Purim Preparations

This past week at school, Alex and Ari and their classmates have been getting ready for the upcoming holiday of Purim. Last week they dressed up in costumes and made Purim masks!

Hints of Spring

This week we've had out first real taste of Spring-- and after a cold, long winter we were overjoyed to take advantage of the warmer weather. It reminded us how much we enjoy Springtime-- good bye to the heavy jackets, hello to so many neighbors we haven't really seen in about four months, and hello to the new array of outdoor activities at our disposal.

Tuesday afternoon we took a trip to our favorite duck-watching area at a nearby lake. Ari and Alex always ask about the ducks when we pass that area, and we've had to explain to them that it's been a little too cold to see the duckies...until this week. They were so excited to go back to see their duckie (and geese) friends and feed them some crackers. The geese seem to have become bolder over the winter, as this time they came right up to Alex and Ari and almost ate the crackers right out of their hands! Alex and Ari weren't exactly sure what to think about that.

We spent a lot of time at the playground this week, as well, where Alex and Ari have been showing off the skills they developed over the winter by climbing, sliding, hanging and keeping up with the big kids. Kira enjoys watching her siblings and their friends play from the Baby Bjorn or from her new "big girl" stroller:

Alex and Ari are almost too big for the "baby" swings this year! Today Ari tried out the "big kid" swings and did very well, holding on tightly and pumping her legs to help her gain momentum. Alex and Ari like to help Mommy push Kira's stroller on the way to the playground:

In case you're wondering how Mommy got all three kids to look at her and smile, we had a little help from our nice neighbors and their doggie, Rocky, who, next to Ozzie, is Alex and Ari's favorite dog. Guess who was standing behind Mommy in this picture?

It looks like our weather luck may be running out, as the forecast for the rest of this weekend and this coming week is calling for colder temperatures, but this week we got enough of a taste of Spring to make us optimistic that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Last Week's School Pix

Last week, the color of the week at school was purple. The class got to take advantage of the mild weather by going out to the outdoor playground. In anticipation of Purim, the teacher had the kids paint Shushan (a walled city).

Solids

Last night we decided to let Kira try some solids-- rice cereal to be exact-- for the first time. She definitely had no idea what was going on...she was happy to sit in the high chair and try something new, but wasn't quite sure what to do with it:

We'll try again over the coming weeks and we're confident she'll get the hang of it in no time.

This weekend was very much a Daddy weekend as Mommy was busy with our parents of multiples club's semi-annual consignment sale all night Friday and all day Saturday. Friday night Daddy took all three kids to Miri and Opa's house for Shabbat dinner. Saturday was a cold and rainy day so he kept everyone indoors, but luckily they had a lot of "new" toys to play with since Mommy had made a few purchases at the sale, including a bear chair, hopper balls, lawn mower, double doll stroller, a choo-choo train and a doll high chair.

Miri and Opa came over to keep Daddy company and to play with the kids, and when the skies cleared for a few minutes, Daddy and Opa tried to take Alex and Ari out to the playground. Unfortunately, another storm came through when they were outside so they had to rush back inside before everyone got soaked. Aunt Lori and Uncle Sam (or "Ham" as Alex and Ari call him) stopped by for a quick visit just as Mommy was getting home and they brought a twin stuffed doggie like Aunt Lori had given Alex and Ari a few weeks ago.

Today we're just recovering from the past few days and getting used to daylight savings time. At the risk of jinxing ourselves, we should add that getting sleep is getting a little easier around here, as Kira has been sleeping most nights from 7 p.m. until at least 5:30/6:00 a.m. Sometimes she cries out in the middle of the night, but if we give her some time she just goes back to sleep on her own. In any case, we think (hope!) we are just about at the point where we'll be getting some solid stretches of sleep again.

Four Month Stats

Kira had her big four month well visit at the pediatrician's today, so here are her official stats:

Weight: 14 lbs., 10 ounces (75th percentile)

Height: 25.25 inches (90th percentile)

Her weight went down from the 90th percentile and her height stayed pretty steady. She had four vaccinations (three injections and one oral) but took them like a champ. She was pooped afterwards, though, especially since she had been awake since before we left to take her big brother and sister to school before her appointment. As soon as we walked out of the doctor's office, and before we even made it to the car, she was fast asleep. She took an almost 3-hour nap this afternoon and is conked out tonight, too, so she was clearly tired from her big appointment! But before she went to bed tonight, she did enjoy some time in the exersaucer and reading with Daddy, Alex and Ari:

The doctor gave us the go-ahead to introduce solids any time within the next two months, so we may try a little rice cereal later this month. Kira eyes our food with great interest, so we think she is probably ready for something with a little substance.

Ari and Alex had a big day at school today, too, as it was school picture day. So they wore their finest clothes, and their teacher was kind enough to abstain from any messy projects today.

We've enjoyed a spell of really nice weather the past few days, so we had a chance to get outside and play at the tot lot and with our neighbors. Looks like it's back to more seasonable weather tomorrow, but at least we feel like Spring is on the way!

More Pictures From School

Last week at school, Alex and Ari learned about the color orange and even made fresh-squeezed orange juice!

Another Busy Day

Wow-- weekends really fly by when there's so much to do! This morning was relatively calm-- Mommy went for a training run and then Daddy went out to conduct tryouts for his Maccabi soccer team-- but then things got unexpectedly busy this afternoon. First, Nana and Poppy came over to visit for a bit. Then, the weather was so nice that Mommy decided to take all three kids out to the playground with all of their neighborhood friends while Daddy was at tryouts. Miri and Opa stopped by with Cousins Jonathan and Naomi, so they joined the rest of the crowd at the playground and Daddy joined in on the fun when he got home, too. Then we decided with all of our neighbor friends that pizza dinner at a nearby restaurant would be fun, so all 23 of us (10 adults and 13 kids!!!) caravaned over to the restaurant. Despite the scary thoughts that might come with organizing that many people at an impromptu dinner, it was amazingly calm and enjoyable. We did, however, take up most of the restaurant (everyone in this picture is in our group. Ari is in blue in the center of the picture):

All of the kids were on their best behavior and Alex and Ari enjoyed MORE pizza (like they haven't had enough of that this weekend), french fries and chicken tenders. Let's just hope that we can get back on a healthy eating kick this week after our junk food weekend!

Four Months

Happy Four Month birthday to Kira! It's amazing how quickly time goes by...even though it feels like Kira has always been a part of our family, at the same time it's hard to believe she's already out of the newborn stage and into the infant stage!

So what is Kira up to at four months? Well, first of all, and most importantly, last night she slept through the night for a second time! She went down around 8:15 after we got home from dinner at Miri and Opa's and didn't get up until 6:15 this morning. We're hoping this becomes permanent soon...typically she's been going from 7 p.m. until 7/7:30 a.m. with one feed around 1-2 a.m.

Over the past week, Kira has really developed into an infant (as opposed to a newborn). She is now holding her own in the exersaucer, which makes it much easier for Mommy to keep her entertained while she's busy with Alex and Ari or chores around the house. She smiles and coos constantly-- everywhere we go, people remark about how happy Kira is. She sits up well and enjoys sitting in the high chair, watching what's going on around her and being part of the rest of the family. She laughs a lot, especially when tickled on her chest. She loves having her big brother and sister entertain her and she lights up any time she sees their faces. She also gets very excited when Mommy goes into her room to get her up from her nap- she gives a big smile and laugh. She's trying very hard to roll over and has even started holding her own bottle. Kira has her big four month appointment at the pediatrician's on Tuesday so we'll have all of her latest stats then.

We celebrated Kira's four month birthday with a non-stop day. First we went to Alex and Ari's friend Shara's house for her second birthday bash. And by "bash," we mean "bash." Complete with Elmo and Cookie Monster, a dance floor with strobe lights, playrooms with a trampoline, swings, teeter totter, play kitchen, play house, ball pit and much, much more, pizza and cookies and a delicious (and gorgeous) cake made by Shara's mommy. Alex and Ari were having so much fun that they weren't even tired, even though it was well after their typical nap time of 12:00. We finally dragged them out of there around 1:30 and got home for a late, late nap at 2:00. Here are some (ok, more than some) pictures from the party:

Alex gives Elmo a hug

Ari's not so sure about Cookie Monster

Alex with Elmo and Cookie

Kira gets in on the action

Ari jumps on the trampoline

Ari and Shara play in Shara's awesome playroom

Ari checks herself out in the princess mirror

Ari and Shara share some party food

Kira and Daddy share some pizza

Alex discovers the school bus...

