worrying about post-holiday letdown...

only one more day of channuka left. It is always a rude awakening when, after eight days of opening a present every night, suddenly - no more presents!

Happy Channuka!

our house is ready for Chanunka!

The Menorahs are out and the candles are ready. I decided to torture the girls a little by moving their wrapped gifts out in the open. They can look but not touch and they ask me a million times a day what is in the boxes. The Dora wrapping is Jena's pile, the snowman wrapping is Stef's and the mixed assortment in my gifts from the girls. All are things they have found in the house and wrapped for me. It's the thought that counts! A few pictures of everyone dressed up for the piano recital.

Piano Fall 2008

Here is the latest piano recital. I hope you enjoy not only the playing but also get a kick out of listening to Hatikvah; the national anthem of Isreal, being played in front of a christmas tree. If you listen closely you can also hear Jena, being ever so quiet, asking over and over for her sticker book. My fault since I told her she could have it after Stef finished playing and I wasn't clear that Stef was playing two pieces.

snuggly girls

both girls are especially snuggly in their footie PJs. So much so that at our house we call the PJs "snugglies". A few after bathtime pictures to enjoy

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for we had to celebrate thanksgiving twice this year. We had dinner on Wed with friends and dinner on Thurs with family. A lot of good food and a lot of laughter-- friends, family and fun--- happy thanksgiving!

the Party Girl turns 4

In Jena's world, everyday is a party. She celebrates every moment of everyday, doesn't sweat the small stuff and always looks on the bright side. Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't have some sort of memory of her life before adoption because she approaches every day as a time to rejoice. Her birthday party was a perfect example of her outlook on life. For weeks we had planned a swimming party after school. She was very excited to pack her suit and her goggles this morning in anticipation. At 9am I got a phone call- bad news, the pool had a plumbing problem so her long awaited swim party was now going to be a 'gym party'. When she was 4, Stefanie would have needed a Xanax to deal with such a dissapointment. True to form, Jena paused for a moment and then yelled "yeah - a moonbounce!" As you can see from the pictures no one missed the pool at all. Party on- Jena!

trick or treat!

Jena has been waiting for weeks to wear her Supergirl costume. She ran down the street yelling "can you see my cape flying?!?"Getting the candy was almost secondary to the fun of being Supergirl. Turns out it was so much fun that she wore her costume all day Saturday too. Just like last year Stefanie decided that she wasn't going to dress up and would rather give out candy. Why spend your time and energy walking the neighborhood when there is always plenty of candy at home? Here is a great picture of Supergirl and Stef in her Friday dress attire, or - as I called her Fashiongirl!

we're still here!

yes- we are still here and all is well, just crazy busy with work,school and Jewish holidays. I took these pictures this morning as everyone was getting ready for school. I should have some pumpkin picking and halloween pictures by the end of the month.

ANHUI 2006 ---- DISNEY 2008

To say we had GREAT time in Disney is an understatement! It was exciting to see our travelmates from the big china trip and to watch the Anhui Girls play together. All three of the girls have grown into wonderful little people, with unique personalities and yet they fell right in step with each other. Here are a few 'then and now' pictures- enjoy!

all dressed up

we had a big party weekend with our friend Julia's Bat Mitzvah. Here is a picture of the girls all dressed up for Friday night services.

back to school

One first grader and one Elephant (formerly an Owl). School started for Jena on Tues. After 2 weeks home with Mommy she was in no hurry to go back. There were a few minutes of crying, to just make sure I knew she'd rather be staying home, and off she went. By day 2 she was running into the room to see all her old friends.
Stef started school this morning. We are already ahead of where we were last year in that the bus did come the first day! As you can see we were well prepared with our sign. Stef is very excited to be in first grade where she tells me there is no rest time and they get to eat in the lunchroom.

look who came to dinner!

We had quite a treat, with a weekend visit from Julie T and Kacey! They were coming to the Jersey area to visit friends at the shore and were able to spend a night at our place. Julie and I agreed that it made us happy to watch how well the girls hit it off. I doubt they understood the connection they have, but, they pulled out the "I Love You Like Crazycakes" book and tried to figure out which baby they were of all the babies in the 'big room'. It was a busy fun time with trips to both build-a-bear and blueberry picking at our local farm. The best part of all is that we will see them again in a few weeks at Disney.

a day at the beach

We all enjoyed a day at the jersey shore last weekend. Stef has always loved the ocean and, after about 2 hours, Jena did too! This was great progress for Jena since last summer she was terrified to even put her toes in. She still would only go in if I held her hand because she "doesn't want to float away!". I promised her I would hold on tight and soon she was jumping over the waves yelling "I do- I do -I do like the ocean!" I am very glad she has decided to like the ocean since we are about to spend a week at the North Carolina beach.

Stef's new camera

I promised Stefanie that if she was cooperative with her piano lessons all summer (at 8:45 am!) I would get her a digital camera. Today was the day and here are a few of her pictures. I found the camera she wanted on half price sale at target and looking at it now I think it is a nicer one than the one I have. I may need to borrow it. I also need to figure out how to set the date!

new haircuts!

Stefanie has been bugging me all summer to let her cut her hair short for 'locks of love'. After her best buddy came home from vacation with a short 'do I knew I was fighting a losing battle. So-- here is picture of the new Stef after getting 8 inches cut off. It sure will be a lot easier to do in the morning! After seeing Stefanie's haircut Jena agree to go a little shorter too.

"I don't like camp"

Here is a picture of Jena and friends. You can see just how much she isn't liking camp.

Happy Campers!

Both girls are going to the JCC camp this summer. It is 'big girl' camp- they take the bus, play all day and swim twice. Jena quickly figured out that camp means all day away from mommy and no nap. She starts each morning saying she doesn't want to go but gets off the bus with a big smile and excitedly tells me all about her day. She is now swimming underwater all by herself. Stef went to camp last year and is having a blast. She loves learning the latest songs and fashion trends from her teenage counselors. This summer she has mastered diving and is working on a "flip". She has been a great big sister and takes her responsibility very seriously. Jena sleeps on the bus on the way home but Stef tells me that is OK because she puts her arm around her so Jena doesn't fall off the seat.Before you think Stef is all sweetness, in the next breath she complains that she ALWAYS has to sit with Jena. Ahh- sisterly love.

piano 2008

another great performance

end of the year program

Stef had her end of the year program today at it was adorable. The kindergarten teacher calls the class "the Bookaneers" and they have had pirate ship theme all year. The program was a "cruise" through the past year. Here a a few pictures of Stef and her friends. I also added a picture of Jena from her "fathers day" brunch. She is hanging out with her pack of boyfriends. She loves to play with the boys and according to the teacher, they all call her 'my Jena'. This is the one I need to keep an eye on!

a day well spent

Our pool opened on the memorial day weekend. The girls didn't seem to care that the water was barely about freezing. They spent two hours in the water and fell asleep while I was making dinner. Party till you drop!