Mama of them all?!

We've been having a goldfish living on our counter in a container for the last four months. Yisrael got it from his Rebbe in the beginning of the school year when they were learning about בריאת העולם and how Hashem created the fish.  Our fish has managed to outlive all his friends, despite our lack of feeding him (sometimes for several days at at time) and the poor standard of his living conditions, which is not cleaned often enough.  I think this proves the theory that the number one cause of death among pet goldfish is being overfed.

Today Bentzi was in the kitchen and took a look at the fish. "Oy, you look so hungry- your Mama doesn't feed you enough, huh?!"

I quickly put Bentzi in his place- "I am NOT his Mama!  B"H I've got five little kids that keep me busy overtime...and he is NOT one of them!"

Don't worry, the fish did get his food....but I just had to set things straight...I am NOT the Mama of them all!

(Bubbie, here's the picture you requested!)

Cute Quote: Have you ever seen a diaperless diaper rash?

Well Azriel Shraga claims he has one!  This morning, Naftali woke up with a dirty diaper that must have been sitting there for some time...and he had a terrible rash.  After cleaning him up, I gently put on cream and powder.  I guess Azriel Shraga decided that he wanted to be pampered too (pun intended) since he right away started asking for cream:

Azriel Shraga: Mommy, I also need cream on my tushy!
Mommy:  Azriel Shraga, you don't need cream because you don't have a diaper rash! 
Azriel Shraga: I DO have a diaper rash!
Mommy:  But Azriel Shraga, you don't have a diaper!

He didn't know what to say to that...although he still wanted the cream!  (So much so that while I was typing this up, he ran to the bathroom and smeared vaseline all over his tushy!  I'd better stop blogging and go clean up afer him!)

פרעה's Decree Re-enacted

Today the kids were playing "מצרים" (playing house is just too docile for my lively bunch) - they each put a shmatta on their head (nowadays Egypt is an Arabic country, but I don't know if the מצריים were Arabs- and even if they were, I somehow doubt they wore khafias!) and were walking around telling each other to work.  They looked like they were having fun, and it seemed pretty harmless (relatively) so I tried to quickly put some supper together while they were keeping themselves occupied.

Suddenly, I hear them saying, "let's throw him into the יאור!" - I quickly spun around and saw Yisrael, Bruria, and AS carrying Nissim (who was B"H strapped into his rocker) towards the rug, which I guess they decided was the יאור. 

I quickly put that part of the game to a stop- if you want to play מצרים, that's fine with me, as long as you don't use my precious, delicate baby as a prop!

Roar!!!

Today our neighbor's daughter had a Bas Mitzvah party, and one of the fun attractions they had, for the younger girls, was face-painting.  The woman who was doing the face-painting (a friend of my neighbor's) asked each girl what they wanted to be- so Bruria asked to be a lion!  These pictures were taken after some of the make-up had already washed off....but it still looks pretty good!  Just imagine how amazing it looked right after she had finished!

Yungers in Action: Identity Crisis?!

Lately, at random moments, Azriel Shraga will call out "אני נחמן מאומן" in this really silly voice. I don't think he has any clue what he's saying, but its really cute! I have no idea where he picked it up from, although living in Beitar, I shouldn't have to wonder too much!

(Trouble viewing the video? Click here )

Finally....a smile!

Nissim is full of smiles when I hold him...that is, until I pull out the camera.  As soon as he sees it, he just starts to stare at it.  I"ve had numerous failed photography sessions with him, without even a sliver of a grin.  I just about gave up, until we went to visit Chavi yesterday, and she was able to catch a few shots of him smiling (albeit from a side angle) while he smiled at me. 

This is the best you're going to get for now, folks, so enjoy!

Brr....its cold outside!

Today was our first really cold day, and this morning was a quick hustle and bustle, pulling out everyone's winter coats, gloves, boots....(lets hope this weather brings LOTS of rain with it!)

Later, once everyone had left, I got Nissim all bundled up to go to physical therapy, and before we left, I was able to catch a quick shot.  Isn't he cute!?

(no luck trying to get him to smile for the camera...)

Cute Quote: Lost in time!

