Our first snow of the year

So, it snowed. And the kids were a little excited about it! How do I know?

Emma showed up in my bedroom doorway at 7am, stripped down to just her panties and asked if we could go play in the snow. When I asked about her missing PJ's, she explained she couldn't find her snow pants. Again, 7am. Momma does not wake up at 7am to go play in the snow!!

But the kids absolutely bouncing off the walls. And I have reason to believe Emma's school discussed all the fun things to do in the snow, because my little girl that is being raised by Floridian parents has not had much experience "throwing snowballs, making snow angels, having a snow fight, or building snowmen". All of which she was repeating as we ventured outside.

"where is the angel?? i can't see my angel!!" the snow was a bit too hard for her lightweight frame to make a big impact.

and little Levi tried to copy everything she did, even though he had no clue why he was lying down in the freezing cold snow!



loving my new camera! check out the snowball in mid-air about to crash on my body. this was her favorite thing to do. she nailed Levi a few times, and he wasn't as thrilled about it.



diving in the snow



eating the snow!

They played outside for over an hour. Good thing, since it took about 30 minutes to put on all our gear and get out the door! Much to my surprise- they loved it. I was almost positive they would step outside, play for a minute, realize they were freezing cold, and beg to go back inside. But instead, Levi parked himself in the snow and ate it all (I almost put him on the deck to start clearing a path for us!). And Emma threw snowballs most of the time, despite her crazy windblown hair sticking to her runny nose the whole time. I gave them both spatulas to use as shovels, and at one point I looked over, and Emma was spoon feeding Levi the snow. That what sisters are for :)

And for me? Well, I'm only 25 weeks along with baby #3- but I like to think of it as only 13-15 weeks to go. And  while I absolutely LOVE new babies, and I LOVE my kids, I LOVE being a mommy - I would like to document just how much I hate being pregnant, so that a year from now I can look back and convince myself that 3 is enough.
I'm not too big yet, but big enough to feel and see the baby moving pretty often. And Emma likes to run over and put her hand on my belly to feel it too. I love that.
Thankfully the major nausea is gone, but surprisingly, I still get nauseaus every now and then- and it comes out of nowhere!! I am really exhausted by the time the afternoon hits- but again, thankfull the kids seem to entertain themselves while I rest on the couch. Either that, or I am in such a deep sleep on the couch that I don't even know if they are behaving or not! (just kidding).
But the worst of it, can be summarized as a pain in the ass. And that is literally what it is. My sacroiliac joint is at it again and it is killing me. No matter what I do- a short walk, a real workout, simple daily activities- and my butt is killing me to the point where I can't even stand up off the couch....WITH Felix's help. I limp around angry about it. It is bad. I can't even sit on the floor and lie back. After trying to do tons of exercises & stretching myself, I finally made an appt with the chiropractor for tomorrow hoping for some relief.
And last night was my first reminder of the other fun things to come. I was woken at 4:30am by intense pain in my left calf as it tried to shrink itself into a tiny ball- ahhhhh, I had almost forgotten about the lovely pregnant charlie horse. My leg is still sore today.
And then there is the usual- itchy eczema in my arms, rapid heartbeats, constantly feeling winded, and the feeling that the baby is already hanging halfway out my body between my legs.
This will most certainly, be our last baby :)

The Boston Accent is Back

A few months ago, Emma surprised me with her Boston accent. Clearly, she is learning it from friends or teachers who are locals, and have strong accents. I haven't heard her say anything with her "accent" in months, until today.

A few months back- she told me she was playing "fireman" with her friend, and they had to go put out the fire when the "alahm" went off. And shortly after that instance, we were somewhere and her friend said "fahted" (Emma says "toot", so she never even heard the word fart anyways).

Today, she brought me pretend donuts she was cooking in her kitchen. She said they were "custahd donuts". We have never even had these, so I was surprised in the first place that she knew of this flavor. When she handed them to me I said "oooooh, yummy! custARD donuts!" and she even corrected me! "No Mommy! They are cust-AHD".

I wonder what she will sound like as a teenager!!!

Pippi Longstocking

 This year, we were able to spend Rosh Hashanah with the Rubins in NY. It was great to see everyone and get a chance to catch up. Levi still talks about "cousin Jaime"!


Emma & Jaime making matzoh balls, and Mamare cooking the rest of the meal!

