Hanukkah Celebration #2

We celebrated one of the 8 Hanukkah nights with the Schwartz's and the McGinnis'. Ella's daddy Jeff was home recovery from major hip suregery so we set up the Latka frying pan right in their kitchen and went to town.

We ate freshly fried up latka's, Beef Tips from The Meat House, Cous Cous Salad and Roasted Veggies from Dean & Deluca.

While daddy was cooking Ella and Asher opened presents and played

Always time for a cute shot with mommy in our Hanukkah sweater

Jeff & Naomi (Ella's parents)

Hanukkah Tea Party!

Lighting the candles all together

Hands full!

Dancing to Yo Gabba Gabba

Eating Cookies and watching Yo Gabba Gabba ( we are good parents, I promise)

Asher: Let's get a little closer...

Ella: Uh, dude...get off me!

Ella: Seriously, what are you thinking? I am a lady!

Asher: Awww Yeah, this is what its all about. Me and my lady!

Ella: He can't be serious!?!? He is sitting on me!

Ella: Enough is Enough....I'm outta here!

Asher: Dissed...Well at least I still have my cookie!

Now its time for Party on the Bed!

Jumpin on the bed!

Ready for the tub?

Soap hawks!

Hanukkah party = party in the tub!

Until the lil guy starts splashing!

Thanks to the McGinnis' and Schwartz for another wonderful night of Hanukkah fun!

Not only did we have fun but I think the kids had a blast!

Hanukkah Celebration #1

On the 2nd night of Hannukah we celebrated with our Charlotte Family. We opened all of the presents that had arrived from near and far and family all over the country. Philip cooked up loads of latkes in the garage and everyone brought a different side dish (all dairy salads) to eat.

(I cant locate any of the food photos...which were awesome, and the reason for my delay in posting, ugh, double ugh)

Here is what was served:

Bried with Red Raspberry Preserved Wrapped in Phyllo and Served Warm with Water Crackers, Sun Dried Tomato, Pesto and Goat Cheese Torta with Whole Wheat Crackers (this recipe came from our Wedding Cookbook my parents gave us almost 5 yrs ago!), Fresh Veggies with Hummus, Deviled Eggs, Hot and Crispy Potato Latkes, Egg Salad, Tuna Salad and Chicken Salad, Fresh Rye Bread, Bagels and a beautiful Star of David Chocolate Chip Pound Cake for dessert.

It was Deeeeeeelicious.

After dinner we all gathered around the menorah's to light the candles.

Asher is OBSESSED with lighting the candles. It sits so still and watches, gazes and grins. Its truly a special moment. He can say "latka" and "hanna" which means Hannukah. We are proud parents. He enjoys putting the unlit candles into their proper place on the menorah.

Amanda joined us for our family celebration (which was such a wonderful treat since we consider her part of our family). She snapped this super family photos for us:

After we lit the menorah's we spread out in the family room to unwrap the massive amounts of presents. Asher had no problem jumping in... literally, to start unwrapping.

he was all business...amazing what only 6 months can do when it comes to unwrapping gifts!

Playing with his puzzle from Amanda

The Hanukkah Beards

Asher hopping on his new Tricycle!

I think I need to grow into this mom!

Asher's new Lion Menorah for 2011. Each year we get a new menorah. This year we happened to get 2. Philip bought me a limited edition Rosenthal Menorah that is 1 of 150 made. Its gorgeous. Softa also bought Asher this beautiful Lion that looks more like a piece of art than a menorah. We now have over 17 menorahs!

Nana and Poppy bought Asher this AWESOME Water Play Table that is being housed in our kitchen and is played with daily. Amanda put it together the next day and Asher loves it. Once it warms up in the Spring this will be an awesome outdoor toy.

Asher's first golf set!

We could not be more thankful for all of the wonderful gifts Asher received this Hanukkah. I truly believe he was able to enjoy the celebration of Hanukkah to its fullest and we were so full of love watching him soak it all up!

18 months old!

Today was Asher's 18 month check up.

Dr Matt said is growing up too fast. We agreed.

