Two is plenty, thanks

Early morning

2010-05-12T11:28:00.002-05:00

This morning, Al had to get up at 4:30 a.m. and leave the house by 5:30 for a meeting in Western Mass. It also happened that the power went out sometime in the night, so both of the kids noticed that their digital clocks were blinking right about 5:45. They came in to bed with me about 6 and Maddox asked if we could start the day off with a tickle fight. So we did. Chava fluctuates between being the mommy protector and asking us to tickle her, but today she called a time out and very sweetly pleaded, "Mommy, can I be your sidekick?"

Sister cousins

2010-04-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

They really do look alike, don't they?

Visit from Annie

2010-04-26T09:40:00.002-05:00

We had the BEST time with Annie. My kids fell completely, totally, and forever in love with her... especially Chava, who loves anyone with a hint of girly girl in them. Chava and Annie made the crown adorning Chava's head which has gotten a lot of wear - it's the perfect way to help cheer up all the grumpy people in the world. A four year old in a jeweled crown could probably solve a lot of today's problems.

...and this is why I have to smooch her all the time

2010-04-09T08:58:00.000-05:00

Early morning wisdom

2010-03-29T12:02:00.003-05:00

This morning, Al had to leave the house at about 6 to get to a meeting in Northampton. The kids weren't even awake when he left, and they seemed pretty impressed that I was going to handle things all on my own. I made them French toast for breakfast, helped Chava get dressed (which is really a process that has to be experienced to be believed), made Maddox's lunch to order, peeled a dozen eggs with Maddox for tonight's Seder... and assorted other things. As we were getting ready to go, I reminded Maddox to put shoes in his backpack, since he was wearing rain boots to school. He sighed and said, "Wow, it's hard to be the mom!"

On the way to Chava's school, she asked me when "Daddy's new job would be over," since she likes going to school with him better. I told her it was a two year contract but I'm not sure that really made her feel much better.

Ready for her closeup

2010-03-25T13:39:00.002-05:00

Chava decked herself out in a crazy but very cute outfit for Saturday's warm weather and was more than happy to oblige my desire to capture it.

Sipping Cider Through a Straw..

2010-03-25T11:25:00.002-05:00

Well, not quite cider, but Maddox and Chava did share a yogurt milkshake before swimming lessons.

Maddox's Filling

2010-03-22T09:25:00.002-05:00

Somehow Al managed to start his job at just the right time, leaving me to take Maddox to the dentist for his first filling. Of course, this wasn't the regular dentist - this was the pediatric specialist, because even our regular dentist was not going in Maddox's mouth with a drill. She's known him for three years, after all.

But Maddox, ever full of surprises, shocked us all and did great. Good thing, too, because the new x-rays revealed another small cavity on the same tooth, other side (what IS this? we brush EVERY night) and he's going back April 23rd.

Ikea

2010-03-17T09:02:00.004-05:00

On the the third day of drenching rain, we woke up and headed to Ikea. First stop, breakfast, consisting of eggs, potatoes, bacon, and deep fried French toast sticks. Al suggested we get a piece of cake for breakfast dessert, and who am I to argue?

The funny thing was that each of us had about two bites of the cake and declared ourselves done... but not Chavie. Girlfriend scarfed the entire thing down.

Chava's Special Day

2010-03-12T13:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Chava's Special Day at school. She got to pick her favorite book (we call it Murdley Gurdson which is incredibly adorable to hear a four year old say) and make a puppet of one of the characters. Most importantly, she got to wear a necklace that said "Chava's Special Day" and she got to sit, with us, in chairs during group time, when the rest of her classmates sat on the floor. Chava had asked me on Wednesday if I would wear a skirt and "be fancy" for her special day and I, of course, forgot. But Al and I decided to get dolled up to go in and it was completely worth it for the look on Chava's face when she saw my bridesmaids dress and high heeled patent leather shoes. She was less impressed with Al's coat and tie, but I think it was the entire package that made her day.

What else do you do after a bath besides plant tomatoes?

2010-03-09T15:47:00.001-05:00

Al is seed crazy. It all started last year when our friend Eric gave him some heirloom tomato seeds. The next thing I knew, there were containers of seedlings every where. I don't need to tell you how many times I knocked those containers over and swore at him while I cleaned up the dirt. My annoyance was lessened a bit when I tasted the tomatoes, but still...

Now he's indoctrinating the children.

Chavie

2010-03-09T14:34:00.004-05:00

The quality of these pictures are terrible (on my phone), but they are SO Chava I just have to post them. Often, when we go to pickup Maddox, she will ask if we can sit in the car and listen to the end of whatever song is playing (the girlfriend likes her music, and is pretty particular). She's tired and quiet by the end of the day (the temper tantrums come later, like 15 minutes later).

And, this is what all the waiting was for...

2010-03-08T09:54:00.002-05:00

I finally uploaded the pictures on the camera and this is what I've got. These were all taken by the kids - they have completed mastered the camera at this point. Actually, I took the one of Chava's hair because she was insistent I take a picture so she could see what her hairdo looked like. Of course, I got NO pictures of us at the playground all weekend long, riding bikes, scooters, etc. etc. Oh well.