It was a gorgeous day, so we brought the kids to the neighborhood playground. Look at my little stud hanging from the bars (like he had a choice!). He loves running around outside. Emma, on the other hand, spent most of the time with her head in my lap because it was "too sunny". She doesn't seem as eager to play outside anymore.

 

Making himself comfortable on the new couch

 The other morning I was doing stuff around the house, and I turned around to find Emma had dressed herself & Levi up in "Halloween costumes", gave herself & Levi buckets, and had him follow her around to all the doors in the house knocking and saying "trick or treat". They are so cute! She is ALWAYS coming up with games for them to play. Her imagination is crazy, and he completely follows along. It is fantastic because usually they completely entertain themselves when we are home. Unfortunately, as Levi starts to lose interest in a particular game, Emma gets very frustrated and there is usually screaming and body slamming (of her brother). We are working on this.

They are completely obsessed with Pippi Longstocking. They request to watch the movie any chance they can get. Emma has memorized most of the songs on there, and a good chunk of the dialogue!

She wanted to pretend to fly the helicopter that Pippi flies in the movie- where they basically built a box around a bicycle, and the boy in the front pedals the bike while Pippi stands in the back and spins around with a broomstick in her hand acting as the propellers.

Emma hopped on the ottoman, pretending to hold the broomstick and started spinning in circles. She said "come on Levi! let's make a helicopter". And sure enough, Levi hopped in front of her and started pedaling his arms in a circle. No instruction needed!!

 

And what child can forget one of the coolest scenes from the movie- the one where Pippi mops the floors with her special scrubbing shoes!

Emma told me one afternoon that Daddy was going to bring her home some of Pippi's scrubbing shoes. Apparently, Felix promised her, and she DID NOT forget as she mentioned it nearly every day for two weeks.

 And sure enough, one morning Daddy came home with some super cool scrubbing shoes!!

 Emma was a little shaky on the shoes....but Levi nailed it!

"can we go to Pippi's house?"

Birds, Couch, & Polo

SO, Momma's Back! Sorry for the 3-month hiatus, but that is what happens when I start growing a sweet little love inside my belly :) The only thing I wanted to write about for the past 3 months was how terrible I felt, how I swore I would never get pregnant again, how I wanted to vomit every minute of the day and felt like I wanted to constantly be eating bagels & cream cheese to stop the nausea, how I cried nearly every night when Felix got home because I couldn't take care of the kids, and how I was sick of lying in bed any moment I could. However, through all that- I was so thankful that I felt so horrible because I was pregnant and I was not sick with a serious illness. Really- it was something I thought about constantly. We are lucky.

Meanwhile, life did not stop just because I was miserable ; ) We still tried to enjoy the summer, and I have a whole gigantic post (that is having trouble uploading) on our awesome two-weeks we got to spend with family that came to visit this summer! Steph & the kids drove up from FL and stayed with us for two weeks, and Jackie & mom & dad came and visited a few days during that time. The kids were loving life, and they were old enough to really play well together. Emma smothered Eli 24/7 since he was the only one who would take her bossiness!

We have a hole in the roof trim right outside the upstairs bathroom window. Inside that hole, some birds have built their nest. It has been there since we moved in, and although we removed it once- we failed to seal the hole, and they have returned. However, while Steph was here visiting, the chirps seemed to be getting louder & louder and we were pretty sure the birds had moved INSIDE the roof- perhaps in the attic? Until one night, Steph calmly came down the steps and innocently asked Felix to come upstairs, to confirm that there was, in fact, a bird leg hanging from our bathroom light vent!!!

All I can say is THANK G-D Felix & Jackie were here, because there is no way I could have taken care of this!!! Jackie bravely stood there under the light fixture holding a garbage bag to catch the poor birdie while Felix unscrewed it from the ceiling. The light fixture swung open, but the bird was so wedged in there that he was hanging by its leg in the light. It was really sad, and completely disgusting- but Jack & Felix saved the day (not as much can be said for the poor birdie). Perhaps its time we seal up the hole in the roof!

On to more fun around the house......the kids favorite game (was) to throw all the cushions off the couch and basically have a wrestling match. And they LOVE climbing on their daddy. Poor Felix! Anyime Felix lies down on the floor, the kids are on top of him within seconds. Look at Levi's face in the picture below as he is climibing on his back.

Just hanging out on Dad, playing the iphone!

