Late Night

The problem with lying down with Sam until he falls asleep is that I fall asleep, too. And then am wide awake until the wee hours. Yuck.
At least I figured out why I couldn't post the video the other night of Caroline teaching Sam how to "dance". The camera wasn't plugged in. Brilliant. I know.
*But right now it won't work, either. And YES - the camera is plugged in!*

Looks like the rain is finally winding down. The next few days should be interesting. Let's just say I'm glad we live at the top of the hill. I barely made it home from work tonight the water was so high.

Jim and I had to work split shifts today (because of Passover NOBODY wants to be seen in the afternoons - so I have to try to squeeze everyone in for morning treats). Sam was feeling yucky. Screaming. Fever. Screaming. Holding his ears and his throat. Screaming. Being grumpy in general. Did I mention he was screaming? He's doing better now. Thank goodness for antibiotics and the wonderful power they have over yucky ears. I have my fingers crossed that the rest of us don't come down with it!

Hopefully we'll have good news tomorrow and get some wonderful pictures of Trippy. I still don't know if I want to know Trippy's gender. Caroline is CONVINCED Trippy is a girl. I"m wondering if we should find out just so we can talk her down if it's not what she wants - but either way, I'm sure she'll be fine.
Jim and Caroline drew and wrote a great story for their lesson today. I wish that I could lengthen her attention span (oh - look! Something shiny! Let's check it out!!) but she is doing really well at her reading. Since we have another whole year of preschool to go, we'll be getting some projects from the kindergarten teacher to do to keep us busy (and NOT bored and OUT of trouble). When Caroline picked up the bottle of BBQ sauce the other night at dinner and read the label "Bold and Spicy Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce", I knew we were in trouble. Then, when we pointed out where Kansas City was on her place mat, she pointed over at Europe and said, "I want to go to London instead." Sheesh. It was pretty funny yesterday when we went into the pediatrician's office and we ended up in the Red Sox room. There was a life size cut out of Curt Shilling and the moment that CJ walked into the room she says, "Look, Mama! It's Jackie Robinson!" I called my father to tell him and he was so proud. =-)

Sunday Morning

All is quiet here.
Well, as quiet as quiet gets.
I came upstairs about a half hour ago to fold some clothes. There is one towel folded. I was just enjoying feeling Trippy doing flips. I know it won't be comfortable in a couple months, so I'm trying to relish the moments now.
Some may call it dawdling, I call it energy conservation.

The good news is that there is a roast in the crock pot at will be ready in about four hours and that there's really nothing that has to be done now. I like it that way.
Jim and I are waiting for quiet time to go over some stats for the Tolleson Draft. The draft is always a good time, even if it is a hike.

The kids had a wonderful time yesterday at the Ecotarium with Auntie Chrissy.
Thank you, Chrissy!!! =-)

Here's my Sam sleeping on the couch the other day after we wore him out (but before he got a buzz off his free Ben & Jerry's ice cream).

Here is also another picture of Sam. He's trying on his new tie. Let's just say he loved it.

Saturday Morning.

And already big doings in the house.
Anyone that has been there knows Caroline has an animal sanctuary in her room. The ringleaders are her elephants Alice Commander, Toot and Cotton. This morning poor Toot got the worst of things. But she still looks like she's enjoying herself. =-)

Hits.

Since the blog has gotten a hit from Winter Haven (oh - and how weird is it that the Indians are in Arizona now?!?!), I'm thinking that the gentlemen from Hamilton got there safe and sound. Congrats on your win yesterday. Today they play Bowdoin. It stinks that they place Worcester State, but 1000 miles away from Worcester. Oh, well. At least we'll get to see them in Amherst.

Here is a picture of the aforementioned shiner that Caroline so graciously gave to Sam over the weekend. The colors are definitely more vivid in real life. Oh - and let me relay another reason why I really like living in Worcester (although sometimes I'm really hard pressed to admit it).
-Even though Worcester is the second largest city in New England, it really is a small town and people really do look out for each other.
For instance: this morning, in a fit of pregnancy-induced memory loss, I forgot to close our garage door. Sam and I dropped off CJ at school and then were going for a walk. I then got a call on my work phone from the receptionist at the Assisted Living. My wonderful neighbor, when she saw the door was open, knew I she could get in touch with me at Eisenberg. She asked the receptionist to call me and let me know the garage was open.
I love it here!!!

Sunday Night.

The time change is kicking our butts. Ugh.
The kids are off. We didn't make it to our regular mass this morning and the day just hasn't flowed since then (What IS flowing is the water down our street - almost five inches of rain and more on the way? If April showers bring Mayflowers, what do March Nor'easters bring?).
We did have a lovely dinner of broccoli, smashed potatoes, homemade corn bread and "PETA hates us" meatloaf (veal, lamb and turkey). It was sooooo good. I'm looking forward to leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow. One of the best parts of living in Tatnuck is our Meat Market. Thank you, Harvey!

Jim and I will be prepping for the Tolleson Draft as soon as Sam quiets down. Hard to believe it will be our twelfth draft this year.

