Thanksgiving 09

While Haim worked for a good portion of the day...as did several of the independent contractors who were renovating a property we own, Noah, Maya and I spent a very relaxed day with my parents and grandma. Haim frequently has interesting cometary and observations regarding American culture...as he is in certain ways an outsider, even after residing here for 10+ years and raising American kids.

He noticed that it was the ONLY day of the year that felt as quiet and restful to him as the weekly Shabbatt does in Israel. I would tend to agree...it is probably as close to a near universal Holiday as we get. Also, he commented that taking the day off was a luxury...not a right. I think this is true to a certain extent. Those working for someone else may see the holiday as an entitlement, but if you work for yourself....time is money. One sub-contractor asked if he worked on thanksgiving, could Haim meet him to pay him...he needed the money to buy his family dinner that night. At the end of the morning, when his job was complete, he received his pay and complete Thanksgiving groceries that I purchased for him the previous day. We have too much as a family to be thankful for, to not be generous with others...regardless of the holiday.







In the morning we went to a small parade with Jaffia, Wenzel and Sidney, and then we spent the rest of the day relaxing..before an early dinner. We were all happily in bed by 9!

Bed-time routine

About a week ago Haim decided we needed to give Maya a bed-time routine, with a goal of being in bed by 8ish. I was resistant at first, but decided to give it a try and it has been working out wonderfully. Maya is more even tempered, and so are Haim and I. Additionally, she is genuinely tired by 8pm, and is also watching less TV. The only down side is that she's waking at 6 rather than 9...oh well, I guess you can't have it all!

Camping in St Anastasia state park

This past weekend, Haim and Maya took a camping trip up to Saint Augustine with the home-school group while Noah and I stayed behind to supervise the tenting of our house. Haim and Maya had a blast with the other families, and Noah and I had some nice relaxing time with lots of well needed rest.

Maya called the first night crying and missing me a bit (she was distracted from her saddness by painting daddy's toenails), but I couldn't even get her to say hi to me on the phone after that...she didn't want to stop playing with the kids to talk for even 2 minutes! Other than lots of fun, the biggest excitement that they experienced was a squirrel raid of their food supplies...luckily there was a grocery store near by!

I sent Haim with 2 uncharged cameras, but hopefully we'll get some nice photos from the other families.

Maya is 3!

It's been a busy couple of weeks....first Noah, and then the chicks hatched....and now Maya is 3. We had a small party at the house with a couple of Maya's friends, and everyone had a lovely time. Our only challenge now is TOO MANY TOYS!