 



On a whim, Felix & I decided to get a new couch!! SO exciting. We have wanted a new couch for years, and I've had my eye on this model since I saw it 4 years ago in a friends house in FL. Recently, I found out it was available in a store up here, so we went to check it out- and bought it right there on the spot. Very unlike me to make such a large purchase so quickly.....but Felix talked me into it :)



Old couch





New couch



The kids seem to like it :) And we set the rules from day 1....the cushions MAY NOT come off this couch!

YAY for the start of Water Polo Season! The kids & I came out to support the team for the first tournament of the season at Brown. They are off to an amazing start- winning games like crazy! Studs.

And we had a houseguest come visit for the first tournament! Luke, basically Felix's brother- and a former Brown player, came up from Miami to visit & watch the game. Levi was attached at the hip. The kids loved him- and anytime he wasn't around, Levi would say "where's Bluke?". So cute.

There are a lot more updates to come- I have lots to catch up on and lots of pictures to post.

Recently, we celebrated Yom Kippur together for the first time alone here as a family. I was really trying to think of ways to do this on our own- and make it meaningful, and although we didn't go to temple or fast- I was really happy with our day. In fact, it was one of the best Yom Kippurs ever and I was really surprised with Emma's interest in our discussions for the day. I told the kids the night before that we were going to celebrate Yom Kippur, and that meant we were going to talk to G-d about all the things we were sorry for and ask for forgiveness. And I told them we would not be using the TV or Ipads or drive for the day- in addition to me keeping Emma home from school and not going to Levi's preschool workshop class.

To be honest, I was completely dreading the day! But it turned out wonderful. The kids spent the morning building and playing under giant forts we made in the living room, we went on a long walk as Emma tried to grasp the idea that G-d was all around us, played a bit in a playground, and then came home for our lunch. (we are kids, and pregnant, so it's allowed!). During lunch, we had the discussion about what we are sorry for. Levi was sorry for throwing his toys, Emma was sorry for crying & not doing good listening, and I was sorry for yelling too much at the kids.

WELL. Emma definitely liked the "ask G-d for forgiveness" concept. For the past 2 days, if she thinks I am being mean to her, she tells me I need to tell G-d. Example: I told her to go away after she kept coming over asking for my croutons out of my salad. She said (and is right) that its mean to say "go away" and I need to tell G-d. Same thing when I told her to get out of the car quickly, or anything else she felt was rude!

And on a funny note- little Em was so funny today! I dropped the car off to get fixed and took the kids across the street to Patriots Place. I told them we were going for a surprise. After our long walk there, we made it to the frozen yogurt shop where you put your own toppings on. Both kids were SO excited, and I let them put their own stuff in their bowl. Halfway through devouring her bowl, Emma says to me "Now, THIS is the kind of surprise I'M talking about!". Who is the best mommy ever?!!

Oh Elmo, you've stolen our hearts...

We planned a trip to Sesame Place for this summer. After trying to find the best time to go with great weather, we finally decided to spend 3 nights there during Emma's 4th birthday. It ended up raining the entire day we were at the park, and the weather did not get above 75, but we actually had a fantastic time!!

We drove to PA on Monday, arriving at the hotel that night and the kids were in heaven. We probably could have just brought them to the hotel for our "vacation" and that would have been enough! Emma is still playing pretend hotel at home :) I spent way too long trying to find a hotel for us when planning for the trip. Felix recommended this one, being the seasoned traveler that he is, and it was so awesome. It totally made our experience so much better! We scored a great deal on a 2 bedroom suite with a seperate kitchen & living room, an outdoor pool, basketball courts, and breakfast AND dinners included!

However....the best part was our special guest. Keep reading for the big surprise at the end of the blog :)



Dancing to the radio in the hotel

  Day 1, we arrived at Sesame Place in the drizzling rain. It was not crowded at all, but the rain was not a big deal either. We bundled up, and took advantage of the no lines. We went on all our favorite rides several times, saw all of the performance shows, met lots of Sesame St characters, and even got to join the parade!

watching our first show, "Elmo Rocks"

clapping to the beat

the stars of the show

Levi was a little excited to meet Oscar

Emma liked Oscar, but her real love is his little buddy Slimey

sitting next to Slimey on the bench on the merry-go-round

Felix was so good at spotting all the characters to say hello

Dorothy!!!! oh yea, and elmo.

riding the teacups. Levi, like his father, is not a fan of rides. he put his head in my lap and said "outta here!"

