Tractors in Trafalgar

Tractors, sheep, spuds and one heck of a wedding - this trip to Australia was unlike anything I’ve done before. 

This was not an explorative trip of Melbourne full of museums and historical landmarks. Instead, this was truly a trip to the Australian countryside and the land of potatoes. 

We came to Australia for my sister-in-law’s wedding. Amanda’s sister, Melissa, married Jamie, who grew up about two hours outside of Melbourne in a town called Trafalgar. Melissa had told us how the home was really out in the middle of farmland, but until we really saw it, it was hard to imagine. 

Back to the beginning, the kids did very well through more than 30 hours of traveling to get to Australia, which included a missed flight and a long layover (I’m not going to drag down this blog with a whole ordeal about missing luggage, but that was also a factor on the trip). When we finally got in to Melbourne, we met up with Amanda’s parents, Steve and Marilyn. Amanda’s sister, Ally, was a real trooper, flying to Australia with us. That night, we crashed at a hotel in the central business district. After a nice breakfast the next day, we took a walk through the city before heading to the countryside. 

As we drove to Jamie’s family home, it was clear this was in fact, going to be out there for sure. Once we drove through a small neighborhood, we started to weave up and down a country road (in our 12 passenger van!), until we got to the house. It’s set amid grassy hills, beautiful sky, and well, nature’s glory. Some errands and a homemade pizza dinner later, we wrapped up the day.

Wednesday morning, we went for a wonderful stroll through a wooded fern gully area. It was great to be out in nature and take it all in. We’d just about fully built up an appetite when we stopped in one more area to see a strong waterfall nearby. From there, it was back to the house to have sandwiches on bread rolls. I loved the shaved carrot, along with beetroot, to go with shredded chicken. It was very simple, but very good. 

Later that day, I enjoyed getting a tour of Jamie’s dad’s workshop. He has so much metal machinery in there, which makes sense because he’s building these impressive structures. It just a totally different world to see, and I was gobsmacked. It was just a reminder of how everything gets where it’s going. Jamie’s family makes machinery to help potato farmers do their jobs, which helps get the spuds sold, and then they land them in the super market for us to buy.  We ended the day with a dinner at the local pub/hotel. Sophie especially enjoyed meeting Jamie’s niece who was the same age. 

On Friday, we started our journey to the wedding venue location in Dandenong. But first, we stopped at a mall near Melbourne. Shockingly, their malls smell and look just like our malls ;) The girls got their nails done, the kids went to a play place, we got a few items for the wedding, and then we left with a bag of burgers from Hungry Jack’s (aka Burger King. It was very underwhelming).  From there, we went to the Healsville Sanctuary, which was awesome!

We got to see some native, Australian wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, reptiles, birds, and even dingos. The kids really enjoyed it. While I’d seen kangaroos on our trip to Sydney in 2013, these were the first I’d seen up close like that. From the zoo, we got to the wedding town and had a lovely rehearsal dinner with the families. The pizza was great, but the company was even better. The kids especially liked playing in the random parking area (hard to describe it) behind the restaurant. 

Saturday was wedding day! Now, the morning was pretty unique for me. The ladies were getting their hair and makeup done in the apartment where we were staying. So, I was on kid-watching duty in the same room, which meant I kind of got to be part of my first bridal party! Of course, I tried not to intrude and had fun being a go between of the bridal party and groom’s party, carrying over gifts back and forth. 

As for the wedding, it was stunning. It was set in this beautiful garden, and it really was great. I was so nervous that the kids would struggle walking down the aisle as flower girl and ring bearer, but when the moment finally came, they turned on the charm and made it happen. During the ceremony, I did my absolute best to keep Emmett from screaming (snacks and a surprise toy helped). Melissa and Jamie delivered (pun intended for the family reading this) beautiful vows and the whole ceremony was really great. Right after, the photographer pulled off something cool. He got a wide angle shot of the entire group in attendance with the bride and groom. I’ve never seen that before! 

