End of Sukkot Family Weekend

After a full month of Jewish holidays, it was time for the conclusion of the High Holy Day season. To make it even more exciting, we were lucky enough to welcome some very special guests into our sukkah during a year when welcoming extra guests wasn't really encouraged. We started our weekend with Shabbuntif evening - Shabbat + yontif (holiday).

Friday night kiddush (prayer over grape juice)

Dinner in the Cohen Sukkah!

yummy yummy!

We enjoyed the start of dinner with Nana, Zayde, and Team Gilden. We were also very excited to welcome Team CohAn when they showed up in Austin a little later.



Team CohEn hosted Mira and Jacob for a cousins' sleepover, and we headed out to the sukkah in the morning for breakfast!

We got ready for the day. These super cool gentlemen put on their hats. We packed up the stroller with pumpkins. And we headed over to Chez Gilden for morning fun.


It was time to let the creative juices flow, and the kiddos from the previous day's field trip added paint to their new pumpkins.

Family togetherness + outside air = good times!

15 people were back together later in the afternoon after some rest.



In honor of Simchat Torah ("celebration of the Torah"), we made homemade Torahs. When it came time to take a picture hugging them, 2 particularly moody children weren't feeling it.

Go God! (Yes, apparently, we're raising those children.)

While technically no longer Sukkot, we decided to enjoy one more meal together outside.


What better way to celebrate the Torah than creating an edible version with so much sweetness?!


After the excitement and sugar of the day, it was time to cool off, clean off, and cousin's bath!