Man, I am so tired... and also not very motivated to do anything.
The girls are having their winter break at school, and I wish I could make it more exciting for them then staying in pj's half day long...!
So we didn't do much the whole morning, then we had a lame lunch, then I gave them a bath (the highlight of their day), and now they're napping. Hhhhaaaaa.... I need to go take a really warm shower as soon as I'm done here!
This is Lia falling asleep in her princess sofa after insisting she is going only to rest, that is no sleeping included. Ha, yeah right. What a cutie.

We always get challah bread for shabbat from school, but since there is no school we're thinking of baking one! If we really do this, which I hope we will, I will def. let you know how it came out :)

Good to be in Cali

We moved here, to the bay area from Boston area (Lynn, MA) about a year and a half ago. We ran away from the cold weather and the snow. Now the girls are begging to go somewhere where it snows and they want to play with snow. This evening we pretended we're in the snow. The girls wore fleece hats and mittens, we built a pretend snowman and threw pretend snow balls at each other... Oh, thank goodness we're in California and not Mass!
Lia was a bit challenging today. she had a good few moments of acting out and when she got mad at me for making her stop playing with her baby so she can come and brush teeth, she did something she never does - she hit me!
Well, she sat in time out and then we had a talk, to make sure she understands what she did that was wrong. It took a while for her to stop being so angry and cooperate with the conversation, but she did eventually and then apologized in the sweetest way ever and kissed me and hugged me. We cuddled and I just didn't want to let go of her.
Before the girls went to bed, we read a book and they were unbelievable: While I was reading, Lia sat Maya on her lap, just like a mommy taking care of her baby. So this photo is only one of many other beautiful moments they were having tonight right before bed :)
Mikey is still in OH and I miss him so much. Things are just not well when he travels, I don't think we know how to handle the "being away from each other" very well. He should be back tomorrow early afternoon. I can't wait. We'll have a nice Shabbat dinner all the four of us.

Sleepy Beauties

Oh... Today was pretty miserable. I woke up with a headache that didn't leave till about noon, I was cold all the time, and so tired.
And today was also wonderful. Lia and Maya were so sweet and loving today, as if understanding that because Mikey left to Ohio this morning and I was alone with them they needed to be thoughtful and nice to me.
Well, you can see my adorable sleeping beauties, who were more like sleepy beauties today.



I'm finally off to bed! goodnight!

Today and a year ago

This weekend flew by too fast. We didn't get nearly enough time together and Mikey is leaving to OH for most of this coming week :(
Lia and Maya have been amazing. They are such good friends and loving sisters. Watching them over the weekend made me very nostalgic and I've decided to look for a photo of them from a year ago. Sure enough, I found a bunch of them ;) It's unbelievable how much they've changed. In these photos they look like babies, and now they are girls. The same pj's Lia is wearing here in the photo, is exactly the pj's Maya is wearing tonight.

12/16/2006

This morning Mikey put on this dancey Indian music. It was great, I danced for a while and it made me feel really good. Then Maya, after observing me and my waist and arm+hand movements went ahead and did her thing. This girl can bust a move! I'm so proud of her!



Have a wonderful warm week!

Together

We are no longer celebrating Hanukkah. I'm pretty glad it's over... It's been too long of a party. 8 nights of partying, never getting enough sleep and eating way too much!
The last night of Hanukkah is always the nicest, since all the candles are lit and it's such a pretty sight. For the last night we had our friends over, it was so much fun! I love having friends and family members over, it's so much fun to be with people you love and feel good with. To celebrate together, to eat together, drink together, play together, share conversations/feelings/emotions/theories/opinions, sometimes even cry together.




When I think about my life, It makes me feel so happy and safe knowing I have my precious family with me. Mikey, Lia, and Maya are the biggest loves of my life!
I was thinking about it today, and suddenly thought how scary could be waking up one morning finding out nothing of this ever really happened to me. I know, I probably sound crazy... Well I guess I'm not far from that. but man, I'm one fortunate crazy woman to have these three in my life!