Today Azriel Shraga had a מסיבת חנוכה in Cheder.  Yesterday, he was SO excited for his מסיבה- he kept asking me when it would be:

Azriel Shraga: When is my מסיבה?
Mommy:  Your מסיבה is tomorrow, Azriel Shraga.
Azriel Shraga: Tomorrow is today?
Mommy: No, sweetie, today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow.
Azriel Shraga: (confused) So when is my מסיבה?
Mommy: After you go to sleep, and the morning comes, then you're going to have a מסיבה.

Early this morning, while I was still in bed, Azriel Shraga came to my room:

Azriel Shraga: Mommy, its the morning!
Mommy: Yes, sweetie! What is today?
Azriel Shraga: Today is tomorrow!

Happy Chanuka!

B'Shaah Tova?!?

I think the picture says it all!

Tired after a day's work

Its not an easy job being a non-stop troublemaker!

Cute Quote: What do you like to drink?

One Shabbos, Bentzi brought out a bottle of Wild Turkey (thanks to Zaidy, who bought it from the Duty Free shop on his way to E"Y).  The kids, who are used to seeing a  bottle of Jack Daniels, took interest in this new "Tatty Juice".

Azriel Shraga:  Tatty, what is that?

Bruria (looking at the bottle): Its chicken juice!
Azriel Shraga:  I LOVE chicken juice!

Tatty proceeded to give Azriel Shraga a drop of "chicken juice" to taste- after which he immediately changed his mind:  He does NOT love chicken juice!

An Ode to my Troublemakers

Oh me, oh my, what's a Mama to do,

With her dear little troublemakers numbering two?

If they're thirsty and they want a drink,

They'll plop themselves right into the kitchen sink.

Then they'll spill the soap all over the floor,

And promplty undress and run out the front door.

Oh me, oh my, what's a Mama to say,

To her little cuties who make trouble all day?

If they're hungry and lunch isn't quite ready,

They'll open up a package and they'll eat raw spaghetti.

Or perhaps from every apple, they'll each take a bite,

Or they'll peel every banana that's in their sight.

Oh me, oh my, what's a Mama to do?

It takes endless energy to watch over those two!

But of course by mealtime, they won't take a single bite,

Spilling water on their food is their greatest delight,

Or threading their macaroni onto ציצית strings;

I don't know how they dream up these things!

Oh me, oh my, what's a Mama to say-

To that pair that thinks that trouble is play?

To the backyard, cups of water they bring,

And then Azriel Shraga starts to sing,

"La La Li" is the tune that fills my heart with dread-

Sure enough, they've got "בוץ" from their toes to their head

.

Oh me, oh my, what's a Mama to do-

When will their antics ever be through?

To pull out all the wipes- yes each and every one,

Is an activity that is really tons of fun!

Or to take out a scissor and give your hair a snip,

Just watch out that Mommy doesn't pull out her whip.

Oh me, oh my, what's a Mama to say-

I'm totally beat by the end of the day!

I'm sure that one day, they'll outgrow this phase,

And maybe perhaps I'll look back at these days,

I'll think of their thousand watt smile and the glimmer in their eye,

So I guess that right now I'll just sit back and SIGH.

Cute Quotes: Is there such a thing as verbal dyslexia?

Well if there, is, then I think that my kids have it!  You're likely to hear the following in my house:

"Mommy, I shinifed my fornclakes"
"When will my piccups go away?  Its bothering me!"
"Can we bake puccakes for Shabbos?"

Or the best one yet:

(Bruria is playing with Naftali, who's in his crib)
Bruria:  Beekapoo!
Mommy: Bruria dear, you're supposed to say "peekaboo" not "beekapoo"!
Bruria: Nuh-uh, Mommy, I'm saying it in Ivrit!

We've been zoche to Nissim!

No words can properly describe what we've been through during the past five months- the anguish, the heartrending tefillos of Yidden all over the globe, the tremendous Chasdei Hashem...this blog is not the befitting forum to tell over such a life-changing experience.

It is incredible to think back to where we were five months ago, how תינוק בן יעל was so fragile and in such danger...and how B"H we've been zoche to bring him home, and be מכניסו לבריתו של אברהם אבינו.  May Hashem continue to give little Nissim ( click here to hear Bentzi's speech about why we chose this name ) a complete רפואה and may we be zoche, בע"ה to see him get stronger- and of course to read about all his antics in this blog!

Afternoon in the park

Today we decided to take the kids for an afternoon outing with Savta.  So as soon as I got back from the hospital, we loaded everyone into the car and went off to Park Gilo in Yerushalayim.

