Knotts Berry Farm

We love it when the cousins, Sophie and Daphne, come out to California to visit.  We headed to Knotts Berry Farm and the kids had a great time going on rollercoasters and hanging out all day together.  I had to put them in matching t-shirts because it's just too cute.  When will we see them again???

Happy 13th Noah

Happy 13th birthday to Noah!  This is the big year... the beginning of the teens... and we really wanted to do something really big but Noah knew exactly what he wanted.  He wanted to play sports with his friends.  We rented the soccer field and the basketball court and Noah had a great time with his buddies.  They noshed on pizza and chocolate cake from Susie Cakes.  We can't believe that he's already 13!  What will this year bring???

13

Noah is 13.  My chubby cheek boy is now 13.  He is in 7th grade and doing very well in school.  He is more confident and has good friends.  He is swimming much more and as you can see, taller than me!  He is working hard on his Bar Mitzvah studies and still a great big brother to Micah.  What will this 13th year bring???

Marina del Rey

The boys had a great time visiting Bubbe and spending time in the pool in Marina del Rey.  When will Bubbe come back and visit again???

Mom's weekend

This is our 6th Mom's weekend to Big Bear...  I can't believe that we still keep in touch with monthly dinners and keeping tabs with one another. I love my friends from the co-op and am so thankful for each and every one of them.  We have been through the toddler, elementary, and adolescent years with our kids, new home purchase, divorces, and now many of us are holding hands tight as we go through the teen years.  I'm so blessed to have these friends of mine.  When will we see each other again???

Addams Family

This Halloween we decided to dress up as the creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky, altogether ooky, Addams Family.  I can't believe this is the 13th year for us!  Will this madness ever stop???

"Finding Elsewhere"

Noah submitted this piece entitled, "Finding Elsewhere" for the Fine and Performing Arts Competition sponsored by the LA Arts Collective and Westchester Rotary.  Noah did not have a lot of time to work on his project.  He submitted his piece and was chosen as a semi-finalist.  He was interviewed about his work and was awarded a $%0 check as an award.  Will this inspire Noah to create more art???

School projects

Micah's English project was to read a biography.  Micah chose John Lennon and read a book, wrote a report, and then made a board about him.  Micah did a nice job with the project, so nice in fact, that the teacher chose to keep his project as an example and hung it in her classroom!  This is very exciting for Micah  because he knows that this teacher has very high standards.  What project will Micah work on next???

Atom-Phosphorous

Noah's school projects have started!  He had to create a model of the atom, Phosphorous.  It was laborious but hopefully Noah is learning how to manage his time.  He had to paint the spheres, then wait for it to dry, and finally construct the model.  Noah also learned the importance of reading the directions because his platform was the wrong size and it had to be adjusted.  Will Noah  learn from these experiences???

Skateboard

Micah thought he was receiving a cell phone for his birthday present but instead he got a cool skateboard!  He knows that he has to write a persuasive essay to get a phone but he is a reluctant writer.  He thought that if he held out to his birthday that we would gift him but he was wrong.  I hope that Micah enjoys his new skateboard and that he doesn't get hurt (knock on wood).  Will he learn any cool tricks???

Getty Villa

After Rosh Hashanah services, we went to Getty Villa for a few hours to enjoy lunch with an ocean view and to walk around the museum.  The boys did the Percy Jackson Interactive tour again and Jawsh enjoyed it too.  It was a nice day to spend together and to bring in the new year as a family.  What will this year bring???

Birthday Times

Micah had a fun filled bowling birthday with his friends.  They had a great time and he loved that his cousins were there too.  They played in teams, went to the arcade, and enjoyed a birthday cake from Susie Cakes.  At the end of the party, his friend M got hurt which dampened our spirits a bit but we were so happy that he recovered and will be fine.  Happy Birthday to Micah!  What did he wish for???

Happy 1st Birthday Atticus

Happy 1st birthday to Atticus!  He is such a blessing to our family.  Atticus chose the ukulele during the toljabee.  We thought he would choose the money!  What will this year bring for Atticus???

Happy Birthday Micah

Happy 11th birthday to Micah!  He woke up to streamers, balloons, and a birthday donut.  Micah is athletic, talented, funny, and smart!  He knows his way around  the city and he is always there to give me a hug.  He is my dimple cheek boy who I love so much.  What will this year bring???

Kona

Kona is so cute.  When I come over, she gets very animated.  In the beginning, she would pee when she saw me because she was so excited and thankfully she no longer does that.  Will she learn any tricks???

Cassia

Happy 41st birthday to me!  We went to Cassia for some good eats.  I love my family so much and so happy that I can celebrate with them.  What will this year bring???

First day of school

Today is the first day of 6th grade for Micah and 7th grade for Noah.  I can't believe that this is Micah’s first day in middle school.  I am hoping that he has a positive day and that he sees some familiar faces.  Noah is excited to see his friends although they have different schedules.  Our imparting words to Noah was to watch out for his brother!  What will today bring???

KCon

The kids had a great time at K-Con with my siblings and mom.  They tried all these new products, ate Korean foods, and spent a lot of time taking pictures with product!  Micah won a special raffle and came home with a golden microphone.  The highlight was seeing Rebel Wilson at the convention.  Will they want to go back next year???

Soul of a Nation

We viewed some thought provoking art at The Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963-1983 showing at The Broad.  It was a celebration of art made by Black artists around issues of race and identity.  We really took some time at Jack Whitten's piece, "Homage to Malcolm" which he created right after his assassination.  I hope that the boys found this intriguing and momentous that this art defined a space for Black artists to express themselves.  I hope that Noah and Micah will also find creative outlets and that this will inspire them.  What will they want to share with the world???

Knotts

We have a few more days before we are back at school and the boys wanted to go to Knotts Berry Farm.  We purchased Fast Lane passes for the boys so they could skip to the front.  By the time Jawsh and I reached the front of Ghostrider, the boys had been on the ride 7 times!  I was not aware that the ride was so fast so I was immediately scared and shocked while on the ride.  I kept thinking that I was a bad mom for allowing my kids to ride this so many times but they were not phased at all.  After the ride, Jawsh and I took it easy and stayed on benches while the boys went on supreme rides.  We did a fun scavenger hunt in Ghost Town and enjoyed decent BBQ.  The boys had  great day and we enjoyed spending time together as a family.  When will we head back???