To Italy and Back

I had the pleasure of traveling to Italy from March 15-25.  The purpose of the trip was to visit the schools and study in Reggio Emilia, with a weekend on either end of the trip spent in Venice and Florence.  I love Italy, with this being my fifth trip there and my second to Reggio Emilia.  While I was away Jacob's parents came, and my AMAZING mother-in-law helped to keep Jacob and Hersh happy in my absence.  I missed Jacob and Hersh greatly, but feel fortunate to have been able to get away and study intensely for a week with some amazing educators.  The level of intellectuality that I was surrounded by felt invigorating, and I feel privileged to have had this opportunity.  I have so much to think about and consider--what are my next steps professionally, and what early childhood experience do I want for Hersh to have.  Although there are sure to not be any quick answers, this trip has allowed me to begin thinking in a deeper way again, and thrust me into a place of self-evaluation, and reflection.

In other news, Hersh's 2nd birthday (and Pesach) are quickly approaching.  We are beginning to plan his party and are in disbelief that almost 2 years have passed since he entered our life.  We are constantly amazed at how truly wonderful he is.  He changes day to day, with his play developing and evolving.  Over the past few days he has been really interested in putting his animals to bed.  He asked me for a blanket and proceeded to "shush" his lion to sleep.  He is also becoming more interested in puzzles, matching games, and loves playing outside.  Hersh and I take a yoga class together, and he frequently wants to do yoga poses.  We are also in the early stages of potty training.  Each day with him is better then the last :)

This is the sweet punim I missed for 10 days.

Mercato Rialto, Venice

San Marco, Venice

Campari Orange

Loris Malaguzzi Centre, Reggio Emilia

Main Theatre, RE

Famous Lions, RE

 Allende Scuola, RE

 ReMida, RE

Arno River, Florence

Boboli Garden, Florence

Duomo, Florence

The Whole Megillah.

Fire Marshall Hersh took his Ima and Abba to a Purim celebration.

King Lewes was there.

Haman did WHAT?

The graggers were Kraft Dinner boxes.

After the megillah reading, we marched in a parade.

Some weirdo photobombed a perfectly nice picture of Jacob, Hersh, Nina, and Lewes.

 

A Jacob and a Lewes (and a Nina).

Ravicks, Lewises, and Aplebaums (minus Lowell).

Hamantaschen time!

Well, here we are--it's March and it's Purim.  How quickly the weeks fly by!  Last week our Hershel Bershel Bear was working through a nasty cold and ear infection, so we just kept it mellow around home.  We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather, which allowed for nice walks, trips to the playground, and a general feeling that spring is just around the corner.

Whenever Hersh is sick his appetite is nonexistent.  This is understandable, but what seems to happen is that when his appetite returns, he becomes a little bit pickier than he was before he got sick.  This in combination with the fact that he is now a toddler, has made for some interesting moments.  Jacob and I are focused on staying calm and consistent, and allowing Hersh to feel powerful when he needs to, and helping him identify his feelings when he gets upset.  Hersh also wore underwear for the first time yesterday!  He was very excited and all went well.  He wore the underwear for about 2 hours in the evening.  We are looking at potty training as a  process and hope to encourage Hersh to be successful.  He is so silly, creative, and fun!  Over the past week his favorite song/book has been "Teddy Bear's Picnic"; by next week it'll be something new!

This past Sunday, after a morning of yoga and swimming, we came home and made hamantaschen for Purim.  This is Hersh's second Purim and he was an amazing hamantaschen helper.  He rolled the dough, cut out the circles, and used his pinchers to make the triangles.  Needless to say, they are pretty delicious hamantaschen!

Reading "Teddy Bear's Picnic" in a box.

Very pleased with himself :)

Everyone wears goggles to make hamantaschen, right?

Rolling the dough.

Making the circles.

48 hours of Arkansan love

Last weekend we hopped on a plane and headed to Little Rock for the weekend.  Well, maybe it wasn't as easy as it sounds....

On Friday we headed to the airport for our flight. Hersh was very excited to take the bus from the parking lot to the airport and then get on the plane.  We made it to the airport in plenty of time and decided to go and have lunch.  We strolled to our gate at 1:15, thinking that we were there at the perfect time to board our 1:50 flight.  Well, after a few minutes at the gate and no boarding action, Jacob decided to check on our flight status.  It was then that we learned our flight had left without us!  It was scheduled to depart at 1:05, not 1:50.  We had been at the airport the entire time, and simply missed our flight!  Needless to say, we were both in shock, but we held it together, got tickets for the next day and headed home.  Hersh was excited to get to ride the bus (again), and Jacob and I now know to triple check our flight time!

We arrived in Little Rock on Saturday and spent the next 48 hours enjoying being with family.  The weather was lovely, and Hersh was so happy to be with his Sabba, Savta, and Bamom.  We only wish we could've stayed longer.

Riding on Sabba's shoulders!

Relaxing with Bamom

Savta helping Hersh get ready for a walk.

Getting your teeth cleaned is a family affair.

Busy, busy and Chilly, chilly!

The words busy and chilly summarize pretty well how the last few weeks have been.   Between working, having a child, and seeing friends and family, there are not very many spare moments!  Also, we have finally had some chillier days that actually feel like winter--hopefully this won't last. The reason I wrote these two words double in the title is because this is how Hersh says them.  Words like busy, chilly, cozy, silly, and hurry are all said in double, and boy, is it cute!

This past week we celebrated Tu B'shvat.  One of the perks of my job is that it was very easy to access a small pot and some quick growing wheat germ seeds, which Hersh planted with some assistance from Abba.  Digging into the big bag of dirt with his "shogel" or shovel, was both fun and dirty.  Also,  Jacob and Hersh have been enjoying swimming together on Sunday mornings while I am at yoga. 

This upcoming weekend we are headed to Little Rock (!) for some family time and we can't wait.  Hoping for some warm temperatures and a little Arkansan love!

Hiding in the bushes!

Found him!

First pair of binoculars.

He sees something--probably the moon.

Tu B'shvat Seed Planting:

 
The art of plum (klump) eating:

Curly!