(Second) First Day of (Pre) School

This week Eitan started school around here. It's a wonderful in home day care run by a woman that has a program for 2-3 year olds. She used to teach Aviva Jewish stuff while Aviva was in (a non-Jewish) High School and one of the teachers is the daughter of one of the neighbors on this block, which is how we found out about it at all.

It's been great- the first day he just ran right in and started playing, and even was sad when Ami went to get him! Quite different from our experience in Israel, where even though we know he was happy during the day (they take pictures, he'd report happily), he cried most mornings and bolted to us when we came to get him at 1pm.

So here's the obligatory knapsack by the door, first day of school photo. I think it's even better because it was Shushan Purim so our little monkey man is all set.

He'll be in five mornings a week so we now have time to a) breathe b) really actually get our lives together and c) pay some attention to sweet baby Lev. Good times.

Bananas for Purim!

Hardee Har Har. Ami said to me earlier today that one of us should have dressed up as an orange and said "Orange you glad we didn't dress up as bananas?".

We dressed these boys up as a monkey and a banana, very apropos as Eitan has overheard and repeated that he wants to "eat the baby" more then a couple of times, and tried to lunge in for a bite a few times too. Oy. At least it makes for good costumes.

It was a beautiful brisk but not cold day, perfect for the fleece costumes that I bought on clearance the week after Halloween (score one for mom!).

Today is also Liat's 8th birthday. Unreal. This kid is amazing. I remember the day she was born and running to the hospital to meet her. I am so glad that we are home to be with her on her special Purim birthday!

Also, check it out. Last week we had Eitan try on his costume to make sure he'd wear it and to get excited for the Chag. And he loved it. Also he loves the housekeeper and generally follows her around. So here's one we couldn't resist, Eitan as a monkey cleaning house...

Brookside Gardens on a Spring-y Winter Day

Last Friday was one of those magical winter days that just gives you a hit of spring. They kind of make you mad, because, whoa, why isn't every day that nice, but also are amazing, like a breath of fresh air, a reminder of things to come.

So we booked it to Brookside Gardens, a garden/playground/nature center a couple of miles from Ami's parents house and let Eitan run loose, and Lev too, but less running for that guy.

It was great. They had a little "treehouse" that he hung out in, and it was just a joy to be outside without coats on and soaking in the sunshine.

This picture is so blurry, but I love it anyways. 

This guy keeps us up all night (sleep training the second time around is no easier!) but he's so darn cute with his big toothless smile. Toothless smiles are pretty much my favorite thing nowadays.

These last two shots perfectly portray Eitan nowadays, always on the move, mostly smiling, with a lot of mischievous looks- he knows we know what he's up to!

Back to College Park

University of Maryland's campus is just so stinking beautiful, every time I go there for some reason or another I am in awe of the fact that we spent four years there. Aside from the nostalgia, it's a great place to spend a day with the kiddos. They have a pool, a bowling alley, kosher food and tons of car- free spaces to run around.

Recently a friend's father mentioned that he drove his kids to CP when they were kids and told them to get comfortable, because they were all going to go there. And they did. While we're not quite ready to commit these boys to admissions, the idea of in state tuition makes us smile especially when we think about the price of Yeshiva kindergarden just three years away...

We went to hang out with Yakov and hit up the famous Testudo statue in front of the library (rub his nose for good luck!) and the bowling alley. The bowling alley even had little bowling shoes in Eitan's size for some reason. It was great. And he had a good time trying to bowl even though by the time his ball go anywhere near the pins he had lost interest. I guess we need to do some more practice with the Chanuka gift set from Hudy and Debra.

Matchy Patchy

We're not the type of people to dress our kids up in the same clothing (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not our thing), but when it happens unintentionally, well, we'll go with it.

One morning this week we noticed the boys were in the same pajamas. And Eitan got all excited about their matching polar bear feet, so you know, out came the ole camera.

PS. I finally made it to Starbucks and they gave me a little smile. And Trader Joe's too this week, I could have spent an hour in there, but ran through the aisles because both boys were sleeping in the car so Ami was circling the parking lot.

