We are all packed and I just cleaned the kitchen for the millionth time.  Leaving in 30 minutes to the airport!!

Guess I will blog from the other side of the ocean!

Today is 10 months to the day that we left America and headed to Israel!  Tomorrow we leave after an amazing 10 months.  I can’t believe how the school year has flown!  Eric and I are totally depressed that we are leaving but we are, of course, excited to see our families and our friends.  I am sure that if we weren’t going and we stayed home for the summer we would be depressed to see all the families who do go back for the summer and feel like we were being left behind.  So it’s tricky.

Anyway, today was spent mostly packing and organizing.  My cleaning man was supposed to come today but he never showed.  I called him and he said he’ll be coming tomorrow.  That was really annoying b/c I thought he was coming and we planned our day accordingly. 

Talia had a party in the late afternoon and Ben, Keren and I went to the park and enjoyed the weather.  I hear it’s been raining in America now for almost the entire month of June so I was glad that we got the sun in today.  It was beautiful when we went at 5.

Talia is so excited that she couldn’t fall asleep tonight.  She was in bed writing jokes in Hebrew.  Today she asked me how you say הפסקה in English.  Then at the park Ben asked me how you say  חום  in English.  Maybe it’s a good thing that we are going back this summer so the kids can pick up some English while we are there

So we are pretty much all packed except for the last minute items that we’ll throw in tomorrow and we are ready to shop and see friends and get wet (from the rain).

This morning Eric let me sleep late and I didn’t get up until he woke me up at 9!!  I had my book club meeting so I got ready quickly and put Keren in for her nap, brought over the lunch that Ben forgot at home and ran to the meeting.  It was fun, as usual and nice to get out and talk to adults.

Eric took the car for an inspection which we were nervous about b/c we heard how a lot of people fail their inspections here and then get ripped off trying to fix what “needs” fixing.  He went to some place that he found on his own, not the usual recommended ones and he passed on the second try!  Yay.

This afternoon Talia came home and we did some homework and she tried on some of the clothing I had stored in bins for her so that I would know what she needs for the fall/winter seasons next September when we get back.  Thank goodness it seems she grew and she now has plenty of clothing to wear.  I think she only needs maybe 2 shabbat outfits and we are good to go. 

Ben came home from his chug around 4 and Eric gave the kids money to go to the local candy store here on the yishuv and buy themselves each a sour stick “chamtsus” and a slushie “barad”.  They were thrilled and that kept them busy while I made dinner.  Keren, meanwhile, was walking all over the place and crawling upstairs to visit Eric in his office and cause trouble in there.  Between his printer and some of the other things in there she has a blast and usually drives him crazy.  It’s funny, actually!

The kids are so excited about packing up their things!!  I think we’ll start tomorrow.  They are going to want to take EVERYTHING and it’s going to be an argument, I am sure.  I think the trick will be to pack while they are in school so they don’t see what I am packing and what I am leaving here…

Today the kids went to school and I took Keren for another blood test.  The results from her first test were a little messed up b/c she was sick so the doctor asked me to take another one.  This time I had a much better nurse and she took about 30 seconds whereas last time the woman was squeezing her finger for 2 minutes or so and Keren was screaming.

It was another hot and sunny day here and we really couldn’t do much outside.  I had a haircut appointment at 12:30 and then after that Eric and I picked up lunch from one of our favorite sandwich places and brought it back home.  Talia came home and I ran out with her to pick up a birthday gift that she owes one of her friends.  Then we spent time doing homework and cleaning up her room a little together.  While all this was going on, Ben was at Eitan’s house and then karate. 

That’s pretty much the whole day.  Tennis was great, as usual and I am so going to miss it this summer!!

Anyway, Eric and I have been working on a video of all the pictures we’ve taken over the course of this year and if you haven’t already seen it on Facebook or gotten it as an attachment in an e-mail, you can see it below.

Hope you enjoy!

