Before I begin about Shavuot I realized that I left one of the things out that happened at the Monkey Park before the yom tov.  While we were there we saw one of the peacocks open it’s feathers!  I explained to the kids that it rarely every happened and it was a coincidence that it happened the last time we were there too.  Then as I was explaining that another one opened it’s feathers and then a third one as well!!  I think we must have seen every peacock there open up on Thursday, it was nuts!  Just wanted to share.  Those damn peacocks made a liar out of me!  Kids totally didn’t believe me after that.  I was really sorry that I bring my camera, I could have gotten some amazing pictures.

Anyway, Thursday night we put the kids to sleep and told Talia that if she was awake that Eric would take her to the learning with him at 10 that was being held for her age group.  Of course we told her that knowing that she would be fast asleep.  We are so mean.  So Eric and I got into bed and he got up to leave around 1:30- 2am just as Keren was waking up for the first time that night!  She had some fever during the day and, unfortunately for me, woke up at 1:30, 3:30 and 6:30!!  Eric was learning the whole time so I was on my own and I was pretty tired that next day when Eric finally came home.  He said he wasn’t going to go b/c he was worried that she would wake up again but I told him to go around 2 am and he finally went.  Anyway, Eric got into bed and we all got out of my bed (we were snuggling b/c once Keren woke up the other kids wanted to come snuggle) and went downstairs to kill time. 

In the morning we played and we actually baked muffins (I left my oven on for the chag) that are in a cookbook that belongs to Ben that my mom bought for him.  After muffin time I think I finally got a very very warm Keren into bed for a nap and I got the kids out the door to shul.  I told them they could stay for as long as they wanted since I didn’t know when Eric would wake up and I figured that worse come to worse I would walk over there and pick them up.  Unfortunately, as soon as they left Keren woke up after a very short nap.  She was really hot by this point and pulling on her ear.  By that time I figured it wasn’t just teething and it was probably an ear infection.  So I kept giving her Tylenol and she was kind of just laying on me like a bump on a log.

The kids came home after an hour and I think Eric woke up around 12:30.  Talia was sad b/c she was playing some kind of game and someone threw an orange at her (??) and knocked out her hoop earring and it was lost.  I calmed her down and told her we would replace it when we went to America this summer and not to worry.  It wasn’t her fault.   Eric said that he thought we should take Keren’s temperature if it didn’t start going down soon.  Luckily we were able to get her to drink a ton and by lunchtime it went down almost to the point where she didn’t feel very warm at all.   We ate at 1 and then hung out the rest of the day until 4.  At 4 I sent the kids back to the park to play and told them not to come back until we came to get them.

At 6 we made early Shabbat and Eric went to shul and met the kids.  He brought them home with him after davening and we all had a nice meal together before going to sleep nice and early.  Keren slept through and Eric and I weren’t woken up until 8!!

Shabbat we had really really nice company.  Unfortunately, now Talia and Ben were sick!!  Talia started complaining that she felt like her nose was really hurting her, almost like a “ear infection in my nose.”  She started complaining, actually, on Friday night.  She felt better in the morning and I sent them both to shul.  When they came home they were anxious for the company to come but then when they came the kids seemed out of it.  Talia was all drippy and Ben went to lay down on the couch and didn’t get up.  He also said he was cold.  I eventually gave him Advil and sent him to his room to sleep.  He did come down during dessert after a really nice nap and he was miraculously better!!  Of course he pished up his bed, something he hasn’t done in months and months.  Meanwhile, Keren was feeling a lot better and her fever was pretty much gone. 

We had a couple that we already knew before we moved and then we had a another couple who has a kid in Talia’s class and who I met at her Mesibat Chumash.  They were actually younger than us (almost no one here is younger than us) and they were really nice.  She was born in America but came here at the age of 1 and he is Israeli.  So the conversation at the table was basically Hebrew and English all mixed up.  It was really really nice. 

After they left Talia seemed to have fever and I gave her Advil and she fell asleep on the couch for about 10 minutes.  The rest of the day seemed to drag on with neither kid feeling 100% and therefor us really feeling like we should stay in.

