May 2008 Photos

A typical day in mid-spring. You either dress the kids too hot or too cool. I dressed Gedalya in a flannel shirt and corduroy overalls, and had to take off his shirt when it got way too hot in the park.



A fun way to blow bubbles- through a tube! That way even Gedalya was able to do it. It has holes on the sides so the kid won't sip some bubble solution out like from a straw. It was really fun!

The boys love the "bleachers" at the park! They are just like huge stairs, and they love to climb them and throw balls up and down to me.



Gedalya found an awesome "eeeigoo!"







Some springy photos :)



We got a package in the mail, and to keep the contents from rattling around, it was stuffed with one loooooooooooong cut from a roll or brown paper. The boys were thrilled! They untangled it, each one took one side, and they marched up and down the block, dragging it!





We took along spray bottles to play with in the park, and Gedalya had a grand time spraying everything! Here he is, spraying an airplane that is flying by. :D Look at that concentration! LOL



Gedalya decided to brave this climbing thing. It's almost vertical, and you climb it by holding onto the chain. The green and yellow pieces are for resistance, to get a foothold. They're really flat, nothing to stand on.
He was doing pretty well, until Zusha saw him and yelled out in shock that this is so dangerous, only for big kids and Gedalya will fall and hurt himself. So Gedalya got scared slid down right away. LOL


Sprinklers preview!! It was still too early in the season to put on sprinklers- none of the parks had them on yet. But since this park is new and the sprinklers were never on before, they were testing them in advance and the kids took advantage!



Gedalya trying out another fun ladder.
Starting off cautiously... proceeding with determination...


And he made it! So proud!

Baby Ketsele

Last week we were walking home, and we saw a tiny black kitten roaming around. There was a lady that kept picking him up when he started going into the street and putting him back on the sidewalk. I asked her what happened, and she said that she came across this kitten, but she doesn't know what to do with him because he keeps going into the street. His eyes were still shut and she didn't want to leave him to roam into oncoming traffic.

At that point, a herd of kids gathered. I offered to take the kitten off her hands, and the lady left. I tried to put him in the "cat driveway" hoping he'll recognize his home and stay there- or maybe that his mother would come get him. But no. He just ran out again and again.

So I had no option but to take him home. The kids were thrilled! They kept looking at him, asking questions... I searched a little online for information. I didn't know how to feed him, and didn't have any newborn kitten formula or bottle. So I tried regular milk in a medicine dropper. After a few tries, he did take some drops.

After the kids went to sleep, my husband took the kitten to its place and waited with it for a while until the mother came and carried it off. :)

The kids were a little disappointed the next day when I told them the ketsele went home. Gedalya kept insisting that it went to "Gedalya's home!" and didn't want to hear that it went to ketsele's home.

For a few days we kept looking to see if we can spot him in that driveway, and today we did! He's the one jumping through the bush in the middle of the pictures, and his mother is the brownish cat next to him. :)

The Fair! :D

Last year in May there was a Health Fair here in Boro Park. The kids had a wonderful time with the animals, the rides and the different booths. Now it came again!

Zusha feeding the goats!


Gedalya with a turtle


More goats. The boys loved them!



Run, little hedgehog, run!!


The kids even got pony rides!
Zusha:


Gedalya:


There was a wagon ride which Zusha remembered from last year. He was thrilled to go on it again. This time, Gedalya was old enough to go, too. He was fine and happy sitting there...


Until takeoff! As soon as the wagon rode farther and farther from me, he began to cry, louder and louder! I heard Zusha trying to calm him, "Mama is here! We're going to ride back to Mama now! Loooook, Gedalya!"


The moonwalk was another thing they enjoyed on a new level this year. Last year Gedalya wasn't able to go in at all, and Zusha was only able to sit and let everyone else bounce him. Now they both jumped and had fun!




They also had a Hatzola there for kids to go in and see what it's like on the inside. Zusha was very excited and kept repeating, "Zusha went in such a Hatzola!!" (In the winter when he choked on a fish bone.)

It was a fun and exciting day for both little ones!

Back to School in May

Zusha took a looong break from cheider. He kept getting sick non-stop and missing weeks at a time. Then he'd come back, and after 2 or 3 days, he'd catch something else. It was a never-ending cycle. So I kept him home since January. Once he recuperated from the illness he had in January, he didn't get sick at all, except one or 2 mild colds.

So as soon as the weather warmed up, we decided it was time to head back!
Zusha went back to cheider like a pro. I didn't want to leave him full-time on the first day, so we decided on 3 hours. Meanwhile, Gedalya and I went around 18th avenue, going on rides and all kinds of stores.

Then we headed over to the park. I didn't know when Zusha's class would be going to the park, but since he has never gone before with the class, I didn't know how to prepare him for it. So I was hoping to catch his class if they were there at the same time as us. But they weren't, so Gedalya and I just played until it was time to pick Zusha up.

Finally! Gedalya is so eagerly waiting in the cheider corridor to greet his big brother.


And here is the big cheider yingel himself! :D Playing with one of the pinwheel fans I bought while he was in cheider.


And in true "cheider tradition," here are the boys getting a ride on the "cheider horse!"


Then we headed back to the park all together. Zusha's class came at the same time we did, so I'm glad Zusha got to see how it works first, without being thrown right into an unfamiliar activity.

Got Themselves into Trouble

Poor kids... they got into my spice cabinet early in the morning before I was up.
Emptied out ginger, cinnamon, steak seasoning, cayenne pepper and raw coffee. Mixed it, spilled it, and ate it.

Then they sat there on the counter crying because it burned. Oy.

I think they learned their lesson. ;)

New Kayak!

We have gone through a few single strollers (kayak, in my kids' language), and the last one broke last January. Since then we have been using either a double or the single travel stroller. I concluded that the stroller I had originally when Zusha was born was really the best for our needs. I have tried to look for one like it, but it seems they are discontinued. I could only find them used on Ebay or Craigslist. But despite that I didn't want a used stroller, the seller usually required pickup, and didn't offer delivery.

Until one day I was browsing, and I stumbled upon this stroller being sold on Ebay- NEW! Apparently they were discontinued, but are now back in production in Canada. So I bid for it! Nobody else did, and I won it.

It arrived yesterday, and we put it together right away and went out!

I love it for its versatility. The seat is reversible and reclines flat. There is always a way to stick a second or even third child onto it, no matter what position it's in! It's like a sit-n-stand, for my purposes. I am so happy to have found a stroller that is SO perfect for our needs!

Here is another configuration of child placement: This time the seat is reversed and reclined, Gedalya is sleeping, and Zusha is sitting on Gedalya's tray. :)