This morning Eric went to take the car for an oil change and to get new brakes put in before he takes the car for the inspection it needs while I stayed home with Keren and just hung out.  When I put her to sleep I cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and then started making some salads for the BBQ we had tonight.  In the end I forgot to serve the cucumber and tomato salad!!   It will work out okay b/c I have to send something in with Talia tomorrow for a healthy end-of-the-year party and that’s what I am going to send in!

I picked Ben up from school and he ate lunch and watched the movie Cars while Talia went across the street to a friend’s house to play.  Keren napped and Eric and I did some vegetable chopping and some prep work for the BBQ.  I took Ben to the makolet to put the plastic bottles into the recycle bin and then to the park for a bit but it was just too hot to hang out there.  Meanwhile, Talia stayed at her friend’s house until I sent Ben there to pick her up close to 6:00.

My family showed up pretty much on time, which was quite the surprise and we had a really nice BBQ.  Eric and I have been working on a slide show of pictures from our year here and it came out really great.  I showed my family and they loved it.  Anyway, the food came out great and everyone enjoyed and they all took home leftovers.    The kids went to sleep close to 9 tonight so I am sure I will be in for a number of melt downs tomorrow from Ben, I am glad he’s going over to Robin’s tomorrow to play with Eitan before karate!

Well, it’s over.  The last shabbat of our first year of aliyah!  It was kind of sad.  We are excited to be going to see our families and friends that we left behind but at the same time we don’t really want to leave!! 

Anyway, Friday we went to the pool when the kids came home from school.  Eric’s first time there!  It was extremely crowded.  We took Talia’s friend Natalie (pronounced Na-Ta-Lee) and the kids had a great time.

Today Talia brought home 2 friends and we were speaking Hebrew at the Shabbat table (won’t be doing that next week) and it was really nice.  The girls were hysterical.  They were putting on a show for us of what it’s like in school.  I learned today that the girls have to stand up every time their teachers come into the room. I thought that was nice.  So one of the girls did an imitation of the Americans.  She was sooo funny!  She did an imitation of an American speaking Hebrew.    So the kids played nicely and Eric and I had a very relaxing afternoon.   Keren left them alone for the most part and didn’t ruin any games that they were playing.  Ben played nicely with them.

We sent them all to the park at 4 and told just our kids to come home for dinner at 5:30.  They came home and gobbled down food before running back outside.  It was a very hot day today and we went through a ton of water.  Every time they came running back in their little faces got pinker and pinker.

Meanwhile, Keren has been walking all over the place!  She stands up and takes about 12-15 steps and then either loses her balance or plops back down.  She is too funny.  She is really getting into walking.  I can’t wait to take her for shoes next week.

At 6:30 tonight we were invited to a seudat shlishit bat mitzvah at the shul.  Ben and Keren came with us and sat with us.  It was nice. 

We found Talia and came home at 8 and the kids stayed up for havdallah, which was very exciting for them.  They were passed out in their beds about 30 seconds after we tucked them in!

We are supposed to be having this BBQ tomorrow night as a goodbye and we invited the family and they are dropping like flies.  They are all coming down with the same eye infection (I may have mentioned this before).  I am either going to be sending those that do come home with food for those that will not be able to make it or we’ll give it to the woman across the street that collects food for the poor.   We’ll see what’s left over.

Yesterday when the kids came home from school Eric took them out for ice cream to a sort of new ice cream store nearby in Matityahu.  I was supposed to be resting but Keren woke up from her nap and instead of resting I wound up playing with her.  When they came home Ben’s friend Matan came over while they were in the middle of the movie Aladdin.  They all played nicely and then took showers and went to sleep.  An ordinary day.

Today Eric and I went into Yerushalayim to the shuk with Keren.  We took someone who needed a tramp and Keren couldn’t take her eyes off of her.  In fact, it wasn’t until she left the car that Keren finally fell asleep.  By that time we were already in Yerushalayim!  It turned out to be a good thing b/c she was so out of it that we were able to transfer her into her stroller and she slept the whole time we were in the shuk and only woke up after we were already on Ben Yehudah Street.  After the shuk we stopped at Cafe Rimon where I had yummy yummy waffles with whipped cream and ice cream!!!

