Passover 2013

Passover 2013: Gil's first Passover

We had a very low key Seder at our house just the four of us. It was the first time I've cooked an entire Seder myself and while it was exhausting, it was really fun and we all enjoyed it (more on that here at Kveller.com)

Jeremy helped make the matzoh ball soup ahead of time so that was a huge help. I cooked all day in between kid wrangling and naps. Jeremy was able to get home right at dinner time so that we could start the Seder.

We used the Afikomen bag that I sewed last year. Jeremy hid the Afikomen in a place that was pretty easy for Owen to find and when he did he was so proud of himself. He won a Passover puzzle which he got to work on right away.

Gillen enjoyed a few sips of wine and matzoh ball soup and was an angel the entire time. He also wore the bib that Owen wore at his very first Seder so that about made my heart melt.

Here are a few pictures we snapped - as you can see, I'm happy... and exhausted.

Pancakes before Passover

This morning we headed over to the JCC to enjoy a yummy breakfast of Pancakes before Passover. There was a magic show for the kids and a matzah house building project. Jeremy and Owen had fun constructing their little house and Owen ate his weight in pancakes!

Gillen was along for the ride and per usual flashed everyone his adorable smiles.

Shabbat LOVE

I haven't talked about my writing here in a while. Since having Gillen, well even before having him, this space has turned into more of a picture update and quick milestone reminder for the boys growing up (can you believe I still haven't written a single word in Owen's baby book? Thank God for this blog!) I'm always weeks, if not months, behind now but I try to keep a log of pictures/events that I want to share with friends/family/posterity.With juggling my work contract, Kveller and being home with the boys full time (ahem and a baby who doesn't like sleeping at night) - it's hard for me to keep up.

Most of my extended thoughts are now over at Kveller where I am a contributing editor alongside five other very, very talented women writers. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I work for this amazing site, that I have a place to share my thoughts - something I've never even taken a single hour of coursework to do. It is all bashert, and I love it very much.

It's even more amazing when one of my sweet co-workers gives me a shout out and proves that indeed we do sit around and braid each other's hair while gossiping about parenting, Judaism and the like ;)

Kidding, obviously, but it is nice to have my work validated as this is a piece I am particularly proud of. You can find the original piece here at Kveller.com

A Wonderful Visit

So happy Gogi was able to spend Chanukah with us. Owen and Gogi rode ON A BUS! to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. O had a great time showing his Gogi all of his favorite dinosaurs. I have a feeling there are lots of adventures ahead for these two. Can't wait to see you again in February!

Chanukah Shabbat

His favorite gift of all the nights combined. A "tinky"

Six Candles: A special visitor

Tuesday evening our power went out again from 1-3am. Owen's music, light and fan turned off and he was scared again. He was wide awake, crying and asking for food while Jeremy and I scrambled to find the LED lights we went out and bought the night before. Jeremy was on call and trying to make sure his alarm was set and thankfully Gillen's ipod went to battery back up and he was the only one who wasn't awake!

Needless to say Wednesday was a very tired day for this Mama. In the evening we welcomed a VERY special visior - GOGI!

I was busy making dinner so I didn't get any pictures of Owen opening Chanukah presents with Gogi but he was thrilled with his doctor costume and I'll have to post a picture of him in it very soon.

Thursday Gogi and Owen went on a special adventure on the BUS to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Owen had a blast showing Gogi around the dinosaur museum.

After naps, Daddy came home early and we bundled up the boys and walked up the street for Chinese food.

That night Owen opened presents from Uncle Phil/Aunt Marylou and his Doda Kelly. He was so exited he could hardly stand it, that and he has been opening up Gillen's presents too so double the presents!

Four Candles

Today we joined our friends at the Children's Museum to jump in the bounce tunnel some more. Owen wanted to bring gelt to share with his friends for Chanukah and it was a HUGE hit. Owen was so proud to hand out the candy to his friends after lunch and they were all saying they wanted to be Jewish like Owen so they could celebrate Chanukah too... it made my heart swell so big.

After we lit the candles Owen opened up his presents from Nana and Papa right before going to bed. Gillen was super tired but stayed up long enough to watch big brother.

He got a dot-paint set and paper that he has been using at Miss Yovonne's class and now he can paint (mess-free!) at home. He loves it! He also got a basketball hoop for the bath and now wants to take a bath all day, every day!

