Cute Quote: What's in a name?

Yehuda Leib defintely lives up to his name- that kid is strong like a lion!  He is very aggressive too- he's gotten very good at grabbing things from every member of the family....

This morning, Yehuda Leib pulled a bag of nails off of the dining room table and spilled them all over the floor.  B"H I was right there and started picking up the nails, putting them back in the bag.  Yehuda Leib crawled over to me, and started grabbing the bag away from me- I was suprised at how much I had to wrestle with him to get him to let go- that kid is REALLY strong!  As I was pulling the bag away from him, I found myself blurting out this most ridiculous statement:

"Oy, I am never going to name any of my children Yehuda Leib ever again!"

Yungers in Action: Hillels' Piggy-back Ride!

These little twins of ours have lots of fun together - I've got tons of adorable videos of the two of them to share with you- some recent, and others quite old. This one is from a few days ago; I've been trying to catch this on camera for some time, and finally got it!

Trouble viewing?  Click here to download the video

A True Lamdan

On ליל שבת the kids were playing with Kapla, and Yehuda Leib kept messing it up.  So one of them decided to move him out of the way....by putting him in one of the bedrooms and closing the door.  I was in the kitchen, when I heard YL's desperate cries...and discovered him in the dark room, banging on the door, with a petrified look on his face.  I promptly gave the kids a mussar shmooze about how you can't do that to a baby, especially in a dark room- it was so scary for him to be closed up in a room by himself, without being able to see anything.

Well the next morning, the kids were busy playing again, and YL once again started bothering them.  Before locking YL up again, our little culprit went through the following thought process:

(gemara niggun) Mommy said its not nice to lock a baby inside a dark room because he's scared of the dark (raising fist with thumb sticking upwards) But, if you turn on the light in the room, lich'ora that should be okay!

Needless to say, I had to expound on the previous night's mussar shmooze, explaining that it is never okay to lock a baby in a room, whether or not its dark, and its certaintly not okay to turn on a light on Shabbos!

This was NOT staged!

Actual date: 9/22/2013

Bentzi called me one night from the babies' room, "Yael, this is so cute- you have to come take a picture!"  Now Bentzi's a great father and all, but he's not really the cutesy-putesy-take-a-picture kinda guy.  So when he said this to me, I knew I had a perfect blog post in the making....

I grabbed the camera and came to see what was so cute.  Well, I sure wasn't dissappointed!

We have since moved the babies into separate cribs; 
although we did have the occasional cuddle moment like this, 
too often we found Yehuda Leib crawling all over Hillel, 
which Hillel was NOT too happy about!

Chol Hamoed Trip 5774

One Sukkos night when the kids were asleep,
Cuddled up in the Sukkah not making a peep,
A certain Yunger father and mother,
Were having a conversation with one another.

Where to go, was the big debate,
It has to be somewhere really top-rate!
Perhpas we should we rent another car
And take the family on a trip quite far!

But is it really worth the time and expense?
And keeping the kids in such suspense?
Maybe somewhere closer would be just fine,
We still could have a really nice time!

SpeedyKef is a luna-park very close-by
But the pool's closed for the season- will it still be kdai?
They've got lots of other fun stuff to do,
And its really convenient for me and for you.

Will the kids be upset or will they be thrilled?
I think it'll be great, said Mama, super-chilled.
Lets pack up our bags and get on our way,
We're sure to have a super duper day!

The kiddos were excited, and full of anticipation,
What would be our trip's destination?
And when we revealed to them where we would be,
They jumped for joy and said "Yippee!"

We went on a roller-coaster type ride,
Where you speed down the mountain on a metal slide.
Bumper cars, a ferris wheel, and trampolines too-
Bungee jumping, go-carts, and a cute petting zoo!

We all had a really fun time-
By each of the rides there was hardly a line!
Since the pool was closed the crowds stayed away,
And we had a wonderful day!

 

Having a good time!