The reception was held at this restaurant called Sky High, and we could see Melbourne way off in the distance. The party was excellent. The whole wedding crew gave great speeches and the dancing, my goodness. Not only did the newlyweds have a nice first dance, but Melissa and Steve stole the show with their father-daughter dance. Steve’s got some moves away from the golf course, too! 

On Sunday, we made our attempt at doing some of the 1000 Steps Kokoda Walk. This is a cool nature walk that’s supposed to simulate what Australian soldiers had to do during World War II. I’ve gotta hand it to those fellas, just the very beginning was hard! And while I wasn’t carrying a rucksack, I did have an Emmett who didn’t want to walk. That night, we went back to the family home in Trafalgar, and this night was really special. Both families came together to make dinner, with homemade gnocchi, a beautiful salad, meatballs and dessert. I know this is the type of thing that means a lot to my mother-in-law, and I think we could all feel how special it was. I felt bad for Ally, my-sister in-law, as she got a virus that she just couldn’t kick and she mostly had to rest up in her room. 

Then came Monday and a special trip to Jamie’s uncle’s potato farm. After a wonderful spot of cookies and cakes made by his aunt, his uncle gave us a tour of the farm. Again, just seeing the process and the machinery of how this all gets to the market was really special. He also has a ton of sheep, and that was cool to see. The kids didn’t want to waste the opportunity to ride on some cool stuff, and they were in heaven. After, we went to a local bakery to pick up a variety of pies for lunch. That was our last family meal together before we headed off to the airport hotel. There’s not much to say about the rest of the night, EXCEPT that we got to see kangaroos in the wild from our hotel window. Sophie really liked that! 

Tuesday morning, we went to the airport and started our journey back. 

It was a short trip, but a really great one. I’m very glad that it wasn’t just Amanda that could go, as it looked like it might be at one point. It meant a lot to be there, and I really do feel like I got to add members to our family by meeting Jamie’s in Australia. 

With that, I’ll say, “How you going? G’day!” And I’ll be on my way. Cheers! 

 

35-3-Almost 6

With Emmett talking so much more, you’d think I’d have way more to write about. Well, I do, but I’ll just admit to being bad about putting pen to paper.

Let’s start with random moments of cuteness:

• Emmett is really starting to say phrases. Some I like : thank you, your highness, I love my poppy, can you ______ for me please, you’re the best
• Some I don’t: I don’t want to go potty, I don’t like you, No, I don’t need to, Leave me aloooooone
• I love when he plays lion guard and pins us down, saying “I Kion”
• His need to see the photo right after you take it. “I wanna see. I wanna see.”
• He laughs at shows in a way I don’t remember Sophie doing. Maybe it’s because she’s laughing, too? On that note, Sophie will just have these fits of laughing. And there are times when her laughing makes me laugh and the cycle continues
• Sophie likes to watch “This Girl is On Fire” by Alicia Keys on YouTube. She likes to sing along to “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell. Emmett likes the original from Jo Dee Messina.
• After their baths, when they’re wrapped up in their towels, I throw them over my shoulder and call them sacks of potatoes
• They’re still snugglers in the morning. I love it, especially on weekends.
• Daddy Slide - at night, I’ll prop my legs up on Sophie’s bed and they take turns acting like it’s a slide. I feel like I’m in an episode of “Bluey.”
• Party time has been pretty minimal, but I’m glad we brought back our Matzah Pizza party this year. And Emmett’s birthday was a nice, chill brunch with all his friends. We jokingly called it the Benjamin party because so many of his friends have the same name!
• Fun taking them to sporting events - we went to a soccer match and two baseball games and all were successful.
• Both kids have loved swimming this summer. They got to swim every day at camp, and also did some instructional lessons with friends. We definitely want them comfortable in the water.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Nighty Night

Whether or not we were ready or not, Emmett decided he wasn’t going to sleep in his crib anymore, so on came the big boy bed. He has the same one as Sophie, which leads to jumping across the gap between the beds! He seems to like being in the bed, but sometimes we’ll find him sleeping underneath the bed or at the end of it, or just on the floor next to the bed. As long as he’s sleeping, he can do what he wants!

