Tamar's Rabbit Grin

Doesn't she look like an adorable little bunny with her two front teeth showing? Tooth #5 has just started coming through (on the top right side). Meanwhile, Daniel continues to keep all his teeth hidden in his gums.  --Victoria

Benji loves math

He begs Aaron to make math sheets for him to work on in the evenings.  --VM

Benji at school (from a few weeks ago)

Daddy's Girl

Bath Time!

Saturday Fun

This past Saturday, Aaron was a volunteer judge for the veterans law moot court competition. He was away all day, so the kids and I hung out together at home. Benji and I made a 100-piece puzzle while Tamar and Daniel watched from a safe distance. Then, at Benji's request, we "danced around the puzzle" to the tune of a song he made up as he danced. My creative boy...

--Victoria

Five-boy playdate

Top/background:  Yousef, Aaron

Bottom/foreground:  Benji, Kai, Xavi

This is serious business, folks. As you can tell by their facial expressions. --Victoria

Daniel asleep in high chair

Eating is exhausting!  --Victoria

How to make dinner when you have three kids

Step 1:  Agree to five-year-old's request to do a painting project and set him up to paint.

Step 2:  Set babies up in high chairs with cheerios, as audience for the painting project.

Step 3:  Make dinner while all kids are entertained.

Life isn't usually this easy or gratifying, but I love it when it happens this way!  --Victoria

Benji at the dentist

No cavities -- hooray!  He was very well behaved.  --Victoria

Our first sukkah!

Last Saturday, we invited friends over to join us in celebrating Sukkot, the Jewish holiday that is both (1) a harvest festival and (2) a commemoration of the temporary homes in which Jewish ancestors lived while wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The word "sukkah" means "booth" or "tent" (basically, a temporary dwelling) and the plural is "sukkot" -- so it's the Festival of Booths.  It's also a time of happy celebration after the serious introspection we're supposed to take part in during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

It's like the North American customs in reverse -- first, the thinking-back-over-the-past-year and making New Year's resolutions (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), then celebrating a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! with Sukkot and Simchat Torah (which comes at the end of the week of Sukkot).

The custom for the Sukkot festival is to build a temporary structure near one's house and then spend the week of the festival living in it.  "Living" can be defined loosely -- we've been eating meals in it and spending time relaxing and reading (or drawing and coloring, in Benji's case) but not actually sleeping in it.

On Saturday, we actually built the sukkah (with MUCH help from our friends) and started to decorate it.  The kids helped decorate the brick walls nearby with harvest themes (trees, flowers, etc.).  Afterwards, Aaron manned the grill and we all shared a potluck dinner.  It was lots of fun, and a great way to start the Jewish New Year.

More photos of the actual building process will follow later.

--Victoria

Waiting for Benji

I arrive home about 10 or 20 minutes before Benji's bus drops him off on the other side of Stanton Park, so I usually load up the babies and take them with me in the stroller to pick him up.  Most days they are awake and enjoy the stroll but sometimes it puts them both to sleep!  --Victoria

P.S.  I couldn't resist taking photos of Daniel's adorable chubby toes -- enjoy!

T-Ball Again

Benji was a little bored in the outfield this week, although he did make a great play at one point -- scooping up the ball and throwing it to first base.  Tamar and Daniel loved playing on a quilt while hanging out at the t-ball game.  --Victoria

Back to School + Happy Babies

Sorry about the blog silence...  The older they get, the busier we get.  This is Benji's first day of kindergarten (still at Sela, the Hebrew language school), and a cute one of Daniel and Tamar.  --Victoria

Afternoon at the Park

T-Ball Practice

Benji and I sometimes practice in the park after school or on the weekend.  The babies came along (and were parked safely behind a tree) but were apparently exhausted from sitting in their stroller while we practiced.  --Victoria

Photo from May (Bus to School)

Benji rode the bus to Sela and I would often take the babies to the bus stop to pick him up.  His friend Lucas also rides the bus and also has a baby brother (Nicholas, 3 weeks older than our twins), so there would sometimes be three babies waiting for the bus to arrive.  One day, the bus got a flat tire just before it pulled up to our stop.  --Victoria

Fourth of July Friends

Our friends Jessica and Ross Chapman visited from Pennsylvania on the Fourth of July weekend, with their sons Jonah (10) and Ari (4).  Benji and Ari had a great time, particularly at the Yards Park "pool" (which is only 10" deep).  In this photo, they're taking a break from swimming to eat sandwiches for lunch.  --Victoria

Spotty Mommy

Benji does art projects at his summer camp.  A few days ago, the children decorated images of themselves, which were then put up on the wall in the hallway at the rec center where the camp is held.  I asked Benji to show me the image he made.  Here it is:

When I saw this, I asked him why he had spots.  He said, "Mommy, it's YOU, and you have RACECAR PANTS...  and you have spots because...  you're sick.  But you have a cool nose!"

Great.

--Victoria

Things Benji Says (crazy brain!)

Aaron and Benji were playing hide and seek with two stuffed toys.  Benji got over-excited and hit Aaron with the stuffed toy he was holding.  Aaron was surprised and said, "Benji, we don't hit--what were you thinking??"  To which Benji answered:

"I don't know... I don't know what I was thinking - my brain was being a little bit crazy! And I forgot to tell my brain to start thinking!"

Crazy indeed.

--Victoria

Things Tamar Does (No More Tummy Time!)

Tamar has decided she's no longer interested in Tummy Time.  Having the advantage of being strong but wiry (unlike Daniel, who is strong and very chubby), she has learned to roll herself over onto her back.  She can flip from her stomach to her back faster than I can turn her onto her stomach again.  I guess Tummy Time is over!  She seems to enjoy sitting up more anyway, although she still needs support.  -Victoria

Things Daniel Does (Gargle Yelling)

Last night, Daniel discovered that if he makes a sound while he's lying down and there's still some liquid in his throat, it makes a funny noise.  Basically, he discovered gargling.  So he spent about 20 minutes amusing himself by LOUDLY gargling for 3 or 4 seconds, then belly laughing at himself, then gargling again, then laughing at himself again.  I couldn't keep from laughing with him.  Tamar seemed patiently bemused.  --Victoria

Weekend Fun -- Building Museum

Things Daniel and Tamar do

Aaron sent me an email about how Daniel and Tamar are doing.  He wrote:

"I just walked over to the two of them, playing on the mat and said:  'Did you know that you two are my two FAVORITE BABIES IN THE WHOLE WORLD?'

They both looked at me, then broke out in HUGE grins."

Party Clothes

Scootering Boy

Tummy Time

Afternoon on the patio

Smiles and Crowns!

The babies are starting to smile!  (real smiles, not just gas smiles)

Benji decided that their toy rattles make good crowns, and crowned them Queen Tamar and King Daniel.  When King Daniel wakes up, I'll get a photo of him smiling and post that as well.

--Victoria