Happy Valentines Day 2009!

It was a great weekend for us... On Friday the 13th, we hired our babysitter Emily to stay with the little ones while the big boys slept over at Aiya's house. Jon and I headed out to a little local restaurant called The Village Pub in Dedham. Pretty good food, good value, good ambiance, and good company. And, we had a certificate from Restaurant.com, so that was a big plus for going there. Then, afterwards, we did our usual date thing and went shopping. Home Depot, Walmart, and Kohl's, yahoo! There were just no movies that we could make in the timeframe we had available. So, on Saturday, we all met at Vinny T's in Dedham to have a V-Day lunch. Aiya, Auntie Lee, Auntie Robyn, and all of us Cohen's. It was a very nice time. And, here are the photos to prove it...

Benjamin's Guitar Recital...

On Thursday night, 1/29/09, Benjamin had his first guitar performance. It was a three minute slot that students in grades 3 through 5 town wide were eligible to participate in. A form went home in the backpacks at the beginning of December asking if our child takes music lessons outside of school and would like to perform in a little concert. I sat Benjamin down and asked him if he would like to, explaining that if he committed to it, then he had to practice every day until the concert. Once he said yes, I called up our Guitar Teacher Extraordinaire, Uncle Jeff, and asked for Emergency Guitar Lessons. Benjamin had ceased having lessons in the few months prior to our receiving the concert notice, so if he were going to do this, he would need to brush up on his playing. He decided to play "Happy Birthday" and the Theme from Jaws. On the day before the concert, he had his final lesson. Uncle Jeff actually started teaching Ben a new song, that is, the Theme from Star Wars (which he is REALLY into these days!). He wanted to perform it, but we didn't think he was quite ready to do that one in public. About a week before the concert, he was giving me a hard time about practicing daily and started to say that he didn't want to do it. It was not because he was nervous though. It was because he would rather play on the computer at the time. I reminded him of his commitment and he was fine. He is such a great kid... He did a terrific job in the end. He told Jonathan that it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. He told me that he pretended that everyone was sitting there in only their underwear. Ha ha ha!

Kitah Aleph Havdalah celebration...

Tonight we enjoyed a lovely Havdalah celebration with the other families in Joshua's Kitah Aleph class. We all went to the Goldstein's home, brought pot luck dairy dishes, and made 3 items needed for Havdalah. I don't know whether Joshua or I had more fun making the arts and crafts! We made a spice box, a candle and a candleholder, and a kiddush cup... Joshua did his in unique Joshua style- lots of colors all over the place. Rabbi David, Melissa Rudman (the Family Educator), and Mr. Barry Mindes (Aleph teacher) were there to explain to the kids about Havdalah. Some families there already do it weekly and others (like us) don't usually do it. Afterwards, I spoke to a few of the other moms about creating a rotating monthly Havdalah group amongst ourselves. They were excited about the idea too. I mentioned it to Melissa who thought it a nice thing. Jonathan remembers fondly when he was growing up doing this very thing with his family and other local families. I really would like to carry this on so that our kids have a sense of the end of Shabbat, a sense of being part of a community, and a place to welcome in the new week. We only had 75% of the brood with us tonight, since Aiya has Samantha sleeping over her house. People wondered where she was. We told them that anytime we have an offer from someone to take a child off our hands, we take them up on it! Thanks, Aiya! I took some great photos tonight, but unfortunately, I did not get many of our family. So, I will post a few of the other families... Shavuoh Tov! (translated: Have a good week!)

Zachary's first haircut

Today was a big day for little Zachary. It was his first haircut, at 14 and a half months. I so loved his little curls that I didn't want to do it, but I just sucked it up for the good of those around me. I have to admit that he does look quite good now. He does not look like a baby boy anymore though. He looks like a little boy. Tony, the barber, was so good to us. He left his curls in the front, so it isn't totally scalped. Tony kept commenting that Zachary was the best one yet, sitting there so nicely. Until the end when he became a moving target who was tired and hungry. Poor guy had lots of hair in his mouth by the end of the ordeal. We didn't even have to bribe him with a lollipop like we have had to do with the others! It was a big Production, of course. We came in with the videocamera and the digital camera crews. All of the customers in the whole shop were into it; they were watching the whole thing transpire and laughing. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. Tony does our kid's first haircut for free; that is, until he realized just how many children we were having! No, only kidding. He gave it to us gratis today. Thanks, Tony; we love you!

Photos from Pinewood Derby...

Zachary walks...

About one week ago, Zachary started to take actual steps (that is, more than one at a time). He was doing the zombie walk for weeks beforehand. It was so cute; I am sorry to see that one go! Now, he is prancing all around the place. Argh, my life has just become even more complicated, by this one little achievement of our littlest member. Not so little a victory, actually! The other kids are so excited about it. They yell, "Look at Zackie, he's walking!" many times per day. I will have to catch him in the act and post a photo, once he wakes from his nap. You know how it is, so many new skills, we all need our naps!

The Pinewood Derby...January Pack Meeting

Well, I didn't realize just how much fun it would be to watch the big car race! Last night, the boys competed in their first Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. Jonathan and they were so busy for weeks before preparing their blocks of wood. Literally, they are giving a wood block and some wheels and are supposed to create a little race car of their own expression. Joshua's came out just perfect for Joshua. It was carved in a few places and had a triangle on top of it (perhaps for the driver?) and was painted all different colors in blotches throughout. Benjamin's was more of a sports car. It was basically a block with a few screws for headlights and a rectangle with black paint on an incline in the front for the windshield. He decided that he wanted to make his a hot rod so he painted on orange flames on the sides. He named his “The Hot Rod”. It was such a great experience for the boys (and for Jonathan, I might add!) Jon remembers his time in Cub Scouts with fond memories of Herb Kupchik helping him out with his winning Derby car. Aiya says that she has that car still somewhere and will look for it. I took lots of photos of the races and the various cars. Jonathan volunteered to man the Registration table and some of the time, I sat with him there. It was quite amazing to see the variety of cars that walked in the door. Some daddy's had a great time designing their son's cars. Jonathan did help the boys, but he made certain that the ideas were all theirs. Benjamin commented at the end, “We'll have to come up with something better next year.” Actually, Joshua won second place in his Tiger Den! And, the nice thing was that every boy was presented with a superlative certificate, even if he didn't place at all in the race. Joshua won “most colorful car” and Benjamin won “best Hot Rod”!!! Check out the photos...