...and the neat scale in the bathroom

Shara and her family- and the amazing cake her mommy made

Alex gets jiggy on the dance floor with Elmo and Cookie

Ahhh, not much rest for the weary, as we woke Alex and Ari up from their late nap at 3:30 so that Daddy could take them to a "Daddies and kids" play date at our neighbors' house. This gave Mommy some time to take Kira on a shopping expedition to Target. After a quick pit stop back at home, it was back out to pick up Daddy and the older kids from the playdate (a good time was had by all, at least that's the report from Daddy) and head out to dinner with friends at California Pizza Kitchen. Mommy and Daddy hadn't seen their friends Tammy and Bruce since before the arrival of all of the kids, so it was fun to meet their girls (Avery and Lilly) and for them to meet our clan. Amazingly, it was a pretty chaos-free dinner and the waitress didn't seem to hate us too much by the end of dinner. Alex and Ari started with a pizza but when Ari saw Lilly's pasta, she had to have her own (it had her favorite veggie- edamame- mixed in to the mac and cheese). We wrapped up afterwards with a quick walk by the ducks before heading home for baths and bed time. Needless to say, all three kids conked out quickly after their whirlwind day.

23 Months

T minus one month and counting until Alex and Ari's big SECOND birthday! They are definitely no longer toddlers!

So what are Alex and Ari up to at 23 months?

Ari has developed into quite the independent little lady. Her favorite new word is "mine" and she uses it often to let Alex know what toys she considers "hers." Luckily, Mommy has been teaching her to be nice and share, giving Ari stickers (her favorite!) whenever she catches her doing something nice. Ari has caught on, so she tries often to be "nice" by sharing and kissing and hugging her brother. Ari is also the fashion diva, picking out her own outfits in the morning and letting Mommy know if she doesn't like a particular article of clothing. Ari recognizes several letters of the alphabet, including "O" (her favorite- she also finds it on the telephone, in books and on signs), "B," "A" and is learning "S" and "T." She likes talking on the phone, especially to Nana and Daddy. Ari's favorite free time activities include coloring, playing with stickers (she likes to put them on paper and then take them off and put them on herself!) and reading. She has started putting several words together to form short sentences, like "Alex, books please!" when she wants Alex to bring her some books (she often demands Alex bring her something or other...)



Alex takes after his daddy and has an excellent sense of direction. He will often tell us where we're heading or what we are passing (school, the grocery store, even Mommy's old high school) while we're in the car. He amazed Mommy one day by remembering where his school friend Matan's house was, weeks after we visited and in a totally different context. Alex has been forming lots of two-word sentences and is communicating very effectively. He also acts as the little disciplinarian, telling his sister, cousins, and friends "NO!" when they do something they shouldn't be doing. He got over his initial skepticism of school and now runs into the building every time we go, pushing and holding doors open for Mommy and Kira on the way to the classroom and pushing the buttons on the elevator (he knows that "B" is for basement, where their classroom is located.) This week he got his first boo-boo in school when he fell during indoor playtime. He was none worse for the wear, however, and by the time Mommy came to pick him up at the end of the day, he was happy and running around again. Alex loves his baby sister and enjoys entertaining her and helping Mommy take care of her. His favorite activities are reading books, building towers and playing with Play-Doh. Oh- and making mischief with his sister.




Speaking of which, it's been so much fun watching Alex and Ari become best friends. They really look out for each other. The first person they ask for in the morning (usually after Mommy or Daddy) is each other. On the way to their school classroom, they now insist on holding hands as they walk. If Alex lets go of Ari's hand, she reminds him with a stern "Alex, hands!" They seem to have their own language and inside jokes, as often they'll crack each other up while Mommy and Daddy look on in confusion. They like to run around the house playing chase and hide and seek and peek-a-boo with each other. If one is crying, the other often will come over and hug or "make nice." So while they have their fair share of times when they bicker, more often they are having fun with each other. And as Kira gets older, they have started to include her in the fun, showing her the ropes, offering her toys, reading books to her, making her laugh, joining her on the play mat, and explaining the toys on the exersaucer to her:

Alex and Ari both know that they are going to be "two in March" and they're looking forward to their big day- especially because they know that birthdays mean cake!!

Don't worry...we haven't forgotten about Kira. We'll have a full update on her tomorrow, her four month birthday!