Stolen from Kesher

2010-03-02T09:18:00.003-05:00

I do have some pics in the camera, but the acts of finding the cord, connecting to the computer, and uploading all seem insurmountable. For now, I'll pilfer from the Kesher website to share some pictures of Chavie at the Purim carnival. I'm assuming there are no pictures of Maddox because he had his head buried in a mound of whipped cream, searching for the elusive Hershey's kiss, the entire time (you think I'm kidding, but I feel fairly certain that each of my kids played this game about 10 times. I was busy manning the popcorn popper and Al was... doing something else).

Liveblogging the filling

2010-02-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

Al just texted me with this photo:

More to come, I'm sure!

Two from Saturday

2010-02-16T11:52:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, Maddox and I headed to Nashoba Valley with our friends Calvin and Calvin's dad, Nathan. Our goal was modest - spend an hour or two on the "magic carpet" (basically, a conveyor belt the kids step on and off) and a few trips down the bunny slope. It was a huge success! Maddox really liked it, although he was tired by the end and frustrated that he couldn't control his skis better. I rocked the slopes on some "new to me" shaped skis that Noah scored at the dump and I am reminded how much I love to ski. Next up: shorter skis for Maddox, and the chair lift!

Chava's Performance

2010-02-15T18:06:00.001-05:00

Chava Does the Stones from Rachael Weisz on Vimeo.

Gymnastics

2010-02-08T14:41:00.001-05:00

Saturday was our last gymnastics class for a while. We'll have the month of February to luxuriate in nowhere to be on Saturday mornings and start swimming lessons in March (and the kids are big enough now that we don't have to go in with them, yahoo!).

Pictures and tears

2010-02-05T13:43:00.005-05:00

I don't know if Maddox will need a get after this, but here are pictures from his big wedding day:

Clearly, his teacher saw the Papa in him and asked him to do the kiddish(that's the teary part. Papa and Grandmum would have so loved to hear the stories he brings home from Kesher):

There was a nice bit on the Kesher web site about this dreidel activity that explained it a bit further, and has a lovely picture of Maddox holding up his project. Go here.

Uh oh.

2010-02-02T13:15:00.002-05:00

Maddox and Chava have been watching Discovery Kids t.v. It started with the Magic School Bus, which is a great show for kids. Then, one day, Maddox discovered a Trading Spaces show for kids that comes on just before the Magic School Bus, and he was hooked. It's a fine show; the premise is that two boys team up to transform a girl's room and two girls work together to transform one of the boys' rooms (Maddox really, REALLY wants to be on it and get an x-wing fighter bed). But. The big BUT: Discovery Kids has ads. Lots of ads for lots of crap. And, so, I bring you this morning:

Chava: Mom, can I PLEEEEEEEASE have a pillow pet?
Me: A pillow pet? What is that?
Maddox: You can go to www.pillowpet.com.
Me: (rolls eyes)
Chava: You could get them for us for our birthdays!
Maddox: (in all earnestness) They make great gifts.

Cultah

2010-02-01T09:42:00.002-05:00

We went to the ICA on Saturday for a "Family Play Date." On the last Saturday of every month, admission is free for families, and they have activities set up around the museum for the kids to do. We started off with lunch at the cafe (because any outing is really about the food) and then moved on to sketching the waterfront.
There was an improv performance that involved the kids and some other activities we didn't make it to this time, but we'll be back! It's a beautiful setting and a part of the city we don't get to much.

Verbatim

2010-01-27T16:55:00.001-05:00

Scene: Tuesday night. Al is out. Post-dinner, we are upstairs for a rousing game of Hssss!

Chava: Mom! I have to poop!
Me: Well, then, go poop.

Chava runs off to make her deposit. A few seconds later, we hear, with much excitement:

Chava: Maddox! Come here! You've gotta see this!

Maddox runs over (thudthudthud).

Maddox: Wow!

Chava: I know! I pooped a turtle! It looks just like a turtle.

Maddox: She really did, Mom. You guys should enter her in a talent contest.

Chava

2010-01-27T16:54:00.000-05:00

Post nap, in a cabinet. Too bad this wasn't taken with a better camera!

Crazy Hair Day

2010-01-27T16:51:00.002-05:00

Today was crazy hair day at Maddox's school: You pay a buck (all proceeds went to help Haiti) and you could wear your hair some crazy way. If Maddox's hair looks a little different in this picture, it's because he took it upon himself to trim (and by trim I mean CUT OFF) his bangs on Tuesday night. He was very proud he got all the clippings in to the trash.

Milestone

2010-01-26T16:50:00.000-05:00

Maddox can now tie his shoes. He likes when Chava helps.

Music

2010-01-25T09:45:00.002-05:00

Chava LOOOOVES this song... Al has been introducing her to the dance numbers from Glee (which you should be watching when it returns in April, if you are not already) and this, along with You Can't Always Get What You Want, are her favorites. Maddox is a fan of this one:

Go figure.

Anyway, try starting your day by dancing to All the Single Ladies in the kitchen in your pajamas. It's a real pick me up.

A few from last year

2010-01-20T09:35:00.002-05:00

Our friend Lisa passed along a few pictures taken in December that made me chuckle... Maddox trying on a moustache for size (his friend Cavlin was the leader in this artistic endeavor), our kids at the zoo (I love how Chava and her friend Carter are holding hands), and the kids table at New Year's eve... maybe we need to work on Maddox's table manners, you think? I'm going to focus on my beautiful children instead of the terrible election results because, as I learned in social work school, "denial in the service of the ego" is a high level defense. I'm nothing if not highly evolved!