Savta treated everyone to ice cream from the ice cream truck (I guess now the kids will know the real purpose of the truck...oh well!) and then we went to play on the monkey bars.

Naftali had a real blast on the monkey bars- apparently he is quite a dare-devil!  He kept wanting to hang from the bars without anyone holding him- and he's got a good grasp. Then, when he had had enough, he'd just let go and let himself fall, even though no one was holding onto him (don't worry, I was hovering closeby and quickly ran to catch him as he dropped!)

Here's a video of him hanging from the monkey bars (isn't he nuts?!)

(if you can't see the video, click here to download it)

Ice Cream Trucks and Innocence

A few weeks ago, I was in the park down the block with the kids, when I heard a familiar chime- an ice cream truck!  I have never seen an ice cream truck in Israel before (except for mabye at a big attraction!)- and certainly  not in Beitar, so the kid in me got all excited- hey, lets go buy something!  (the adult in me said no!)

The kids got excited too- but not because they had any idea that you could actually buy ice cream from the truck!  They were just excited to see such a silly "tender" that had a picture of ice cream on it and made funny music!  Its funny how such simple things can make kids happy- who even needed the ice cream- the truck alone was exciting enough!  I'd better enjoy their innocence while it lasts- because soon they'll catch on and they'll start begging me for ice cream every time they hear his chime!

(Well, actually, I think by now the kids have already chapped that its more than just a van with a picture on it...especially when they see the neighbors lined up next to it, and coming back with ice cream or popsicles!  (I still don't understand how all these Israeli's have $ for it!)

Azriel Shraga is three years old now!

Well now its official- Azriel Shraga is three years old!  Ever since we cut his hair three weeks ago, we've been getting Mazal Tovs from everyone who sees him- and then I have to go explain that he's not three years old yet but we cut his hair on Lag B'Omer anyways....  at least now I don't have to worry about explanations any more!

This morning we took Azriel Shraga to cheder to learn Aleph Bais with the rebbe- it was especially exciting for Yisrael, since it was his wonderful rebbe, Rebbe Shea, who did it with him!  Azriel Shraga was a little shy at first, but he said the Aleph Bais beautifully- and of course once it was time to hand out 'pekelach' to all the boys, he was not shy at all!

Cute Quote: Don't be my friend

Whenever one of the kids comes home with a "pekelah" (goody bag), Bruria always convinces them to share it with her. Usually she tells them that she'll be their friend, or that she'll share her candies with them when she gets some (she's a real conniver!).

Today, Azriel Shraga came home with a pekelah after his Shavuos party, and right away Bruria walked up to him, getting ready to shnorr- but before she even had a chance to try, Azriel Shraga said to her, "No I don't want you to me my friend!" and refused to fall for her tricks!

Wafer Houses II

Its been a while since the last time we made houses out of wafers. This week, Yisrael remembered how we made them, and he asked to make them again. So I picked up some wafers and bisquits from the makolet, and we had a fun afternoon building wafer houses!

I noticed how the kids have B"H grown up a lot in the last half year, since we made them last time. Naftali was much younger and he didn't even understand what we were doing- he just wanted to eat a wafer! This time, he sat nicely and watched while we made them - he even let me make one for him (which he devoured as soon as I let him!) And Azriel Shraga, who needed me to make it for him last time, was able to build his house all by himself!

Our favorite doll

The kids have decided that aside from being their younger (Yunger?) sibling, Naftali is also our newest doll. They love to push him around in the baby stroller, and to feed him, and to treat him...well, like a doll! Azriel Shraga even verbalized it one day - "Naftali is a בובה!"

Cute Quote: You love me!

One day, I was walking home with Azriel Shraga after I picked him up from Gan, when we had the following exchange:

Azriel Shraga: Mommy, I'm your boy and you love me!
Mommy: That's right, I love you so much!
Azriel Shraga: Carry me because you love me!
Mommy: Oy, Azriel Shraga, I have no koach to hold you!
Azriel Shraga: But you love me!
Mommy: Yes, dear, I love you very much:
Azriel Shraga: Carry me because you love me!

(Do you have any doubt who won? I didn't want him to think that because I didn't carry him, that means I don't love him! And I think I'm the one who gave him this idea, because very often when I do hold him, he snuggles up his head in my neck, and I tell him that I love him!)