The next big milestone will be Muggsy finishing potty training. He’s been going in the potty for a while now, but just this week, we have taken him out of pull-ups during the day (outside of nap time). He’ll still wear a diaper at night for a while, but here’s to hoping his accidents are limited and it goes smoothly!

A Momentous May

Sophie’s school year wrapped up with her becoming a PreK graduate. The ceremony was super cute, and seeing her in a cap and gown just sent bolts right to my heart.

Right before the graduation, she had her end of year ballet recital. Of course, we thought she was great in it! She wore this adorable pink tutu/dance costume, and she and her friends pranced around to a classical version of “Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music.

One negative, the fact that we only brought her flowers and not a stuffed animal/toy set her off. It was tough, because of our course we want her to be grateful. At the same time, I get how she looked around and wanted what others had. 

Good news is we got some smiling photos, and the J even used a photo of her dancing in one of their recruiting emails!

Sophie, The Reader

Starting in late June or so, we introduced Sophie to “Bob” books, thanks to a friend’s suggestion. They’re very good because as she starts to read, many of the words are repetitive, and so are the sounds used. Both grandmas were amazed when she started to read to them. It’s so cool watching the words form from sounds in her brain then come out.

We’re going to have to keep working with her on it, because once the books started to get more complicated, she didn’t want to push through. Day by day though, we’ll get there.

Back to School

I’m writing this part on the day before Soph starts kindergarten at her new school! This is an exciting, but also nerve wracking time. There is a lot of newness that is going to be thrown at her, from new school to new classmates to, new routine. She'll even learn a new language as she enters a Spanish-English program. As a parent, all I want is for her to be happy and to set her up for success in life. Amanda and I are both expecting there to be a rather large adjustment period, but who knows, maybe Loaf will surprise us. She has such a great personality, and up to this point, she has always handled transitions well.

Emm will be back for another year at the J, and thankfully, he’s in class with most of the same kids he’s been in with for a while. I am excited to see the steps he continues to make and the words that are sure to come out of his mouth!

Travel Roundup

Way back in January, Amanda and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary by having a staycation at a bed and breakfast in Midtown. It was a perfect little night out to wear nice clothes, eat classic Italian food, and be kid-free for a night. From bowling to breakfast, we had a wonderful time.

In February, Sophie got to go to Disneyland with Amanda and the Rude fam! It sounded like they had one very go, go, go day. Sophie really enjoyed the thrill rides, which is funny, because that’s not Amanda’s style! She did not like the dark, loud rides though. Those were a little too scary.

That same weekend, Muggsy and I went to Florida to see my brother David and his family. We got to dip our toes in the Atlantic and enjoyed some nice cousin time!

The next month, we had a great family weekend going to Camp Young Judea for a cousin’s Bat Mitzvah. It was so nice to be outdoors, and had camp flashbacks by staying in a cabin.

In April, we went to Dallas for Aunt Boopie’s wedding to Uncle Wes. We enjoyed seeing them have a really nice ceremony. At the steak dinner, the kids had oranges, cheese bread and fries hahaha. The good news is that they weren’t running around too crazily.

In May, while we didn't travel, Amanda's mom, aka Girl Mamp, came in to co-lead our guest bathroom remodel. Amanda and her did an incredible jump bringing the 1960s bathroom into 2022.

Just last weekend, we had one last hurrah before school, going to Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine with a couple other families. I loved watching the kids run around with their friends at the water park. Like I mentioned before, I’m so glad they are comfortable in the water. It made the whole experience that much better. I think that Sunday was one of the best of their lives. After a nice brunch, we went to Legoland, and then had 5 hours at the water park. Not too shabby. We bookended the trip by staying with my parents. I loved watching them with the kids, especially going to the pool.

