On being Jewish

Sam threw a curve ball at Daddy and I tonight. Kenzie was at daycare today and was talking to her about Jesus and she was very excitedly telling me about how there are angels in heaven and that's where you go when you die and Jesus is there. Oy! I was stunned, wondering how to explain to my wonderful daughter that we don't believe in Jesus because we're Jewish. So that's what Daddy and I did. We explained that it's okay that we're Jewish and that other people aren't and that is okay too.

I was completely overwhelmed. How do I explain the relevance of religion to her? In practice, religion can bring out the best and the worst of people. We have seen it happen throughout history over and over again, so it's reasonable for the cycle continue. All we can do is hope that the reasonable people triumph because progress is a good thing.

In any case, religious school will start soon and that will help us since I'm sure we're not the only ones who deal with these types of situations!

Here is a shot of us taken before the girl's naming ceremony at our synagogue:

Beach Trip

There was some yard work to be done so to give Daddy some peace, I took the girls to a nearby beach for some fun in the sun. It was a little chilly, but Sam didn't mind at all. She made a friend right away and enjoyed the water. Sofia didn't appreciate the cold, so we played in the sand and with the water tables most of the time. We had a wonderful time and it was an adventure for all of us!

The picture below wasn't taken on our beach day, but it's one of my favorites. Thank you to Leslie for sharing it!

Antie and Uncie's visit

Antie and Uncie came to visit us last weekend! We loved seeing them, but there just wasn't enough time to spend with them. The visit began when they came by our house for Papa's infamous ribs, which was fun. The next day we met everyone (except Antie who needed some rest) at the Mall of America where I caught on camera Sofie discussing something that looked very important with her Papa. The picture with Nana, Uncie and the girls walking by Lego land just had to be included because it was a great moment!

Sam recently suggested that we move to St. Louis so we could see Antie and Uncie every day. Both Daddy and I agree that would be wonderful and have even checked into moving there. We love them so much!

One of the other things the adults did was head out for dinner, sans kids. Grammy came to watch the girls so we could escape for a "grownup dinner" and the kids both stayed up waiting for us. Everyone came to the house after dinner to say goodbye and Sam was so exhausted that she was a wreck. She had a sore throat and acted as if the world were ending as I did my best to remain calm, reassure her that she would feel better in the morning. I tried not to laugh in her face as she screamed, "I WILL NEVER FEEL BETTER!". Poor kid, poor funny kid! I tried to explain to her that everything would seem better in the morning because life generally seems easier after some quality rest.

Sam is a bit of a drama queen, not unlike every other little girl I know. I'm working on teaching the lesson of "emotional empowerment", meaning you and you alone are responsible for your reactions and emotional state. In other words, the only thing you have control over in this entire world is yourself!

Boat ride

Last week we went to another friend's house for dinner. They live off a nearby lake and took us for a ride on their boat which was a first for both Samantha and Sofia. It was a gorgeous evening filled with good company and beautiful weather. Our friends have two girls close in age to our girls. Sam and Ella attend the same preschool, so they were happy to see each other and play! All the kids enjoyed announcing the ducks and I only wish I would have brought a camera to capture them in their life jackets.


Here is a little shot that Daddy took of our wonderful and extremely lovable monsters!

Camping trip that ended up as a slumber party

We had another busy, but good weekend. Friday we headed back to Ikea for dinner and some final staging items. Saturday we had swimming and some quiet time before heading to our friend's house for a camp out in their backyard. Due to the rain, we ended up having a slumber party in the basement which was still plenty of fun! We grilled, played games and created the messiest smores any of us had ever seen! Kian did not enjoy being messy, but the rest of us did!

Witness the aftermath...
The next morning we played in the tent we originally planned on sleeping in...


Sunday we had the chance to visit Uncle Todd, Aunt Shelly, Nana, Papa and Irving which was fun and then it was back to our staged home. I think we're enjoying the extra space and thankfully the kids are cooperating with the changes!

Sofia and a friend's guitar

Our first night in Nebraska Sofia discovered the joys of playing (or at least attempting to) guitar at our friend's home.

The translation is, "Stop it... Dragon Tunes (Zazun or Tadoots in Sofie)..."

Listing our home for sale

As of today, our house is for sale. The house that was made into a home by each of us. The girls have never known another home. I am allowing myself and Sam time to process the likelihood that we will be moving (hopefully sooner than later) and I tell her that it's okay to be scared, sad and excited all at the same time. I'm feeling that way too! I think Sam is trying to take it all in which is what I'm trying to do too. It's been very hard on Daddy and I to get the house ready to show. I'm hopeful that we can take it easy for a few days and catch our breath. Life has been nuts, too nuts to sustain with any sort of grace. I am personally already feeling the strain so for now we're going to relax. Life is a journey, not a destination... one of my all-time favorite quotes.

Getting to this part hasn't been easy, but we are blessed in our life. The support that we receive from my mom and Daddy's parents is amazing. It not only benefits us, but our children are thriving. Yes, they are thriving. Our friends (who are an extension of our family) back us up and help us. We love them very much!

Time will tell how this turns out, so for now we will focus on enjoying the adventure!

Dolphins and errands

This weekend Sam went to the zoo with Daddy for a class focusing on dolphins. They got to see Semo (40 year old dolphin) work with his trainer, see where the food was made (it smelled "fishy"), do some craft projects and lean over the top of the aquarium and see everything. Daddy took pictures with his phone, but alas there was no backup and his phone broke. Sam was very excited about her time at the zoo and showed me hand signals the trainer taught her! The next day I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and of course the answer was dolphin trainer.

Sofie and I headed out shopping for our own adventure. We don't often use a stroller anymore and today was no exception. Wherever we walked, people smiled. I was a very proud mommy with my walking ray of sunshine lighting up every one's day!

Here she is...




I'm grateful that our kids get time alone with us and even more so that Daddy and I get time with them!

Different isn't good or bad, it's just different

It has been over 7 years since we moved here. Those of you who know me well realize this is a personal record in giving up my nomadic lifestyle. We are planning to put our house on the market and eventually move. Last night I was looking around the house seeing what we can pack up to "stage" the house and was in awe of how much stuff we have... I like the thought of a new house, but it will be a lot of work. I'm hopeful that the end result of a little more space and a better layout will benefit us all in the end.


Samantha has reacted to the preparations with excitement, sadness and fear, all of which I am feeling too. I tried to explain about change and how it's hard to deal with sometimes. I asked her if she remembered what it was like before Sofie was born and she does. I then asked if she likes our life better now with Sofie than without. Sam said she likes it more now. We agreed that life is different and it's turning out to be pretty fun. I told her that our life was good before too, but it's different with Sofie. Not necessarily better, certainly not worse, it's just different and that is okay.

Attitude or perspective really is everything and we prefer to have positive (and adventurous) outlooks versus living in a fearful and angry place!

The joys of Samantha

So here I am feeling nostaglic about when Sam was a baby and the young lady she is already becoming. Time has accelerated and I'm in constant awe of her. I tell her often that I am very proud and fortunate to be her mom.

It's hard to believe that she started out such a peanut!

I told Sam that I was writing a post just about her. This is what Sam said when I asked her what to write.
______________________________________________

Dear Santa,

We don't have Christmas. And um, could you come to our house?

Dear Reindeer,

Don't lead the way to our house. So, don't do it unless we tell you.

Love,

Reindeer

______________________________________

No, I don't know why she is thinking of this now. At least it doesn't sound like she's missing Christmas!

I love this kid...