Merry Christmas

The kids really enjoy spending Christmas together.  They are so happy to celebrate and sing songs in front of the family.  This year, Micah played the ukulele while Kaitlyn and Emma sang, "Jingle Bells," and Noah played the song "Sleigh Ride Holiday" on the piano.  The boys opened their gifts and received Nerf guns and bullets from "Santa Billy." My favorite part of the evening was when we played Pie Face Showdown.  What will Christmas bring next year???

Early gifts

In an untraditional move, Jawsh allowed the boys to open one Christmas/Chanukah gift of his choosing early.  With the barrage of toys, candy, and gifts, Jawsh wanted to make sure that these two gifts stood out.  He gifted each son one of his favorite books: The Hobbit for Noah and The Amazing Spiderman for Micah.  He also wrote a personal message to each one of them.  Do the boys know how lucky they are???

Dave and Busters

Today the boys spent some time with my partner teacher's kids at Dave and Busters.  They had a great time playing video games and eating lunch together.  They even got to order a glow in the dark soda pop!  Now that's special!  When will we see C and M again???

The Broad

We went back to the Broad on this rainy day. I was really surprised to see that there were still people waiting in line under umbrellas and felt so fortunate that we could just walk in with our reserved tickets.  The boys are so lucky to have this museum time with Jawsh because he knows so much about the artists.  Last time he explained the art of Basquiat and this time he explained the work of Roy Lichtenstein.  Then the boys sketched a bit in their journals and then we went to see the new Creature exhibit.  When will we visit again???

LACMA

Today I took the boys to LACMA.  They went to the Children's Gallery and painted.  We also spent some time looking at the Korean pottery through the ages.  It was a nice quiet afternoon at the museum.  When will we head back???

Good Dirt LA

Tonight we went to Good Dirt LA to support their first "Empty Bowls" charity event.  We purchased a few bowls handmade by a local potter with 100% of the proceeds going to feed the children in Ghana.  Our friend, K, made some beautiful bowls.  After purchasing the bowl, we filled them with delicious soups from Rainbow Acres.  It was a beautiful event.  Will they do it again next year???

Winter Concert (Yellow)

Noah's class sang two songs:  "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" made famous by Mary Poppins and "If You're Out There" by John Legend.  It was fun to watch and the kids sang beautifully.  I wonder what they will sing next year???

Winter Concert (Orange)

Micah's class sang two songs:  "Let's Go Fly A Kite" made famous by Mary Poppins and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland.  It was really beautiful listening to the kids sing these songs.  What they will sing next year???

Micah's fieldtrip

Today Jawsh chaperoned Micah on his field trip to the California Science Center.  They got to watch an IMAX movie and venture through the museum.  We feel like the boys are so lucky that we chaperone their field trips... but I have to wonder... do they feel that way???

Happy Birthday (again)

A birthday celebration is never complete until we celebrate with the cousins!  Noah had a delicious homemade cake made by Halmoni and the best present from his cousins: a Nerf gun.  I still can't believe Noah is 10 years old!  A decade goes by fast, doesn't it???

Hogwarts Party

Happy 10th Birthday to Noah!  In true Harry Potter fashion we had a Hogwarts slumber party complete with a Harry Potter scavenger hunt and Hagrid inspired birthday cake (misspellings and all).  What will he want to do for his birthday next year???

Happy Birthday Noah!

Noah is 10!  I can't believe how time has flown!  He wanted to eat one of his favorite desserts, Toffee Cake, at the Westside Tavern so Grandpa obliged!  Noah is just like his dad when it comes to desserts... he loves them!  What will Noah wish for???

Happy Thankgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are so grateful that we could spend this holiday season in Bubbe's new home.  She baked Noah's favorite apple cake (because his birthday is tomorrow) and we got to spend time playing games, watching movies, and building puzzles with the family!  When will we come back to Reno???

Christmas Tree Lighting

Micah started playing the ukulele a few months ago and his teacher asked him to play at a Christmas Tree Lighting in El Segundo.  Micah played two songs, "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" with another student.  Then he had a solo for "Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah."  He did a great job.  Will Micah want to participate in the school talent show???

Climbing trees

While the older brothers play their soccer games, the younger siblings find a tree to climb!  When will they be interested in watching their brothers play???

Timmy and Charles Fails

Noah and his friend, J, created this board game early this year and Noah finally finished it!  We played it as a family and found it to be really fun and engaging.  The objective is to get to the volcano first (black cup with paper flames) and die!  Remember, the game is called, Timmy and Charles Race to the Volcano.  Will this inspire Noah to create more games???

White House

Today is Election Day!  I already voted early last weekend and today we walked in Jawsh's ballot to our local polling place.  We are hoping to celebrate the victory of our first woman President of the United States.  Who will win tonight???

I voted

Obligatory photo of the boys at our local polling place.  Jawsh cast his vote.  Will his candidate win???

#1 Chess

Micah came in first place in the Intermediate Level at his school!  This was a huge accomplishment for Micah and he was very proud of himself!  He has really grown as a chess player from last year as he is actually winning games on his own merit.  Will he want to play in the Chess Tournament this summer???

Wolves

Noah is playing soccer this year.  He's on the Wolves and he's back with his same coach from last year too!  Noah had a great season with no injuries!  He scored a goal this year, which is a big feat at this level.  He played all positions but his favorite position was Center Forward.  Will he want to play soccer again next year???