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There are so many other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten,  but at least this is a nice little recap of this last couple of months!

The Fall Blog That’s Now a Winter Blog

Since Emmett’s birthday, there’s been a couple big changes!

Birthday Girl

Sophie turned five. Five! Everyone says time flies, but for some reason that number makes it stick. For her birthday, Amanda organized another amazing party, this time with a rainbow theme! We got a little inflatable pool, a rainbow inflatable waterfall type thing, and overall, had a great time with a backyard party. The cake is where Amanda truly outdid herself. She made a multi layer rainbow cake that when you cut into it, M&M’s fell out of it. It was so professional!!!


RosenOgre

At the end of August, I started a new job with a local electricity management company called Energy Ogre. It was a big career decision, but when the opportunity came, it was too good to pass up. So far, I’ve really enjoyed it.

I’m still in marketing and am using video production to help tell the company’s story. It’s been very interesting to see how the business world is different than the tv one. The work life balance was a big reason I made the switch, and so far, that’s been a good move.

Terrific/Terrible Twos

Emmett is definitely going through a bit of a phase where he can get angry FAST! As soon as he turned two, words started falling out of his mouth. We could start to really get a sense of what he wanted. On the downside, like all kids, he wants what he wants when he wants it. This can be an issue, because sometimes what he wants doesn’t line up with what Soph wants. And that is a recipe for crying and shouting. I truly think we’re just in a little phase and he’ll grow out of it soon. On the terrific side, it’s amazing hearing him put these phrases together, seeing him be more assertive, and showing his own identity.

Some favorite phrases: “Sophie, Baka scare you?” “Hold you, hold you” “I wan you sit wih me” "Ow-wet"

Up In The Air

Halloween weekend, Amanda and I went up to Chicago for our first solo trip since the pandemic. Amanda’s aunt was amazing watching the kids, and we had an excellent time. We went for a fraternity brother’s wedding and it was just a great weekend seeing old friends.

The next weekend, we were back in the airport, this time headed to California. Another AEPi was getting married and since it was in SoCal, we took the opportunity to have the kids see their grandparents. It was a tough decision to have them travel with us, but after looking at Covid case numbers and talking with our pediatrician, we chose to have them go.

Amanda and I left the kids in LA with her parents while we went to Dana Point for a gorgeous wedding. It was so much fun to see the crew and be amazed by the gorgeous views. After a quick visit with our friends that moved from Houston to San Diego, we went back and rounded out the trip in LA. The kids had such a fun weekend!

We went to Dallas for Rosh Hashanah and that was really great. We enjoyed seeing my parents’ new place and the kids loved the pool. We also went back for Thanksgiving as well, and the kids loved it. This time, we stayed with my parents. Sophie LOVED playing with Babka, while Emmett was scared of the puppy. You’d think since we have Bali, he wouldn’t be scared of another dog. However, we think he might just be so used to Bali since she’s always been there, maybe he doesn’t see her as a dog? Maybe just another part of the family?

It was also great to see so many family and friends. We’re so lucky to be loved by so many.

Channukah Funnakah

It’s obvious to say, but Channukah is just really fun with the kids. We loved having them dress in their holiday jammies with their cousins, going to activities, and of course, lighting the candles. Muggsy doesn’t understand why he can’t hold the candle on his own, but he got better at lighting while we held the candle together.

Overall, I’m thankful for the return of family time and a bit more normalcy. A new variant, shakes things up again, but we'll just continue doing the best we can in the moment. 

Terrific Twos and Coming Up on Five

 This blog is waaaaaay overdue. S & E are well, a lot older than the last time I wrote, and plenty has changed!

Emmett’s First Words

Emmett started with a few words such as bye, shoes, socks, ball, hot. Now, he’s progressed to combine a few words. “Dadash, apen, alp, plis”. Which I’m sure you understand, “Dad, open, help, please.” In the last couple weeks, the combinations have really started to increase. Not a combo, but one of my favorites expressions is, “Heyyyyyyyy” whenever he’s not happy with what you’ve done.