I took this picture when we went on our Chol Hamoed Sukkos trip- I'll be posting more about it soon- but I think this picture deserves a post all its own. Don't those guys look like they're having a good time!? B"H we all did! Stay tuned for more details, coming soon....

 

Creative Chess Set

The kids wanted to play chess one night, but our chess set was missing too many pieces (it has since been replaced). So what did my innovative children do? Make their own, of course! I think they had more fun making it than they did playing!  As long as they enjoyed themselves, that's all that matters!

 

The best dressed babies in town

Actual Date: Erev Sukkos, 9/18/2013

I just love dressing my babies matching- even though they look nothing alike, and aren't even the same size, there's still something so cute about being matching.  As they are getting older, I have less and less matching clothes for them, but for Yom Tov I really wanted something.  I couldn't find anything in the stores, and by the time I thought about buying something online, it was too late.  Oh well, I thought, my babies just won't match.

The next day I 'happened' to stop in a kids' clothing store (which I had been to before) and found the most adorable vest suits, at a bargain of a price.  I ended up buying three sets- one to fit Hillel, one a size bigger for YL, and one the next size up, figuring that when they both grow a bit, YL will wear that one and Hillel will wear the one that YL outgrew.  But when I got home, it turns out that the larger one just-just fit Nissim- so I actually had all three of them matching (Nissim's belly is too round for the vest to button close!)

Aren't they smashingly cute?  I sure think so!

 

Bad Mama

Yes, I've been really bad about posting lately.  Seems that I'm not the only one in the family though- one sister abandoned her blog completely, another is still waiting for us to comment on her non-joke.  B"H for the sister who does give us occasional peak of her cuties, otherwise I think we'd all abandon checking these blogs altogether!

I've got tons of excuses, I'm sure you could list them off yourself...twin babies, moving, dealing with construction headaches, too many trips to the hospital with Nissim...yadda yadda yadda.

But I pledge to do Teshuva.  Months have gone by, the babies are KA"H adorable, and I would really like to share with you.  So I'm going to try.  I've got videos to post (but the sound on my computer isn't working...) and lots of pictures and stories (if I still remember them, especially in my sleep-deprived state!)  So please do visit again soon, you may be pleasantly suprised!

-Yunger Mama

A fun summer afternoon in גן אלמליח

Since we had to move over summer break, we were so busy packing that we didn't have much time for trips. One afternoon, after having spent too many days at home, we decided to get out for a few hours with the kids, to have a fun, refreshing time.  We went to גן אלמליח, a lovely park which is pretty close to Malcha Mall, which is pretty easy for us to get to.  It has huge slides which the kids really enjoy, and its really breezy there, so even on a hot summer day it was quite pleasant.  We brought along tons of snacks, bubbles, and a kite, and had a lovely afternoon.  We were so busy having fun (meaning, I was so busy trying to fly the kite!) that we barely had time to take pictures- but I did manage to get one picture of Bentzi and the kids.

Isn't Azriel Shraga's pose so "HIM"!?

Yungers in Action: My little cleaner-upper

Nissim has become really cute about cleaning up - he clears the cups and silverware off the table and puts them in the sink (I often find fleishig spoons in the milchig sink - oops!) and he loves to push all the toys into a  pile using a broom or sponga stick (he actually has pretty good control!) - it is adorable!  I actually managed to capture it on camera (after a few failed attempts where he stopped as soon as he saw me, I got smart and hid in the stairwell, where he didn't notice me right away).  Enjoy!

Troublemaker in Training

The other morning I caught Hillel pulling out wipes from the package- he's not as fast as his older brother, but no worry, with a bit more practice I'm sure he'll do a spectacular job!

And since I don't want anyone telling me its not fair to post about one twin and not the other, here's a silly picture of Yehuda Leib that I took the same morning.  Isn't he YUM?