Sat. night I had another lousy night sleep b/c for some reason Ben peed in his bed (again?!?!?!) and then told me that he felt like he was going to throw up!  So I brought him the bucket and went back upstairs and waited to hear the gagging start.  Well, it never did and I waited up worrying for nothing.  I mean, I was glad that he didn’t throw up in the end but I could have done without him telling me that he had to throw up!

Today boht kids woke up fine and Eric took them to school.  At 8:30 we took Keren to Tipat Chalav.  She is growing nicely, Thank G-d, and holding her own on the percentile charts.  She had to get 2 shots and a blood test   I seem to remember the blood tests in America being different than here.  I though they just prick your finger and then put it on a slide or something like that.  Here they pricked her finger and then squeezed drops of blood out until they filled a small vial up to a certain line.  It took forever and she was screaming the whole time!!  It was not fun.  Anyway, now that Keren is over 20 lbs. we turned her car seat around to face the front.  It is very exciting.  She seems to be happy with the new view.

I did a quick shopping this afternoon while Keren was napping so that we would have milk and bread in the house for the week.  Eric also fixed the windshield wiper fluid thingy so now we can clean our windshield for the first time since we bought that car and I no longer have to stop at gas stations or throw water on my car.   It is very exciting!!

Talia left me an adorable message on my cell today that she was invited to a friend’s party and it’s a swimming party and I should meet her at her friend’s house with her bathing suit.  On my way into the car I bumped into her and I drove her to her friend’s house.  She didn’t get home until 6.  She said it was great.  First they watched a movie at her house and then they took them somewhere (I have no idea where) to swim.  I asked how they all got there and she said in 2 cars.  I know there was at least 10 of them so i asked how they fit with the car seats.  Sure enough, they were not in car seats and they were double buckled!!!!!!!  Basically that means that 2 kids were in each seat belt.  OY!!  The parents aren’t even Israeli!!  I am going to talk to Eric about it and I think we need to explain to Talia (again) that she is not allowed in a car without a car seat and she needs to have her own seat belt.  They also went off the yishuv, it’s not like they went around the corner. 

Anyway, while Talia was at her party Ben, Keren and I took Eric to the airport and dropped him off.  It is Eric’s last trip into the States before we go back to America this summer!!  Yay!

Talia and I did a ton of math homework tonight.  In fact, I told her to come downstairs after I tucked all the kids in so that I could eat my dinner and she could do her homework at the table instead of me doing it with her in her bedroom.  She is doing math problems in Hebrew!  It is so cute!! I can’t believe it.  ie. If Rachel has 4 blocks and Rebecca has 6 blocks, how many more blocks does Rebecca have than Rachel?  But it’s all in Hebrew!!  She is really good at it too.  She said she won 3 jellybeans in school today for being the best in math.  She does NOT get it from me, that’s for sure.

So it’s getting late and this is the longest post I’ve written in a really really long time so I’ll end it here.

So it is almost the chag, first time in Israel (that I know of) for Shavuot.  Another first.  Of course this year it’s a two day yom tov!  The Israelis don’t know what to do with themselves. 

Luckily I was completely organized b/c this morning my cleaning man called to say he wasn’t going to make it!!  AHHH!!  So after taking Talia and Ben this morning to the Monkey Park for 3 hours while Eric mopped the downstairs and Keren slept, I came home to clean!!  At least I had the time.

Now Keren has fever and I am assuming that it’s from her teeth coming in. I think she’s getting in about 10 teeth in the back!!!  Her gums are totally swollen.  She’s been crying at night too.   Her nose is also running.  So she’s showing all the signs of teeth coming in.

Yesterday I did most of my cooking and then today Eric BBQed the meat and I made the rice and a mini deli roll.  I had some dough left over from something else that I made so I made the cutest deli roll ever!  I figure we’ll have it Friday night when we aren’t hungry for much more after a big lunch meal.

Ben said some of the funniest things today but I can’t think of any of them now!!  I need to start recording him. He is such a funny kid.  I just remembered that while we were at the monkey park he was looking at the goat that was there (there are a few other types of animals at the monkey park) and he was watching the goat intently and then he said “look at the goat’s big testicles!”  It was hysterical the way he said it. I was doing all I could not to laugh at him. 