Also, Maddox wanted to know last night where the first person came from. We talked about possible options - he does not believe God does magic. He thought evolution was interesting but then wanted to know exactly how apes came about. I was stumped, although I went with an explanation that involved morphing sea creatures. Chava was listening carefully to this discussion but not participating, until bedtime last night when she demanded to know "Who painted me and Maddox?" which I did not understand at all, but finally figured out that she wanted to know who created her. Sheesh. More wine, please.

Quote

2010-01-14T09:32:00.001-05:00

Chava to Maddox: Do not wear my high heels on the stairs. It is dangerous and you could get deaded.

last night

2010-01-11T15:25:00.002-05:00

Last night our friend Chauncey came over with his daughters Isabel and Carter. Isabel is a year younger than Chava but the two girls just luuuurve eachother. They are also like a bad science experiment together - the two of them have WAY more energy than any two little bodies should have. They always work each other in to a frenzy by the end of the night. They love to play babies together and spent the evening putting Chava's dollies in bed and taking them out of bed, changing their diapers and pushing them around the house in doll strollers (until the realized that Chava could push Isabel around in a doll stroller so then they did that, at breakneck speeds). All to say that when they left there was dolly detritus all over the place. I am trying to get better and follow Al's lead in pushing the kids to clean up their toys every night before bed, so I was being the enforcer to get all the crap put away. Chava did the whole thing with a swim diaper on her head. I can't believe I missed the photo opp.

New year, new post, new resolution

2010-01-07T09:38:00.002-05:00

I've decided to give up all pretense of actually being a blogger and use this more as an on-line scrapbook that I will hopefully pass along to the kids some day. There is so much day to day stuff that I want to try to capture and I'm not sure how else to do it. Like Maddox's dreidel project, which sort of breaks my heart but also kind of makes me laugh (easier to laugh now that he is on a kickass stretch of sleeping). Or Chava's butterfly wings that Grammy gave her, which she likes to use to fancy up any old outfit.

School Days

2009-11-18T09:51:00.002-05:00

Chavi's teacher was nice enough to pass along some pictures she took of the girlfriend at school. She is all about the girls at school. They are a little posse of blond haired scamps.

Maddox's Birthday

2009-11-16T13:40:00.002-05:00

11 kids. 5 pizzas. 12 art projects. 37 paper airplanes.

Having it over and done with: priceless.

Jaime guilted me in to it

2009-11-16T12:50:00.003-05:00

Halloween pictures - could we be any more stereotypical? Although Chavi did get more than her fair share of ooohs and ahhhs.

and... two steps back

2009-10-07T08:06:00.002-05:00

Today is a half-day Wednesday, which means longer afterschool. It also means more time in the music room (where they do some afterschool on half-days), which apparently smells funny.

Still more progress

2009-10-02T08:51:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, Maddox was busy drawing when I went to afterschool to pick him up. He asked for me to wait, and then presented me with this picture, saying "This is how my day was today!"

Making progress

2009-10-01T14:52:00.001-05:00

Maddox was very excited when I picked him up from school on Monday. He dashed over to me and said, "Mom! Guess what?!"

I couldn't imagine what the good news was. A star on his forehead? He was being promoted to first grade? Candy for lunch?

"What?"

"I pooped at school today!"

Homework

2009-09-18T10:36:00.003-05:00

Who knew they assigned homework in kindergarten? Granted, it's only writing a sheet of Ms (upper and lower case, mind you) but still. Who knew that a 5 year old with no nap is not capable of completing said homework after 6:45 p.m.? Who knew said child could barf at will? Who knew my tolerance for barf could be so high? Who knew, way back when, that I would not think twice about sending said child to school after said barfing incident? Who knew, when I took forgotten water bottle to school after aforementioned child forgot it, that there would be other parents there telling the principal that, yes, their child had barfed that morning, too, but they really thought they were okay?

Two to leave you with

2009-08-16T14:15:00.002-05:00

I'm going off the grid for a while, for a real vacation with no technology. (Really, none.) This is the only thing I'll miss:

Okay, this too:

From Josh and Erica's visit (two weeks later)

2009-07-27T13:15:00.002-05:00

Josh gave Chava a ride to the train.

We played in the fountain,

Rode the carousel,

and then, suddenly, Josh and Erica were engaged. Somerville magic? That's what we're chalking it up to.

Also, Chava sprouted enormous boobs, but I really don't know what to attribute that one to.

Lax parenting

2009-07-21T10:04:00.003-05:00

We often let our kids do things I think are questionable.

Like letting Chava climb inside the asteroid rock at the Museum of Science.

Or letting the both of them frolic in a fountain in Amherst.

Sometimes I wonder if other parents are looking at us like we are overly indulgent and our kids are bad influences. But then I decide I really don't care what they think.

another day dawns

2009-07-08T14:29:00.001-05:00

Last night, when I went to bed, I couldn't find my mouth guard (I wear it to keep from grinding my teeth at night). The cleaning people had been in so I figured they had put it "away" somewhere, but then I started to get worried that it accidentally got swept in to the trash... so I lay awake worrying about it (those things are expensive!). When the kids came down to wake me up this morning, I said, "Hey, has anyone seen my mouth guard?" Chava ran right over to my closet and got it out. Tomorrow I'm asking if they've seen fifty bucks and a ham sandwich.

