Clearing off the camera - aka smiles galore

From last month - Round Table Pizza play room glory.

Horsie rides!  

(Jonathan's been going to the gym three times a week to work out; after this 20-minute wrestling/riding session, he told me, "That counts as my fourth gym day!")

Reading bedtime stories.

Saying hi.

More sandbox time.

Inspecting the Shabbat candles (note that he told us he wanted to wear a kippah, and then he ran right over to pick the color he wanted).

My day on "West Wing"

On Thursday I spent a fabulous day at the CA state capitol as a member of a group called Reform CA, lobbying various Senators and Assembly Members on behalf of passing the TRUST Act.

To quote from my senior rabbis' FB page (because she said it better than I could):

"I was so proud to be part of a coalition of Reform movement leaders from across our state to speak in a united voice in defense of the Trust Act.  Reform CA includes over 120 Reform Rabbis representing congregations and institutions. In honor of our ancestors who were sometimes forced to immigrate, and sometimes chose to immigrate, always looking for a better life for their children, and their children's children, we stand with our immigrant brothers and sisters and support fair and comprehensive immigration reform."

Reform CA on the Senate floor.  I'm in the first standing row, middle left.

 After our talk with Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.

It was a great day, full of meeting new people, learning how to be a lobbyist, and feeling like I was a part of a greater whole.  I left feeling so patriotic about our governmental system - we can all make a difference!

Haircuts - much, much shorter for all of us

Park playdate

Xander's in the red shirt, Ari in the brown.  Very excited to run down the street at a friend's house to the nearby park.

Checking out the visiting dog.

Climbing the play structure.

"I did it!" he says.

Riding his duck very contentedly.

Both boys having a blast.

Yesterday was the last day of religious school!

I survived my first year!  And it went very well, if I may say so myself. :)

After naptime yesterday, Jonathan and Xander headed south on a train (emphasis due to Xander's extreme excitement) to go to Fresno to see Jonathan's mom for a couple days.  They'll come back up by way of car/trailer truck, bringing us a new bedframe.  In the meantime, Ari and I have been having a ball.  I'd forgotten what it was like to have just a toddler in the house!  I miss the big boys (husband included) like crazy, but it's really sweet having Ari all myself.

This also means I have time to download all the pictures on our camera.  Expect picture posts in the near future!

Surreality (is that a word?) of Shavuot

Shavuot is the Jewish holiday celebrating the day when God gave Moses and the Israelites the Torah and the 10 Commandments.

It's also commonly the day when 10th graders have their Confirmation ceremony.

An hour before that ceremony, each 10th grader took a picture flanked by me, the senior rabbi, and the cantor.  They lined up in a long row and the photographer called "Next!" after each picture.  It took over half an hour for the entire class of 15 Confirmation students - my face started to hurt halfway through from smiling so much on cue.

What was so odd was that the last time I was in a photo session like that, I was the student.  I more than vividly remember standing in line before Ordination last June, waiting to have my picture taken with the HUC-JIR president, Rabbi David Ellenson.

Crazy to think that in less than a year I went from the picture-taker-in-line, to the picture-taker-in-the-white-robe-who-waits-while-everyone-else-rotates.

Amazing what an ordination can do. :)

This made my day

You all remember that back in Cincinnati, I worked as a private researcher for the American Jewish Archives?  Well, one of the projects I worked on was about Jews during the Gold Rush era in San Francisco, for a movie producer.

The documentary's now finished.

I contacted the woman I worked with, and guess what?  She'll do a private screening for our temple, for free, in thanks for me helping the movie get made!

People are so nice. :)