Yom Kippur... Sukkos

Come, all, step into my time machine and be transported back in time to long-passed Yom Kippur and Sukkos...

At the seuda hamafsekes.


Zusha didn't seem to notice that I was taking photos at a seuda that looked very much like a Shabbos or Yom Tov seuda, but when he looked at these photos later, he was a little disturbed- how could I take pictures on Shabbos!? There is also a cute video of the boys dancing while Hillel sang Shir Hamaalos, and they can't come to terms with such a discrepancy.


Turn the dial on the time machine forward a bit and we land on Erev Sukkos.


The boys are just so excited!

Yes, those are the spoons on the ground. I finally got them out of my window by removing an entire window pane and letting them cascade into the yard.


Adibaby getting in on the lulav action...


...and the boys, too!


Hanging the last of the decorations:


Oh, and about those adorable arba minim?


The boys made them. They wanted to buy the plush arba minim, but at $15 a pop, sorry guys, not in this income bracket.
But I did feel bad. So I decided to harness their energy and creativity and make our own lulav and esrog!


We bought some felt, got out our pipe cleaners, needle and thread and got to work.
I cut, the boys sewed and stuffed.

I had to guide them a little to make smaller stitches, but they really did the sewing on their own! I turned it inside out and they stuffed it with felt scraps. Then I finished the small hole that we left by myself.


Haddasim. I cut the leaves and guided the boys as they poked a needle through and wound the thread around the pipe cleaners.


Same for the aravos.


I did the lulav myself since there was no time left. Cut several layers, sandwiched a few pipe cleaners between them and sewed along the sides.


Then we added the brown rings (also felt) to hold it all together, and the kids were SO proud!