Looking at these...

2009-07-08T14:07:00.006-05:00

You'd almost think we had a perfectly pleasant, sunny vacation.

But then you would watch this, and know that we went slightly insane on the 7th day of rain.

10:30 a.m.

2009-06-24T15:44:00.001-05:00

One of our Cape traditions is that we go out for ice cream every night. We couldn't let a little rain interfere with tradition, and luckily we live in a locale with plenty of ice cream stores. So, last night (Al's choice night) we went to Christina's. Chava is an extremely slow ice cream eater (seriously, who contributed THAT gene?!) and on Monday night she didn't finish her ice cream before it was time to go, so we took it home and let her have it for breakfast on Tuesday. That meant that last night both kids were eager not to finish their ice cream so they could eat it this morning. Hey! It's vacation!

Camera in the hands of a 5 year old

2009-06-23T15:45:00.002-05:00

The excitement is palpable. The heavy breathing gives it all away.

Staycation

2009-06-23T15:34:00.002-05:00

We left the Cape - two days of rain and cold were enough to convince us that pre-season, rainy Cape is no fun. So we're entertaining ourselves at home for a few days and then plan to head back down to catch the weekend.

Lots of backlog to catch up

2009-06-18T07:32:00.004-05:00

I have plenty to post but no time. I will leave you with this image of Chavie, who got in to her friend Carter's lipstick last night.

The request was for "a piece of watermelon as big as my head"

2009-06-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Goodnight

2009-06-04T11:06:00.002-05:00

I suppose it all makes sense

2009-06-02T08:26:00.002-05:00

Underwear companies do plenty of marketing, to both men and women. There is the Victoria's Secret lingerie fashion show, shown at prime time, the Times Square underwear billboard (I guess that was a while ago, but still), lots of print ads, etc. I think fancy underwear is supposed to give us that "special" feeling, like knowing we've got something going on that no one else is aware of. So, really, I should not be shocked when Maddox tells me that he can only tackle certain difficulties in his life while wearing his Star Wars underwear. I just need to buy more of it.

Memorial Day

2009-05-28T08:39:00.004-05:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekend and hit all the important summer markers: a cookout, a parade, a swim in our neighbor's pool, bikerides, playgrounds, watermelon and slush.

Kids in their Looooooooovely Hats

2009-05-20T08:50:00.004-05:00

I don't know where Chava picks up all the idioms she does. I think she is stealthfully listening to the grownups all the time and trying to work the lingo she hears into her everyday conversations as much as possible. In any case, she is constantly cracking me up.

Last night she decided that she needed a Lovely Hat for her bath, so she created one and got Maddox to participate as well. They wore them for a good twenty minutes.

She told me yesterday that "My outfit is not complete until I have my jewelry on." This would actually be more funny if I didn't constantly find her rifling through the jewelry I have on my dresser and wearing it around the house. When I hid it up higher, I found her stacking stools (by the time I had arrived, she had three piled up on top of each other) to access the forbidden. When she is denied, she is quick to show her displeasure.

Okay, Mom, I've gotten my payback. Now remove the evil curse you put on my daughter.

2009-05-14T11:46:00.002-05:00

Chava is three. Well, three and a half, if you want to put a fine point on it. So please explain to me just exactly how it is that she is a clothes horse. A clothes fiend. A prima donna when it comes to her clothes. Or, as Al puts it, "Man, she is just totally bonkers around her clothes."

Getting dressed in the morning often evolves over the course of an hour. First she has to pick things out (and if we veto something [like a tanktop on a 40 degree day], woe is us). Then she has to try it on. Then she has to improve upon it by changing some of the elements. Then she has to pick out accessories. And, of course, shoes (shut up, Mom, I can hear you laughing from here).

Last night both kids slept all night without a peep and stayed in their room until their alarm clock started playing music at 6:30. This was four nights of sleep, so Maddox earned a new Star Wars lego set and Chava earned some stick on earrings that had been torturing her on top of my dresser for weeks. She built her whole outfit around those earrings - a pink cotton dress with ruffles and a bow, off white tights, flip flops (yes, her favorite shoes are flip flops right now and she just pulls down the tights in between her toes to get the flip flops on) and a very pretty Irish knit cardigan. Then she spent what was left of the morning twirling around the house sing-songing "I'm so BEAUUUUUUUUU---tiful."

What a long, hard day it's been

2009-05-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Al picks Maddox and his friend Sam up early from school so they can go to tennis lessons, offered through the Rec. Department. They have special racquets and balls that I guess are geared to teach young kids to play - the balls are kind of sponge-like. Maddox likes it, but he is pretty uncoordinated. Luckily, he does not seem to notice that Sam is kicking his ass most of the time. On Tuesdays, after a short break, we go to soccer practice. So, by the time we finished eating our pizza last night, he was pooped... and so was everyone else (me included).

Al fresco dining

2009-05-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! Spring at last!

Party Girl all Pooped Out

2009-05-11T08:56:00.002-05:00

Chava was in fine form this weekend. She woke up in a snit on Saturday morning and had multiple tantrums throughout the day and then refused to nap, guaranteeing that the night would be a disaster. It was. Maddox was in bed, washed and brushed, while Chava was still having a tantrum about getting out of the car. Sunday wasn't much different, except we drove out to Framingham in the late afternoon. Chava fell asleep .2 seconds after we pulled out of the driveway.