Bali’s Favorite

When it comes to meal time, Bali is planted firmly next to Emmett. Not only is there an occasional drop, but Emmett definitely feeds her on purpose. He has no shame in it either. We say no, his palm opens and food drops straight to Bali. Like her sister did, Emmett enjoys filling Bali’s bowl. It’s super cute watching him waddle with the bowl in hand and put it down carefully.

Pause!

When the kids are done with their milk, they exclaim, “Pause!” Then, they so nicely go over to the sink and drop in their cup before running back. It's not some life changing moment, but we like it.

Cuantos Besos Quieres?

One of my favorite moments of the day comes when putting the kids to bed. We ask Sophie how many kisses she wants and she’ll reply with an amount for each cheek. Then, she’ll ask each of us. The max is five per cheek and so naturally, I often go with five and five! Recently, she’s started counting backwards and saying, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …blastoff!” It’s the cutest. It’s just so nice, and I know she’ll eventually grow out of this, so I’m savoring each one. Emmett having now watched this scene play out over several months will proclaim “TWO” and then give a kiss on each cheek.

Sophie Reading to Herself

Speaking of good night routines, Sophie now wants to read a book a night. Before reading, she often reminds us that her words are a little different than ours. That girl has some imagination! She can come up with a whole novel off the smallest picture. And it is also one of her ways of delaying bedtime. One book can easily go 20 minutes.

On the book front, we learned Eric Carle is Emmett’s favorite author! We knew he liked Brown Bear, Brown Bear, but he also likes The Hungry Caterpillar, From Head to Toe, and Watch Out, Giant!

First Haircuts

At the end of May, we decided it was finally time to get these kids haircuts! Neither kid had ever had one. Sophie's long hair wasn't really an issue, but Emmett was getting some crazy long curls. We really wanted to make sure he got to keep some of them, and thankfully he did. You can tell in the photo, the haircut wasn't his favorite!  It took me a while to adjust to his new look, but I've come around and he definitely looks handsome. 

End of School, Start of Camp

We wrapped up the school year, and I’m so thankful we were able to have them do in-person learning the whole time. The teachers and staff did everything possible to keep the kids safe and keep them on track. This summer, Sophie is taking swim lessons which is great! I really hope by the end, she's able to put her head under the water. I've tried teaching her in the past, but it hasn't quite worked out. On the weekends now, we get to practice a bit when we go swimming at a friend's house. Emmett is a big fan of the pool, splashing and getting on a floating raft. 

Frozen

I’m not talking about Ana and Elsa here, but this is the first time blogging since the February Freeze.

I won’t go into all the details about 5 days without spotty power and limited water, but it made for some interesting times for sure. Thankfully, we didn't have any damage to the house (that we know about so far).

I’ll always remember the four of us and Bali cuddling up into our bed to stay warm while we slept. 

The one good thing, Amanda's parents had visited the week before, which was nice. I'm glad they didn't get stuck coming in the storm. 

Vacation Time

Amanda and I each took our first flights in a long, long time. I went to Miami for my niece’s Bat Mitzvah, and Amanda went to Arizona for a trip with her mom and sisters. I think we both felt weird about flying, but then somewhat normal once it was done. This was also fairly soon after we were fully vaccinated. Stepping back into the world was strange but nice. 

Two Great!

Emmett just turned two and Amanda whipped together a really nice Brown Bear, Brown Bear themed birthday party in the park.

Emmett’s classmates joined for some doughnuts and watermelon. It was great a few family members could make it. The next night, we did a family zoom birthday cake call for his actual birthday. That boy licked all over that cake! He was going to make sure we didn’t steal his pieces.

Wrapping this up and everything is pretty good. We’re figuring out our late summer/fall travel plans. Will check back in after Sophie’s birthday!