This afternoon we went to my grandparents’ apartment and met my cousins and we all went out for pizza for dinner.  It was really nice BUT there is an eye infection going around in my family and I am scared to death that my kids are going to get it also while we are in the States and we won’t be able to go to a doctor there!  It started with Avi and Miriam’s 6 month old and then went to each of them, their babysitter and now Shelly has it too.  The problem with Shelly having it is that she plays with my kids.  So I was kind of crazy in the pizza store and now I am really worried that we are having them over for a BBQ on Sunday as a kind of going away party and I am scared that she is going to give it to my kids!!!  I wish I never suggested this BBQ!!

Anyway, we got home late and the kids went right to sleep.  Tomorrow it’s off to the pool after school.  I can’t believe another week is almost over!

I remembered what I wanted to write about last night that I couldn’t remember.  Talia and her friend were sitting in the back of the car on the way to the beach on Sunday and they were talking a mile a minute in…. Hebrew!!  It was so cute.  Every so often Ben would offer up a comment on whatever they were talking about as well but we were really getting such a kick out of it.  Then, tonight she asked Eric if she left one of her clafs in his office.  He asked her what kind of claf, the kind in a mezuazah?  She couldn’t think of the word for claf in English.  Turns out she was looking for a playing card that she was doing card tricks with and thought she might have left it in Eric’s office but couldn’t think of the word for it.

So today was a pretty easy day on the parenting front.  The kids went to school and Keren and I went to Kiriat Sefer to go get my blood work done, finally.  She was in a great mood, actually and she was adorable in the waiting room.  We got it done in no time at all and then I took her to the playground for a half hour.  It was about 90 degrees here today and we couldn’t spend much more time than that outdoors without melting.

Ben had his baking chug and then went to a friend’s house after that and Talia went to a friend’s house after school so I had a whole day with just Keren.  We took her to lunch at the local falafel place since we haven’t done that in a while and I was in the mood for falafel.  She had the chips for lunch and wouldn’t go near anything else, unfortunately.  We came home and Eric ran out to get the badge that goes along with his rent-a-cop uniform.  Yes, it just keeps getting worse, he now has a badge that says his name and it says volunteer next to it!  Oy!

So Keren and I hung out until it was time to get the kids from their play dates.   We had a doctor’s appointment for her to go over the results of her blood test that she took as part of her one year checkup.  Unfortunately, her numbers were  a little off which is most probably b/c she was fighting an ear infection at the time and now we have to go and repeat the test.  So that means more screaming from her!  I am not looking forward to it AT ALL!!  The good news is that the doctor checked her ears and she is fine.  The infection went away and she is good to fly.

Eric made a great tuna steak for dinner tonight.  We are slowly but surely getting rid of all the food in our freezer before we go!  So I fed the kids and got them ready for bed and read them a book and tucked them in.  Talia and I did some homework in her room after I got Keren in.  She insists on staying up in her room until 8 b/c she says that’s when most of her friends go to sleep.  Lately she’s been doing work in her room.  Tonight I told her that if she waited for me to nurse Keren and put her to sleep, that I would then help her with her work.  So we did some work together in peace and quiet without the other kids bothering us and then she went to sleep.

Let me catch up on Friday through Monday since I haven’t posted in a while.

Friday the kids went to school and Keren went in for a nap and I prepared the house for shabbat so that we would be able to go straight to the pool after the kids got home from school.  Talia of course didn’t have to go to school until 9 and instead of getting up late after her zimria she got up and got dressed and was ready for school, for once, before Ben!  So I took Ben to school and Talia hung out and played on the computer until it was time for her to walk to school.