Can you call it a hiatus if you didn't really plan to come back?

2009-05-07T09:58:00.002-05:00

My mom guilted me in to posting again. Otherwise I have to provide lengthy updates on the phone about Maddox's pooping (it's fine, and actually he's absolutely the MOST chatty while he sits on the toilet) or Chava's desire to be Boozchi Baby all the time (I don't know how to spell Boozchi, but I like this spelling I just came up with, and want to emphasize that SHE picked that name) by putting on her footy p.j.s and making us hold her and carry her and feed her, or the fact that I am having difficulty coaching soccer because my damn 5 year olds spend the entire practice whining about being "STAAAAARVing" and then running around with pretzel sticks in their hands/mouths. No shit. At Saturday's game I had to clean popcorn off the shirts of all the kids before they started to play.

Aren't you glad I'm back?

Weekend

2008-11-13T12:47:00.002-05:00

First off, Maddox got "Free To Be You and Me" for his birthday (thanks, Jill!) and he loves, loves LOVES "William Wants a Doll." Everytime he hears it he runs over to the CD player to get as close as possible.

We've been going to this great playground in Arlington which has a two story slide, with two chutes. Chava's freshly washed hair had some static issues.

I should look at this picture when I feel like I am going to rip my eyeballs out.

Birthday Extravaganza

2008-11-04T11:07:00.005-05:00

We started on Sunday with the birthday party.... 15 kids and assorted adults. Al lead the group in tie-dying t-shirts, we ate donuts off string, smacked a pinata, ate pizza and cupcakes, and then the kids destroyed our living room.

Chava was none too happy on the actual 3rd, and who knows why. As Al would say, probably because a butterfly flapped its wings in China.

But we helped cheer her up with the good old Eckhouse tradition of waffles with ice cream for breakfast.

That was yesterday. Last night Maddox slept in his new Superman pajamas and woke up early to play with his Indiana Jones Legos. Thanks, Grammy and Bob!

October 31st

2008-11-02T08:18:00.002-05:00

Before

After

What's in a name?

2008-10-22T08:49:00.000-05:00

My kids are definitely Eckhouses.

Sunday

2008-10-21T10:48:00.003-05:00

We decided Sunday was a good day to let the kids handle raw meet and sharp knives. Also to carve their first pumpkin. Somehow I feel a little sad that they kept asking us to "turn it back on" after we had lit a candle inside and turned off all the lights...

BIG NEWS

2008-10-20T10:38:00.003-05:00

Last night the kids figured out how to simulate farting in the bathtub. It was a looooooooong bath.

Random Assortment

2008-10-10T08:45:00.006-05:00

Chava has developed a real interest in her dolls. The one with the red hat is "Dolly" (although she names every doll/animal that) and she takes her everywhere. She reads to her periodically and gets upset if Dolly can't see the pictures. Listening to Chava "read" books is a real treat. It goes something like this:
"The girl went there. She went there. And then she came back. Because she was good. So she went there and came back. The end."

But it's still pretty cute.

The other morning, Chava stripped down to her birthday suit in the kitchen and then complained that she was "COOOOOOOOLD." So Al offered to tuck her in to his sweater until I could get some clothes for her. I think she would have happily stayed there all day.

In big news, Maddox has mastered zippers! Here, he zipped himself and then helped out his sister.

Maddox, Chava and I made apple-honey cupcakes from the Joan Nathan kids' cookbook we have - they brought them in to their respective classrooms to share on Wednesday.

Chava is her own person

2008-09-24T09:58:00.002-05:00

This is what she picked out to wear to Maddox's soccer game last weekend. She would have liked to have worn a tank top, but I exerted some small modicum of parental authority since it was like 58 degrees.

I'm still here.

2008-09-15T08:38:00.003-05:00

The blog took a hit while I attended to... well, life. But fall is here (even though it's 86 degrees today with 74% humidity) and I'd like to introduce the first Weisz family soccer player:

We've been having fun

2008-08-25T13:08:00.004-05:00

I missed all but one picture of our visit to Crooked Pond:

But I did manage to get a few shots of Storyland. In this first one, Maddox takes the wheel of the "you drive it" antique car while Al and I sit in back. We narrowly avoided death multiple times.

In this next one, Al and Chavie say "gouda!" while flying high in a Dutch shoe.

I'm not sure who hated the tilt-a-wheel turtles more, Chava or Al.

Maddox surprised us by being adventure boy - he loved the roller coaster, but his favorite ride (as was mine) was the log ride.

Here is an action photo taken from the whale just behind. Stunning photography, isn't it?

Just to prove I was there, here is a picture of me. Maddox was whining because it was time to leave so I suggested we have the "miserable faces" Storyland photo.

A few more vacation pictures

2008-08-13T13:56:00.006-05:00

More trampoline fun.

Chava could NOT get enough of Baby Isadora. Maddox just enjoyed watching (close up!) her breast feed. Luckily, Sara was a good egg.

Ivy falls asleep every night while they read to her. Now, THOSE sound like the sleep genes my children should have inherited.

There was a family who had a house right on the beach that we went to every day. They had a big net that they would pull out, take it way out and scoop up all sorts of interesting sea creatures for the kids to check out. It was high entertainment.