4 Years and 16 Months

Ask any parent, everyone says “enjoy it while you can. They grow up so fast!” What’s frustrating is that even though we know that’s true, there’s really nothing we can do to slow down time. And so, here we are with a 4 year old, and a boy that’s a year and four months.

Wiggle While Ya Walk

Muggsy started walking about two and a half months ago. It’s incredible how fast it goes from his first little steps, to drunk wobble, to speeding right along. He also likes climbing on things like the bench in front of the fire place, the little mini trampoline in the back, and has fun sliding on/off the couch and bed.

One big difference between him and Soph is Emmett is happy to touch everything. He opens up cabinets, takes things out, puts things back. At this stage, she did a little of that, but he goes full bore.

Long Hair Don’t Care

The boy has some serious curls! I don’t want to cut it, because if we do, I’m scared they’ll be gone for good. My parents always talk about how curly my head was as a toddler, but after getting my first haircut, they never came back.

Funny enough, I’m growing my hair out at the moment, and it’s plenty wavy! At the back, it even curls up a little bit.

Sophie’s hair is just getting longer and longer. She wants it to be as long as Rapunzel’s! We shall see.

Missing All the Baby Things

It’s impossible to put all of this in, but Emmett has these mannerisms we’ll miss. Whether it’s playing peek-a-boo or the way he pulls our faces in to give a kiss, it’s just amazing. On top of that, I am addicted to his laugh. For Sophie, I think at this age, she just has tons of great phrases. Her vocabulary is increasing, and she says such cute things. I do have to be careful though, because recently she said, "Oh damnit." Hmm, where'd she hear that?!?!

Sophie Turns 4

At the start of lockdown, Sophie’s birthday in late September had been a benchmark for me. "By then, surely we’ll be back to normal," I thought. Well, we kept getting closer and closer, and it became clear that wasn’t the case. We organized to have her classmates over for a backyard party. But, the Thursday before her birthday, we were notified a kid in her class had tested positive for Covid-19. That made us change our plans, as we wanted to be super safe. We ended up doing a drive by party. While it wasn’t perfect, we know Sophie felt special.

On her actual birthday, she ended up going golfing with Amanda and me. Soph loved going in the golf cart and pushing the pedal, while Mommy steered.  We had crayons for her, a set of mini clubs, and plenty of snacks. It’s something I hope to remember forever.

She finished her big day with zoom calls with her class and family to celebrate!

Bike Rides

Since about May, Sophie knew what she wanted for a bike for her birthday! Luckily, we were able to get a family hand me down, and it’s worked perfectly. She needs help sometimes,  but overall, she rides like a pro. Emmett is in the stroller alongside, and we’ve loved the walks together.

Dancing/Soccer Star

Soph started ballet classes in late July, and she so looks forward to it every Thursday.

Then, she started soccer in early October. What a busy little girl, right? I’m coaching her soccer team, and that’s been way more fun than I expected. The team is so great all dressed up in their jerseys. We don’t play games, just practice with little activities. The goal is just for them to enjoy the sport, and of course, to get their energy out!

High Holidays

Shockingly, the 2020 high holiday season was different than previous years. We were very fortunate that the weather was excellent during that time. I rented prayer books from the synagogue, and each day would pray a little bit outside. Even though it wasn’t traditional, it still felt special. We had a very nice time building our sukkah, and then eating in it. Sophie was the driving force behind it, and I think both kids really liked it

Visit to Dallas

To me, one of the hardest parts of the pandemic is not getting to see family in person. My parents both got Covid in late September, and it was difficult to feel so helpless. Thank G-d, they’ve both recovered well, even if they’re still feeling the effects. Thankfully, they got it in September and not in March/April or this could be a very different story.

We’re just getting back from visiting them for the first time in 9 months. My mom said it was like “a jolt in the arm” seeing us. It was special for me too, especially getting to see them with the kids.

One Last Note

My grandpa passed away in late August. I could go on and on about him, but will only say, he was an incredible role model. He was the smartest person I knew, and will always be a person I try to be like. 

