The 'Hood

We've mentioned before how much we love our neighborhood, but we're always being reminded of exactly why. Last night we had our friends and neighbors the Feinsteins over for a BBQ dinner (including Ari's boyfriend Andrew, which provided a nice opportunity for a little dinner date for the two of them- see below). In the midst of grilling out in the backyard, our other friends, the Millers, who live behind us, came outside with yet another family in our group of friends, the Epsteins (who were having dinner with the Millers) and as they were passing by, the Wenks stopped to join in the impromptu gathering in our backyard. We always have our monthly "formal" family gatherings, but it was a nice treat to have many of the families get together spontaneously and just reminded us how much we love the warmer weather and living in a neighborhood with so many wonderful friends for not only the kids, but for Mommy and Daddy too! We're looking forward to the years to come as the kids grow older and end up running from house to house, hanging out with their friends. And we're glad to have such great backyard neighbors, especially since our yards are connected by a fence in the gate...which we all expect will be used quite frequently by the kids as they get older.



Some pictures from the evening's festivities:

All the kids (except Ari, who was being camera shy, and Lauren) pose for a pictureEmily, Charlotte, Alex and Jeremy (an unhappy Ari in the background)Ari and Andrew enjoy their dinner together

It was a great evening and we can't wait to do it again soon!

26 Months

Ari and Alex are 26 months old today! To celebrate, we went to an outdoor concert starring Yosi and Jammin' Joe. It was a beautiful day for a picnic snack and for catching up with lots of friends- neighbor twins Jake and Cole, Riley, twin friends Rina and Celia (and their baby sister)and several other neighborhood and synagogue friends. Ari, Alex and Kira loved the music and dancing and sat (or danced!) so nicely the entire time. Yosi and Jammin' Joe were GREAT and really got the crowd (kids and parents) into the music. It was such a fun way to spend the morning.

Yosi came to talk to us (and friends Cole and Jake) before the show!

Ari, Alex and Kira chat before the show

Ari and Alex dance to the music

Alex makes a whale spout on his head

Kira loved the music too

Alex dancing with the band in the background

So what are Alex and Ari up to at 26 months?

Alex's newest talent seems to be his amazing recall of details. Earlier this week we were at the playground and friend Darby's mommy drove by. She didn't stop, and Alex had his back to the street but when he turned around and saw her car passing by, he said "Darby!" Mommy had NO idea how he knew that was Darby's mommy's car, since Mommy hadn't said anything when she passed and the car went by pretty quickly (Mommy hardly had time to realize it was her). But yesterday at playgroup when Darby's mommy pulled up to the playground, Alex again said "Darby!" We still haven't figured out quite how he knows that was Darby's mommy's car, except maybe he saw her car once or twice at other playdates. He also identifies "Poppy's car" any time we see the same make/model/color of Poppy's car on the road. Alex can also point out locations we've been to only once or twice when we pass in the car. His sharp memory probably helps Alex remember the alphabet (which he can recite) and identify many letters. He also remembers words to songs he hears only once or twice. It's uncanny- but he probably takes after his Daddy that way!

Alex is getting very good at saying "please," "thank you" and "sorry." Too good in fact- he often says "sorry" for things Ari does! And he says "thank you, Mommy!" for even the smallest gesture. Ari, on the other hand, knows how to say all of these things but will often stubbornly refuse (with a sly smile on her face) to say it. She is getting better though and has started saying "thank you" even unprompted. Both Alex and Ari have made Mommy and Daddy very proud by how well they share and take turns, moreso with other children than with each other, but they are very loving to each other and are clearly each other's best friends (and partners in crime!!)

Ari has experienced a jump in language skills again this month, as she's started speaking in full sentences and using lots of new words. She also can recite the alphabet and knows almost all of the letters of the alphabet. In fact, she can tell you what words start with certain letters; the other day, she saw a "K" and told Mommy that "K" is for "Kira." Ari LOVES to read and will ask anyone available to "read book." She's turning out to be quite the girly-girl, and loves everything pink, painted fingernails, shoes, purses and hats.

Every day brings new developments and surprises...we're looking forward to what's to come!

Short Week

After a nice long weekend (which included a visit to "Poppy Jack's boat" and Miri and Opa's for a cookout), Ari and Alex have had a busy social schedule. Tuesday they had a little class reunion at a playdate at friend Abbie's house. They were so happy to see their school friends and their teachers, who joined us for the playdate. As usual, Kira received lots of attention from the older kids, including brand new big brother Adam. Alex especially loved playing with all of Abbie's toy cars, trucks and busses. Ari, in typical fashion, took to the doll house and puzzles.

Today we hosted our weekly neighborhood playgroup and since the weather was so nice we decided to meet at the tot lot across the street from us. We had a big crowd show up and everyone had fun swinging on the swings (which they did a great job sharing, since there were many more kids than swings) and sliding down the slide. Kira took it all in, watching the big kids do things she will do one day too.

Kira loves to watch the big kids play

Darby and Ari tandem slide
Andrew and Alex take their turn
Alex and Ryan enjoy a snack
The boys wait for their turn on the slide

We'll wrap up the shortened week with another outing with friends tomorrow and a playdate on Friday...details and pictures to come!

Ya'Kira Leyla

Today Kira officially received her Hebrew name at a naming ceremony at our new synagogue. It was a very special day and a busy service, as it was also a Dor L'Dor (generation to generation) service honoring grandparents, another baby naming and also the installation of the new Board (of which Mommy is a member). All three kids were champs sitting through over two hours of services...Alex got a little stir crazy at times but managed to get a second wind just in time for- you guessed it- lunch and cake following the ceremony. We were honored to have close family and friends present, and were especially happy that Mommy's Great Aunt Bess and Cousin Jake could come from Baltimore to share in our special occasion.

