Matt's Bar Mitzvah

We had our nephew Matt's bar mitzvah this weekend, and I think Hannah is ready to give up Christmas and Easter to have a bat mitvah. She had such a great time and never left the dance floor.  She especially loved climbing on her cousin Jake and shaking pom poms with cousin Macy.  It was a wonderful family weekend.  Matt did a fantastic job, and we all enjoyed the bar mitzvah festivities. 

Clapping and High Fives

All Dressed Up

We have Matt's bar mitzva this weekend and I took advantage of the girls dressing up to get some pictures.  Hannah is loving all of the festivities (and special treats).

Oh Hannah

We were driving home today and Hannah asked what the things in the ground were at the cemetery we passed.  I explained that when people die we bury them in the ground and put a tombstone so we know where they are.  Hannah thought for a minute and said, "Did the seeds die?" I almost died laughing.  Apparently they have been working in the garden at school.

Ella Clapping

The teachers at school have been working on clapping with the older kids, and Ella picked it up.  This morning she only clapped once and got distracted by Hannah, but normally she'll clap a few times.  She gets so proud of herself!  Time to work on high fives and waving bye bye.

Weekend of Birthday Parties

We had a fun and busy weekend with two birthday parties.  Saturday night we had Gino's 3rd birthday, and Hannah started asking for cake as soon as we sat down for dinner.  She is truly my daughter!  We all had such a nice time, except for poor Ella who is teething.  Other than shots, I'm not sure that I've heard Ella cry, but we are hearing a lot these days.  She is miserable and trying to chew everything.  It is so sad to see her upset, hopefully they will poke through soon and the rest of the teeth will be easier on her.

Sunday we headed to Domino's Farm for Jake's 5th birthday and it was such a wonderful experience.  Jake brought cowboy hats for all of his friends which Hannah was excited to wear.  We then headed to the barn to pet the animals and feed them carrots.  Hannah has no fear and would love to just climb right in with them.  She also got to take a pony ride and clearly has fantastic equitation.  I see mother/daughter riding lessons in our future!  After the pony rides, we went on a hay ride followed by lunch.  Again, Hannah wanted the cake immediately and snuck in right next to Jake while everyone sang Happy Birthday.  She was not going to let that cake out of her site.  As soon as we got in the car, Hannah ate her cowboy hat cookie and passed out from all of the excitement.  She wants to have her party there, but I tried to explain that it wasn't really a February birthday kind of place.  I told her she could have her half birthday there instead, but she said she'd rather wait and celebrate on her "whole birthday."  Thanks for a great day, Jake!

Soccer

Hannah started soccer this weekend, and practiced all week to get ready.  She loves her new shin guards and soccer ball, now I just need to decide if it's worth investing in cleats.  Ella enjoyed hanging out with Mina and watching Hannah practice in the backyard.  It was a very cold first practice today, but Hannah didn't seem to mind.  She was more interested in the playground next to the soccer field than playing soccer.  They did drills like kicking over cones, kicking bubbles, jumping through rope ladders, crawling through tunnels and walking on balance beams.  Not sure how all of these activities tie to soccer, but we are looking forward to moving to the next level with actual games.