Our Big (but still little) Boy

Yisrael is very excited about his new set of משניות he got as a gift at his סיום חמישה חומשי תורה a few nights ago (I will post more about that soon, IY"H!) and on Erev Shabbos, he and Bentzi sat down to learn together.  I got a kick out of this picture- sitting like a big boy, learning משניות, yet still wearing his bib from lunch!

May he always have an appetite for learning!

True "Yiddishe" Nachas

I was talking to a friend of mine the other night, who's son is in Azriel Shraga's class.  "I heard Azriel's part in the מסיבת חומש is adorable," she said.  "Really?" I responded, "He hasn't said a word about it!"  "Well Elazar keeps talking about Azriel's תפקיד- he says its so cute!"

Of course the next day, when I asked Azriel Shraga about it, he shrugged it off in a shy voice "I want it to be a הפתעה for you, don't talk about it".

Well I was definitely treated to a beautiful surprise this morning at Azriel Shraga's מסיבת חומש.   I didn't dream he'd have a major role- just a minute before his performance, when another boy was called up to "welcome" the guests, I whispered to a friend of mine sitting next to me- "Wow- such self confidence- I don't think any of my boys could do that!"  So imagine how I felt, when he marched up to the center of the stage, and sang a beautiful solo in a sweet, pleasant voice, in front of around 200 people.  It was really cute and I was bursting with nachas!

Azriel Shraga is being an ענו about his performance and really doesn't want me bragging about it and showing off (whose child is he? Doesn't take after me, that's for sure!) so don't tell him that I shared this video with you!

Enjoy! (sorry the video is so shaky...had I known his part was going to be so long, maybe I would have propped up the camera better!)

Zaidy, is the Yiddish any consolation to you?

Ready for gan ALREADY?!

Hillel was playing on the floor one morning, and grabbed the strap of Nissim's backpack, which was laying nearby.  He must have rolled over after it looped around his arm, because a few minutes later, I found him like this:

Three amazing years....

We celebrated Nissim's 3rd birthday this past Erev Shabbos- this year it fell out exactly the way it was the year he was born, with his birthday on Thursday night.  It was a very emotional weekend for me, especially since the timing was the same - I relived the whole chain of events, from the time he was born, to his surgery (which was on Shabbos). Numerous times over Shabbos, I said to Bentzi and the kids- do you know what was happening at exactly this time three years ago? B"H it was so nice to be able to look at this adorable boy, full of energy and good spirit, and to realize how far we've come since that fateful Thursday night three years ago.

I put together a little slideshow, with pictures and videos that most of you have seen already right here on this blog- but when you see them all at once, and you witness how Nissim has B"H grown and developed so much during these three amazing years- it really makes an impact.  Its so easy to forget how sick Nissim was when he was born, how swollen his face used to be, how hard he had to work to be able to walk and run and be the joyful, energetic boy that he is today.

I cried my eyes out as I prepared this slideshow- tears of thanks to the רבונו של עולם that B"H we've made it to this point, and tears of תפילה that we should continue to see Nissim grow and progress, and that Hashem should continue to watch over him and give him- and us- the strength and סיעתא דשמיא that He's given us until now!

A MAJOR Nachas evening coming up...

And you're officially invited!

B"H Yisrael's class is making a Siyum on חמישה חומשי תורה in a week and a half- this is the culmination of three year's hard work, learning and constantly doing חזרה until the boys really know the material "inside out".  Its amazing to see how well he really knows it, and the glow of satisfaction that radiates on his face when we test him and he knows the answers.

The Cheder makes a grand celebration in honor of the Siyum, in a fancy hall (with lots of speeches I'm sure!) and while we know that most of you can't come, we'll sure you'll be there in spirit!  Stay posted for Nachas updates after the Siyum!

(Note to the Yerushalayim Aunts:  Yisrael brought home extra invitations to mail to you....can you consider yourselves invited and I'll save the money for the postage?  I don't think he really expects you to come, although I'm sure he'd be tickled pink if you actually did!)

"I Wanna Hold Your Hand"

Now that the twins are getting older and more social, its really cute to see them interact.  They love to lay on their bellies, looking at each other, and I often find them holding hands when I leave them laying near each other.  On more than one occasion, I've even found one of them sucking the other ones' thumb!  Its so cute!

Becoming a Big Brother

Lots of people were worried how Nissim was going to react to his little brothers, as he had gotten used to being pampered and treated like a prince.  B"H he's taken to them quite nicely- and he's actually grown up a bit because of them!  One night during bedtime, Hillel was kvetchy (a rare occurrence) so I put him in Nissim's bed while I brushed the other children's teeth.  I kept peaking in to make sure they were okay, and it was really cute to watch Nissim making nice to Hillel, kissing him, and even trying to give him his bottle!  It was a real nachas moment!

Little Boy(s) Blue

I caught this cute shot of my two blue-eyed boys while we were eating lunch on Lag B'Omer in Meron.  Aren't those eyes just gorgeous?

A Handsome Little Boy

I've been getting some request for some nicer pictures of Nissim since his upsherin, since I wasn't able to get any nice shots in Meron. Here you go!

Thanks, Menucha, for the adorable Shabbos outfit- 

do you remember when you bought it for me?  

KA"H Nissim is my 4th boy to wear it...and its still in good condition!

Sleeping cuties

Naftali had a hard time falling asleep one night, so I let him cuddle on the couch with Yehuda Leib, who was also having a hard time settling down.  B"H my trick worked and they both fell asleep.  Aren't they yummy?

 Do you see the resemblance?  I do!

Happy Birthday, Azriel Shraga!

While the rest of us were counting Sefirah, Azriel Shraga was busy counting down the days to his birthday- and yesterday was finally the day he'd been eagerly looking forward to!  He wore Shabbos clothes to school and gave out candies to his classmates.  Then when he came home we made a mini birthday party for him, inviting all the neighbor's children.

We had a nice time- first playing some games of Musical Chairs and Freeze Dance (the neighbor's kids all played nicely but a few of ours were being sore losers...can't imagine where they got that from?!) and then we had a short "Seudas Amenim" where we had birthday cake, peanuts, apples, grape juice, and roasted marshmallows.  It was a lot of fun and a nice way to do something meaningful at the same time.

We were so busy enjoying ourselves that I didn't have time to take pictures...I only managed to take a picture of the cake once it was almost completely gone...

May we see much Nachas from Azriel Shraga as he continues to grow!

Nissim's Upsherin

(Sorry for the delay in posting...)

When Nissim was still sick in the hospital, I remember Bentzi saying to me, "BE"H this little boy is going to get better, and IY"H when he's three years old, we're going to take him to Rabi Shimon to cut his hair".  It gave us chizzuk at the time, to hold onto a hope that the difficult time we were going through would pass.  Its amazing to realize that almost three years have gone by since then, and B"H we were zoche to see that dream become a reality this past Lag B'Omer.

Since Lag B'Omer this year fell out on Motzai Shabbos, we decided to take the entire family to Tzfas for Shabbos, so that we'd be closer to Meron once the Lag B'Omer festivites began.  We kept our plans a secret from the kids until we woke them up that morning and told them "Quick- get dressed nicely- we're going to Meron!"  Aunt Dinah, who had just arrived from the US earlier in the week, met up with us in Beitar to join us for the trip- we figured it would be nice to have another adult with us to help out with the kids (little did we know how crucial her help would be!)  We had a nice (LONG) drive up, with some stops along the way, finally arriving at the apartment we'd rented in Tzfas early Friday afternoon.  After eating a quick lunch, we got ready for Shabbos, while the kids explored the apartment and its surroundings.