Azriel Shraga's Upsherin!!

(NOTE: I've got pictures scattered in a BUNCH of different cameras- but I figured I'd post the few pictures that I was able to snap on my camera, and as the rest come in, I'll add them- so stay tuned!)

Yup, my little Azriel Shraga is growing up! Today, on Lag B'Omer, we did his "upsherin" (his birthday is in 3 weeks). We've been talking about it for weeks, and he's really been looking forward to it! As soon as he got up this morning, he wanted his haircut- I had to explain to him that we've got to wait for all the guests to arrive!

So we spent the morning setting up (Azriel Shraga and Bruria were home from Gan and they were GREAT table-setters!)

Bentzi's friend Baruch Danziger, who does photography on the side, came over before hand to take some shots of Azriel Shraga with all his curls (I bathed him this morning and his hair looked really nice!) but he got camera shy and we had a hard time getting a good shot. Hopefully he got a few nice ones...we'll see when he sends the pictures over!

At about 1:30, our guests started showing up. Maxine Renzer, Menucha and clan, Chavi and Chana, Ruthie and Shifra T, Saba Mordechai, and Yon and family. We sat down and had a really nice Seuda together, and Bentzi gave a beautiful Dvar Torah explaining the significance of an Upsherin.

Then, we started snipping! (the pictures of the actual cutting are not on my camera, so when I'll get them, I'll try to post them!) Saba was given the honor of doing the first snip- he got to cut off Azriel Shraga's pony! After that, everyone else got a turn to snip (his siblings were THRILLED to have the chance to cut hair, without getting yelled at for it!) But Azriel Shraga had had it by then, so we decided to wait to finish it up until after everyone left and things quieted down.

(AS with his hair partially cut, playing with one of the many presents we got!)

After our guests left, we were able to give him a proper haircut. Azriel Shraga was very happy when we finally decided it was good enough, and put him into the bathtub to wash off all the "itchies"!

Afterwards, Bentzi sat down with Azriel Shraga and said the bracha with him as he put on ציצית for the first time. Then, they began to learn א-ב together. We put a drop of honey on each אות and Azriel Shraga got to lick each one after he said the name of the אות (this is an OLD tradition that they still do in Cheder nowadays- but since Lag B'Omer is such a busy day, we couldn't bring him to Cheder- so we did it ourselves! IY"H in three weeks, we'll bring him to Cheder and do it again over there on his actual birthday!) Azriel Shraga loved the honey so much, that when he finished the א-ב he wanted to do it all again so he could keep tasting the honey!

May the זכות of רבי שמעון בר יוחאי be משפיע on Azriel Shraga, that he should understand כל התורה כולה, grow up to be a תלמיד חכם, and that he should always appreciate the sweetness and goodness of תורה !

Homemade Matzah!

In honor of פסח שני, today we made homemade Matzah! I thought about doing it last year but when I realized that פסח שני fell out on a Friday last year, I abandoned that thought. Well this year, I decided to do it...and we had LOADS of fun! My neighbor has a "reddler" (the roller that punches holes in the Matzah) and the kids had tons of fun using it!

We did learn a few things about Matzah baking- its NOT easy (and we didn't even have an 18-minute time limit!) You've got to roll them REALLY thin, and its very hard to get a nice round circle shape (I guess that comes with practice). And you've really got to keep an eye on them in the oven, or else in a second they can burn (and that's in our toaster oven... never mind a real stone furnace!)

So I guess we won't be opening a professional Matzah bakery just yet...but we sure had fun making them! (and they were delicious too- we ate them for supper!)

The case of the missing Bruria

The other day, I woke up early, and quickly took a shower before the kids would wake up. When I got out, I peeked into their room...everyone was sound asleep in their beds...except Bruria!

I started calling her name, but she did not answer. So I quickly threw on a robe, and ran downstairs to what she was up to. There was no sign of her anywhere. Where could she be? That's when I noticed that the front door was wide open. Oh no, where did she run off to before 7 AM?

I went outside, calling her name (what did the neighbors think?) but there was no Bruria in sight. Yikes! Where could she be? I ran up the steps, and sure enough, there she was, in the middle of the path leading to our apartment...sitting on one of our little plastic chairs, happily munching on (of all things!) chocolate chips!