The stats:

Weight: 26 lbs 6 oz. - 50.75th %tile

Height 32 3/4 inches - 50th %tile

Head: 18 1/2 inches or 19 or 20 1/2 inches depending upon who measured it. Ranging from 25th%tile to 75th %tile...but who cares anyway?

Asher has clearly leveled out. He only gained 1/2 lb from 3 months ago and grew a little over an inch. You can now see his ribs when he sucks in his tummy (which reminds me way too much of how skinny I was as a child and how my ribs stuck out).

A far as sippy cup progress we got a gold star.

We got a smack on the head for giving him peanut butter....but can't take the blame for it because I was pressured into it.

Dr Matt did a full exam on Asher. Lately he has been congested but we figured... whatever, he is fine, he picks up germs at music, my gym etc. He will be fine.

Well. um. Parenting fail.

First he checked his heart, then he checked his tummy, next he checked his ears. First ear he said looked inflamed and he started probing us. Second ear was worse.

The verdict. Double Ear Infection. Ekkkk.

We had no clue? He wasnt tugging on them constantly (or anymore than when he is teething). He wasn't running a noticeably higher than normal fever or body temp and he wasnt a super crank. What a trooper of a kid. Needless to say he is now on antibiotics. Poor little man!

Asher is still sleeping 12 hours a night getting up around 7 am. Asher still drinks milk 3 times a day (once when you get up, once around lunch before nap and then another before bed). He dropped his 2nd nap somewhere in the past 6 months and now naps 2- 3 1/2 hours starting at 12:30 each day. Asher is independent. He loves to play alone, but makes it clear when he wants someone there to play with him. His vocaublary is getting bigger by the day. He now likes to repeat things you say. He can say his name very clearly when prompted to say his name.

There are so many more things he does that are new....but parenting and working full time is stressful so this mom is going to get some rest.

Hanukkah Decor

This year we pulled out all of the stops and decorated the entire interior and exterior of our house in celebration of the festival of lights, aka. Hanukkah.

Philip built a 4 ft tall electric menorah over Thanksgiving break.

I will spare you the details...but I had to intervene on a project I really wanted nothing to do with from its inception. He wanted to use flood spotlights for each flame. It was beyond Ghetto looking. Thanks to pvc pipe and large lights on a string we were able to accomplish the candle effect.

The mantle lit with Hanukkah lights and adorned with several of our 16+menorahs (we are pieces of art in our home year round)

Our Hanukkah banner covered in sparkles (which this photo didn't capture, ugh)

Target rocks...they are selling this awesome Hanukkah placement that you can rotate each night to reveal another flame on the menorah. Love it.

2010 must have Hanukkah decor.

When you enter the house this is what you see.

Menorah's, piles of wrapped gifts (which tripled in size after this photo) and family photos

The front door greet you with the Hanukkah wreath I made

Two electric menorah's in the windows light up the front of the house

It is a tradition to put your menorah in the window for all to see.

History on why we put menorah's in the window:

The ideal place for the menorah—where it was placed it in Talmudic times—is at the front door of the home facing the street. However, the harsh realities the diaspora, Both sociopolitical and meteorological, forced the menorah indoors, and the custom developed in some communities to put it on the window sill instead. A number of reasons have been suggested throughout the years for persisting to keep the menorah in a doorway. One factor may be that the Talmud describes the mezuzah on the right side and the menorah on the left side, surrounding us with mitzvahs. Many chassidic discources expound on the significance of this layout—which cannot be achieved in the window.

The star of david wreath's that I added rope lighting to, adorn each side of the garage

History on Hanukkah: Kindling Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) lights is the most important Hanukkah custom. Jews light Hanukkah candles to remember the miracle of the Maccabees' victory and the miracle of the oil that burnt for eight days in the holy Temple. It is a mitzvah (commandment from God) that Jews "publicize the miracle" by lighting a Hanukkah Menorah (also called a Chanukiah) each night during the eight days of Hanukkah (Judaism.com)

My baby boy

You are my baby. You will always be my very first born.