That'll do for now. I'm excited to see what the kids do next!

One-derful Boy

Ummm, Emmett's a year? That went fast! His first eight and a half months was a blur, and I'm thankful to have been home with him more the last couple months. It's been incredibly important to build that connection with him.

Standing Tall

Muggsy stands on his own now. He can't walk yet, but our guess is that will happen fairly soon. The standing started by pushing off on one of us, but now he can prop himself up without help. He's still an active crawler, and is becoming more of a climber. After a few tumbles, thankfully, he's learned to slide down off things.

Show That Smile

Emmett has one tooth so far, and it's a cute one on the bottom. Amanda said this perfectly the other day, "I don't know anyone else who smiles with their whole face!" It's almost as if he's trying to show off his tooth. Even with just one, he's able to eat pretty well. He's pretty much past baby food and now eating all solids and drinking milk. As for other physical features, his hair is pretty long, with beautiful curls on the sides. It can look pretty messy, but I love it!

We just went for his one year exam, and he's in the 55th percentile for height, 25th for weight.

Birthday Boy

With everything going on, we celebrated his birthday with a family zoom party! That boy knew exactly what to do once the candle was out and the cake was on his plate. Granted, it was a cupcake, but he ate it in less than five minutes!

After cake, the baby artist finished a painting he'd started at school. Each month, the teachers had him finger paint on a canvas. When school abruptly ended, there was one little section left. The masterpiece is now complete, and it's definitely one of the best pieces of art I've ever laid eyes on.

In a way, the setup made the party even more special, because family that likely wouldn't have been able to participate in person, got to take part online.

Silliness With Sophie

Those two love to play with each other sometimes, and others, Sophie ain't too happy with baby bro. When we're finishing dinner and the two of them are laughing and giggling, it's amazing!

When Sophie is finishing her magnetile castle and little destructo comes along, it's less fun. They'll figure it out, and as they get older, I'm excited to see how this relationship continues.

This is mostly an Emmett focused blog, but here are a few Sophie highlights:

• Soph is quite the little baker, helping make challah, cupcakes and brownies. It can be tough as she isn't a fan of directions, but it's also fun
• Three and Three Quarters: Sophie enjoys telling people her age in fractions. While she's just repeating us, it's cool to see her ownership of it. She keeps talking about what her birthday party will look like. That is a bit tougher, as we don't want to make too many promises, not knowing what the situation will look like
• Magnificent Magnetiles: It's cool seeing how her brain works piecing them together. She built a tower in a way I may never have thought of. Loved that!
• Disney+ is a great babysitter. Sophie has watched many of the classics, and she's watched them many times. Funny little tidbit - she says Thunderbolt in a cute English accent because of 101 Dalmations II 
  
• She's become an active storyteller, making up all sorts of tall tales about the dolls in the house
• I got her to start singing “One Margarita” by Luke Bryan when she washes her hands. What good parenting on my part 
• This isn't new, but I don't remember writing it before. Sophie twirls her hair when she's tired and drinking milk at night. It's one of the sweetest sights. Speaking of her hair, she loves how long hers is. She wants it to go down to her toes like Rapunzel's. 

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

The last couple of months have been tough on so many around the world. As a parent, so much of the focus is on making a better world for the kids. That can be a lot harder when we don't know what we're preparing for. 

As far as Covid, my feeling is we'll be in the current setup for quite a while longer. What is especially tough is it feels like my attitude on everything changes day to day. That being said, we are all faced with making decisions knowing there's significant risk. 

The kids' daycare opened up, and we decided to send them after talking through the options. The school is being diligent, and has a set of requirements that make us feel more comfortable. Of course, there's no perfect scenario. We're hoping the socialization and education can stimulate them more than what we'd been able to offer. 

The last month and a half has also been an important one in terms of social equality across the globe. George Floyd being from Houston made the impact hit home even more. Here are three things I absolutely believe: We can listen to each other. We can learn from our past. We can make tomorrow better than today. 