Caroline has been coming up with some pretty funny and off the wall things lately. She is really reading, which she (and we) find really exciting.
Today she came up to me and cradled my face gently in her hands. I was expecting a kiss or a hug or, at the very least, an "I love you." Instead I got a very, very earnest "Now remember Mommy, fairies NEVER, EVER wear underwear."
Ummmm, okay.
How am I supposed to respond to that?!?!
Well, besides to make sure that she actually is wearing underwear, I had no response. She has been known to go commando. Especially when wearing dresses. So we never can be too careful.

Sammy has been wonderfully Sammy lately. All boy. All over the place. And he doesn't stop talking. I love it.
He is very into Thomas the Train. In fact, right now he's talking to Duncan the Train and Percy. I'm not quite sure what the conversation is about, but it's keeping him busy.
He got a black eye today from his sister who decided to hit him in the face with a drumstick. Good Times. He's learning to stand his ground. The two of them get along well most of the time, but they do have their moments. The other day they were tussling over something and instead of intervening, I figured I would just watch to see how things played out. There were some raised voices and a little shoving. Caroline (as usual) was the instigator. After she gave Sam a good shove (and as I was about to spring into action), Sam just looked at her and guffawed. For no particular reason. And both dissolved into giggles and they went on playing.
This Mommy thing is a continuous learning experience, I tell you.

Caroline is convinced there is a baby in her belly, too. She is also convinced that Trippy is a girl. SO HELP UP IF SHE'S NOT!!! She wanted to do "belly pictures" of her baby and my baby today. It's not the most flattering picture (HEY - I'm pregnant - I'm allowed to be a little vain. It's all I have - it's tough to walk 10,000 steps per day and still put on ten pounds when Trippy only weighs six ounces). But here's what we got:
Caroline took this beauty of Jim and me. I threatened to put it on Facebook, but since I'm such a good wifey, I'll just put it here. =-)
Good night.

The Tradition Continues...

Well, we've done it in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Here is our fifth annual installation of our shamrock deely-bopper pictures (thanks, Aunt Margie!!!).

Sam wasn't exactly in a photogenic mood.


Caroline was, of course :)





But the video of the "Shamrock Girl" makes up for everything...



And, Caroline and her dad "just chillin" to some Backyardigans...

Remember When...

...I said that Sam was dressed in regular clothes?
I lied.
Ten minutes later he hands me a dress and says, "You put this on me?"
Oh, well.

Friday Morning

AGAIN! The shenanigans continue. And it's not even eight o'clock. I'm trying to keep the kids occupied so we can do some quick grocery shopping (I WILL use all that stuff in the freezer that I don't know quite what to do with) and then maybe something fun. Maybe even naps. Hopefully I can kick this cold soon. I'm sick of feeling like my teeth are going to fall out every time I sneeze or blow my nose or roll over in bed.
Trippy has been quiet so far. It's still early though. We have do decide if we want to know his/her gender soon. We're still in negotiations. I'm pretty sure it will end up being a game time decision.
Sam is running around singing "Tinkle, Tinkle Wi'tle Staawr." At least he's not in a dress. Caroline is running around with an old school Orioles helmet on pretending that her princess fairy wand is a baseball bat (maybe she's not too far off?!?!). Should make for an interesting day...

The Weekend.

Whew!
What a weekend. Between a Bat Mitzvah (four, if you want to be technical), a baby shower, spending time at the lake, going to church and our venture to Old Sturbridge Village, I guess it WAS a busy. No wonder Jim is wrapped up in a Tinkerbell blanket and sleeping already. =-)
In fact, I would dare say this is how we all really feel now...

The kids got in a cleaning mood this weekend. Which I wasn't going to contest. I know it won't be the case when he's older, but it is really funny to see Sam cleaning the front door dressed in a tutu!

And here are my blue eyed beasties at the Village this weekend.

More

The kids are having so much fun this morning.
Sam was running around dressed in drag yelling, "I a pincess. I a ballaweeeeena!"
It's amazing how much fun they have dressing up.




Can it really only be 8AM?!?!

It's Early

But it's cute.
Caroline got a new to her leotard. She loves it. We NEED To get this girl in dance classes.

While We're At It...

Here are some cute pictures that I came across tonight from our recent "camera dump".

From the carousel at the NYS Museum in Albany. Great, great place to go if you're in the Albany area and have a few hours.

Also from our Albany vacation - CJ loves to listen to music off Daddy's computer. Once you add the juice box, she's a very happy girl. Honestly, I think kids would like taking medicine if they would just put it in a juice box!

More Eisenberg in the News!

Oh! I almost forgot. Eisenberg has been in the news a lot lately (for all the right reasons, don't worry). It was so nice to see this article on the front page of the Telegram on Saturday. These ladies have been working very hard to be called to Torah and everyone is very proud of them and very happy for them.
Here is the article from the T&G, just in case they take it down soon:

Never too late
DEPRESSION-ERA GIRLS GET BAT MITZVAH WISH
By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — Ninety-two-year-old Charlotte Egoodkin still remembers walking her brother, George, to one of the Orthodox synagogues on the city's Jewish East Side, where she “just waited around” while her younger sibling went inside and studied for his bar mitzvah, the traditional Judaic rite of passage for males.