Shabbos was beautiful- we really enjoyed the change of scenery and the beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.  Nissim fell off a chair at one point and cut his chin (never a dull moment, even in Tzfas!) but B"H the bleeding wasn't too terrible and it stopped right away, and B"H we saw that he was okay.  Late Shabbos afternoon, once it had cooled off, we went for a huge walk up to the old city of Tzfas, where we got to do a bit of sight-seeing, and were able to enjoy the magnificent views from one of the most highest points in Tzfas.

Motzai Shabbos saw Bentzi and I heading out to Meron much later than expected (I ended up taking Nissim to the ER to get his chin stitched up) and by the time we headed out (thanks to Aunt Dinah for offering to babysit!) the road leading to Meron was completely backed up.  We finally parked the car on the side of the road and walked the rest of the way.  What should have taken us 10 minutes to get there, took over two hours- but it was well worth it, as I was able to get all the way into the "Ma'ara" (building over Rabi Shimon's kever) to daven.

The next morning, after packing up our stuff, we headed out to Meron with the entire family, to cut Nissim's hair.  We got out much later than expected, which worked to our benefit- little did we know that the roads were completely backed up all morning- but by the time we headed out at 1 PM, traffic had settled down and we made it to Meron in a matter of minutes.  With each adult holding onto two children and one pushing the stroller, we battled the crowds in Meron until we found a nice shady spot overlooking Rabi Shimon's kever, where we cut Nissim's hair.

Poor Nissim wasn't very excited about his haircut- I'm not sure if he was tired because of the previous day's events, or if he was sad to see his "kookoo" go- but he cried as we cut his hair.  It was very emotional, watching my baby transform into a little boy, thinking of everything we've been through with him.  To be in such a holy place, on such an auspicious day- it was really beautiful.

As we were leaving Meron, we spotted a cousin of ours- Bentzi's cousin Priva from Bnei Brak, who had hosted me after Nissim was born, while he was in Tel HaShomer after surgery.  It was so special that out of the hundreds of thousands of people who came to Meron, we saw her- it felt that we had come full circle- she had been with us in the very begining of Nissim's illness, and now she was able to join in our Simcha of his Upsherin.

We headed back to the cars, ate a quick lunch, and began our long drive home.  We made a stop along the way to daven Mincha at the kever of Rabi Meir Ba'al HaNes- a meaningful way to end a beautifully uplifting weekend.

Just as we were zoche to bring Nissim to Meron for his Upsherin, so too, Hashem should help us see the realization of all our hopes and dreams for this precious little boy!

...במקום שאין אחות

!השתדל להיות אחות



Hillel is being very cooperative with his sister's antics...
and he sure is a pretty little boy!

(Yehuda Leib, don't get jealous...I think you're gorgeous too!)

Splish, Splash (this was after the bath!)

I've got lots to update you on, but I just couldn't resist posting this picture, hot off the press....stay tuned for more!

We were up bright and early this morning to head out to our new Rokach cousin's bris, and we decided it would be a great idea to bathe the kids before dressing them, figuring that they'd be all dressed for Shabbos when we got home.

It WAS a great idea...except that we hadn't checked the weather forecast.  With unusually hot weather the past week, it would have never dawned on me that it might rain today...but that's exactly what happened.  As the bus pulled into Beitar on our return trip, it was pouring rain- and the looks of glee on my boy's faces should have given me a hint of what they had in mind.  I got off the bus and told them to make a mad dash towards the house- but they were enamored with a huge puddle next to the bus stop.  I just couldn't tear them away...they were having so much fun!

So now they're back in the bath, and hopefully I'll manage to dig up some dry clothes for them for Shabbos!

Mazal tov to everyone on the birth of Shmuel Eliyahu- may we see only nachas and bracha from him and all his family!

Caught red-handed!

(I just found this post in my drafts folder- I wrote it a while ago but must have had to stop in the middle and never actually posted it...enjoy!)

