December 2016

Who knows where 2016 went, but apparently it has come to an end. We had a great December with Mommy sneaking away for a girls' weekend, 3 of us sneaking away for a cousin's birthday, a week-long Channukah celebration, and lots of fun in between. Here's some of the in-between:

Good ol' fashion Bluegrass tunes

We got some extra Joey time this month when Aunt Syssa and Uncle Craig took themselves to the theater, and we got to take care of him! Fun times all around!!

Ethan shares his early love of music with Joey.

Cousin/Aunt Debbie snuggles!

pajama party!!

More Joey fun this month:

that time Gabi insisted her cousin was a doll to dress up

that time Gabi and Ethan decided to have a snack with Joey

Still on the Joey theme, Team Gilden snuck off to Houston for a weekend, and we visited their house to give some love and nourishment to kitty Abby.

This month, we also had a fabulous playdate with Nora at her house!

Gabi and Nora enjoy their fruit date while Ethan serenades them sweetly on the ukulele.

The kids had fun making and decorating and EATING cookies.

Ethan helps Mommy get challah dough ready for rising. A 2-year-old in the kitchen makes things more hectic and messy, but he certainly enjoys it.

These 2 goofballs have just a couple more months before we add another little crazy thing into the mix.

It's hard to be a Jew on Christmas.

Sibling love in the bathroom:

Kid climbs up somewhere he shouldn't. But he's cute. Do you (A) reprimand him immediately? (B) take a quick digital picture and then reprimand him? (C) assume your other child will want similar attention and avoid the whole thing altogether? (D) fall into their trap but get cute, inappropriate pictures? #sometimessmartmom


Daddy love:

My Daddy is the best playground.

These boots were made for walking...

...and that's just what they'll do...

On New Year's Eve, we head to an outdoor play area and dance the night away. We're looking forward to our new family adventures of 2017 and are grateful for the fun we've had this year! Happy New Year to All!

watching themselves in the ornament's reflection

dancing to the beat of their own drums

Chappy Channukah

It's that time once a year when we spin those dreidels, eat fried foods, light enough candles to burn down any house, and gift presents to kids who don't even understand why they're receiving presents for 8 straight nights...I digress. Channukah sure is fun though!

This guy greeted us the first night and added a whole new element of cheer to our holiday.

Second night selfie:

We were excited to open presents from Grandma and Grandpa on night 3:

Night 4 brings stick-on earrings and a firefighter costume!

Night 5 goofs:

TinkerToys and ocean gears from Nana and Zayde:


Excited about making creations with our new toys:

At these ages, is an adult supposed to be aiding this process?

On night 7, we joined Team Gilden for Latke Shabbat!

Austin cousins sporting their new Channukah aprons from Team Cohan

Lots of latkes! Lots - let's all eat 'em up!

It's going to be quite boring when new toys and exciting things stop arriving nightly. Until then, we're having fun with all the great new entertainment.

Gabi and Ethan worked together to put together our new puzzle from Team Gilden.

Playing with new presents can be very serious work.

As the end of the holiday comes, we hope that 2017 can be every bit as bright!

Channukah Bongos

On the last night, we fill up our Chanukiot with light and love!