Lia today showed some pretty amazing knowledge in the Hebrew Aleph Bet. She looked at a book with pictures of objects and each object had its word written underneath it. She asked me: אמא, כדור וכסא מתחילים בשני כ?
She was asking me if these 2 words started with the same letter that's called "kaf" (k/c sound), and she was right!!!! I was shocked! and so excited! That wasn't all, then she asked:
במה מתחילה מכונית? I replied: מ . So she asked: כמו מאיה?
She basically asked me in which letter this one word started with. The word means a car and it starts with the letter that is M in English, so she asked: Like Maya?

The girls are now so much into art projects, so we made here last night dreidel boxes that came out so cute!


Well, I'm exhausted. I have to stop eating so much, and thinking about it doesn't help...!
I still have a committee to go to tonight from the girls' school and I don't really feel like it. i eat too much, that gets me fat, which leads to not feeling comfortable enough wearing the clothes I have, which leads to not wanting to get out of the house...
Oh, I did something for my self today! I bought earrings! I haven't been wearing earrings since Lia was a baby because I felt it wasn't safe holding her, nursing her with them in my ears, so I took them off. Well, the girls are old enough now and they're getting so into the pretty princess thing that I thought it would make them happy to see me getting one step closer to being what they like so much ;)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!

In love

Today was a very emotional day for me. I just woke up in the morning like this. And then, at around midday we finally got the package my family sent us from Israel for Hanukkah. My amazing sister, Amit sent us a 120 minute long DVD full of Israeli children's songs, and I'm talking about those I was listening to and singing when I was a little girl! Black and white videos of funny people wearing funny 70's and 80's clothes. It took me right back in time and my childhood passed right in front of my eyes. I cried so much, I had to hide in the kitchen so the girls don't see me like that.
The girls are so amazing to me, I am so so in love with them. And since we are celebrating right now the festival of lights, I have to say they are the biggest-brightest light in my life!
This morning Maya bumped into Lia accidentally, so she kissed her to make the pain go away.
... it worked :)




My precious babies. They are asleep at this moment (11:40pm) and after being with them the whole day, I still miss them so much. I'll go kiss them in a minute.


I am so fortunate to have these amazing girls! Thank you my love!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Lazy

It's Sunday. We're throwing a Hanukkah party tonight!
Mikey took Maya to a birthday party so they can have some one on one time together, that barely ever happens. I'm so excited about it and can't wait to hear how the morning went for the both of them together.
Meanwhile, Lia and I are here, at home spending some real good lazy quality time together!
I'm supposed to move it and take care of all the 3,5291 loads of laundry waiting to be folded here and feeling SO lazy...
Well, from the time I started writing this post, I got 2 phone calls telling me some people are not going to show up tonight, it is the sick season after all.
Here is a photo of my princess Lia who can't wait to celebrate tonight. She's such a party girl :)

Yeah, so instead of cleaning the house and decorating and cooking we haven't even washed our faces yet since we got up this morning and even though took some lazy photos of us ;)


It's time to move it and start preparing for the party.
Have a wonderful week!

The latke queen

The other day I chatted a little with my dear cousin from Australia (love you Yaaronet), and she said I haven't shown photos of my self for a while. So last night I took some photos of my very very tired self... I'll have to try again some time next week, I miss taking photos of my self.

Yesterday I volunteered to make latkes at the temple for Maya's class. Another mom helped me and we had a great time cooking together. Of course we were a great match, since she let me control the whole thing and boss her around, the control freak that I am in the kitchen.
I'm sure some people think to them selves right now: only in the kitchen?? Alright, I'm a control freak sometimes.
I should probably explain what latkes are: latkes are potato pancakes. They are traditional Jewish food for Hanukkah. Traditionally, you grate potatoes, mix them with some eggs and flour and... fry them, yes that's right, with a lot of oil! It's so good, it's bad! But I make them even better ;) I don't make potato latkes. I make potato-onion-carrot latkes, and sweet potato/yam-onion latkes, and zucchini-onion latkes and... everything latkes!
I wish I could write down here the recipe, but I never follow any, and I never measure and that's too bad, because I think others should be able to make them too!
Anyway, yesterday when I was done cooking at the temple, it was about 20 minutes before Maya finished her school day. So I went and grabbed Lia out of her class to eat some latkes with Maya's class. When Lia and I walked into Maya's class, Maya was busy drawing. It took her a few seconds to see us, and when she did, she called: "Imaaaa!" (=mommyyyy!) happily and kept drawing! What? How could it be...? Was this really my Maya?? She wasn't crying, or emotional at all, she wasn't squeezing me and clinging on to me, she wasn't holding my leg or grabbing my pants! My Maya is starting to like school! She became so much more outgoing in the last couple of weeks. I love her so much, that when I think about all the changes that have been made in her lately, it makes me so emotional. She is growing and from a toddler she's becoming a girl. I'm going to cry.