 We had a lot of fun. Emma had a few rides that she wanted to go on over & over- which was no problem because there were no lines! She spotted a roller coaster and asked to go on. I didnt even want to go on, so I thought I did my duty and explained that it goes really fast, etc., and had her watch it to see the dips, twists, and turns. She still wanted to go. Against Felix's advice and my shaky legs, I brought my brave little 4 year old. I held her so tight, knowing she was going to be scared after the first drop. She hated it and cried for about 5 minutes after we were done!

reaching for Elmo at yet another show!

just wanted to document how crowded it was :)

waiting for the parade to start



Emma was asked to guest-star in the parade!



It got a little chilly towards the end. After all, it IS the middle of June. arrrgh!

Her 4th Birthday. And all she wanted to do was have us spin her around on this chair.

 The pictures are out of order a bit. After our first day at the rainy park, we decided to spend the next day at the Please Touch Museum in Philly and return to the park to do some of the water slides the following day before heading home, as the weather promised to be much warmer and sunnier.

So, the next morning was Emma's birthday. She did not seem excited about her birthday at all. The night before I was telling her it is her bday tomorrow....she barely broke a smile! All she wanted to do was watch the "cake boss" on TV  in bed in the hotel room- told us she needs to learn how to make cakes. She did tell me that she wants Levi to help her blow out her candles because he is the best brother ever. Sometimes I wonder if she just tells me things she knows I want to hear.....seriously, I wouldn't put it past her!

The morning of her birthday, we surprised her by sticking a candle in her breakfast waffle and singing. She looks so big to me here! Then we drove out to Philly to play at the museum (but pictures are below)

After spending the day at the museum, we rushed back to the hotel to try and get into the pool while the sun was still out. It was quite cold, but the kids didn't seem to mind. We swam for a bit, gave them a quick bath and opened presents. Emma got a pair of roller skates and a mini tennis set (badminton). They provided hours of fun for the rest of the night :) Then, the hotel had a BBQ dinner that we just brought back to the room. Great birthday for little E- but she did ask where all her friends were. She said "I want my friends mommy! I don't just want a mommy, a daddy, and a baby for my birthday!".


poor kid has my athletic skills.

She put on the skates and asked to go outside. So we did a lap or two around the courtyard, and she really tried and I think she had fun! I'm glad she says she wants to keep doing it. On our skate, little E found a penny on the floor and nearly broke her legs off trying to bend down and pick it up for Saba while on skates!
Levi put the skates on next, and was pretty good at it I must say! Eventually, we ended up in the basketball courts and Levi chased the ball while Emma was getting tips from a 5 year old little boy who was trying to teach her how to dribble the ball - cause he was older, and kept telling her she was still just too young.

Birthday Cake!

 The last day of our trip, we returned back to Sesame Place to go on all the water rides. Unfortunately, we ran into a few problems with this plan:
#1- it was a cloudy 73 degrees outside
#2- the water was freezing cold, like stick your foot into a bathtub filled with ice cubes cold.
#3- Emma is scared of the water! She swims in pools with her innertube, but that's about it. We couldn't even get her to touch the sprinkler pad.
#4- Levi is not scared of the water at all, but doesn't realize he can't swim, and didn't know how much he actually hates freezing cold water :)

So, we spent the majority of our time in "Big Birds Sandy Beach" playing in the sand! She did request to go on a few of her favorite rides from the other day, so we had fun doing that too. We tried the splash pad a bit, and did one lap in the lazy river, and called it a day!

 It took us about 7 hours to drive back home! We had many potty-break stops and got stuck in CT traffic. And much to our surprise, Levi did not nap ONCE on this entire trip, and was a complete angel! We thought for sure he would pass out on the long car ride home. His eyes were rolling back, but he kept rubbing them and doing all he could to stay awake.

Here are the pictures from our day at the Please Touch Museum. I left my camera in the car by accident, so these were all taken with my phone.

We also learned that little Levi is a runner. This kid runs off like it is a game, looks back and waits for you to chase him! Felix basically spent most of the day chasing him all over the museum. Good thing the kid is so cute :)

Grocery shopping, and even check-out lanes. Then they had a little kitchen for you to bring home your groceries and "cook".

The grocery store was definitely a big hit!

Taking x-rays at the doctor's office

vacuuming in the house & garden center

tried to get a cool shot in the alice in wonderland mirrors

working the big digger truck. she worked the controls herself & picked up the balls!

pressure shooting foam shapes

And now....the big reveal! Look who was working in NJ the same time we happen to be there on vacation!!

again, please forgive the extremely annoying pitch of my voice. i think i was excited to see our visitor!

And upon our return home, Emma got her big 4-year old birthday present.