Mr. On-the-ball

I was reading my sister Chavi's post about her darling little Chana and how she's become Miss Independant...and it sounded an awful lot like her cousin, Naftali!

B"H Naftali is one smart cookie! He's become a real independant thinker (just like the rest of the family!) - I keep saying that we better watch out- once he starts talking, B"H, he'll let us know exactly what's on his mind! (he does a pretty good job of doing that already, with his limited vocabulary and extensive body language!)

A few cute episodes recently:

• I gave him a date to eat (after checking it of course) but before eating it, he opened it up, and held it up to the light, acting as if he was checking it himself!


• Yesterday, I got him dressed and put his shoes on, and then went to my room. I was putting stockings on, and he quickly brought me my shoes. Then, we went downstairs, and he grabbed my purse and ran to the door- as if to say, "Nu, Mommy, we're all ready, let's go!"


• Whenever I'm baking and he sees me pouring out the batter into the pan, he starts to point and reach for the bowl to lick it out! You should have seen the look on his face when I gave him the bowl from some plain egg whites I had whipped up- the taste was not exactly what he had expected!


• He already wants to get dressed by himself- and he even wants to pick out clothes himself too! Today he went to Azriel Shraga's drawer, took out two shirts (okay, he doesn't quite understand that you can't wear a shirt on your legs) and proceeded to attempt to get dressed!

B"EH he (and all his siblings and cousins) should grow up to be independant, capable, motivated adults...but meanwhile, it would be nice if they'd just act their age!

Pretzel Baking!

This afternoon, Yisrael's best friend Yisrael Meir Ratner came by, so I decided to do another baking activity with the kids. This time, we made hot pretzels. (I like to do baking with the kids because its a controlled activity that keeps them all pretty busy, with minimal mess involved. And having something yummy to snack on is always an added bonus!)

First everyone had lots of fun shaping their dough into different shapes- traditional pretzels (Yisrael is REALLY good at it), cars, mountains, faces, snails, snakes, circles, sticks, etc. Each kid ended up making a few different ideas before settling on their final version. Poor Naftali was very upset that I wouldn't let him have some (he eats raw dough) and was begging everyone to share theirs with him!

Once the pretzels were out of the oven, everyone gobbled them up - they were YUMMY! And since they were half whole wheat, I didn't feel too bad if they filled up too much before supper!

(Can you guess who made these?! )

Tzara'as Cookies

Someone I know tries to make dessert for Shabbos based on the Parsha... so this week I decided to do the same! The kids had a blast tracing their hands and making cookies...(now I just hope they don't fight when Azriel Shraga sees that his cookie is smaller than Yisrael's!)

Please bear with me...

I've got LOTS to blog from the past few weeks (if I can remember it all!) but B"H things are pretty busy around here, trying to get things back in order after Pesach.

So I'll do my best. I will post things on the dates they actually happened, so make sure to check below this post...

Stay tuned!

Our little "getaway"

For our final day of Bain Hazmanim, Bentzi and I decided to spend a nice morning, sans kids. So we got everyone off to school, dropped Naftali by the babysitter, and headed to a nature park not far from Beitar. We took a nice hike together, and we really enjoyed the peace and quiet, just us and nature, with no kids underfoot! After quite a hectic month of Nissan, it was just what the doctor ordered!

Our Post-Pesach Outing

After a busy few weeks of getting ready for Pesach, and Pesach itself, we took the kids out for a nice trip. First stop was the Azrielli Observatory, which is on the top floor of the highest building in Tel Aviv. There's a great view of the surrounding area, and they give you a nice audio tour explaining what you are looking at. The kids really enjoyed the view- they've never seen anything quite like that before!

Our next stop was גני יהושע, a beatiful park in רמת גן- probably the biggest park in the country. It has beautiful lawns, a mini-zoo, playgrounds, and a lake in the middle for paddle boating. Naftali was completely captivated by the ducks in the lake (he kept trying to run in after them!)- we weren't able to get any pictures of him with the ducks because we were too busy trying to hold onto him! We got to see the peacock open its feathers, which I don't think the kids have ever seen, and we enjoyed a nice picnic supper before going to play on the playground equipment.

Naftali found a slide which he LOVED- he went on it at least 20 times (I'm not exaggerating!) and probably would have continued had I not taken him away!

After that, we headed to Hod HaSharon, to visit Savta Esther (the kids' great grandmother- Bentzi's mother's mother). We had a really nice visit, and the kids really boosted her spirits and gave her lots of nachas!

