor, Dr. Brian Harvey, at Kent State supposedly put this page together.  And it's awesome. 

Click here for some NSFW graffiti from ancient times.  

People are the same, in every generation.  Nothing changes but the context!

How do these things happen?

I happened to glance upward last night after the kids were in bed, and lo, there was a green sticky hand on the ceiling.  

Jonathan and I truly have no idea how long it's been up there.

Growth spurts

Text from Jonathan after dropping the boys off at school:


Xander and Ari ate an entire carton of yogurt this morning.  I opened it, they emptied it.

Does not bode well for our future grocery bills.

Serious wisdom from Calvin & Hobbes

You know you're a mom when...

You're up with a teething toddler from 4-5am, rocking and singing and hoping that the molar pushes through quickly.

And then when the kid finally falls deeply asleep you're wide awake staring at the ceiling.

So at 5:30am you find yourself in the kitchen humming "Lullaby and Goodnight" to yourself as you slather cream cheese on matzah to put in your older children's lunchboxes.

Cuz... you're up, so why not?!

New bike

My father and Jonathan's mother both gave us some money to get a gift for Ari's birthday.  We combined it and bought him a new bicycle.  He'd grown out of his tricycle and really wanted one like Xander's. And he was SOOO excited!!

We then put Connor on Ari's old trike, and he was so happy he clapped!  I walked to the park and back with Ari, then around the block, pushing Connor in the stroller next to him, and man, I need to get a running stroller!  That kid can jet!

If you ask where Xander was... my dad had said to get the other kids something as well, so while Connor got a big bouncy ball, we picked "Connect 4" for the eldest.  And he was so excited by his gift, he stayed home with Jonathan to play while I ran myself ragged with our new bike rider.

Ari with his new Captain America bike and helmet.

Connor trying out "his" new trike.

Today I taught Torah study and then after services, joined the family at FairyTale Town.  Ari fell asleep on the way home, so Xander and I had some Connect 4 time.  After everyone woke up we went back to the bike path....  Xander rode his scooter, Connor pretended to steer the trike, and Captain America Ari had a huge grin on his face all afternoon.  Now they are off to get pizza for our break-the-Pesach meal and I'm sitting here blogging... a good day. :)

Chastisement, movies, and hats

1) Jonathan is on the phone ending his call to a customer service rep, watching the older boys playing with the water table and pouring water on Connor:

"What?  No! Why are you doing that?  What? NO!  The baby is NOT the enemy!  He is a baby!  And he has nowhere to go!"

Customer service rep: "Thank you for choosing Sprint as your carrier, sir.  And you just keep on being the great dad you are!"



2) Lucy is a fascinating, thought-provoking movie.  I won't tell you any more because I don't want to give spoilers, but go into it knowing that the premise is false, and then just enjoy.



3) Firehouse Subs is a fun restaurant.  You get to be a firefighter!

Brilliant frustration

Xander was drawing on paper, with stencils, on the kitchen table.  Unbenownst to us, his writing implement was a silver Sharpie.

He left the table.

Connor climbed up on his chair and copied his brother: drawing within the stencil, with the silver Sharpie, on the table.

Only problem is, he forgot the paper part.

Our table is now covered in silver Sharpie.

Thankfully, it comes out with rubbing alcohol.  15 minutes of hard elbow grease later, the table was back to itself.  Xander helped in the cleaning process, as he was the one who had left everything out.

It's always a hard sell when a kid did something so properly but does just one thing wrong that messes the whole thing up, as Connor did with the Sharpie.  It's like Ari's independence in solving his own issue of wanting food and going in the pantry to eat candy. You're proud and annoyed at the same time.

'Tis the story of my life! :)

Time flies by, it really does

My phone was having major software glitches, so we took it to the Sprint store and rebooted the whole thing.  I wanted a new picture to put as my Lock Screen.  My old pic was Ari.

I was in the car with Connor, so took a few of him.

I love his expression, but it's a bit dark.

My new lock screen. 

I look at those pics and think, that's the baby?!  And then it hits me... I just gave away my nursing pump, all the bottles, and the bottle warmer to my midwives, who I'm sure can find a use for it.  It's the first time I've been without a pump for 7 years!  How did I get an eldest child who does multiplication, a middle child who needs a bigger bike, and a babbling, running toddler?