Talia’s מסיבת סידור

I didn’t post last night about Talia’s siddur party so let me catch you up.  First of all, in the past years it’s been held at the Kotel.  I was totally psyched for it to be there and everyone told me that this was the reason I had made Aliyah, so my child could get her siddur at the Kotel.  Well, this year they changed it.  I am not sure of all the reasons, since they were all in Hebrew but I think the gist is that it is too complicated to organize and that the weather could be bad.  It turned out to be a rainy and cold day, so it was good it wasn’t there.

So Eric’s mom, Lois, went on the bus with Talia and Eric and I drove.  We got there at the same time as the bus and we all went inside  Heichal Shlomo and stood in a cold entrance and ate our breakfast for close to an hour.  I don’t know why everyone couldn’t have eaten at home!!  It was good that I packed something for Talia to eat on a whim.  So she had a yogurt while everyone else had their sandwiches.  It was hysterical.  We had all just eaten breakfast.  It is known that Israeli kids don’t eat breakfast and that is why we have ארוחת אשר at school.  So they ate and then we spent a few hours going on a tour of the museum.  They had games for the kids at each place that they took them to and a project for them to do at their last station.  It was verrrry long and verrry drawn out.  By the time we got to the ceremony where the kids sang and did their parts and got their siddurs it was 5 hours after we had left the yishuv!!  By then the kids were hungry, the adults were hungry and we had all had it.  At one point Talia turned to me and asked me when they were just going to sing their songs and get their siddurs.  It was a really good thing that Ben went to school and didn’t come with us and that I had anticipated being there late and scheduled a play date for him.

Anyway,  Talia sang beautifully and she said her part beautifully.  It was funny b/c she said it with 3 other girls and when they said it it sounded nothing like how we practiced it!  The way it was accented was completely different.  She sounded like such an Israeli and all the kids up there singing in Hebrew, it was beautiful.  My kids are Israelis!!!

Keren was adorable during the whole ceremony.  She was clapping her hands!!  I am going to put the pictures up tomorrow night so you can see them.  We also have some video that I would like to attach but it’s kind of long so we’ll see how Eric tells me to do it…

After the ceremony we went downstairs to that entrance way, again, and ate cupcakes.  Each parents made 15 cupcakes.  Then we hung out in Jerusalem a little.  We went out to eat a very late lunch (at 3) and then walked around to just a few shops since it was so cold and came back and picked up Ben.  I napped in the car, of course, on the way back.  I don’t think I am ever awake the whole ride home from Jerusalem.

Today was an exciting day.  First of all, I got to sleep late (thank you Eric and Lois!) and then I went to sign up for ulpan.  I signed Eric up too when I saw one of the traveling husbands there.  I thought if he could do it then so could Eric.  I also got my grade from my exam…. 92!!  So proud. 

After that we took Lois to a shuk in Tel Aviv so she could get some souvenirs for people back in LA.  We walked around for a bit.  It was a beautiful day, the first in a long time, and we just enjoyed the weather and the pretty city.  We came back to Modiin and got some coffee before we had to pick Ben up from school. 

After we picked Ben up Eric wanted to show his mom one of the houses that he had looked at, the one he looked at without me.  So we went there even though I really didn’t want to see the house since I knew I would fall in love with it and want to buy it and then we wouldn’t be able to afford it and I would be sad.  Of course, I know myself so well, I fell in love with it and I want to buy it and we can’t afford to buy it unless we sell the house in America or figure something out with the bank (a miracle?) and I am so sad. 

We picked Talia up and on the way picked up the mail and saw that our Israeli driver licenses came!!  Yipee.  That was really exciting.  Then we went to the Judiaca store in Modiin only to find it closed.  We had wanted to check out the arts and crafts store nearby b/c they were supposed to be selling the cheapest costumes around.  We saw what they had but didn’t buy anything b/c Channah said she has a closet full of costumes and we should come pick one out there.  We did go to another store right after that, though, to get Ben the rifle that he was dying for that I said I would buy him closer to Purim.  We also needed a birthday gift that I owed Talia’s friend for a week now.  So that was good that we got that done.

Coming back home a little after 4, as we pulled into the yishuv I realized that it was Monday and Ben had Karate and I forgot about it and I forgot to pick up Eitan!!!!  Ahhhh!!  So I called Robin and she wasn’t home so we ran to drop Ben off and then I called Robin to apologize and tell her that I would take her other sons to karate and pick up Eitan and Ben from karate and bring them home.  She was happy since she had a lot going on anyway today and her husband isn’t around.

When we came home Talia had a friend at home and I did some linens and Lois and I fed the kids while Eric worked and then put them to sleep and then I went to take my first tennis lesson!!  I haven’t played in so long and 3 girls and I went to play with a pro and it was a blast!!  They were all very nice women, all from Modiin, and we were all basically on the same level.  I could tell that we were all out of practice but were once very good.  There was one woman there that was older that i can see we will be better than in a couple months time but nevertheless we all played nicely tonight.  We are going to continue with the lessons for a couple more times and then I think we are just going to play.

Meanwhile, I am completely out of shape, my backhand SUCKS big time and as I write this my feet and other parts of my body are aching like crazy.  I won’t be able to move tomorrow, I am sure!!

When I got home Eric took Lois to the airport.  We are all sad to see her go.  It was too short of a visit.  We hope that she will come back soon!!  It was nice to have her here.