After the kids came home we quickly ate and got packed and ran to the pool.  We were there from 2-5 and it was really great.  Keren loved the water and had a blast.  Talia and Ben loved the fact that they knew so many people there!  I explained that last year the same people were there but they didn’t know them b/c we had just moved in.  So a ton of their friends were there and they had a blast.  I bought them ice cream and ices while we were there (a requirement now) and I tried to give some ice cream to Keren.  She didn’t know what to do about the coldness.  She kept opening her mouth and then making a terrible face when I put the ice cream in her mouth.  It was adorable.

We came home and I fed the kids and gave them showers and then Eric came home.  He was exhausted from his midnight flight but made it through dinner without falling asleep.

Shabbat was nice.   We ate out.  It was uneventful.  We came home at 4 and Eric and Keren went to sleep while Ben and I went to the park and Talia went to a friend.   While we were at the park Ben wanted to see if there were any swings free that he could swing on.  He said to me “I am going to catch a swing”  I asked him how to say that in Hebrew and he told me and it turns out that he was translating it word for word fro Hebrew to English!!  So funny.

Sunday Eric took the kids to school (much to Benjamin’s dismay) and let me sleep.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t fall back asleep after the alarm woke me up so I relaxed in bed with my book.  While I was reading I heard little steps and then I saw Keren at the door.  She saw me and came to me and I lifted her into bed with me.  A few seconds later I heard Eric calling her from downstairs!  He was washing the dishes and she came up to me without him even noticing.  Funny.  These days she is able to get down the steps by herself so it’s not so dangerous when she goes up, although we still prefer it if she doesn’t go up by herself, obviously.

I can’t remember what we did yesterday while the kids were in school but I know we did something.  I think Eric fixed the screen that Keren had broken a while ago.  He brought a tool to fix it back with him from America so that it wouldn’t keep breaking.  Oh, we also went to the supermarket to get some milk and I stopped in for a blood test at the Macabi center that’s there.  My doctor wanted me to do a routine blood workup.  Unfortunately, no one told me that I had to fast for 12 hours and I didn’t read the referral b/c it was in Hebrew.  So I still have to do that and I am waiting for a good day.  I think I will do it Tuesday morning.

When the kids got home we were all ready to go to the pool since the kids didn’t have any chugim.  We told them we were going and even said that Talia’s friend could come.  I told Eric that we should probably call the pool just in case they weren’t open for some reason.  Of course, when he called they said that this month they aren’t open until 4 and on Sunday’s they aren’t open at all!!  Ben freaked out!!  We told them we would take them to the beach but Ben was really upset.  Talia was happy and she said her friend would just come with us tot he beach instead.

We had a great time at the beach.  We went a different way than we usually go and it took us no time at all.   The kids really had a nice time.  The water was warm already and Talia and I went in really deep and swam.  At the end Talia got a bite from something, we think from a jellyfish and we was not a happy camper.  I gave her cream when we got home and she didn’t complain about it much after that.  Keren, who has no fear, crawls right into the water.  She was getting hit in the face by waves and couldn’t care less.  In the end her eyes were all red from the salt water!

Last night we put the kids to sleep and then went back to Tel Aviv to meet our friend Liron who was in on business from America.  We went to the port in Tel Aviv.  It was really nice.  We left Keren screaming in her bed with a babysitter sitting on the couch.  I felt so bad.  We didn’t get home until 12 and today Eric and I pretty much walked around like zombies the whole day.

This morning I took the kids to school and then took Keren to the park to play on the slide.  She LOVES the slide.  We came home and I left Keren with Eric while I went to meet a friend for breakfast at a nearby cafe.  It was a nice, relaxing morning for me!

Ben brought Chen and her brother home from school with him as well as a friend of his that he’s been asking to come over for a while.  His mother was so excited when the boys said they want to play!  She couldn’t believe it for some reason.  Ben has been to his house once but he’s never been here. 