This is the amazing Hanukkiah Maya made at school. It's crazy how it looks like her drawings - she has been drawing circles in a line, like a train for the last couple of months. It's so Maya, I love it!
This is Lia's Hanukkiah she made at school. I cannot believe the order. There is such a clear pattern with the candle holders! She's so brilliant!
Last night we were supposed to go celebrate Hanukkah with our friends in Tiburon. One of their children was not feeling 100% well, and even though I was really looking forward to going there (haven't seen them since July!!), we decided to stay at home.It was rainy here yesterday and we were tired. It felt so perfect to just stay at home last night. Just the 4 of us. We lit the candles and had a really good dinner and then opened the presents.

Lia got a special Tinkerbell coloring book with special markers and Maya got a doctor's kit! She's been "doctoring" us around ever since, it's great!
I love looking at the Hanukkias (Menorahs) in the dark. I guess some things don't change, how we love fire when we're kids and when we grow that fascination doesn't go away, it sticks with us. It gives me such a warm feeling.

Well, Maya just got up from her nap, and she's sitting on my lap cuddling with me. I should go and cook dinner. We're having a small Shabbat dinner tonight, cause we're going to temple later for a "Shabbanukkah" service (Shabbat&Chanukkah ;).

Have a great weekend!
Shabbat Shalom!

First night, first light

Today was the first night of Hanukkah. The girls went to school in the morning, that gave me some time to run errands, including shopping for gifts for them for the holiday.
Both girls had a wonderful day at school. For Lia it's a usual thing. Maya on the other hand is a different story. Maya was breastfed until she was just about 2 years old (last April), and somehow, even though I stopped breastfeeding her, she acts as if she's still a breastfed child. I call it "in my vein". So since she started going to school last September until today, it's been heart breaking to drop her off with all her crying for me wanting me and no one else. Oh yes, there's never a babysitter or anyone else with her at home but me! Anyway, when I came to pick her up from school, her teachers told me she had an amazing day! I LOVED hearing it! I needed to hear something like that after walking around the whole morning with the vision of her wanting to cry for me being held and comforted by me. Today, for the first time she made art projects and was very interactive and all I want to say is that I am so so proud of my Maya!
When Lia got out of her class she showed me this cute dreidel she had made all by her self. I asked her if it was for me, and she said "no, it's for Maya". We walked into Maya's class together and sure enough Maya was just finishing up some art project, came with it to Lia and said "it's a gift for you" and they exchanged the gifts they made for each other. big sigh :)
My girls make me so positive, and emotional, and happy! I love them more than anything!


When we got home I gave them a bath and actually took pictures of them. something I used to do when they were babies probably every day and haven't done in a while. When I look at these photos, I can sense their beautiful energy and their amazing interaction with each other.



We played "koo-koo" (peek-a-boo)



While Mikey was cooking dinner, the girls and I played with the dreidels. They loved it and were so fascinated.





When dinner was ready we lit the candles in the Hannukia (Menorah) .



The girls, in some weird way have... I guess I can say a yamaka fetish. They took aba's (daddy's) yamaka and had some fun with it ;)

































I don't think I've mentioned here yet how fortunate I am to have Mikey in my life! I will have to keep writing about this one later on some other day when it is not 12:20am (yes, this is late for me). He is the most amazing father ever and the girls have so much fun with him!




Present opening time! Since Lia already has a suitcase, Maya keeps asking for one. So this is what she got. Lia got a play yard (we call it crib) for her babies and was soooo happy.
Then Maya started complaining, she wanted a crib for her babies as well.




So we made a crib for her baby out of her suitcase!
Happy happy Hannukah everyone!!!