Thanks for reading!

Before Zoom, there was Baby Blog!

Well, I started writing this blog back and January and as you can tell, was super successful finishing it. It’s time to change that! 

Sophie just celebrated her half birthday, and Emmett is now 9 months and crawling! 

Sweet Spots

• It's adorable watching Emmett and Sophie together. Big sister loves to cuddle with him, tickle him, give raspberries, twist him in the bouncer and so much more. I truly believe when Muggsy's mad, she can calm him down in a way Amanda and I can't. When they are making each other laugh, it’s perfection. 
  
• Emmett first learned to roll over, and now he’s crawling! His teachers showed me he could prop himself up when on his tummy, and then a couple weeks later, he was rolling over. Just the last couple of weeks it was clear he was getting ready to crawl, and he started doing it a few days ago. He also enjoys standing while holding onto us. It doesn’t last long, but in the moment, he’s happy.
• Muggsy has been eating solid foods for about a month and a half or so. He really enjoys bamba, but hasn’t quite fallen in love with the purées. We’re staring to just give him regular food in super small bites. 
• Sophie has some cute phrases like, "Oh my," "gisgusting," “fiiiine,” “you’re not listening to me,” “Eh-mehhht,” “Si vous plait,” “Agua and Leche,” “when you were an iddy biddy baby in my tummy,” “more kisses,” “maybe when I’m older I can do that."
  
• Emmett isn’t saying words, but he’s starting to babble a bit. I like to believe he’s saying “Dada” and “Mama,” but that’s probably a stretch 
• Sophie went to her first basketball game, Mavs vs Rockets. She learned the Mavs are blue and Rockets are red, and we had a great time! 
• We also went to our first daddy daughter dance. Sophie rocked the sock hop theme and danced the night away 
  

The Travels We Used to Take 

Thanksgiving break in Dallas was really nice! Emmett had some sweet potatoes, Amanda and I were able to go see “Dear Evan Hansen,” and overall we just had a good time with family. 

In December, we went to Miami for Aaron’s Bar Mitzvah (he crushed it, did such a good job). It was our first trip there since David and the family moved. It was good seeing how happy they are there. I especially enjoyed getting to spend part of Channukah all together. It’s so rare to have all the brothers and their kids together, and I tried to soak it up as much as possible. 

In January, both sets of grandparents came for visits which made for one really happy Loafie. We also got some great visits with Aunt Boopie, Jenna and David S. from D.C. 

The kids and I went to Dallas for a weekend in late February, so I could visit Max, my childhood best friend. It was nice having family step in to help out with the kids and make it a smooth trip.

Zooming in the time of Coronavirus 

We’re all in the same boat on this one. This is a time unlike any of us has been a part of. 

Thankfully, we are in a good situation. I’ve been able to work remotely, and Amanda is off work temporarily. Of course, the kids don’t have school and this is the biggest challenge. Sophie is a social kid who loves to be around friends. She has started to come around, but it took a long time for her to be okay with not being able to do things because of all the yuckies.

Emmett still naps, and that is really helpful as it gives us a little break where we only have to take care of Sophie. It’s especially tough on Amanda, as she now is watching both of them for larger portions of the day. As she always does, she proves to be an incredible mother. Incredible. 

On the positives, I’ve gotten to have dinner with my family every night and put the kids to bed. That is truly special. 

The zoom ability has allowed us to have programs with our synagogue and preschool. It’s also been a setup for catchups between my Mizzou friends and my buddies from my time in Singapore. Of course, we’ve also video chatted with family 

So, we are taking the bright in with the scary. I mean, how else would Amanda have taught Soph to sing "Wannabe" by Spice Girls as a hand washing song? Sophie is great at tell us what she wants, what she really, really wants!

This is our new reality for a little while and it will push us all in different ways, but so far, we’re doing well. Most of all, we are healthy and that is what is most important.