I shared a moment with you this week that I will never forget.

It was one of those moments I truly feel I had waited my entire life to experience.

It might sound ridiculous to any other mom, but for me it meant the world.

We were cuddled up together in the rocking sofa chair in your room like we do every night.

I was singing you the Sh'ma. You were relaxing in my arms in our sweet embrace.

The lights went out and you nustled under my neck where you continued to flutter your eye lashes against my skin. It tickled and you giggled. I cried. Tears rolling down my face.

For the first time I was crying tears filled with so many emotions...and intense love.

You are my baby boy. You are 18 months old. You are growing up so fast, yet turning into such a little cuddle bug. Everyone warned us that we would miss the cuddly stages as you got older. However, you were never a cuddly baby. You are now a cuddly toddler and we absolutely love it. It melts our hearts to have you close to us in our arms engaging in a sweet embrace. Butterfly kisses. I said in your ear. I took off my glasses and put my check to yours. We fluttered our eye lashes together touching each other as you giggled with glee. We were both in heaven. No words can explain how I truly felt at that moment. My sweet baby boy.

Being your mommy is such a blessing in my life.

Mini Me Jew Crew Get Together

Every Friday after Thanksgiving we have a "Jew Crew" get together.

This typically consists of all of our childhood B'nai B'rith Youth Organization friends getting together at a bar to catch up.

Ohhhh have the times change. The new Jew Crew get together is in the form our out "mini-me's". We all got together around 10 am on Friday morning to enjoy a lovely playdate. The kids had a blast and so did we catching up.

Maddy loving on Asher in the tent

Cheeese!

SO much fun mom!

Daddy being silly for the kids

Jake, Ella and Asher

So goofy

Is that a real nose?

My turn!

Mini Me Jew Crew 2010

...next year we will more than double in size, so many people are pregnant!

I got to be a mommy of two for the morning. It was definitely fun, especially when they both wanted to be picked up at the same time!

We can't wait for next year already!

Home for Thanksgiving

The beautiful Dinner Table set with Asher's homemade Turkey Plates!

Over Thanksgiving weekend Asher developed an obsession with all things candles which included "blowing" them out

Not only was he the center of attention at Thanksgiving Dinner but he knew he was too!

Asher showing off the plates him and Amanda made!

Every year we go around the dinner table at Thanksgiving to say what we are thankful for.

Some years things have gotten pretty funny. Like the year where my dad forgot to say he was thankful for my mom.

This year we had family and family friends over for Thanksgiving Dinner.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving my Mom wrote this beautiful poem to express to everyone what she was thankful for... I think it sums out our holiday perfectly!

How thankful I am to have you here,

Family and friends who are caring and dear,

Food to eat and a home I love,

Daughters and their husbands I am very proud of,

Hugs and kisses all the time,

Asher dancing to a rhyme,

Licks galore from Happy and Scooter,

Reisling wine and chocolate mousse shooters,

Starting the morning with a call from Renee’

Telling me of her upcoming day,

The sound of a voice who knows me well,

The daily call to Jerry and Estelle,

Electric blue eyes look deep into mine,

As Ira and I enjoy this holiday time,

I thank God who helped me persevere,

Through times when my path was not so clear,

Happiness and health, and laughter every day,

This is what I am thankful for on Thanksgiving today.

We had a delicious meal. But I was so hungry I didnt take any photos of it!

So on to dessert...

My mother in laws delicious chocolate chip mandel bread

The holiday bearded boys!

My crazy kid!

We are so thankful each and every year.

Each year we have new blessings to be thankful for.

We are thankful for our time here on earth to be with the ones we love so dearly.

Lost

We have "misplaced" our MacBook power cord.
Why does this feel like a tragedy has occurred?
I have millions of Thanksgiving, Hanukkah decorating preparing and celebrating photos and video to upload.

Oh bring back oh bring back oh bring the power cord back to me to me!

Asher has a habit of hiding things so I think he has outsmarted us.

I know you want to see the video of him saying Hanukkah or cheesing for the camera.

...back to searching highland low