Parade time!

Here is Alte's official 3 month photo.  Also, this weekend we attended the Silver Spring Thanksgiving Parade which we love!  It was entertaining and a good time was had by all.  The weather is turning chillier, which means that we need to bundle up.  Bundling up is not a favorite of anyone in this house.  Alas, we have been making fires, cooking warm foods, and staying cozy.                                                                               

3 months!

Yesterday our sweet AlteLu turned 3 months old! How quickly the time is passing.  It feels like she was just born yesterday.  This week I left Jacob alone with both kids at bedtime for the first time, as I have been attending a work conference all week.  All went well, and Jacob reported that Hersh was an amazing helper while I was gone--what a  mensch!

Hersh and I have started to do some baking for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and the impending birth of our new nephew!  Exciting times abound over the next few weeks for sure.

A few Hershisms:

• Jacob was on hold with Bank of America, and Hersh said, "America, I love that store!"
• A little after bed one night, Hersh screamed, "ABBA! ABBA!" Jacob ran in, thinking something was wrong, and Hersh said, "I don't like my thumb."  It didn't hurt; he just . . . didn't like it.
• Hersh is really trying to understand darkness.  Many nights he asks why the black spreads across his walls at bedtime, and whether the dark outside is the same as the dark inside.  "Dark" is a surprisingly difficult concept.  We don't think he's afraid of the dark, he just doesn't quite get it yet.
• Hersh is always making up "games," "projects," and "experiments."  Sometimes these resemble what we adults would call games, projects, and experiments.  He's very emphatic about the rules--he uses the same voice we use when instructing him.  Yesterday's game involved balancing toy cars on top of board books.
• He and his school friends have started playing Hide-and-Seek and Tag.  In tag, they run for a while, then one of them stops and waits for the other to come give a hug.  In hide-and-seek, they both hide and then "find" each other.  Very cute.
• Hersh has decided that we're too silly.  He decreed that we could only say four silly things per day, and he made "silly cards" to give us when we're being silly (think yellow cards in soccer).  Needless to say, we're as silly as ever, but now Hersh will occasionally say, "Hey!  You need a silly card!"

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Surprised in the morning!

Chit-chat over dinner.

Visiting with Grandma.

First fire of the season.

Bakers!

A chill in the air

This week we felt the first true chill of the fall that makes you feel like winter is just around the corner.  This has meant bundling up both kiddos, neither of whom seem to love wearing much more than a hoodie sweatshirt (just like their Ima and Abba).

Alte is smiles 95% of the time and couldn't be any more delicious.  We took the bassinet out of our bathroom and she is now sleeping in our beloved travel crib, still  in the bathroom.  Eventually we will have to move her downstairs to her bedroom...

Hersh is busy learning about the moon, and has just begun to learn more about Hanukah at school.  Last night he asked, "How do you pray?"  This launched into a discussion about talking to G-d and inviting the animals to pray with the plants, especially a cactus.  Something else delicious about Hersh is that he talks to Alte the way we do.  For example, we'll say, "Do you have any smiles in there, AlteLu?" And then she will usually smile.  It is even sweeter when HBB asks her in this way.  Needless to say, both Jacob and I are in love with our two little ones, and feel extremely grateful.

Alte with the infamous orange sweater

Alte and Juni wondering, "Where's Mabel?"

Add 5!

1st road trip and a sleepover

On Friday we loaded up the car, picked Hersh up from school, and headed north to Philly, where we were warmly greeted and welcomed (as always) by Aunt Addie, Uncle Craig, and Aunt Mimi.  We enjoyed a lovely Shabbat dinner together, loved being all together, and Hersh was thrilled to check out all of the vintage toys from Craig's childhood that had appeared since our last visit.

On Saturday Hersh stayed with his aunts and uncle, and Jacob, Alte, and I headed to the Homeland--New Jersey.  We met up with our very good friend Matt.  It was such a treat to get to see him, as he is a friend who is actually family.  We then continued to our hotel in Short Hills and got dressed to attend the wedding reception of our friends Dave and Laura.  Alte snoozed the entire party.  Jacob and I were totally "those people."  You know, the people who bring a newborn to a really fancy wedding.  Alte snoozed in the Ergo and we danced and enjoyed.  She woke up when the music stopped and the speeches started. We nursed and headed out before things got ugly.  Although this might be obvious, I think it's fair to say everyone loves a baby.  Everywhere we went this weekend everybody was in love with our AlteLu.  I can't blame them, she is so delish, but still it seems that the older a person is, the more they love a baby:)

On Sunday we made a quick stop at the outlet mall--we were in NJ; it's a necessary part of any visit.  Then we headed back to Philly to pick Hersh up.  It was a wonderful weekend filled with friends, family, and lots of love.  We are sooooo grateful to have family members that love us, support us, and want to spend time with our children.  Hersh and Alte LOVES their aunts and uncles.  We cant wait to return the favor :).

The Alte update--she is so smiley, happy, and easy going.  She isn't serious like Hersh was at this age, although she does like to observe people, and will sometime get scared/overwhelmed by the unfamiliar.  Our college friends Adam and Sara came over with their baby Rohin, and he and Alte found each other fascinating.  The Hersh update is that he is amazing!  Addie relayed to me that when they were baking muffins this weekend Hersh said, "Aunt Addie, next time we should bake vegan muffins so I can lick the bowl!"  Addie, Craig, and Mimi took Hersh to the aquarium, and he came back with lots of facts about sharks, puffer fish, and sea dragons.  Today he drew a really nice jellyfish, which I'll try to scan and post soon.

Fall:

Halloween:

 Visiting with Matt:

 Sports Class:

 The babes: