18 months!

Our dear, sweet, AlteLu is 18 months old!  It happened last week in the midst of snow days, and today I took her to see Dr. Erica Rupar for her check-up.  She is 26lbs, 31 inches, and just perfect.  In typical 18 month old fashion she started crying as soon as we pulled into the parking lot (poor little lady).  Her vocabulary is expanding everyday.  She has more words than can be counted (in Hebrew, English, and Spanish).  AlteLu just discovered elbows, will often say "one second," and will motion with her hand for you to come closer.  She loves to smell the coffee in the morning, and wants to Hersh to pretend to be a puppy when saying good night to her.  She loves broccoli, bananas, and popcorn, reading, painting, dancing, and sitting (shev) on any little spot she can find.
Her big brother Hersh is amazing as well.  He is really enjoying the music from "Mary Poppins"and now has the ability to draw and create in a more proficient way.  Hersh has started to read "Bob" books, and has lots of information to share  He is kind to his sister, and enthusiastic about what he is learning at school.  Jacob and I both are so grateful for our two little loves.

Matisse inspired

Snow Day and Hamantaschen

Today was a snow day, and to be honest, we love snow days.  A gift of a day at home together.  We always spend time in the sunny snow, and have plenty to do to keep us busy inside.  We baked Hamantaschen, did lots of playing, reading, and dancing, and are just enjoying the day.  Both Hersh and AlteLu are expert Hamantaschen bakers.
I do wish that we lived somewhere warm, sunny, and beautiful, but for today, I will focus my energy on gratitude for a family day at home:)

Philly Weekend

This past weekend we headed up to Philly to visit with some of the people we love most.  Our weekend began with an outing for hot cocoa on Germantown Ave.  We then had Shabbat dinner on Boyer Street, and Hersh headed with Aunt Mimi and Daniel for a sleepover in West Philly!  This was a much anticipated sleepover, that drew lots of excitement from everyone.  Jacob, AlteLu, and I stayed at Aunt Addie's house, and enjoyed our time there with Uncle Craig and Isaac too.  Isaac and AlteLu really enjoyed hanging out--Alte kept saying, "Isik?" and Isaac kept stealing her snack cup--it was perfect! On Saturday we all met at the Please Touch Museum and had a great time.  Hersh enjoyed riding the carousel twice, while Alte refused to ride at all.  We then had a lovely evening in West Philly, hosted by Aunt Mimi and Daniel.  On Sunday the whole crew headed to the arcade for some skeeball and then to Hip City Veg, which was both hip and delicious.  We then headed home, a quick trafficless drive, in which both children snoozedd the entire time!
What a great weekend spent with our loved ones.  We are so grateful for the love, support, and closeness that we have to our family up in Philly.  Hersh and AlteLu LOVE these people.  AlteLu can't help but say, "Mahmee" or "Maymay," and Hersh just loved being able to be independent in this new way.  We loved the adult time that we had, and cant wait to go back. We are also glad that everyone got a chance to experience AlteLu is her state on CONSTANT chattiness.

Ice Skating

Both last winter and this winter, Hersh has been asking to go ice skating.  Yesterday was the first day in a long time that it was warm enough for us to walk to DTSS.  Our plan was for Hersh and Jacob to skate, while AlteLu and I visited the farmer's market--a good time was had by all!
Today we will celebrate Mabel and Juniper's 2nd birthday!  Our two kids are excited to go and celebrate with their cousins.  Last night we went out to dinner in DC--the kids didnt get to bed til 9--but they did great!  Hersh seems to be transitioning out of his nap, which is hard for him because he is so tired--poor guy.  AlteLu is napping like a champ, so she did just fine.
AlteLu loves bubble baths and broccoli, dogs and gatos.  She is using the word "zappatto" for shoes sometimes, and is a total chatterbox. Hersh told me that when he lays in his bed with his eyes closed (even if he isnt sleeping) he gets very sweaty, and does a lot of thinking--"Dark" Vader and Master Yoda are his favorite Star Wars characters.  He also told me he wants me to make dates with goat cheese for his birthday party--totally normal request from a 4.5 year old, right?