Team Cohen's First Family Sukkah

Planning to invest in our very first Team Cohen Sukkah proved to be most opportune in 2020. We were excited about the constructing, the decorating, the eating, and the playing!

First, we had to wash all of our outdoor furniture (to make sure everything was clean when the leaves blew on it.)


In order to pass the Jon-test, our brand-new sukkah had to be mostly fool-proof to construct. And sure enough, it was!



Decorating turned out to be a fool-proof activity as well with the obsessive-compulsive advance planning of the matriarch of the sukkah.


When the kids were so excited about the newly built sukkah and they *had* to have snack in it immediately (even though it was still 5 days early):

We spent the next few days adding creative design to our sukkah decorations to make it truly our own. On Yom Kippur afternoon, we listened to the story of Jonah while simultaneously making some epically long chains.

Using crafting materials mailed from Grandma and Grandpa, all 5 of "our" kiddos got to make their own mini-sukkah to hang in our big sukkah.

admiring their work adorning the Sukkah walls

Joey and Shayna got their turns high up on the ladder to help hang decorations too.

Our final touch on the already beautifully accessorized sukkah was pipe cleaner and bead "Indian corns" (a great color-sorting, fine motor skills activity). 

With our decorations in place, our sukkah is ready for the holiday to begin!

Having painfully kept the children from eating all food all week in the sukkah, it was finally time to celebrate Sukkot for real! Round challah was baked; hamburgers were grilled; and the weather couldn't have been lovelier. We were so grateful to begin the holiday in our one-of-a-kind sukkah, with the unique touches that only our little artists could gift.

"sleeping" in the Sukkah at the end of a great Night 1

On our first official Sukkot morning, we loaded up the red wagon with challah, cream cheese, and the rest of a delicious Shabbat/Chag breakfast, and back in the sukkah we ate!

In 2020, you don't have to choose between watching your Gators play and enjoying a beautiful afternoon in your sukkah. You can have it all.

On night 2, we invited our favorite guests into our sukkah for Cousins Pizza and a lateover full of fun.



Cuddled up in sleeping bags, we ate popcorn, listened to a Sukkot read-aloud, and watched some Disney Pixar short films.


When the sky was dark, we got out Ethan's new telescope and explored the night sky.

A great Sukkot lateover it was!

Rinse and repeat! Morning 2 and back out with the wagon and challah and crisp temperatures of a Texas fall.

With the creative guidance of the shul's religious school, we made some sugar-tastic edible sukkot.


Not only had Team Cohen never built our own sukkah before, we also had never had our own set of lulav and etrog. 2020 is a year of many firsts, it turns out. With Shabbat on day 1, we waited patiently until day 2 and got shaking!

Spencer preferred just smelling the etrog on his first opportunity. Good thing it's an 8-day holiday with more chances daily.

The next day, TCDC joined our sukkah fun (again)!



Rinse and repeat all week long! In and out with the wagon. Gorgeous weather. Games. School. Virtual events. So much shaking. Lots of nice breeze. Tons of togetherness. And many many yummy foods. All in the sukkah that we built.

We named this guy, "Gourd."

Moadim L'Simcha! Chag Sameach! (Certainly, a happy and festive holiday period!)