Anyway, I have to go get the kids cleaned up and Keren and Ben are in lousy moods – Ben’s head hurts for some reason and Keren has the fever.  On top of that Talia doesn’t listen to me anymore no matter what I say so it could take a while…Chag Sameach!

Today we went to the shuk in Yerushalayim while the kids were in school.  After a little while Keren had had enough and didn’t want to sit in her stroller anymore.  So it was hard for me b/c she only wanted me to hold her.  In the end it wound up to be a good thing b/c we went back to the car in a hurry and drove to the Mamilla Mall instead of walking on Ben Yehudah, which is what we usually do after the shuk, and we had a really nice time.  We also both got new sunglasses for 100 shekel each.  One of the stores there was having a big sale.

Ben didn’t come home until 6 o’clock today b/c he went straight to a friend after his baking chug.  Talia came home and then left shortly after to her English and then at chugim.  When she came home I asked her how her English quiz was.  She told me it was amazing, she got all the answers right.  I asked her to show it to me and she claimed not to have it, said it got wet, said she left it there, etc.  All the excuses that she could possibly think of, she did.  In the end it turns out that she did horribly and was afraid to show it to me (why?  have I ever punished her for a bad grade???).  After having so many discussions about lying, she is at it again.  So we had ANOTHER discussion and I really hope that we’ve seen the last of it.

Last night after staying up until 12 am looking for a mosquito and then finding and killing it, we heard another one.  So we wound up sleeping downstairs last night.  Very annoying.  I was woken at 6:45 b/c Eric’s mom usually talks to the kids in the morning on the computer so she called to see if they were there and woke me up.  I think if I wind up in there again tonight I’ll mute the computer or maybe turn it off.  Eric has the upstairs all set up with our room dark and his office light and the door opened in the hopes that they will fly in there and he can kill them.  B/c of the high ceiling in our room and the fact that it’s brown wood, it’s impossible to find them. 

Here are the pictures we took today:

So it’s kind of a coincidence but wee wound up going to the beach today.  Obviously it isn’t Memorial Day here and I wouldn’t have known that it was even Memorial Day at all but Eric didn’t have to work today so we celebrated.  After the kids came home from school we took them to the beach for dinner.  It was great.  Keren was hysterical!!  She only wanted to go into the water with Talia and Ben.  The tide was all the way in so you could walk a good 20-30 feet and the water would only hit your ankles.  So she walked with Eric holding her hands deeper and deeper and deeper to catch up to Talia and Ben.   Eventually Eric made her stop and she freaked out.   So I stripped off all her clothes and she went in.  She was so adorable!

Talia and Ben had a great time too.  They couldn’t figure out why we were going to the beach in the middle of the week.  We explained that Eric didn’t have to start work at 4 tonight so we could all go.  So we ate our sandwiches and stayed for a while until it was close to bedtime.

I forgot to mention yesterday that Talia changed one of Keren’s diapers for the first time.  Keren had a doody and Talia asked me if she could change her.  I said yes jokingly but she took me seriously and brought her unstairs to her room and changed her.  She did a great job.  I now hope to not have to change another dirty diaper!  HA!!

This morning (working backwards now) Eric, Keren and I went to a bris.  It was our neighbor down the block that had her 10th child!!!!  During the speech that her husband gave he gave all kinds of statistics like how she was pregnant for 30% of her marriage, etc.  It was funny!!  He also mentioned that she is only 40!!  She knocked those kids out really fast.

Tonight I had tennis.  It was great!!  I love my tennis game on Monday nights!!!  I feel like I am finally getting my game back after all these years.

A very quiet Shabbat.  Luckily, I noticed that Talia was faking the whole foot injury.  I am sure that the fact that Ben slammed the door on her foot made it hurt for a while, but I kept noticing her walking around when she thought I wasn’t watching.  When she saw me looking she made sure to hop or limp. Shabbat morning Eric called her on it and she got all defensive like she usually does when caught in a lie!  She finally said that it felt better Shabbat morning and she was back to jumping around like usual.

Saturday night we watched a movie that Eric downloaded.  It was great.  I can’t remember the name of it.