Vernie brings a bit of her camp experience home

2008-08-12T14:54:00.001-05:00

If your child is annoying you...

2008-08-12T09:19:00.000-05:00

just box him up and ship him off!

The womenfolk decided to let the men handle the "fingerpainting our bodies" activity ...

2008-08-08T08:05:00.002-05:00

since it was their idea, anyway.

More Cape photos

2008-08-07T08:41:00.001-05:00

Back from the Cape

2008-08-06T08:27:00.001-05:00

We had a great week on the Cape with friends Pano, Sara, Ivy and Baby Isadora (who, sadly, did not get enough camera time). Pix will trickle in.

It's not that we all died

2008-07-16T13:16:00.002-05:00

Summer is a hard time to post. Even though, for most people, the pace slows, I feel like it speeds up for us. The days are longer so we try to pack more in. We go swimming after pick-up, ride bikes to daycare, and spend long hours in the bathtub trying to get the popsicle dribble off various body parts. We are on the go from the time we get up on the weekends until we collapse in to bed. None of the activity is particularly conducive (to me, anyway) to toting a camera around. Still, a few things not to be forgotten:

Chava insisting on putting on her bathing suit first thing in the a.m. and then wearing it all day - for nap, with sandals when we go to pick up Maddox, and out to eat.
Maddox refusing to wear clothes as often as possible.
Both kids demanding to go swimming (in a BIG pool) at 6:43 in the morning.
Little tiny beads of sweat on Chava's nose.
The kids playing "Can't Catch Me" with the waves in Scituate.
Maddox falling asleep while sitting in the captains seat on Dad's boat.
Maddox FINALLY swimming comfortably with Michela and Eli in their pool in Lincoln.
Chava with some serious sweaty bedhead after a hot night.

News flash!

2008-06-25T11:51:00.001-05:00

Chava now in underwear. Repeat: Chava now in underwear. Over.

p.s. anyone interested in about 600 size 4 diapers? Josh?

Firefighters

2008-06-19T15:27:00.007-05:00

Maddox recently discovered this great firefighter toy that someone gave him (Nonna, was it you?!). It actually shoots water really far and he loves aiming for things off the back porch (maybe Bob can train him to hit squirrels). He had Chava all convinced to play Firefighter with him the other day but she couldn't find a suitable substitute for the firefighter backpack hose... until she cam upon her pink purse. Perfect for any occasion.

Crazier still

2008-06-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

Things get crazy

2008-06-19T15:20:00.000-05:00

I think (hope!) this was the result of popsicle eating.

Because it's their job to torture me like I tortured my parents

2008-06-12T08:16:00.004-05:00

I gave Maddox some grapes the other afternoon for a snack. He immediately started pouting and fussing. I finally asked him what, exactly, the problem was. He said, "Mom, I do not like these grapes. You know what I like. I like FIRM GRAPES!!!"

(Pictures coming tomorrow. I have some funny ones in the camera I just haven't had time to upload.)

Milestone

2008-06-11T13:45:00.003-05:00

Last night Chava and Maddox completely finished off a box of Annie's mac'n'cheese in one sitting.

Knowing what's important

2008-05-30T09:02:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday night, the kids rode their bikes down to the train bridge after dinner. As Chava and I were coming up the hill toward home, we passed a man and a woman who, by the look of their ravaged faces, were likely alcoholics or drug addicts. The woman looked like she might be missing her teeth; her mouth had that collapsed, unhappy look to it. As they walked past, Chava asked me, "Why that lady so sad, Mama?" I told her I didn't know why she was sad. Chavie thought about it a minute and said, "Her t.v. broke, Mama?" I'm glad she still thinks that would be about the saddest thing imaginable.

Grumpaw's New Boat

2008-05-29T15:34:00.007-05:00

We (minus Al) had a great time on Dad's boat on Saturday last. Chava was a holy terror after keeping everyone up in Scituate past midnight the night before, but as soon as she saw her brother get butt nekkid for a dip, her mood turned right around. Maddox was unusually fearless and has made me promise that next time I will go in so I can catch him as he jumps. I haven't told him yet that I won't be going in the water until August.

Eli and Vernie show us around.

Maddox at the helm.

Chava was the first official boat napper.

A good look - if you're 4.

Cousins.

The kids (and one overgrown kid) warm up after their swim by watching a video. I told Dad his boat is nicer than my house. So I'm moving in.

Chavie.

Those are Noah's feet. He was most disappointed that our camera doesn't respond fast enough to get him mid-flight as he jumped off the lido deck in to the water.

Nature vs. nurture, take 2

2008-05-20T08:48:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, Maddox caught Al swigging cider straight out of the container (nasty habit, I would never do that). So, naturally, he asked if he could drink some that way, too - Al was only too happy to aid and abet in this important rite of passage:

Of course, Chava came over to see what all the action was (that child is SERIOUS about being in the center of everything). No matter what he tried, Al just could not convince her that chugging right out of the container was of any interest, at all.

The good news is that I don't drink cider, so only Al will get to enjoy the special backwash left by a 4 year old chugger.

I can't talk about what comes out of Maddox's butt

2008-05-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

It's going better, but I don't want to jinx it.

I was dying of poop. I'm better, but might die again.

2008-05-06T11:58:00.003-05:00

I would guess that most parents like to imagine what their kids will grow up to be. Funny, I never really asked my mom what I was like as a kid - I know what kind of hair I had, and I remember that I liked Art better than Gym, but it would be interesting to know what she and my dad thought of me when I was too young to think of myself.

I can tell you what I think of my kids. I think Chava is going to be the kind of kid who is friends with everyone, who is totally undaunted by social cliques and the horrible discrimination I see going on in Maddox's class already. Then she's going to grow in to the kind of kid who is always up to something ("C'mon, guys, let's all show up for second grade on Tuesday with NO PANTS! It will be awesome!") but the teachers will continue to like her anyway because she's smart and really good intentioned underneath it all. Al and I have already talked about the parties she is likely to have in high school and beyond, and our need to lock up the liquor.

Maddox, I'm not so sure. I think Maddox is smart, and he has a great imagination and likes to get kids rallied around him to play some pretty complicated, made-up games (the last one involved the playground structure at school turning in to the inside of Doctor Dangerous' body, with the slide being his mouth so he could barf the kids right out). But he worries. And he gets upset easily. And he would be wayyyyy too nervous about what would happen to let his sister host a kegger at our house (maybe that's how nature takes care of us - partners siblings with such different personalities so that we minimize the amount of vomit we have to clean out of our couches).

The last two weeks have been draining. Maddox agreed that he would give up diapers and so we have spent countless hours trying to get the poop out. He begged for diapers. He held it in. And then he held it in some more. And then his belly hurt, and he still held it in. My days consisted of going to work, picking up the kids, spending time in the bathroom while Maddox screamed and cried, and washing skid marks out of underwear. I will save you from any more details. He finally went last night (after 10 days!!!) but I fear we are not quite back to the place where we can do things in the evening like, oh, maybe talk to one another.

So, what kind of kid is Maddox? He is a wonderful, loving, funny, charming, creative kid. He's a vigilent kid. He's a planner, and a thinker. And he's anally retentive. I'm not sure what that means for the years to come.

A first

2008-04-23T10:26:00.002-05:00

We are still in recovery from the Great Barffest of 2008. Chava was essentially sick all week; I got it on Sunday, and Maddox has thrown up intermittantly since the wee hours of Monday a.m. (but seems absolutely fine in between puking sessions). Both kids refuse to go to bed without a bowl next to them. I think it's Chava's newest lovey.

In the interim, I was presented with this at Maddox's school last week:

I honestly wondered if he would just skip drawing people all together. But no! He said, "That's our family. But not Dad." I don't know why Al got dissed. But I think Maddox got Chava's hair exactly right.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in to the water...

2008-04-18T08:17:00.003-05:00

Al and I were proud of ourselves for surviving Chava's Great Barffest of 2008. We did about 10,000 loads of laundry, changed her sheets approximately 8,243 times, and cleaned vomit out of her hair about 12 times. But then she stopped throwing up, and life was good.

She finally went back to daycare yesterday. Kathy said she was okay, but very low energy and didn't eat a thing all day. She seemed tired when we got home, and refused the snack I had brought her. She and Maddox were playing together while I made dinner when she suddenly ran over with a look of consternation on her face and cried out, "Change my diaper, Mommy!" My nose told me right away this was no ordinary poop and it was, in fact, a total swamper. It happened again about 5 minutes later. But then she must have felt better, because she ate a reasonable dinner and was pretty energetic. We herded the kids up to take a bath, and while I ran the tub they took off all their clothes, as is their custom. When I came back from grabbing pjs, Chava again looked unhappy and there was a brown stream down her leg as well as two puddles on the bath mat.

Really, if I were a smarter woman, something in my head might have clicked and the rest of the night wouldn't have turned quite so... sour. But I was in a hurry (had a hair cut to get to, after all), so I wiped her leg and butt with a wipe and dumped her and Maddox in the tub while I got the bath mat soaking in the washing machine. Of course, when I returned, she was happily playing in her cloud of brown water as it slowly seeped over to Maddox's side of the bath.

Needless to say, it was disgusting. But I got a great hair cut. And I think I've convinced my hairdresser that he really doesn't want kids.

Can you guess what lead me to think of this?

2008-04-16T08:03:00.001-05:00

I spent a lot of yesterday pondering why they don't make washing machines with macerating blades in the drain. It was only after some sleep last night that I realized it wouldn't really be good for the clothes.

Long time no post

2008-04-14T08:52:00.003-05:00

I don't know what's happened to me. I'd like to blame it on the fact that Al left the camera upstairs, so it hasn't been easily accessible, but can that really explain a two-week photo hiatus? Maybe it's the New England spring, which refuses to be sprung. Maybe it's because Al and I finished eating all the Easter chocolate, and I'm in withdrawal. Or maybe I'm just lame. In any case, luckily Grammy has been busy clicking away. Maddox gets the shift, though, since he's at school on Fridays when Chava gets Grammy all to herself.

Whirling Dervish

2008-03-24T08:26:00.001-05:00

whirling dervish
noun
a dervish whose actions include ecstatic dancing and whirling

Ready for her close up

2008-03-24T08:25:00.002-05:00

Two things

2008-03-20T11:56:00.003-05:00

1. Maddox totally picked out his own clothes today and got dressed by himself. Hallelujah! Chava, of course, picks out her own clothes most of the time now and INSISTS on putting them all on herself, even though it takes approximately 6 hours.
2. Maddox and I finally had the conversation about how one cannot actually marry one's sister. He seemed to get it. So this morning I overheard him breaking the news to Chava:

M: Chava, I can't marry you. It's against the law. So..... do you want me to marry my cousin?