Pesach with Savta and Saba Yosef

We were priveleged to host Savta and Saba Yosef for Pesach, and we really had a nice time together! We got to hear Saba Yosef sing דיינו in Arabic at the Seder (he grew up in Lebanon), and the kids really enjoyed their אפיקומן present (a toy called Morphun, which you will probably see soon posted on this blog once the kids start making really elaborate creations with it!) We all had a really great laugh when Savta hid the אפיקומן on the second night and it got eaten accidentally (its a long story!) and the kids really enjoyed going to the park with Savta so often (I did too because I got to rest while everyone was out!) It was so nice to spend so much time together (especially since they had to keep two days of Yom Tov!)

Thank you so much Savta and Saba Yosef for all the goodies you brought us, and for all your help, and for all the great time we had together! We miss you!

(in typical Yunger fashion, we forgot to take pictures for Savta and Saba Yosef's entire trip- until we were literally waiting for the cab to take them back! Oh well, at least we were so busy enjoying our company that we didn't have time to take pictures!)

Our visit to the "Zoo" in Beitar

Like every Chol HaMoed, the Iriya of Beitar works hard to bring different activities to Beitar so that parents can take their kids out on fun outings without having to shlep too much (or pay an arm and a leg!) This year, they brought a mini-zoo to Beitar- and it was perfect for us! The kids are young enough that they really enjoyed it and they didn't feel "jipped" because there were no big animals like lions, giraffes, etc.

We actually tried going on the first day of Chol HaMoed but it was such a mob scene that we decided to go to a park nearby and try again another day. Sure enough, when we went on the last day (Erev Yom Tov) it was much quieter and we were really able to enjoy ourselves.

The "zoo" was split up into a few different areas. The first room had a bunch of animals in display cases- like lizards, turtles, snakes, cockroaches (yikes!), tarantulas (YIKES!) and the like. The kids really enjoyed going around to see each exhibit- they especially loved the tarantulas (the one pictured below is dead but there were live ones too!). One of the "zookeepers" took a snake out of its cage, and was letting kids touch it and even hold it. Azriel Shraga was the only one who worked up enough courage to actually touch it (and even that wasn't long enough for me to whip out the camera and get a picture!)

The next area had lots of animals for petting- rabbits, chickens, birds, guinea pigs, and a big turtle. Azriel Shraga was pretty scared that the animals would eat him (I have no idea why he wasn't scared of the snake!) and Bruria wasn't too interested either, but Yisrael and Naftali couldn't get enough of it!

Chol Hamoed Sister Get-Together

On the second day of Chol Hamoed, we met up with our cousins (and their parents too!) for a nice BYOM (Bring Your Own Matza) picnic in Gan Almaliach- a great park we discovered that's right near the mall. Its got nice grounds and fantastic slides- and the location was about equal travelling time for all of us, so it was a nice place to meet up. The kids had a great time playing together, us sisters enjoyed shmoozing together, and the brothers-in-law had a great time talking in learning! We all had a really nice time- although we missed Ruthie and family, who weren't with us (and of course it would have been really nice to have the rest of the Minkus family with us to- IY"H one day!)

Yisrael the biker!

One thing on our to-do list for this Bain Hazmanim was to teach Yisrael how to ride his bike without training wheels. He's been riding with training wheels for a while and we felt it was time to "move on". So Bentzi spent the first few days trying to help Yisrael learn, but he was having a hard time. And then of course we got too busy with Pesach cleaning and didn't have much time to spend helping him ride.

But apparently Yisrael is a very determined little boy, and while we were busy cleaning, he spent HOURS outside, learning how to ride his bike- and he was successful! We didn't even realize that he could ride until Chol Hamoed (as I said, we were busy cleaning!) but when we finally had a chance to go out and watch him, we were shocked to see he could actually ride! (Please don't think I left him out unattended for hours on end- I did keep checking on him, but every time I went out, one of the neighbor's kids was on Yisrael's bike, not him!)

We are very proud of our not-so-little boy- both that he learned how to ride, and that he worked hard at a goal of his and was able to succeed! May he continue to see the fruits of his labor, and may he always show such determination in accomplishing his goals!

(thanks to Dod Yon for the videography!)

