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Papa’s BIG birthday

Posted on August 12, 2008 7:46 am by TheAngelForever

My parents and I have always been close. I have been blessed to live near them and watch them become amazing grandparents from the day NHL was born. My father has patience at times with the boys that I never knew existed. He loves to play with them, and especially take them on amusement park rides.

In July 2004 we started a tradition with Papa and NHL. They go to a local amusement park and get their photo taken together on the Merry-go-round. This year we went back again for our fifth photo.

Today my father turns the big 60! We will celebrate with them for cake tonight and then this weekend a family party at the lake in his honor.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad, thanks for being you and never complaining when we call in the middle of the night, or running over in an emergency. You have taught NHL important lessons, like playing Snood, "Yankees Stink," and how to sing Elvis and Neil Diamond.

We love you and even your crazy LA Dodger ways!

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birthday family photos

A sushi and cookie cake kind of day

Posted on August 5, 2008 12:05 am by TheAngelForever

As previously mentioned, Sunday was my husband’s birthday. We all woke up early and I had a horrible headache. After eating breakfast the little guy and I went to take a nap. This gave JL and NHL time to play some Nintendo Wii and take a shower. Once I was up we got dressed and went to Moe’s. Thanks to kids eating free and JL’s free birthday burrito our lunch cost $7.55 for all four of us! Next we went shopping at BJ’s and then went back home since the little guy was getting tired.

After resting for a little while it was time to take the boys to my parent’s house. Mom and Dad had said that they would feed the boys dinner so JL and I could go out together. JL decided on a Japanese/Chinese restaurant. We ordered a bunch of different things. Both of our meals came with Miso soup. Then we ordered two appetizers and also received a free sushi roll. We picked out Agedashi Tofu (not horrible, just nothing to write home about), Eggplant Yaki (fabulous), and Salmon/Avacado sushi roll (my favorite part of the meal). Then we ordered two items that we have never had. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend I decided on the Veggie Tempura. It was quite good, but I am not used to fried food. JL decided to get a Veggie sushi roll platter. It had a seaweed salad roll, cucumber roll, and a squash roll. Here is a photo of the amazing platter thanks to JL’s cell phone.

When we finished eating we called and found out that my parents, grandmother and the boys were still having their dinnner. We went to Walmart to look for a new outdoor garbage can. We wandered around and then went back to my parent’s house for some cake.

JL requested a cookie cake . . . voila!

My mother had NHL’s gummy worms out.

I am unclear as to why, but eventually some of the worms ended up on the cake like so:

Not to worry, the creepy critters did not upset anyone from devouring the cake. Below is NHL figuring out a plan of attack and JSL already digging in.

Yummy!

It was a very nice day, minus the headache. Thanks to Mom and Dad for watching the boys. We loved the restaurant and hope to go there again soon.

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birthday family food glorious food jl jsl messy nhl photos yummy

Blessed with Great-grandparents

Posted on August 4, 2008 12:05 am by TheAngelForever

Looking back on my childhood I knew that I was very lucky to have all four of my grandparents living in the same city. We often went to my Mimi and Poppy’s house for shabbas dinner. There I have memories of my grandmother’s vegetable soup, chicken, and of course her frozen apple cake. My grandfather would always put on his funny wigs and show us movies with the projector.

Nana and Papa lived extremely close. During the summers we spent a lot of time at their fabulous in ground pool. There we would have many barbecues and challenge each other to jump in off the diving board. I remember sitting on the couch curled up by Papa and their poodle Pepper. Nana would often knit with me and have me work on her gorgeous long finger nails.

Both of our boys have their four grandparents. My parents live locally and JL’s parents are 3-4 hours from us. In addition to this, NHL and JSL have two great-grandmothers. JL’s grandmother is a distance from us, but we try to visit her during the times the weather is cooperative. My grandmother, who we call Mimi is local. NHL also was able to know his Poppy for almost four years of his life. He loved to visit Poppy and eat ice cream and munchkins with him.

I never knew any of my great-grandparents. Two of mine actually passed away shortly before I was born. I am named for both of them since they were very close to my parents. I have often heard stories about them and wished I had known the wonderful people that I was named for.

NHL and JSL absolutely love to visit and spend time with Mimi. Every day after nursery school NHL would beg me to take him to see her. Mimi’s apartment was right next to the nursery school. In his four year old mind he just assumed that we could stop by and see her all the time.

This past Wedesday I took the boys to visit Mimi. We were there for about five hours and the boys loved each minute.

When we got there Mimi gave each of the boys a new book. JSL’s played music and he loved it. He immediately sat on the couch to dance and listen to it with Mimi.

Of course he noticed the dancing/singing dolls that were up on the shelf.

Thanks to his demands being loud and clear Latke Larry came to sing to him.

Meanwhile NHL was amusing himself on the floor. He was fascinated with the new piano book that Mimi gave him. He had fun figuring out how to play some of the songs.

Soon after this it was time for lunch. There is just something about food at Mimi’s – both boys will try and usually devour anything. NHL had some of Aunt S’s chicken soup and much to our surprise JSL thoroughly enjoyed turkey, salami and watermelon. It was amazing sitting there and watching them eat, especially since JSL hardly tossed anything onto the ground.