Last night there was a mosquito in my room (again!) and Eric moved out of the room sometime around 2 but I stayed since I was sleeping and in the morning I realized that it must have bitten me on my eyelid b/c I couldn’t open my eye!!  It was horrible.  This happened to me when I was younger and now it happened again.  I looked terrible.  As the morning went on and after I put on a couple of applications of an antihistamine it looked a lot better, no longer scary, and felt better too.  Now it only looks slightly swollen if you look for it and it doesn’t really hurt much.

Today we didn’t do much at all!  When the kids came home from school we watched a movie that Eric downloaded for them.  It’s called Bedtime Stories and it’s with Adam Sandler.  The kids got such a kick out of it.  We had to take a break in the middle so Talia could go to her English chug.

In the evening, at 5:30, Talia had her mesibat chumash.  It was ridiculously long, but what else is new?  These things drag on forever.  At least, unlike the mesibat siddur, it was on the Yishuv and we could bring Keren and Ben with us.  So it went from 5:30-8:30 and included songs, dance, speeches, activities, food, a slide show…  don’t ask!!

Here are the pictures we took of her party:

So Eric took Ben and Keren home about a half hour before I came home with Talia.  He got them cleaned up and into bed just as I was getting home.  Talia then hopped into bed and went to sleep.

A funny Ben story:

Ben has been doing this unit on dairy things in school.  So yesterday or Friday he told me that milk has cavities in it and people put the milk into a machine and they do something to it to take out the cavities and then we are able to drink it.  So it took me a few minutes to figure out what he was saying.  After I understood him I wanted to make sure so I asked him what the Hebrew word is for cavities and he told me חידקים .  He was translating the word into English but he was using the wrong translation b/c he has a video in which they use the Hebrew word  חידק all the time but when they use it it kind of seems like they are talking about cavities and not bacteria.  In the video they are explaining that if you don’t brush your teeth the bacteria will turn into cavities.  I don’t know how well this story is coming out as I am writing it down now but it was really very very cute at the time.

Tonight I invited a couple that I met as I was at Talia’s Chumash party.  I met the woman and we were chatting and we realized that we have 3 kids each and they are all about the same ages.  So I invited them for lunch on Shabbat.  Eric was supposed to be in charge of inviting the company but he hasn’t yet and I don’t want to be stuck both days with no company.  I am still waiting for him to invite another couple but I am sure he won’t and we’ll just wind up with the one…

Anyway, tomorrow morning we have a brit and then I am supposed to get together with a friend for coffee.

This morning I did the rest of my cooking while Eric went to the Yeshiva to learn with Talia.  There was a communal learning thing in the big Beit Hamidrash with the Yeshiva and the Mammad.  He said it was nice.  We watched American Idol when he came home while Keren napped.  I knew the results but the show was great anyway.  It was almost better knowing the results b/c I wasn’t all full of anticipation the whole time.

Anyway, I polished the rest of the silver and now everything looks amazing.  Talia came home and said they sang and danced today and it was great.  She was all sweaty and came home in a great mood.  Ben came home with a crown on his head that he made in honor of Yom Yerushalayim.    He said he didn’t do anything special today except for making the crown.

After we ate lunch we left Eric to clean the house up for Shabbat and set the table and I took the kids to the Monkey Park.  UNFORTUNATELY, they close at 2 on Fridays!!  Good to know for the next time.  Should have just gone to the beach.  So I took 2 very sad children (and Keren) to one of the nice playgrounds in Modiin.  While we were there Ben heard a car make a loud bang and he asked if that was the shooting.  I told him that it was a car and that you can only hear the shooting from our house.  So funny.  I think this summer he is going to miss the sounds of gun shots.  They had fun and it was really nice and then just as we were getting into the car to go to another playground before going  home and getting ready for Shabbat, they had a fight and Ben wound up slamming the car door (on purpose) on Talia’s foot!!  So that was the end of that.  I took them home and sent Ben to his room for a while and iced Talia’s foot.  I hope she’ll be able to walk on it.  As of now she’s hopping around but she is usually a bit on the dramatic side so we’ll see.  I can’t believe he did that to her!  He has a horrible temper.  She, of course, pushed him out of the way while he was about to get into the car to enter the alarm code to disarm the alarm, but that was no excuse.

So now they are playing on the computer together and Keren is napping and I am going to start getting us all ready for Shabbat soon.  We are home for both meals by ourselves (for a change) this Shabbat.  Eric had wanted me to invite company and I told him that he should call people and I would cook but he didn’t call anyone.  So we are on our own.