Naftalis is bananas about bananas

Naftali is CRAZY about bananas- as soon as he spots one, he can't think about anything else until he eats one! (no self control whatsoever!) The lady in the makolet always laughs how my son begs for bananas, while the rest of the kids all throw tantrums that they want candies!

Right before Pesach, the makolet had a huge box of overripe bananas that they were giving out for free- so I brought a bunch home, figuring its always good to have something else to munch on, especially Pesach time! As soon as Naftali spotted them, he went 'bananas' - he peeled open quite a few, and then once I moved them out of his reach, he started pulling down the tablecloth so he could get more!

Looks like he's following in his big brother's footsteps!

My cutie cleaning crew

I'm putting them to work! (although they sure had fun!)

Matzos Mehadrin from Kita Mechina

Yisrael's Rebbe doesn't cease to impress me- he's constantly got something up his sleeve, to give the boys a "geshmak" in their learning.

A few days ago (just a day after his siddur party!) Yisrael came home from Cheder telling us all about the special Matzah bakery that his Rebbe set up in Cheder- he was bursting with excitement, telling us about all the details- each boy got an apron and baker's hat, and they got to roll 3 matzos, punch holes in them with a real "reddler" and then his Rebbe baked them in an oven that he built in the schoolyard, with bricks, a sheet of iron and firewood!

Today Yisrael came home with his cute little box of Matzos, and a whole booklet of pictures that his Rebbe took while they were making them. He was so proud!

(when I asked Yisrael if his Matza is kosher l'pesach, he said no- and his reasons?
1) because his Rebbe didn't use מים שלנו and
2) because the oven wasn't so hot maybe there's still parts that weren't baked well
....never mind that I'm SURE the whole process took more than 18 minutes!)

Girls will be girls

Yesterday I went shoe shopping with Bruria. I know from experience that if Bruria sees shoes that she thinks is pretty, she'll decide that she ONLY wants that pair, even if they are not too practical (aren't most of us females the same?). So I warned her ahead of time that we are going to buy the shoes that Mommy says are good, and she agreed.

When we got to the shoestore, he had a rack outside of shoes that were on clearance from last year. I found one pair in her size, but they were an ivory colored shoe with sequins, which I was sure would fall right off. Not very practical, but definitely very dainty. Bruria was thrilled when she saw them, but I saw that they were a bit too wide on her, while the size smaller was too small. Plus, I really wanted her to get a darker color.

So we asked the salesman to bring out something else. They were a pretty black shoe, nice, but not nearly as pretty as the first pair. As soon as I tried them on her, Bruria said to me, "These are making a boo-boo on my feet. The other shoes are much more cozy!" even though I could see clearly that the second pair fit much better.

I asked the salesman if he had them in another color- and he brought out the same shoe in a shiny silver-grey. As soon as Bruria saw them, her eyes lit up, and before she even tried them on, she said, "These are VERY cozy, Mommy. The other ones (the original ivory pair) make boo-boos on my feet."

Oh, girls! At least we were both happy with our purchase- they were pretty enough for Bruria's liking, and practical enough for mine!

Cute Quote: Who's "Yunger"?

While Bruria and Azriel Shraga were napping, I took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time with Yisrael, since he really doesn't get to have me to himself much. I was holding Naftali on my lap, and I read him a book. After the book was finished, we began to shmooze. Somehow we started talking about how Yisrael is the oldest, and that Naftali is the youngest:

Yisrael: Azriel Shraga is also the youngest, right Mommy?

Mommy: No, only the smallest person in the family is the youngest. But since Azriel Shraga is smaller than you, he's younger than you.

Yisrael: (with a big grin on his face) But Mommy, I'm "Yunger" too! (YES pun intended!)

Yisrael's מסיבת סידור

Today was a very monumental day for Yisrael- he got his first Siddur in Cheder! He just finished learning how to read (and he's pretty good at it!) and today his class celebrated their מסיבת סידור- which they've been looking forward to weeks.

Instead of doing a big party for the parents (they will be having a חומש party in a few months when they start learning חומש, to which the parents will be invited) - the Rebbe tried to make it a really meaningful day for the boys. And what's more meaningful than taking the boys to the Kosel and davening there with their new siddurim for the first time? We were very touched by the idea- as was Yisrael. He came home glowing (mabye also because of all the candy he got?!) and was eager to tell us about his special day.

