Happy Hanukkah and First Snow

Last night marked the first night of Hanukkah so we celebrated earlier in the day by attending a Hanukkah story time with our friends Rina and Celia. At night the whole family lit the menorah and sang the Hanukkah prayers. Last year Alex and Ari didn't quite appreciate what was going on, but this year they were captivated by the candles and Alex can even say "Hanukkah" (or more like "Han-ooh-nah"). Alex and Ari helped blow out the match used to light the real menorah and then "lit" their own menorah with fabric candles and flames:

We are waiting until this weekend to give Alex and Ari their big Hanukkah gift, since we want to have time to set it up so that they can enjoy it...stay tuned to find out what it is!

We woke up this morning to the first snow of the season and, like their understanding of Hanukkah, Alex and Ari could actually understand the concept of "snow" this year. They ate their breakfast while peering outside at the "no" (snow with a silent "s")

After breakfast and a quick shopping trip, we braved the snow to attend playgroup at friend Tommy's house. When we came out of his house we were shocked to see a good two inches or so of snow on the ground, so it looks like this is shaping up to be much more than a "dusting." Maybe we'll have to take a trip outside to build snowmen (and shovel the driveway) when Daddy gets home today!