Shabbat Shalom.

I am so sick of BBQ food.  I think we BBQed more this year so far than I have ever BBQed in my life!! 

Yesterday Savta, Saba and Aunt Suzie came over in the afternoon and they brought over chopped meat, pargiot and chicken and we had a BBQ for dinner.  It was nice but a lot of work for me and for Eric, who was supposed to be doing actual work instead of BBQing the food.  It was an early meal.  We were finished and they were out the door by 6!!  So that was good.

Yesterday morning was a beautiful morning and we went to Yerushalayim with Keren.  She was pretty good for the most part.  We went to the shuk (not that we really needed anything) and bought some veggies and fruit and we bought a bubby wagon.  A really nice one that is a canvas bag on wheels that fold.  So we were able to put all our stuff in there and then walk around for a while afterwards. 

Today Ben got a haircut after school.  I didn’t go as short as the time when I cut his hair when he had lice.  Believe it or not, that is the last time that we had his hair cut!!  It was so short that we haven’t had to cut it since.  It was still pretty short now but he wanted to make it shorter.  He really wanted to go as short as last time but Eric and I said no.  I probably would have let him but Eric really hated it.  Talia did too!  So it is really pretty short but nothing like last time. This way he will be nice and cool now that the weather has gotten warmer.  We also stopped on the way to get Talia some yarn.  She has been insisting that she wants yarn to make a scarf out of.  I don’t know why she thinks she can make a scarf but I got her the yarn so she’ll stop asking and she is very happy and very busy making something that doesn’t in any way resemble a scarf but according to her it is going to be a scarf.  We’ll see.

I am so annoyed.  Someone on Facebook ruined the American Idol season finale for me.  She announced who won.  When I called her out on it one of her friends came to her defense saying that it was available in Israel for download for 4 hours already! Then she in turn thanked her friend.  Oh, I am so annoyed!!  Is it my fault that it takes my computer longer than hers?? 

Keren fell off the step stool today and has a bump on her forehead.    It’s not too big of a bump and I am sure it will go away by tomorrow or Shabbat at the latest.  I think I am going to have to hide the step stool for a while.  She just loves to stand there and cause trouble and see what’s going on, etc.

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow.  I would go to the beach again but I think I want to do something different with the kids after scool.  I’ll have to see what my morning is like…

The weather finally cooled down a little bit.  Yesterday’s 104 hopefully won’t happen again until sometime this summer.

Anyway, the kids and I walked to school today, Ben on his bike, Talia on her scooter and Keren in the stroller.  After I dropped them off Keren and I went to the playground for a while and enjoyed the cooler air.

When we got home I gave her breakfast and then left her with Eric so I could go to my bookclub meeting.  I had a really nice time chatting with the ladies, as usual.

When I got home I did some laundry and Eric and I went for a walk to see a house that we thought we might rent next year (so not going to happen) and then to the makolet to pick up a few things for dinner.  I got a call on our walk from Ben’s ganenet asking where I was, why I hadn’t come to pick him and his two friends up.  One of the other mothers forgot that it was her turn to pick up the kids and bring them to their chug.  So I straightened it out and we continued on our way.

Talia said that her trip was great.  She said she walked a ton and saw snakes and bears.  I still have no idea where they went.  I have to call someone and find out.

I took Talia to her English chug and the rest of the day was spent hanging out with the kids as they came to and from their chugim, etc.  After dinner we spent about an hour playing baseball outside.  It was great.

Some updates on Keren’s progress:  She now eats eggs and fish (loves them both) and drinks milk (doesn’t care for it).  She has been more and more steps.  Tonight she got up by herself and walked 4 steps to me without me even asking her to do it! 

Here is some video of Keren dancing in the kitchen while Ben and I made dinner tonight:

While making dinner Ben decided to measure my cabinets.  I think he might be planning on replacing them for me or something

Here is another of the girls together:

This blog tonight is dedicated to my tennis backhand.  It has officially came back from wherever it was hiding for the past year.  I missed it and I am glad it is back.  I only hope that it never leaves me again!  I know that I am a big loser for dedicating a blog to my backhand but those of you readers who love tennis like I love tennis will understand!!

Today was a normal day.  Keren woke up at the crack of dawn, Eric said, and was really really cranky when I woke up at 8.  Eric and I have worked out a schedule, it seems, where he takes care of the kids on mornings when he hasn’t worked the night before and I do the other mornings.  So, Shabbat, Sunday and Monday mornings I get to sleep in and he takes the kids to school and takes care of Keren until I wake up.  Today I was up before 8 and offered to stay home with Keren but he walked Ben to school and Talia walked herself so he decided to take her along for the walk.  Eric then went to 8:30 minyan and left me home with a baby who i thought was Keren but, in fact, turned out to be a complete monster.  Luckily, when he came home I had to run out to bring Ben his empty containers that once had in them things made out of milk (they must be doing some kind of unit on cows or milk or something) and when I returned he had put her to bed and 3 hours later when she woke up she had turned into my happy baby once more.

Anyway, the morning was calm and I spent a lot of the time doing laundry and polishing my tarnished silver.  When Keren woke up Eric took her to the market to get some things and I went to get Ben. 

Ben’s friend Chen came over for a while with her brother Ofek.  They are adorable!!  Now that they have been over a bunch of times they talk to me.  So now I am in trouble.  It was easier when they ignored me.  Now I have to understand kids speaking Hebrew and talk to them!! 

Nothing much else to report about.  Tomorrow Talia has a class trip that she is really excited about.  She has to wear a hat and closed shoes.  I am not familiar with the place that she’s going to so I don’t know what’s there or even remember where she’s going.  She said she is going to see bears and if she does they will teach her what to do when she sees one. I am not sure if something was lost in translation or if she just made it up entirely.  I guess we’ll see…

The title of my post is Dayeeee b/c that is what Keren calls me and Eric.  Well, I am sure that it’s what she calls Eric but I also think that when she is looking for me she says Dayeee as well.   It is VERY cute.  She has begun babbling a lot.  I think she might talk soon.  We’ll see….

Shabbat was very nice.  Friday night I put the kids to sleep and after Ben fell asleep Talia came down and asked if I could play cards with her until 8:00.  I didn’t have much to do and Eric was in shul so i played with her for a while and then she happily went to sleep.  She isn’t thrilled about having to go to sleep at 7 anymore.  Most nights she plays on the Leapster until 8 and then she finally falls asleep.  It is hard b/c Ben is ready to go in at 7.  I don’t know what to do about it.   I think I might have to pretend to put her to sleep and then when Ben falls asleep I can let her come down and do what she wants to do.  I told her she can do anything in her room as long as she is in her room.

Shabbat day we had a kiddush after shul.  Our friends had a baby and made a kiddush in their house.  It was very nice.  From there we went out to lunch and didn’t come home until 6pm!!!!!  The kids had a great time playing and we had a nice time talking and we just sat at the table forever!  We were told on the way to their house that we wouldn’t be getting a nap in b/c we were going to these people.  Since we weren’t really planning on napping (when is the last time I napped on Shabbat??!!?) we weren’t too disappointed.  Now we know why everyone said that we wouldn’t be getting a nap in.  We didn’t bench until after 5! 

We watched Grey’s Anatomy, the season finale, Saturday night.

Today was  a scorcher out there.  Really, really hot.  Eric and I went to Ramle with Keren to get a teudah that we need in order to travel to America this summer.  Turns out that we need the kids with us so we got nothing done.  On the positive side, the woman there said we can do it in Modiin so we won’t have to schlepp there with the kids and we can do it right here.  So that is still on our list.

Talia went straight next door to play after school and Ben and I watched Kung Fu Panda While keren and Eric napped.  When Keren woke up we played a little and then took Talia to her English chug.   We hung out the rest of the day playing some baseball outside and we BBQed some burgers and chicken for dinner.

Tonight Eric is at one of his business classes which he hasn’t gone to in a while.   

I heard over Shabbat what all the noise was outside on Thursday night when we heard the big boom and then the flares, etc.  Some arabs decided to put a pipe bomb inside a tire and roll it down the hill to hurt the soldiers who were stationed there, by the wall.  I don’t think anyone was hurt but that was the big bang noise that we heard the other night.  The excitement never stops here!