“The boys were allowed to study the Torah, and the girls were not,” said Mrs. Egoodkin, who, as an adult, attended the Temple Emanuel Reform congregation on May Street. “Back then, that's just the way it was. But, like many things, time and attitudes change.”

With the emergence of the Conservative movement in the 1920s, American Judaism began to very slowly embrace a similar ceremony for teenage girls, the bat mitvah.

But it wasn't until the later 1960s that the ritual became a norm, too late for Jewish women, such as Mrs. Egoodkin, who grew up in the Depression era.

That was until Harriett R. Katz, who volunteers at the Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence on Salisbury Street where Mrs. Egoodkin resides, read a newspaper article about some senior women in Ohio who were bat mitzvahed.

She suggested that Mrs. Egoodkin and three other elderly residents at the Eisenberg center — Vita Hirsch, Florence Katz, and Kay Sotsky — consider taking part in the milestone ritual.

Next Saturday, the four, all in their 80s or 90s, will participate in the ceremony that was denied them by time, happily surrounded by a small army of family members.

“It never really bothered me that I did not have a bat mitzvah when I was young,” said Mrs. Sotsky, an 86-year-old native of Brooklyn, N.Y. “But, I'm very happy and very excited that I will now have a chance to take part in the ceremony.”

With a chuckle, she said her only concern was that she might have “a senior moment” when reciting the Torah.

Bar and bat mitzvahs, in the eyes of Jewish law, mark an individual's transition from childhood to adulthood.

A boy automatically reaches the milestone at 13 while a girl reaches it at 12. Ceremonies to mark the passages are not required, though they are commonplace today.

The four women will be “called to the Torah” at 10:30 a.m. next Saturday at the Eisenberg center to formally partake in the regularly held Shabbat service.

Harriett Katz, the volunteer coordinator at Jewish Home Hospice, said the women will each read a portion of the Torah in Hebrew, as well as leading the assembled in prayer and song. Rabbi Seth Bernstein of Temple Sinai will then bless the four.

“The women have really stretched themselves and stepped up to a formidable challenge,” said Sandy Sotak, a member of Temple Sinai, who helped the women with Hebrew and other studies. “We have worked hard and laughed hard.”

The women, who devotedly attend Shabbat services at the Eisenberg center, said they were not bitter that they didn't get a chance to participate in a bat mitzvah when they were much younger because Jewish men and women, at the time, had specific roles to play.

“Even today, men and women can't sit together at some Orthodox temples,” Mrs. Sotsky said.

Reflecting the views of the others, she insisted she's no feminist.

Florence Katz, 88, said it's important that Judaism maintain its unique traditions, such as the rites of passage, in order to survive.

Mrs. Katz, who was born and raised in Worcester and who attended the former Classical High School, explained that Jews do not make up a large portion of the population and that Judaism is threatened by inter-marriage and other issues that move people away from the faith.

Mrs. Katz said that she “jumped at the opportunity” to participate in Torah lessons, adding that what she has learned has enlightened her spiritually and given her a better appreciation of her faith.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Hirsch, who is 87, said she wishes Saturday's ceremony will inspire other senior women to consider Torah study.

More importantly, Mrs. Hirsch, who graduated from the University of Minnesota and who holds a master's degree from Framingham State College, said she hopes that teenage girls who take part in the ceremony get a better appreciation of its significance.

“Today, bar and bat mitvahs are considered more of a social function and more attention is paid to the parties that are held afterward,” said Mrs. Hirsch, a former registered dietitian who worked at health care facilities, including the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago. “People are forgetting that it is a very important religious milestone.”

I Will Do Better. I Promise.

February was probably the worst month for blogging that we've ever had.
I will do my best to be better this month. Blogging consistently has become more and more of a challenge and frankly, I've considered giving it up altogether. But I really don't want to do that. If nothing else, I love the fact that I have documentation of our lives over the past four years. I've never been able to do that before and I don't want to stop now. It wouldn't be fair to Trippy. =-)
So I will be better. Now that there are Spring Training games to listen to, it will be a little easier.

Today was such a beautiful day. We must be New England Yankees if temperatures in the mid forties seem tropical. When I walked this morning the sun was shining and the snow was melting, giving me hope that it just might not be winter forever. I know better, though - we'll probably still get a couple of good wallops. The air doesn't have that Spring smell yet. It's the smell of sunshine and dried mud mixed with the scent of old leather. When it smells like baseball, I'll know it's really spring.

Caroline got a new-to-her big girl bike today. It needs a couple of new tires and a purple bell (according to Caroline), but she did like riding it. She's getting the hang of it. Sam is still enjoying tooling around on his tricycle, but I saw him eyeballing her bike and think it will only be a matter of time before we're going to have to find one for him, too (hooray for spring garage sales!!!).

Sam continues to insist he's the "SOCCER MONSTER" and runs around kicking a ball every chance he gets. It's cute, but he's getting too good. The other night we were sitting in the living room when a ball kicked from the kitchen flew at our heads. We're going to have to ban balls from inside the house soon.