Two Conversations at Bedtime

2008-03-10T12:34:00.002-05:00

Maddox: I'm scared.
Me: What are you scared of?
X: The shadows. And fire. And the fire detectors.
Me: The shadows are just light. And the fire detectors keep us safe.
X: If you keep lighting matches after I poop, you might burn the house down.

----------------------------

Chava (an hour past bedtime): Maaaaaaaaaaaaaa-meeeeeeeee. I need a nose wipe.

A nose wipe!
I need a nose wipe!

I need a bottle!

I neeeeeeeed a boooooootle!

Diaper change?
I need a diaper change!

Maaaaaaaa-meeeeeeeee! I want to watch t.v.!

Okay, just bottle.

In reverse chronological order...

2008-03-03T14:28:00.005-05:00

First, our time away: it was great. Al totally surprised me and the place we stayed way beyond awesome. We slept in (you know, til the late, late hour of 7 a.m.) and they brought us breakfast (including REALLY good coffee) to our room, we went to Mass MoCA, we ate extrememely well, and we took naps. The kids did great, as well, and surprised me by sleeping very well. Clearly, we need to go away more often.

Al lounging on our awesome, king-sized bed with down comforter.

They joined a series of row houses to make the inn - interesting spaces.

This was at lunch on Monday. And yes, we did have a beer, why do you ask?

Coming back was fine - Mom and Bob had the house in spit-spot shape and we had a few hours to settle ourselves before picking up the kids. Chava seemed delighted to see us, but Maddox fell apart the minute we walked in the door. It was like he had been holding it together so hard the whole time we were gone, the relief was overwhelming. That poor boy. He is going to have some rough times ahead of him.

But anyway.

Didn't get many pictures from last week. But it is worth mentioning that Chava ate this entire carrot

except for the one bite she shared with Maddox.

On Friday night, Catherine and the Vern and I had a girls night out dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I left just after the other three Weiszes dug in to their burritos:

(note the kiddush cups - they were Shabbat burritos)

Finally, one day the kids were watching something terrifying, like Tigger and Pooh, and Chava was scared. Maddox gallantly offered to hold her hand.

Happy as a pig in...

2008-02-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

I left the house to this - Chava couldn't have been happier having Grumpaw all to herself. When I came home, she was peacefully sleeping in her bed, having given him no fuss whatsoever and thrown nothing over the gate (unlike on days when I try to get her to nap). I am going to offer him a full-time nanny position.

Woodworkers

2008-02-22T11:08:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday night, Maddox's class had a sing-a-long. They have been doing a unit on woodworking and adapted a song they all know to reflect what they have been doing in school. The teachers got Home Depot tool aprons and kid-sized safety glasses for each kid (and Chava got her own set, too, which sent her over the moon). It was very cute.

Needs no explanation

2008-02-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

Two more by Maddox

2008-02-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

Sunday

2008-02-20T09:03:00.004-05:00

Sunday involved making "Grammy Yum Yums" and then running around the house, working off the sugar high. Because my mother is a braver woman than I, she got finger paint and the kids enjoyed getting messy. We drove around looking for animals and saw cows, a horse, and llamas. We also visited the Toy Box, which is a great toy store. Finally, we watched about four movies and Maddox checked out the leftist political thinking of his Pioneer Valley relatives.

Visit to Amherst

2008-02-19T15:07:00.017-05:00

We had a great time in Amherst. Granted, I had to engage the kids in potty talk for the last 15 minutes of the car trip to keep them from losing their shit (hah) but really, "peanut butter and a poopy diaper!" is tolerable.

Grammy managed to capture the highlights on film.

We started off building some "structures" from marshmallows and candy - Maddox saw this on t.v. and thought it was great. I now realize he really just understood it to be an opportunity to shovel as many marshmallows as he could in to his mouth. (He later got Grammy to play hide'n'seek with him and while she was off hiding, he was in the kitchen sneaking more marshmallows.)

We then spent some time parading around in Grammy's Purim costumes:

There was an aborted effort at napping in there, too, including a 20 minute car ride for Chava during which she fell immediately asleep only to wake up the minute her body hit the futon. Oh well.

There was bed jumping:

And the highlight of the trip, roasting hotdogs and (more!) marshmallows in the fireplace:

After all that excitement, Maddox really needed to kick back in a relaxing bath:

Then we had some reading to do:

(This last one had me a bit worried it was some old Southern tale with racist underpinnings - luckily, the kids lost interest on the first page.)

That was just Saturday.

My most favorite time of the week

2008-02-15T13:13:00.002-05:00

For a while now, we have been lighting the candles and saying the blessings on Friday nights. I love it. Maddox is starting to mumble along with all the blessings, and he likes to pass out the challah. He has also added a glass-clink after we say the blessing over the wine. But my absolute favorite part is right after we light the candles, when Maddox yells out, "Good Shaves!*" and then both he and Chavie pucker up and look around expectantly for a kiss.

*maybe he really means "Good Chivas!" because he takes after Grandmum. Or it's a speech impediment.