After playing for a while it was time to head home to meet JL. The boys climbed onto Mimi’s lap for hugs and kisses.

We are so blessed to have Mimi near us. Thank you for being so wonderful and being such an important part of our lives.

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family jsl looking back nhl photos

Happy B-day to the Geek of my dreams

Posted on August 3, 2008 12:05 am by TheAngelForever

Today is JL’s birthday and I wanted to take a look down memory lane at my amazing hubby. This is the man that swept me off my feet, taught me how to keep a kosher kitchen, made me a mother, stayed up late with me when I graded papers, built me several websites, cooks us dinner almost every night and above all is the most wonderful daddy to our boys.

This is what a little geek looks like when he is approximately five months old.

Fast forward approximately 24 years later to the time we met in 1999. JL showed my family just how caring a person he is. After we met in person for the first time, I went back home with my friends. The trip was almost two hours and he knew this. I had no cell phone, so he called my house. He asked my parents if I was home. I was not. My friends and I decided to shop a little longer before heading back. JL continued to call my house until he finally heard that I had arrived safely several hours later. He instantly won the hearts of my parents who were impressed. Little did he know that I was in trouble for that one. Yes, at 22 years old my parents scolded me for being inconsiderate to JL. *sigh*

Our long distance relationship days were horrible. Finally after we were engaged JL was able to get the company he worked for to let him telecommute from home. Soon after that division of the company that he had worked for since he graduated from college closed. Here he was in a strange city looking for a new job while planning out wedding. Luckily many places were looking for a webmaster and JL got a job. My entire family embraced JL from the start. Here we are on Mother’s Day 2001 just a little over a month before our wedding.

Here is my happy groom dancing away on our wedding day. He never stopped smiling the entire day.

JL also knew that my birds were very important to me. He quickly was able to make even the feathered members of our family like him.

Here he is with my feathered angel Moose.

Both of our lives changed in December 2002 when we found out that we were expecting our first baby. Exactly two weeks after JL’s birthday our first son NHL was born. Together we entered into the world of parenting together. We both learned how to survive on little or no sleep together.

The following April we jumped into home-ownership learning together that owning a house is not all it is cracked up to be. JL worked his rear off painting and getting things ready for us to move in while the contractors did the rest. So many memories of us inhaling BIN and trying to figure out who to call since the landlord was no longer an option.

JL is a kid at heart and loves being a daddy. He lives through experiences that we have had over the last five years with NHL. Whether this is going to the zoo and feeding giraffes (July 2005), protecting NHL from costumes (July 2005), or being brave and going on a ride that the little guy asked for (August 2006).

Sesame Place costume protector

Brave ride time at Hershey Park

In May 2007 the two of us became parents again. Our second son, JSL, joined our family and once again my husband was able to rise to the occassion. JL does an amazing job splitting his time between the boys, making special memories with each of them. He helped to decide that it was best for me to be a SAHM and put my teaching career on hold for now to be with our boys. JL has never once made me regret this decision.

JL, happy birthday. May you always know that you are truly the geek of my dreams. I love you now and forever and cherish all of the memories that we have made together. Here is to many more years of making memories together.

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birthday family house jl looking back my boys photos

Weekend full of teething

Posted on July 29, 2008 12:52 pm by TheAngelForever

This weekend it was teething festival here in Angel Land. Not only did my little niece S cut her first two teeth while visiting, but JSL was also hard at work. Friday night into Saturday two tiny points of his upper one year molars finally showed their face. Sunday into Monday JSL was up most of the night. Yesterday he had a low grade fever and sure enough I believe molar four has now graced us. He has been working on these suckers for quite some time. Hopefully having them cut will relieve the pressure. Now I just hope that the fever is gone because it always makes me nervous with him after our adventure and hospital stay in February.

Obviously I have no photos of the teeth, but I am including more attempts at photos of the three cousins from the weekend. Many of you may recall my Mission Impossible post from earlier in the month. Please note these are also to keep Nana happy since she checks in here!

Both of the boys love their little cousin S. NHL and JSL enjoyed showing her all of the new toys at Nana and Papa’s house.

Watching JSL and S play was too funny. They played follow the leader often, and would get into baby spats over toys. JSL was usually a gentleman and gave his little cousin what she wanted.

Sunday morning before going home S gave all of us a big scare. She had egg yolk for the first time and had a horrible allergic reaction. Thankfully after some antihistamine you would never know that she had anything happen. It was quite scarry for all of us here, and especially for Aunt M who was away. While we watched to make sure the medicine worked the kids played.

Nana had to work during the day and requested once again a photo of all three of the kids. As you know from the previously mentioned Mission Impossible, this is no easy task. Here I present all of the kids together in one way or another. BTW – the program I used to make the collage chopped the parts off, so this was not the best view of these photos.

Cousin S loved to show everyone she was "So Big" and JSL loved to laugh and dance for the turkey that Papa had. All was good in the land of teething kids.

The best thing that happened this weekend. I now know what to get my sweet little niece for her first birthday. She loved the Fisher Price Little People, so I have already told everyone that we are getting her some of those.