Extravaganza!

This past weekend we traveled to Philadelphia to attend the 3rd Annual Lewis Klein Holiday Extravaganza.  We were very pleased to be able to attend as this is the first year it was geographically possible.  Hersh wore his Austrian Mountain Boy sweater vest, which I unfortunately did not get a picture of!  We enjoyed the party and feel so pleased that driving to Philly for the evening is so convenient.


We are now looking forward to a bit of a winter break, filled with holiday celebrations, a visit from Aunt Addie and Uncle Craig, and Sabba and Savta.  Jacob and I will venture to NYC for Jacob's birthday and see Phish! We have also begun celebrating Hanukah, which Hersh is loving!  Each night he covers his eyes when we light the candles, just like it is Shabbat--it is pretty sweet :).

Family!

So sleepy.

We love each other.

Yay for Aunt Mimi!

Hugs.

Hands in the pockets in order to stay cozy.

Getting bundled.

Coffee with Aunt Addie and Uncle Craig.

So many Lewises!

Friends with babies

This past weekend our good friends, The Ambalu Family, came to town for a visit.  Hersh and their 2.5 year old, Simon, played nicely and definitely enjoyed each other's company.  Baby Jonah was here as well, and he is a cutie.  We had our other friends, The Gratz Family, over for lunch, and their daughter, Julia, who is 8 months old, hung out with the boys!  Aunt Nina, Unlce Lowell, and Lewes joined the fun as well.  How crazy that we all have babies now!  Needless to say, it is pretty wonderful to see your own child alongside the beautiful, amazing children of such good, old friends.

In Hersh news, he has become a bit pickier or more particular, depending on how you look at  it, regarding his eating.  Our approach is to not get worked up and just stay consistent, offering different healthy options.  I will say, it is stressful at times.  What I have come to realize, is that if he doesn't eat much at a meal or two, it is just fine.  I had his 19 month check-up last week.  He is 29lbs and 33 inches--which is about 90% for both height and weight.  The doctor said that he is doing beautifully and is the perfect size.  Hersh is super chatty and now has the ability to tell us what he wants or does not want.  He enjoys trips to the park and playing with our neighborhood friends.  Jacob takes him swimming while I go to yoga on Sunday mornings.  He loves reading and "helping" in the kitchen.  This means that he stands on a stool at the sink playing with water, while we cook.  Also, I don't know if the pictures do it justice, but his hair is just so blond and curly!  He is just the best--so delish!

Pantless biking.

Lightstick in the bathtub.

Hersh and Simon exploring the backyard.

 Multiple shots of the kids:  Lewes, Hersh, Julia, Jonah, and Simon

Abbas and their babies.

Cousins/best friends.

Like my hat?

Thankful!

We just returned home from an amazing Thanksgiving weekend filled with friends, family, and fun.  Last Tuesday members of the Lewis family arrived at our house. On Wednesday we all drove to Addie and Craig's house in Philadelphia, where we spent the rest of the weekend, "youth hostel" style.  It was so nice being all together and Addie and Craig were wonderful hosts.  We ate many delicious meals and just generally enjoyed being together.  On Thanksgiving Day Hersh, Jacob, and I drove to NY to visit with my family.  It was so nice to see them and to give them the chance to see Hersh!  We then spent the remainder of the weekend in Philly and visited with the Ambalu Family as well as our good friend, LT.

We are all very happy to be back home, but this weekend made us realize how wonderful it is to be back on the east coast and so close to family.  It is a luxury to be so close to so many people we love, and not even have to fly to see them! We have so much to be thankful for!

Visiting with Aunt Sandy...

...and Peggy and Eric!

Love!

Pantless reading with Aunt Mimi at the Thanksgiving table.

Breakfast with Sabba.

What lovely smiles :)

Best Friends!

Waiting for dessert with Aunt Addie and Uncle Craig.

Helping Aunt Mimi pay the bill at Taqueria Tequilla.

Loving the liquada!

Aplebaum Family Shabbaton

Two weekends ago my father came to visit and we had an Aplebaum Family Shabbaton.  Lowell, Nina, and Lewes joined us and we enjoyed a weekend of being together.  Hersh and Lewes especially enjoyed spending time with Zayde, or as Hersh calls him, Zaybee.

Also, it has been amazing to observe Hersh as he interacts with the changes of Fall.  He is constantly picking up leaves and talking about what color they are (most are yellow, since that is the color he knows).  He also loves running through the leaves and collecting sticks.  The moon has been very full and bright over the past week and he loves for Jacob to take him outside at night, they point at the moon, and when it is time to come in he is truly broken hearted.  He also knows his first number--2.  He will count to about 14 by repeating after us, but 2 he actually knows on his own.  He is also really interested in playing guitar and harmonica. 

Next week is Thanksgiving and the entire Lewis Family will be together--whoohoo!  Stay tuned for pictures and stories about our thanksgiving in Philly!

Fall is funny!

These past couple weeks we have been enjoying a beautiful Fall.  We have had lots of sunshine and nice, warm temperatures.  There have been a few days of rain, which reminds us Seattle weather.  This past Saturday we did have a wintry mix of rain and snow, but no accumulation and no power outages, which we feel which we feel very fortunate, since a lot of other regions had both.  This storm did remind us that winter is ahead (boo!) and we should get prepared.  We are now in the process of buying batteries, bottled water, canned food, and have a goal of getting our fireplace in working order, which is exciting, because I love a cozy fire!

In Hersh News, our little man turned 18 months old last week!  He is growing and changing daily.  He has a really good sense of humor and thinks lots of things are funny.  For example, at dinner he will sometimes lead me and Jacob in "Simon Says" type game, which typically consists of us tilting our heads back when he tells us to.  Well, to Hershel, this is hilarious!  He is also really into dancing and will put both arms up in the air and say "dance, dance."  A new playground went up at the park just across the street and he has been fearless in his exploration of the new climbing structure and slides.  Hersh has also started to help me "cook"  a bit.  He has a book of nursery rhymes that he makes Jacob read him cover to cover, which I find very sweet.  He continues to like all sorts of foods and is really interested in stacking.  Hersh also LOVES his cousin Lewes and is working really hard on figuring out the proper way to play with other children.  Similarly, we are working really hard reminding him that we do not push and to be gentle.

Hersh still remains a pleasure to do all sorts of things with, like take out for Mexican food or go for a hike in the woods.  Yesterday we went on our annual Fall Foliage Hike, and let me tell you, it was the shortest hike of our lives.  This is because Hersh walked most of the way (which is great!)..  The hike was probably a 1/4 mile round trip, but took us an 1 1/2 hours.  I gave Hersh a bag to carry and collect treasures and we all had a really nice time!

I have been practicing yoga at the YMCA and am loving it!  It is so nice to be in a routine.  Over the next few weeks we will be having visitors and taking some weekend trips to see friends that we haven't seen since being back from Vienna.  And, as today is Halloween, we will be joining with the other neighborhood kids this evening and give trick-or-treating a try for the first time.  To be honest, I'm not really looking forward to it, but I am pretty sure Hersh will love all of the jack-o-lanterns!

October 30, 2011--Seneca Creek State Park

November 1, 2010--Linzer Tiergarten, Austria

18th months old!

Hilarious and happy!

Classic Family Shot.

Uncle Lowell and the boys.

Lewes isn't so sure about being in the basket.

Exploring.

Foliage.

What's in the bag?

Coming down the path.

The Lake.

Crystal Clear.

Showing me what is in his bag.

Climbing a tree with Abba.