Happy Hanukkah

PICTURES ARE FIRST, THEN A NEWSY POST ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO!

All of the out of town family and friends have been begging me to post a more recent photo since I've lost 80 pounds (as of last week). I've been hesitant to do so because I don't think it shows that much yet and it's just really started to show now, but i've gone ahead and posted a couple of photos here. there were taken about a month ago, on Thanksgiving weekend.

Now for some really recent photos, from TONIGHT! (how's that for quick downloading)

Michela concentrating on playing dreidle.

Marlon and I

Midnight enjoying the toy he got as tonight's gift

Harrison and I watching the dreidle spin. (ignore the messy kitchen in the background!)

Jacob takes his turn

Now Marlon gives it a whirl

One of our groups of friends over for Hanukkah lunch

Happy Hanukkah to all of our friends and family who celebrate it. I hope you're enjoying it so far. We have been busier than usual the last couple of weeks with end of school activities and holiday preparations. The kids (and I!) are all thrilled about their 3 week break, which started last friday. They'll do reading and some extra credit and Harrison has a science fair project to finish up, but not the usual regular daily homework and no rushing in the morning to be out the door by 8 a.m. Yay! And most of their activities stop for a couple of weeks around the holidays, so that's nice and gives us a break.

We've been enjoying things even though we're busy. We've had several parties at our house already and have a couple more to come. Marlon's department party was here was two weeks ago, then we had a party for the kids' jewish (and a few nonjewish) friends last week. they decorated cookies, ate latkes and other snacks, played dreidle and we lit the menorah and sang songs. it was fun. Friday night we went to an annual Christmas party at our neighbor's which was nice. Saturday night we had our chavurah from our synaogue for a hanukkah party at our house (about 8 families) and sunday lunch we had a different group of friends from the temple (harrison's close friends and their families.)

Last night, for the first night of Hanukkah, we went to a community wide event at the Irvine Spectrum. They lit a giant menorah made out of cotton candy and there were jelly donuts to eat and other activities. then the kids rode the ferris wheel and we came home. We lit the menorah ,had our "treat" from the "8 nights of hanukkah" boxes that I fill and read hanukkah books. oh, yeah, and opened presents. Jacob and Michela got new inline skates and Harrison got a football and some football "stuff." Midnight got a bone.

Today was the first real day of break and I worked ALL day on our holiday cards (the photo card with letter that we always send) and am ready to mail them. All 3 kids were at different friends houses for parts of the day and home relaxing the rest of the day. Tonight for hanukkah we lit the candles, read a story, and then played dreidle as a family, which was fun. For a gift, the kids all three got new tennis shoes, which they all needed and Midnight got a toy. not all gifts are big, of course, and i try to be practical. one night they might get new underwear and socks! :) I try to keep the emphasis away from the presents and more on being with friends and our family, but they're normal kids and they like presents.

Tomorrow we're taking our gifts to the family we adopted and that's always a highlight of our holiday season. I bought a TON of stuff for them. I love knowing that we make someone else's holiday so special. For the first time, we're actually going to do more than just drop off the gifts - we're treating the whole family to bowling and pizza. their kids are basically the same ages as ours, so i thought it would be nice.

Harrison's soccer team - the one that I mentioned was undefeated a few weeks ago - is STILL undefeated. they haven't lost a single game, which is almost unheard of. They won the Mayor's Cup and went on to the area tournament. They had 2 games on saturday and won both of them, so now they go on to the larger area tournament (more areas) which is in Feb. in San Diego. If they win that, they go on to the state Championships in Northern Calif. Its been very exciting.

That's all for now. More soon.