Shana Tova

The start of the Jewish New Year has been an exciting one for all of us. To begin with, Ari and Alex's great-grandmother, Yayita, arrived from Chile this week and got to meet Ari and Alex in person for the first time. Cousins Denise and Jason, and Nicole and Alan, also came to Washington from New York to celebrate the new year. Here is the proud great-grandmother with her great grandchildren (and Mommy!):
Ari and Alex attended Rosh Hashanah services for about an hour, and were extremely well-behaved (and smiley) for the duration. Following services, we all headed over to Miri and Opa's house for lunch with all of the relatives, where we were joined by Nana and Poppy Jack, as well as Alan's niece Jen and her boyfriend, sophomores at Georgetown. It was quite a crowd! (From L to R, seated: Cousin Alan, Aunt Debbie, Cousin Naomi, Jen, Yayita, Cousin Nicole, Ari, Daddy, Cousin Jason. Standing: Nana, Miri, Cousin Denise, Mommy, Alex, Opa, Cousin Jonathan, Uncle Jason, Poppy Jack):

On Sunday morning, Cousins Denise and Jason (who were also houseguests this weekend) babysat Alex and Ari so that Mommy and Daddy could run in the Parks Half Marathon. Ari and Alex were a little confused when they woke up to find someone other than their parents peering into their cribs, but as soon as they saw the new folks had bottles, they were all smiles. Denise and Jason did an excellent job taking care of the kiddos, and when Mommy and Daddy returned from the race, they were already down for their morning naps (the kids, not Denise and Jason). Here's a shot of Mommy and Daddy when they got home from the race:The remainder of Sunday was spent having lunch with the extended family and visiting with Nana and Poppy Jack. It's been a busy weekend and the week ahead looks just as busy: a sign language class, neighborhood play group, music class, and Ari and Alex's six month birthday (and doctor's visit)! No rest for the weary...