A Good Choidesh!

Happy Rosh Chodesh Kislev!
We are getting very, very close to...

Chanuka!

 

{Zusha with the dreidel that he made}

What an exciting time of the year.

We celebrated five Chanukas in our old apartment, so everything was familiar. We set up Hillel's menora in the same spot, at the top of the stairs, and the boys' menoras took their place at the kitchen or dining room window. But this year we will have to make new memories and settle into new familiarity. Chanuka is the only yom tov that we haven't experienced in our new place yet.
So exciting!

Post-date Friday, Creature Edition

This creature likes building webs around our house.

No creatures here, just beautiful remnants of sunlight over the water.

Man made juxtaposed with G-d made. Gorgeous.

Back to creatures... :)

I found this little guy on the sidewalk on my way home one day. I picked him up, and he stayed on my finger all the way to my house! At home, I put him in a bug box to show the kids. Then we all let him out in the park together.

And that's the creaturish edition of Post-date Friday!

Moorkitz

It's been almost a year since our dear hamster died.
This little creature was a big part of our family.

He was beloved by everyone, especially Adi.

(Can you spot Moorkitz in these next three photos? :))

Adi would request her "ai-dyat" time every day. (That's what she called Moorkitz.) Look how she's petting him. She said "nice" for the first time when she was petting him.

Is this love, or what?

We miss our hammy and think about him often! Even though we now have two cats, there was something about this little rodent that can never be replicated.

Let's Talk About the Weather

This is how we go around these days.

End of November, but still...

"Look, Mama, no coat!"

("Look, Mama, no feet, either!")

Usually there are very few sweater days around these here parts.

But we are really enjoying showing off all our adorable sweaters.

 

And no hats means more opportunities for awesome hairstyles and bows. :)

We even had a few days interspersed with short sleeves!

How many November days can be spent like this?

Not to say there are no signs of fall...

We've had rainy days, and leaves are everywhere!

The colors are unbelievable. This bush was totally bare about two weeks after this photo was taken.

Big Birthday Girl

We're overdue for some birthday photos!

Adi's birthday was on Simchas Torah, but we couldn't really celebrate then. We had a small family party, and gave some presents.

The day after Yom Tov we went to our local indoor gym.

Then on the way home we bought a crown and a cake, and stopped off for pizza.

Adi didn't really want to wear the crown. All the crown photos were taken within moments of each other. :)

Fun times!

About a week after her birthday, Adi warmed up to it and started putting it on. She calls the crown "bowday."

The next day we had a party with cake and stuff. Those pictures, plus Adi's official "3 year old" photos will be up soon!