The kids played nicely and then Eric made them slushies while I put Keren to sleep.  While the kids were drinking their slushies the kids were talking and we overheard some not nice words, words we like to call ”bathroom words.”   Eric asked them to stop using those words and they basically laughed at the way he asked them!!  I guess he didn’t conjugate a word correctly and they thought it was hysterical!  They are already starting to laugh at us   So he basically had the total opposite effect that he wanted to have.

Anyway, Eric went to lie down for a bit so he can work tonight without being too exhausted.  I didn’t get to sleep and I was kind of tired the rest of the day. 

Ben had karate today.  His friend left a little before 4 and he went.  He insisted on wearing sneakers b/c he said there is a board that he has to break with his foot and he can’t do it with his Crocs.  So he wore sneakers.  When he came home I asked if he broke the board and he said that his teacher didn’t take it out today.  Oh well, there is always next week.  

Talia’s friend came over while Ben was in Karate.  I fed them all dinner when he came home and then they played outside and inside and all around very nicely together.  It was just a really busy and a really crazy day.

Keren has been doing this thing where we weren’t sure if she was scratching her ear or the back of her head.  Eric thought it might be lice and I was convinced it was her ear that was bothering her.  Tonight she was clearly trying to rub the back of her head.  We looked and she has a bad rash there under her hair.  It never stops with this kid.  So I gave her some antihistamine that I had from something else she had and put her to sleep and I will take her to the doctor tomorrow to check on her ear and on that and also give him the blood work results that we had done on her for her 1 year checkup.

Tennis update:  Tennis was great tonight!!  Really getting back the game more and more as I play.

This morning I went to Petach Tikvah with Keren to spend some time with my cousin.  We hung out in her apartment and then went to the mall for a few minutes so she could exchange some shoes she bought.  When we walked into the mall the security man got all mad at me because I walked through the metal detectors with Keren.  He started to yell at me and ask me why I did that but I though that he was telling me to go back and I started to reverse back through them and then he really started to have a heart attack and that’s when I caught on that he didn’t want me to go through them at all in the first place.  WHATEVER!!  My cousin was like, oh, I never go through them with Libi!  She told me that she doesn’t go through them when she is pregnant.  Uch, it totally killed my morning, the rude Israeli security man.

Anyway, after that we went to my grandparents’ apartment to hang out for about 30 minutes until I had to come home and let Talia and my cleaning man in.  Talia got out of school at 12:45 today b/c we had her zimria tonight.

This afternoon Talia and I cleaned some more windows (now they are mostly done on the first floor) and hung out while we waited for Rinat to come (possibly for the last time!!).  Ben went to Eitan’s house after Eitan finished with his swim chug. 

Talia went to her zimria at 6:30 while I put Ben and Keren to sleep.  The parents were invited at 8 and I had Jere come and babysit while I went to watch Talia.  I totally lied to Ben and told him that I wasn’t going and that I would stay home with him.  He was so upset that Talia had this thing that he couldn’t go to.  I was all for bringing him at first and having him nap in the afternoon.  Then it just got too complicated and Jere was coming anyway for Keren and I know how hard of a time he has staying awake so late.  In the end it worked out perfectly.   

Talia’s zimria was adorable and it was only 1 hour!!!!  We came home and Talia had something to eat and hopped right into bed.  Jere was still into her movie so she stayed a while and then went home.  As I sat down to blog Keren woke up screaming!  So I went in and held her and  nursed her and held her a little more and she went back in okay but she just let out another little yell. 

So now it’s 10 and we have a big day tomorrow.  I plan on taking the kids to the pool after school and I don’t know who is more excited!!  I have to make sure that everything is finished for Shabbat so that we can come home just before Shabbat to take our showers and feed the kids and get ready.  Come to think of it, I better take the chicken out of the freezer now!!

Tomorrow Talia starts school at 9 instead of 8 b/c she had the zimria tonight until 9pm.  So school is going to be from 9-11:45 – are they kidding?!?! 

Here we are being silly: