Passover Seder

Woohoo! Matthew found the afikomen!!!

Too bad there's not ham on the seder plate-

Jacob would fit in perfectly! hmmm... no turkey either :)

SO much fun! Somehow, I got put in charge of our synagogue's congregational Passover Seder... Not complaining, just funny to me... But, I really do enjoy planning/organizing events; it's almost like it gives me a goal that I can actually reach and complete. There were 24 people in attendance this year! All but 2 of them were members of the synagogue (the other 2 were guests from Goodfellow AFB).

I've heard that everyone enjoyed it, so I am hoping to make this an annual event.

Technical Difficulties?

No! Just stupidity~ I haven't been posting all the great pictures/events I've been taking lately, because I couldn't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer... I found it today... IN MY LAPTOP BAG!!! Go figure~ where it was supposed to be... (but I know I looked there first)... Anyway, I'm back in business!

My Book Resolution

Okay, so last year, I made a New Year's resolution to read at least one book a month. And, for the most part, I did. But I realized at the end of the year that I didn't keep track of the books that I read, so I had no "proof". Not that anyone cares except me... But, if a friend of mine read a book that she really enjoyed, I would want to know. On the other hand, if a friend read a book that she didn't like, I'd want to know as well (I might not want to waste my valuable reading time :) ) I have re-signed for the same resolution this year, with the addition of now posting my books to the blog (and probably to Facebook :) )...

Last month, in addition to Marley and Me, which I already posted about, I read an amazing book called Escape. It was written by Carolyn Jessop. She was one of Merril Jessop's wives. Merril Jessop is now one of the "elders" at the FLDS polygamist ranch that is not far from here. The book tells her amazing story of her life while part of the sect, and her escape from the FLDS. I went to a book signing she attended at a bookstore here in town, and she seemed like one of those just awesom people that you want to be friends with- and that was before I read her book.

Last night, I finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas... It is an beautiful fiction story about a naive young boy whose father is a Nazi Commandant. They move to a house near Auschwitz (although the name of the camp is never mentioned in the book) so that the father can be closer to his work. The young boy befriends a Jewish boy on the "other side of the fence". Neither one of them can comprehend the other's way of life. Even though it is fiction, this story is such a good teaching tool, and introduction to the Holocaust. I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD (The movie did not make it to San Angelo).

On to my next book...

It's Jacob's World, we're just living in it...

Jacob has always been an early riser. I'm blaming his Daddy for that. ;) For the past several months, we have gotten him trained to come snuggle with us (and get another 1-2 hours of sleep) in the mornings. Yesterday, I was at the computer in our bedroom, and Jacob was playing one of his imaginery games.

All was going well, until I heard him say, "Good job." I have learned that when Jacob says "Good job", it's usually not good. That usually means that Jacob has fixed something (Bob-the Builder/Handy Manny style) that didn't need to be fixed.

I asked Jacob, "What did you fix?" His answer: "The alarm clock".
Me: How did you fix it? Jacob: I turned the lights off. (i.e., he unplugged it.)
Me: Jacob! Now the radio won't work, and we have no clock to tell us what time it is.
Jacob: That's good.
Me: Jacob! Why did you do that? How does turning the lights off fix the alarm clock?
Jacob: Now it won't wake us up in the morning.

How do you argue with that logic?

A Matthew-ism

Very often, Matthew says something, which, in his innocence, just makes us laugh. Today, he was looking at coupons in the phone book, and noticed that many of them required the purchase of fountain drinks. The conversation went like this:

Matthew: "Mom, what's a fountain drink?"

Me: "Well, a long time ago, drinks used to come from what was called a soda fountain. It dispensed all kinds of drinks... Cokes, Root Beer, Sprite. So a fountain drink is anything that comes from a fountain."

Matthew: "So, now, that would be, like, Water?"

I guess my explanation wasn't quite as good as I thought it was!

Back to Our Busy Lives!

Ok.. So I know that I intended to be blogging at least weekly. But when it comes to reality, that is HARD! Weekends, which I planned to use to catch up on this thing, have been becoming busy again... I always forget how crazy the second half of the year gets.

Basketball started up for the boys last month, and games started two weeks ago. That means in addition to two practices each during the week, we have one game on Friday night (Jacob's) and one on Saturday afternoon (Matthew). I have been so looking forward to Jacob playing "pee-wee" basketball- they are always so cute, running up and down the court with their arms in the air. But what I didn't factor in to this season was Jacob's personality. We have had to yell across the court to tell him to "Stop dancing!", "Leave your shorts alone!", "Get on the other side of the line!", and many others. And there's only been two games! Luckily/Sadly, there are just 4 more (depending on how you look at it). I think he is finally "getting it", that the object of the game is to get the ball from the other team. He actually tried to steal a ball at the last game, but he had such a cute look on his face, the other team member just dribbled away from him. (It was almost a "please, can I have the ball?" expression). Anyway, we know from experience that as hard as this first year is, in a year or two he will be infinitely better. Thank goodness!

Matthew, on the other hand, is having a great basketball season. Like Megan, he is mainly a defense player. I don't think he's missed a rebound yet this year, and really seems to be understanding the plays. His team has won both games easily.

Matthew also just decided on a Boy Scout troop to join last night. In February is the Cub Scouts' "Blue and Gold" ceremony, where he will officially move up to Boy Scouts. Unlike Girl Scouts, the Boys have an option of which troop to move into. He is excited about his decision.

Today, Matthew is starting his trumpet lessons! He will be playing trumpet in band next year, but really wanted to get a head start on it.

Megan is still on the Middle School Swim Team. She seems to be really good. I think she is the 2nd fastest in her group.

This past weekend, Megan was a part of the All-Region Honors Band. She was second-chair oboe. They practiced for three hours Friday night, then all day Saturday. Then, they had a concert Saturday night. It was great! The band sounded really good, and they had a great experience. The conductor was the retired conductor from the University here in San Angelo. I think he was having as much fun as the kids.

I have been taking lots of pictures, which I promise to post here soon...

The New Monopoly

Matthew got the Monopoly Here & Now: World Edition for his birthday. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to play it with him. I remember the Monopoly marathons we played while I was growing up~the game that would never end. But this version is SO much better. First, it's more interesting- The spaces are all cities from around the world; the "Chance" and "Community Chest" cards are based on real-world events, such as, "You profit 2Million from a fashion show in Hong Kong." Then, underneath each card entry, there is a fact about that specific event, or something having to do with the country it takes place in. Very Cool!!!
The most fun change is that instead of money, each player is given a debit card; every transaction takes place with the "banking unit" in the game. No more patiently waiting for young children to s-l-o-w-l-y count each transaction. The best part about the cards is that if you decide to stop playing and play later, the dollar amounts get stored on the cards! No more keeping the money straight, keeping the game out, etc.
Yet, the game has all the parts that make it Monopoly. Still a GO TO JAIL space. Still collect $$ for passing GO (now it's $2Million!) Same basic premise, just updated. Highly recommended.

1st book of the year~ Marley & Me

I just finished reading the book, "Marley & Me." I cheated and saw the movie first, which is usually a huge mistake. But not this time. The movie, while definitely based on the book, was very different. And even after reading the book, I had a hard time deciding which I liked best. The biggest advantage of the book is getting to read John Grogan's writing. He is a phenomenal writer, able to put his reader in the middle of his life. My recommendation: Read the Book AND See the Movie... Not necessarily in that order.