I wasn't really able to get any good pictures, being that I wasn't there, but here's a picture of him when he came home. (I'm sure the Rebbe will send home pictures with his דף קשר)

He did it!

Yup- the moment we've all been waiting for- Naftali learned how to walk! He's been walking while holding on for months, but was too scared to let go. Plus, any time he DID try to let go, a sibling of his pushed him over! But B"H yesterday Naftali finally decided to try his hand (feet?) at walking- and he did a great job! He's been walking all over the house since then- he's been making pretty great strides (no pun intended) and is walking much better than a beginning walker usually does at this stage. I guess that's because he's been practicing for months holding on! He's been getting a lot of attention from his siblings because of it- every time he starts to walk, someone calls out, "Mommy, look- Naftali's walking!"

Here's a little clip of him this afternoon- Enjoy!

Our very own Sefer Torah

This week, Yisrael's Rebbe taught the boys all about the different parts of a Sefer Torah (since we take out 2 ספרי תורה on Shabbos because of פרשת החודש). So that, coupled with the הכנסת ספר תורה in Yeshiva this week, got Yisrael very fascinated by ספרי תורה. To top it all off, he went to daven in Yeshiva today, and got to see the ספרי תורה and say חזק חזק ונתחזק!

So of course, after all the ספר תורה experiences he's had this week, he spent the afternoon building a very elaborate ספר תורה - much more advanced than some of the earlier models he used to make. This one has עצי חיים, with קלף wrapped around, and a מעיל to cover it, with a special כתר on top. He even wanted to make a יד but we decided that its just too hard to make with Clics.

After he finished making his ספר תורה, he pretended to lain from it (yup, that's a real יד he's holding!)

(Yisrael is actually going to start learning how to lain with "trop" after Pesach...so then he'll really be able to pretend to be a בעל קורא!)

Hachnasas Sefer Torah

Tonight there was a Hachnasas Sefer Torah for Yeshiva. Even though it started much later than scheduled (which was much later than bedtime!) it was quite beautiful. The kids really had a nice time watching the "Keser Torah" truck- Naftali was dancing in the stroller the entire time!

Yisrael got to hold a special torch (the older boys got real torches, but the Yeshiva got special flashlight torches for the little kids to hold)- and he was very good about giving his siblings a chance to hold it!

We all got home exhausted and everyone collapsed in bed- except for Bentzi and I- we headed back to Yeshiva to partake in a beautiful Seudas Mitzvah- which I really enjoyed!

May we all be zoche to feel the beauty and Simcha of Torah in our lives constantly!

(The donor of the Sefer Torah is a yungerman from the Yeshiva- a very special person. He actually used to be a hedge fund manager on Wall Street, but had the strength of character which most people don't possess- he was very successful at a relatively young age, and he realized that he had made "enough" and called it quits- he made Aliyah with his wife and 4 kids and has been learning ever since! He was a wealthy successful businessman who "had it all", but left it in order to pursue the ultimate treasure- Torah! Quite an inspiration! It helps us appreciate what we B"H have in our lives- כי יקרה היא מפנינים!)

Happy Un-Birthday, Bruria!

Today, Bruria had a birthday party in Gan. Really, her birthday isn't for another month, but since they do a party for three girls at once, the party never falls out quite right. Bruria was still thrilled to have a party (who isn't?!) but if you'll ask her how old she is, she'll still answer "Three and a half!"

Half of the excitement was being able to go to gan with her Shabbos dress and shoes- she got up at 6 AM and came to wake me up- fully dressed! She was begging to go to gan- and was quite annoyed to find out she'd have to wait another two hours until gan started!Our neighbor Devorah Levine did her hair, and I even let her have a little bit of make-up (I still remember when I was a little girl, how exciting it was to have makeup!) She was so happy, she practially bounced the whole way to gan!

I came to her gan a little later in the morning, for the actual party. Bruria was thrilled to see me, but I think she was even more excited that Naftali came- she had lots of fun showing off her 'baby' to all her friends.

For the party itself, the teachers have a bunch of cute songs and dances that they do with the girls- they dance under arches, they spin a hoola hoop with ribbons around them, raise them up on chairs, and much more. (I am VERY impressed with all the work that her Morah's put into it!) Then the girls gave out cake, and at the end of the day they gave out pekelach (goody bags). It was really quite beautiful!

Here's some pictures- enjoy!