Daddy is actually the one who came up with Kira's English name, and we thought it was especially fitting as it incorporated the names of Mommy's great-grandparents, Kate and Arthur Lowenthal. Nana's friend from work, Rabbi Jim, helped us choose a Hebrew name that was close to Kira's English name, Ya'Kira, which means "dear." Once she was born and we saw that, unlike her brother and sister, Kira had her unique dark hair, we thought a fitting middle name (to correspond to her English middle name of Levin, Mommy's maiden name) was Leyla, or "dark beauty." Kira is indeed our dear, dark beauty and we hope that she always appreciates her unique traits and individuality.

We didn't get many pictures today but we did get a few of the honoree herself as well as her proud siblings:

School pictures

Some pictures sent out by Alex and Ari's teacher from the past week of school:

Last Day of School

Today was Alex and Ari's last day of school- none of us can believe how fast the school year went by. We were all sad to be ending what was a wonderful year with great teachers and new friends. We're going to be getting together with our school friends, though, so even though the class is technically over we know that our friendships will remain.

The mommies actually went into the class early today so that we could spend the last few minutes of the last class together with the kids and their teachers. It was a special time to see how far they've all come from the first day of school back in the fall. They've made new friends, learned new songs and gained knowledge and skills. When Ari started the class, she was just learning to walk. Now she's running, jumping and dancing with the best of them. When Alex started the class, he was afraid for Mommy to leave his side. Now he smiles and waves, saying "Mommy be back later" when Mommy drops him off at school.

Class picture with Morah Sondra and Morah Mayan

Group hug
Ari and her bud Abbie
Moriah and Abbie say hi to Kira

We're Goin' to the ZOO!

It was a big day for Alex, Ari and Kira today-- we took a trip to the ZOO with friend (Ari's boyfriend) Andrew and his mommy, and Aunt Lori and Uncle Sam met us there. What a fun morning visiting the prairie dogs, lions, tigers, panda bears, turtles, orangutans, gorillas, elephants, etc. Kira was a trouper, staying awake almost all morning except for a quick cat nap in her stroller, and Alex and Ari stayed up way past their normal 12:30 nap time. They fell asleep on the way home (after Alex and Andrew had some fun laughing with each other in the "way back") and didn't nap when we got home, but it was well worth it for a really fun morning.

An elephant!

Ari, Alex and Andrew are captivated by the elephant A panda bear!
Watching for prairie dogs
Aunt Lori and Alex in front of the lions
Ari spots the orangutan
Uncle Sam and Alex in front of the gorillas
A cow at the petting zoo part of the ZooA picture for the wedding slide show

While Daddy's Away...

...the children will play!

Daddy left at the crack of dawn this morning to travel to New Jersey to coach a Junior Maccabi Soccer team at today's Junior Games. So, that left Mommy with the task of keeping three kids busy all day.

Before he left, we enjoyed a special family dinner last night at a nearby "nice" restaurant. Now some people may think we are crazy for taking three children under three years old out to a nice restaurant, but we know that Alex and Ari (and so far, Kira) have always been well-behaved, even in more adult settings. We strongly suspect that the two women sitting next to us were probably cringing as we approached our table, but received the greatest compliment when, on their way out, they stopped to tell us how impressed with how nicely our children were behaving. It made us very proud and just made the dinner even more special.

This morning we first went outside to play with the new bubbles Mommy bought Alex and Ari last night and then we joined three of our neighborhood family friends who also had daddies who were out of town or otherwise occupied for a Mommy and kids playdate and brunch. We had yummy bagels, lox, fruit and "monkey bread," a new treat Mommy decided to make for the brunch. The kids had fun with their friends and the mommies were happy to have an activity to keep everyone busy while the daddies were away!

Ari plays with her new bubblesAri and Alex blow bubbles at the pretty flowers

Jeremy, Alex, Ari and Charlotte eat yummy brunch food

Justin and Andrew chow down

This afternoon we had several of our twin family friends over for a playdate, including two who, like us, are "twins plus one." So five twin families, three with "plus one" equals thirteen kids and lots of fun! After the playdate, the three "plus one" families went out to dinner (leave it to the folks with three little ones to be the most enthusiastic about heading out to a restaurant). All in all, a great (but exhausting!) day. Stay tuned for our fun adventure tomorrow!!!

The boys hang together- Alex G., Ryan and Alex R.

The little ones-- Kira, Eliana and Talley

Syd and Alex

Dinner with nine kids

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Enjoying it While It Lasts

We've been taking advantage of the nice weather this week, a break in what has otherwise been (and will continue to be) a rainy week. We actually made it out to the tot lot two nights in a row to spend time with our friends and neighbors. Our friend Maria had her camera handy to take a picture of Ari and Alex showing off their hanging skills (and their tummies):We also had a great time at our weekly neighborhood playgroup yesterday at friend Caroline's house. We caravaned over again with Andrew and his Mommy in his Radio Flyer wagon and this time Alex and Ari fought over who would get to ride with him. So they compromised and Ari rode over with him and Alex rode with him on the way back.Playdates at Caroline's house are always fun because of all of her neat toys. Ari brushed up on her running skills on Caroline's toddler-sized treadmill.Today while Alex and Ari were in school, Mommy and Kira went to visit Mommy's friend Andrea and her newborn twins, Ada and Ian. It made Mommy so happy to see her friend enjoying her twins and brought back a lot of memories! The visit also made Kira look like a grown-up next to the newborns. Mommy hardly remembers Kira (or Alex and Ari) ever being that small!

Tomorrow we are getting together with friends Joey and Sammy (and their mommy Jenn) and possibly some other friends, but we're going to have to stay indoors because the wet weather is returning. We're just hoping that it dries up in time for the weekend!