B"H our home is a happy one, but we do try to set some rules to maintain safety and to prevent damage.  Among them are:

1.  Don't pick up the babies without permission, they are not dolls
2.  Don't play with Mommy's baby carrier, it is not a toy
3.  Don't play with Mommy's camera, it is not a toy

Well apparently my angelic children, who never violate their mother's word on purpose, must have had a temporary lapse of memory one afternoon while a high school girl was watching them while I napped (Ahem- I'll be דן לכף זכות that she was busy holding Yehuda Leib and couldn't stop them fast enough).  B"H no harm was done to an of the above items (#1 being the most important!) - I only found out days later, when I was looking through the pictures on my camera, when I found the following incriminating photos:

(Can you figure out who the photographer must have been?!)

A lazy vacation morning

You know how it goes...kids are off of school, its less than a week to Pesach, and you've got tons to do!  So as soon as you're up, you quickly get to work!  Meanwhile the kids slowly start to wake up, and hang around in PJ's while you're busy tackling those dirty cabinets.  Well at one point I realized that it was too quiet- which is usually a sign of trouble. So imagine the feeling when I went into my room and saw this:

The kids were all cuddled up in my bed (except for Yisrael and Nissim who still have school - !) and Bruria was reading them a book - it was a real "Awwwwwwwwwww" moment!

But now I'd better go back to my scrubbing...I just wanted to share this cute moment with you! 

Chillin' Out

Erev Shabbos was a real חמסין (our Mommy checked on Weather.com and it was 97 degrees!) - so while the rest of the family was busy shvitzing while they were getting for Shabbos, we got to lay around in our diapers, nice and comfortable!

Aren't we just too cute?

Grapefruit picking for Leket Israel

Our Doda Racheli and cousin Leora were here visiting for a week, and they thought of a really nice activity, that would be an opportunity for them to spend time with their cousins, while doing a mitzvah at the same time!  There's an organization here called "Leket" which collects surplus food and produce, and helps distribute it to poor people throughout Israel.  One of the things they do is send volunteers out to fields, to pick produce that was either planted specifically for them, or produce which the farmers don't need and would otherwise go to waste.  This produce gets sent to soup kitchens throughout the country, and is distributed to needy families.

So on Shushan Purim, Bentzi and the older kids (I stayed home with the "junior division") met up in a field  near Rechovot, together with a bunch of our other Yunger cousins.  The kids had a nice time learning about the mitzvos that Leket does, and then they went out to the fields to pick grapefruits.  It was fun climbing the trees to pick fruit, and they were allowed to taste the fruit while they were out in the fields (no problems with תרומות and מעשרות that way).

Thanks, Doda Racheli, for the great idea- it was so nice to spend time with you, and to do a mitzvah at the same time made it much more meaningful!  We hope to see you again soon!

(and no, Shifra Yunger did not get married...she must be wearing that silly tichel because its in style or something?!)

Double your Pleasure, Double your Fun!

These are the words I found myself singing (from an old  commercial for Wrigley's Doublemint Gum) when I was driving home from the exciting ultrasound where I found out I was carrying two babies.

B"H raising twins really is "Double your pleasure, Double your fun" (not to mention double the spit-up, double the diapers, etc!) but we are really trying to focus on the positive and to appreciate this double-bracha that Hashem has Blessed us with!  

With my hands doubly (sevenfold?) full, I haven't had time to snap many pictures, but here's a sampling -the twins don't really have much matching clothing, but I try to snap a picture when they do wear outfits that match!  (And even on the occasion that I do dress them matching, its rare that they both stay clean long enough to enjoy it!) 

Aren't they absolutely precious?  But since they don't look anything alike, I don't think they'd make it onto a Wrigley's commercial.  Oh well!  Maybe we'll have better luck next time!  

Cute Quote: Pronunciation Problems

Both Bruria and Azriel Shraga are learning how to read this year, but since the boys learn with a yeshivishe pronunciation, and the girls learn with an Israeli pronunciation, it often causes confusion (and arguments!)

