Chag Pesach sameach (Happy Passover)

Seder table for 7 kids under 7 (2 under 2), and 3 adults.

Place setting.  Everyone had frogs and finger puppets.

Kid seder plate and spring flowers.

Judaism can be kind of macabre: 10 plagues masks

(Pictures of charoset bar to come when I get them from a friend's camera)

It went very well, if I may say so myself.  Mom stayed in the kitchen and made the food, I led seder, and we only had one (albeit huge) white grape juice spill.  Chana made brisket, Caryn made tzimmes and noodle kugel.   We added kid-friendly food and all was well.  

And oh yes, PSA: Clorox 2 Stain Remover and Clorox Booster eliminates grape juice stains beautifully!

#GeekChild

Xander was going around singing "duh, duh, duh, duh duh duh, duh duh duh!"

I told him, "Hey, it's the Imperial March!  I like your song."

He responded very kindly and thoughtfully (no sarcasm), "Actually, Mom, it's Darth Vader's theme song.  The Imperial March is this [sings the proper tune].  But I'm glad you like it."

I think I saw Jonathan wipe away a tear of joy. ;)

Ari's 4th birthday!

Life is just too busy, we couldn't handle hosting a party at home.  So we went to Chuck-E-Cheese.  8 adults, 9 kids. No prep. It was awesome.

All decked out in cape and mask.

Ari with his best buds Gavin, Wesley, and Ava.  Sloane was out of town.

Dancing with Chuck-E-Cheese

Discussing the merits of the "catch a ticket" machine (forget what it's really called)

Xander went in to help. :)

Avengers cake!

Parents and birthday boy.

Lighting candles.

Making a wish!

Connor never strayed far from Robin all night.

I love it when the two littles play together.

SuperMom, the real me!  

We put the cape on Connor and he ran off to go drive.

Best. car. ever.

You notice there are almost no pictures of Xander.  He's at an age where he and his two friends ran off to go play, they only checked in with the parental units when they needed more tokens.

Oh, and a funny story about gifts: one of the presents was a child-size baseball glove and soft baseball.  After he opened it, Ari exclaimed, excitedly, "Now I can play soccer!" 

I choked, caught between embarrassment and pride.

My husband had no such confusion.  "High-five!" he said to me, and held up his hand.

And the birthday continued two days later....

We had a sitter watch the two other boys and took Ari for private time to his first movie, Home.  The movie was great, and Ari was thrilled with the entire experience.  Red Vines!  Big screen!  Lemonade!  Huge seats!  Cartoons!  Mommy and Daddy!  What's not to love?!

It's scientifically proven... I feel old.

When I picked Xander up from school, he wouldn't stop talking.  The gist of it: he had done an experiment in school regarding the four states of matter.  As he's telling me all about it, I had to pause.  Four states of matter?  Yes, he said matter-of-factly.  Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

Huh, I said.  I feel like a dinosaur.  When I was in school, I only learned about three states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas.  Plasma wasn't in that list.

To be safe, I then went over the planets in the solar system with him. Thank goodness, he included Pluto!

Letter to my new congregation

Also found here on their website.

Letter from Rabbi Loving

Dear Temple Beth Orr Family,                                                  I feel extraordinarily humbled and unbelievably honored to be chosen as your next rabbi. I must express my gratitude to President Steve Feinstein, past-President Harriet Docteroff, Chair of the Rabbinic Search Committee Steve Goren, and the entirety of the Rabbinic Search Committee and Board of Trustees for so ably guiding the process, and for acting as matchmakers in this shidduch. The counsel of Rabbi Mark Gross has and will continue to be invaluable. Thank you to each and every person I have met who has given me a warm hug, shared a joke, and sent me an email or Facebook friend request. Because of you, I truly, already, feel like a part of the TBO community. I am so excited to join you in a few short months and begin our journey together. While I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you in person, for those of you whom I have not yet met (or who need the reminder!) please indulge me in letting me tell you a little about myself. I grew up an only child with two mothers, five cats, and a dog in Long Beach, California, and found my spiritual home at Temple Israel in Long Beach. Every summer from the ages of seven through eighteen, I traveled to Holon, Israel, to spend time with my father and his family, where I ate bamba with my half-siblings and learned to speak Hebrew at Israeli summer camp. I graduated from Whittier College in 2002 with a Bachelor's degree in English and Philosophy and a Women's Studies minor, and after working in HR for four years, earned my Master's in Philosophy from California State University, Long Beach. I came to my life's passion while accompanying my husband, Jonathan, through his conversion process in 2004. As we explored Judaism together, I realized how much our faith and tradition creates meaning in each of our lives, and how through our actions and beliefs we can connect to God and each other in a myriad of ways, both spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. I want to provide the opportunity for everyone, no matter our backgrounds or differences, to embrace our own individual Jewish paths and find our own truth. I cherish teaching Torah because I love to impart the rich values and culture of our heritage, and instill a sense of rootedness in history and l'dor v'dor. We cannot know where we are going unless we know where we have been. When we feel connected to each other, we feel part of a greater whole. Soon after having this epiphany, Jonathan and I moved to Jerusalem for my first year at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and then for the next five years to study in Cincinnati, Ohio. There I interned at the American Jewish Archives and had the privilege of serving as student rabbi to three small congregations in Indiana and Illinois. Following ordination, I came to Congregation B'nai Israel in Sacramento, California as the rabbi-educator. It has been my pleasure to be able to reinvigorate youth engagement and educational programs, lead worship from the bima, be involved in the Reform CA social justice movement, and share simchas and losses with congregants who have become dear friends. What else should you know about me? I adore lasagna, consider myself an avid reader, wore a handmade wizard's cloak to themidnight showing of the 7th Harry Potter movie, and love to write (please see some of my writings at www.rabbiloving.com). My most valued title other than "Rabbi" is "Mommy," as my three children, Xander (short for Alexander), Ari, and Connor make every day a new delight. I am greatly looking forward to having the two youngest attend the Kuhn Early Childhood Center, and I know that you won't judge me for arriving in the morning still singing the theme song to The Octonauts, or for being able to seriously discuss the relative merits of Spiderman's superpowers versus that of Iron Man and Wolverine! As soon as I arrive I want to connect with each of you, to hear your stories and take part in your journeys. TBO is and will continue to be more than a brick-and-mortar building, but is a tapestry of genuine relationships, threaded with laughter and tears and the everyday moments in between. Together, we will find meaning and Jewish relevance in day-to-day life, and ensure that everyone who comes through our doors considers us a second home, and feels accepted and embraced for who they truly are. Todah rabbah for your trust in me, and for your faith. What a marvelous adventure this will be! L'shalom, Rabbi Michal Loving

Such mean parents

We've had a lot of trouble with the boys not liking what we're serving for dinner.

We are not a restaurant. We will not make three meals, one for grown-ups and one each for older children.

New rule: eat it, make something yourself, or go hungry.

Last night, dinner was BBQ beef sandwiches with veggies.

Cue the complaints.

We stuck to our guns.

Xander chose to go without dinner.  Ari got himself yogurt.

Amazingly, both of them ate an excellent breakfast!

A spoon! A spoon! A spoon!

Feeding himself for the first time.  He is SO proud.
The rice was relatively clean... then we tried yogurt. :)