PBJ Sushi, Yogurt Face and Pickle Chicken Soup

Eitan sometimes is too cool for eating. Like he'd rather be not stuck in a chair, so it can sometimes be hard to get him to sit and eat despite the looks of those chubby cheeks.

Lately, these three meals have worked...

PBJ Sushi- a tortilla with peanut butter and jelly rolled and sliced up. It's not like he loves sushi or anything, but calling it that seemed to garner excitement. And I guess finger food is just always fun.

Yogurt- each morning Eitan goes into the fridge and pulls a Chobani yogurt around that he'll carry around as long as we let him. It's very exciting for him that he can open the fridge and pull something out. Sometimes he even can be convinced to eat it. Most of the time it just becomes a fixture attached to his hand that we try to sneak back to the fridge as soon as possible. And even on the days he does eat it, he probably gets only about half in his stomach, and of course will not let us feed him.

Chicken Soup with Pickle- no explanation possible. He just used to pickle as his (very inefficient) spoon. Weirdo.

And for a daily dose of Levav, if you want to be happy and you know it...



If You're Happy And You Know It... from mimi rozmaryn on Vimeo.

Trains, Shawarma and To-Dos

We're coming into a routine of taking Eitan out for some kind of activity each morning before his (thankfully long!) afternoon nap.

On this day I had a bunch of things to return/exchange at the mall, and heard that there were a bunch of kids entertainment type things in there. So, while I took Levavi, the stroller and the items to return, and then buy, Ami had Eitan and explored the Bounce-House place and the in mall train. When it's about 5 degrees outside, you gotta get creative...

The bouncing amused him for maybe 2 minutes, but the train, wow, he could have gone around the bottom floor on the mall by train all day. He even sat touching it for a while afterwards. Funny guy.

And, while we're talking about stores, I was thinking about these places that I have not been to yet- which is CRAZY- add 'em to the to-visit list this week: Starbucks, Trader Joes, Gap, 7-11 (slurpees!). On the other hand, I have been to Target about 5 times, and even temporarily lost our car in the parking lot there once. Ah, America...


Back to Shwarma, our whole 14 months in Israel, Ami searched for the best Shawarma. As it turns out, he thinks our local place over here at Max's is just as good as the best place he had in the holy land.

Oh, and even thought this has nothing to do with anything, well, I mean it does as much as it's a to-do, here are two shots of cutie Lev that I snapped the other day.

Onwards, another week, more resume sending, activity finding and playdate-ing.

Recent Paparazzi-ing

Since we're home with both boys all the time now, we have lots of opportunities to make them (or try to) sit and pose for pictures. They loooove this. Well, Levaver he doesn't care, but Eitan really excels at sitting still and letting us snap away. And I mean the opposite of that.

And we still haven't ever had one professional photograph taken of us. Need to do that ....But for now, from our little point and shoot to this little blog, the boys:

Eitan trying to hold his brother nicely, Lev's not into it so much.

Still not so excited about the camera

Two boys smiling!!!!! Shehechiyanu Moment!

Over the camera

Really over the camera

Cracking up over sticking the sippy cup (aka sikky pup) up his nose...awesome Eitan. Just awesome.

Love Connection!

While we were in New York a couple weeks ago we had the opportunity to meet our friends Saadya and Becca's new baby Olivia. We'd video chatted her (and her parents) a couple times from Israel, but there's nothing like the real thing!

Our cousin Yair thankfully had his camera phone out and ready during Eitan and Olivia's first in person meeting. In short, Eitan was just as smitten with the real life version as the video chat version of miss Olivia and put the moves on right away.

And here, in four pictures, Eitan the casanova and Olivia's first kiss.

Air and Space Museum

Part of our current job descriptions right now is "keep Eitan busy". Particularly before his nap which takes up  most of the afternoon. We've been going to playgrounds, malls, playing in the snow, and on this day the Air and Space Museum expansion building. It's a huge hangar filled with all kinds of planes and the space shuttle discovery.                        

Eitan loved it except for the fact that he couldn't touch the airplanes. Well, there was one he was allowed to touch, of course, he wanted to go inside and drive it.  We did go for a mommy-son ride in the space simulator which he was both amazed and terrified by. What's awesome is that when we got home he told everyone we spent the day in space. Hilarious.