Bruria, listening to Azriel reading his Kriah homework:

Bruria:  That's not how you read that word!  Its "OH" not "OIY"!
Azriel:  That's how my Rebbe says it!
Bruria:  הרבי שלך לא יודע
Azriel:  הוא כן יודע- Right, Mommy?
Mommy:  Bruria, Azriel is right- we say it "OIY"
Bruria: (making a face and shaking her shoulders) But my Morah says "OH"!
Mommy:  Bruria, your Morah is also right!
Bruria:  But how can they both be right?  זה שטויות!

(we've had conversations along these lines more than once - with ת being pronounced "t" vs. "s", and קמץ being pronounced as "ah" vs. "uh")

Disclaimer:  I'm really not sure how to address the issue- especially since I don't really understand or agree with why the Bais Yaakov system has pretty much across the board adopted the מזרחי pronunciation, even though all their male counterparts use a Yeshivishe pronunciation.  But since we can't fight the system, we do our best to explain to the children that there is a big difference between modern day עברית and לשון הקודש.

Mishenichnas Adar....

Like every year, the kids in גן* came home with costumes on ראש חודש.  Nissim was an adorable leopard (cheetah?) with a long tail in back, and Naftali was מלך האותיות  (they are almost finished learning the א-ב so his גננת decided to make it an educational experience as well).  Aren't they both adorable?

* Yes, once the girls start כתה א and the boys start מכינה, no more costumes.  So while we had 4 kids in Gan last year, this year we're down to only two!  Oy, איך נפלו גבורים!  Good thing we had twins so that we can get that number back up!  (just kidding!)

Purim 5773

(Clockwise, staring from top left)

Yisrael- dressed up as a monster (you may remember this mask from when Bentzi wore it a few years ago). I really didn't like the idea of my sweety-pie dressing up like a monster, but when I told that to Yisrael, he said "But on פורים, its ונהפך הוא - so since I'm such a nice boy all year, on פורים I HAVE to do something הפוך!"

Hillel and Yehuda Leib- the only matching costumes I was able to borrow were skunk costumes (maybe next year I'll have time to make something for them!) - but even though I've never seen a skunk with a bow-tie, I must admit they looked awfully cute!  Yehuda Leib didn't want to smile for the picture...oh well.  He's only 3 months old, so we'll forgive him.  But next year, no more excuses, young man!

Nissim- was too busy "clowning around" to pose nicely for his picture...B"H he's such a happy little kid, this costume was just perfect!

Azriel Shraga- decided he wanted to be a tree, despite my efforts to talk him into being a policeman (we had a police costume in the house already).  So I gave in, and made him an adorable tree costume....and then of course he changed his mind and decided that he DID want to be a policeman!  Well, after all my hard work, I put my foot down - it was a really nice, original costume which elicited lots of compliments!

Bruria- was even more gorgeous in her Kallah gown than she was last year....good thing that it'll probably be too small on her next year (who wants to borrow it?!) since otherwise I'll really have to start worry about "chasing the chassanim away"!

Naftali- dressed up as מרדכי הצדיק- but I think he was more excited about the horse part of the costume than anything else- at one point he even told someone that he's dressed up as מרדכי הסוס!

May the simcha of Purim accompany us all year long!

SNOW!!!

Yes, its been a while since I've blogged, and while I've really been meaning to share with you about all the goings on in this house, I've been quite preoccupied (any guess why?!) But with today's snow, the most we've had in the 10 years that I'm here in E"Y, I just had to share the excitement.  We're taking a quick break to warm up after making a snowman and having a snowball fight, so I just wanted to share some pics so you can see how much fun we're having!

Its 10 AM and the snow is still coming down heavy - so hopefully we'll have some more time to play in the snow before it all melts!  There's already over 2 inches of accumulation- yes, I know that's nothing compared to a snow storm in Chicago- but for E"Y where, in the rare case that it does snow, it doesn't usually stick- this is a real "chavaya"!

Hopefully this blog post will be the harbinger of more....as I've got lots to share with you!