Three Candles, no power

Today our power went out around 3:30 and didn't come back on until 9:30pm. It was so dark in our apartment and Owen's nap music went off and woke him up less than an hr in. He wasn't very happy. We laid in my bed while Gil napped/nursed and O watched Curious George on the ipod and then I was going to make dinner. Turns out even if you have a gas stove, you can't cook on it in a power outage.

So a friend offered to have us over for dinner and we accepted. Owen was scared and I only had one flashlight.

We lit the candles early tonight, we needed a little extra light :)

Chanukah: Two Candles

The boys woke up in the morning and played blocks together. We put Gillen in the bumbo for the first time and he absolutely loved it. He's both strong and fat so he easily sat up and watched his brother play blocks. Owen gave him one to chew on and it was pretty adorable seeing how interested Gillen is in everything O does. The shot of the two of them, I couldn't get Owen to stand still so his face is blurry, but it's too cute not to post ;)

 

Tonight Owen opened up a dicast toy airplane and a soccer ball. He has been asking for a soccer ball for a while now so he was SO HAPPY! (We ended up having to take it away after several near-misses to Gillen's head, but we'll try again tomorrow.)

First Night of Chanukah

Tonight we went to a Chanukah party and ate lots of latkes and doughnuts. When we arrived back home we lit our candle and Owen opened up his present from Sissa - an adorable wooden train menorah, which he was so excited about.

Owen is obsessed with socks right now, so he also opened up a pack of socks from us that had a pair of snowman socks and reindeer socks. He is so excited to wear them!

Gillen's Special Party

We had lots of friends and family celebrate with us for Gil's "special party" as we told Owen. We were so honored that our friend Rich, who presided over Owen's brit milah, made the trip from Seattle to Pittsburgh for our second son. Owen's ceremony was held in our home in Dayton but our apartment could not accommodate everyone so we had it at the Temple. It was a beautiful day and the small chapel in our Temple turned out to be a beautiful space for it.

A friend catered for us and the theme was "picnic style" I made all of the decorations while I was pregnant, cupcake toppers and a banner with his Hebrew name on it. I designed the centerpieces from something I saw on Pinterest. 

We promised Owen could have a cupcake at his brother's party... he had three.

By far my favorite quote of the day was during the first photo below when I found myself saying, 

"Owen you have to wear pants on your brother's special day!"

Our clever firstborn found a great way to get attention that morning... 

obviously you can see who won this battle.

Gillen's Name

September 3, 2012, on his 8th day of life, we welcomed Gillen into the Jewish community.

We welcome and introduce Gillen Azar Reese into the Jewish community. We give him a Hebrew name and an English name. His English name signifies the bond between his maternal and paternal lineage but also the importance of his individuality. The Hebrew name brings him into the life of Judaism and ties him to five generations of Jews before him.

His secular name, Gillen, is the maiden name of his maternal great-great-grandmother. Both Gillen and his brother Owen were given Irish sir names of maternal lineage.

His Hebrew name is Gil Eleazar. Both of these names share a common thred between the English and Hebrew names.

Gil, meaning joy, is a Hebrew derivative on his English name.

Eleazar, G-d is my helper, was the name of Gillen’s paternal great-great-great grandfather.We shortened it to Azar (Hebrew meaning “help”) for his secular name.

There is a Hebrew folk saying that a person's name can illustrate his character: "Like his name, so is he" (1 Samuel 25:25). It is our hope that this name bestows upon him a reflection of its meaning: to be a happy man who walks in the presence of G-d. 

Both of our children’s secular and Hebrew names are uniquely intertwined to strengthen ties to family and reinforce the historical continuity of the Jewish people.

Gil Eleazar. May this be a name which brings honor to our people, joy to his family and fulfillment to himself. May he live and grow in health and happiness. As his parents, we dedicate ourselves to the creation of a Jewish home - a place of generosity, a place of compassion for others, a place of learning - in the hope that you will grow to cherish and carry on these ideals.

More about his name here on Kveller.com

Apples and Honey Festival

We're gearing up for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year so this weekend we went to a festival at a local park to celebrate.

Gillen's First Sabbath

 Big Brother walked across the street with Daddy to buy a challah for Gil's first Shabbat