Eli's Birthday

I've gotten a couple of requests for links to Eli's wish list. I wanted to let you know that there's a link on the blog all year round for the kids wish lists. Just go to the blog and it's in the left hand tool bar under "wish lists". To make things easier here you go (click on their names): Eli and Jonah.

Our tentative move day is actually on Saturday (Eli's b-day). We'll let you all know if anything changes. I'll try to post new pictures this week.

Jonah's Tubes

Just a quick update for everyone. We have finally scheduled Jonah's tubes to go in on 11/20 in the morning. I promise to post more after the surgery, but I know many were curious as to when/if it would happen. It's a fairly fast procedure, so we'll be home on the 20th and then back to normal on the 21st. Love to you all!

The New House

We closed escrow on Friday and began construction right away. Here are 2 very rough videos of our house in a state of disarray. Video 1 and video 2. We're hoping to move in November 29th. I'll post more videos and pictures as we go along.

This is the view from the kitchen of the dining room and part of the living room

Standing in the dining room you can see the living room

Standing in the dining room looking into the kitchen (that door will not be there)

Big Ultrasound Was This AM

Unfortunately, at the last minute Rob had to go to a meeting and couldn't come with me. I had promised my mom I'd take her with me to this one, so Rob was happy we had already planned that.

I'm happy to report that the baby is healthy in every way. My mom was able to see the beautiful face in 4D and has declared that she knows it looks exactly like Jonah.

Lastly, and I know there are a ton of you on pins and needles, we have confirmed that the baby is in fact a GIRL. She will be named after my beloved Bubbe. Her middle name is Helena and her Hebrew name is Chana Leya. Her first name will be revealed at birth. Thanks everyone for your girly thoughts, it worked.

Happy New Year

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year (those of the Jewish faith). May this year bring new joys never thought of. We love you all!
Robert, Candice, Jonah, Eli, Sascha & of course baby in the tummy

Fundraising For WJCC

I'm not going to e-mail each of you individually, nor am I going to chase you w/a catalog at family events. I know a lot of you love the wrapping paper fundraisers and the boys' school is doing one again. It's www.sallyfoster.com. If you're interested in any way in buying chocolates, wrapping paper or trinkets of some sort please e-mail me (Candice) and I'll send you an e-mail from their website. This way you can order at your own leisure, use your credit card and have it delivered straight to you (shipping charges do apply). If I'm going to see you any time soon and you'd rather order by the catalog please let me know, and I'll bring it with me to wherever I may see you. Please keep in mind the sale ends October 10th. Again, this is no pressure. If you'd like to order and/or would like to help support the boys' school just let me know by e-mail. 50% of everything purchased is donated straight to the school. The school uses these funds to pay for music teacher and gym classes for the kids. Thanks in advance for your order, if you place one.

A New House

As many of you know Rob & I live in a 2 bedroom apt that is beautiful and wonderful, but we've outgrown it. With a baby on the way we knew we needed to buckle down and start looking in this buyer's market.

We found a wonderful home that is bank owned, and quickly made an offer. It needs a new kitchen and master bathroom plus a few other things, but we are happy to announce the bank who owns it has signed the paperwork. We will most likely begin escrow tomorrow. If we can close escrow in the 30 days we need we will be beginning our construction the day after. There are things that need to be done before we can move in and we estimate those taking 30 days.

This is our first house. This is a huge thing for us, and the boys LOVE it. Jonah can't wait to move in, and well honestly, neither can we. We finally have a yard for them and that makes me so happy. We've already begun the elusive search for a swing set for them. Jonah was very particular about the slide being green, but we'll see what we can find. We are even going to have a playroom and that seems to be Eli's favorite room so far.

I plan to video our before, during and after for everyone to see, so wish us luck as we embark on our newest endeavor.

The Boys New Shirts & More

Not the best pictures but do you get the message? OK here's a hint...Eli is not a big brother YET! Yes, you got it. As of today's ultrasounds (see below) baby is doing great and right on time. I am 12 weeks and feeling icky as ever. Baby #3 is due 2/23/09, however with a planned c-section s/he will be here around 2/16/09.

Today I had the results from a test that is known as the 1st Trimester Screening. They measure the nucheal area. Plus I had blood work done 2 weeks ago to test for Down's Syndrome. Everything is great and healthy as can be. We will have the normal ultrasound in about 6 weeks to let us know what the baby is. THINK PINK! Now for more good news: The tech who did the ultrasound today said that if he had to guess he'd say we're having a girl. It is too early to really see that area, so we put it at an 80% chance of pink in our future.

How are the boys doing with this? Well, they are just wonderful. Jonah is SO excited. He only wants a baby sister and he wants her to be named Lola. If you know the show Charlie & Lola on Playhouse Disney then you'll know why he wants a sister named Lola. Eli likes to lift my shirt and say hello to the baby and he keeps asking me to bring it out so he can see it. Jonah has told everyone at preschool that his mommy is sick. Eli has told everyone at daycare that daddy cleans the house and mommy sleeps.

I'm not doing so hot and have been missing quite a bit of work. I'm not having morning sickness, I just have extreme fatigue. I have no energy and basically go to work and then go to bed. Rob has been absolutely amazing. Our house may look like a hurricane hit it and we're eating a lot more take out, but he is always so upbeat. He's been just wonderful, and I'm a VERY lucky woman.

Now I must apologize to many people. I missed a few birthdays in the last few weeks and I really am so sorry. By the time I realized what day it was it was past the date of your special day. Please know that if I had been feeling better I would've been better at acknowledging your birthdays. I love you and hope you all had special days.

We'll keep you all updated as this baby grows. Keep thinking girly thoughts for us. We love you all.

The Love of a Brother

Yesterday I picked Eli up before I picked Jonah up from camp. I brought Eli in with me to get Jonah. Jonah runs ahead to his room and gets his lunchbox and art of the day. He comes out showing me his drawing and says, "I made this for Eli."
I said, "why don't you give it to Eli?"
Jonah hands his picture to Eli, "Eli I made this for you."
Eli takes it from him and looks at it and says, "This so boootiful, Nonah it bootiful." (Nonah = Jonah).

I just had to share this moment with everyone because it really is one I want burned on my brain forever. I love to see how much they love each other, even when I know the expression of love is very temporary. LOL!

Happy Friday everyone!

Round 1: He's Still In

A lot of people are rooting for Robert, so I thought I'd give you a quick update. He made it through round 1 and will be playing Wednesday in round 2. Robert & I will be heading to Vegas tomorrow night for his Wednesday and hopefully Thursday play. I'll be back on Friday. I never thought I'd hope to not get on a plane with my husband, but if he doesn't come back with me that is a good thing. There's a possibility he'll miss Jonah's birthday party on Sunday if he's still playing, but we'll take lots of pictures. I'll keep posting here with more updates as they arise.

Jonah's 4th Birthday

Today came and went with lots of fun for Jonah. He had a great day. He went to day care today (and all week) because camp doesn't start until Monday. Rob & I bought pizza for the whole day care. Apparently, Dreena's son Marlin, baked a cake for the kids. They all got to decorate it. Dreena sent home a wonderful gift and he loved it. Then we met Nana, Papa and Auntie Ellie at Canter's Deli (Jonah's fave restaurant). We came hope opened presents AND sang Happy Birthday. Please note when watching the video, that there is a very special guest singer.

Guess who just woke? He's super happy for a change, only b/c he knows it's his birthday.
Oh how I love that smile
Then there's the cake mommy and daddy made him.

Dreams Do Come True

Some guys want to be the pitcher that helps their dream team win the World Series. Some guys want to be the quarter back that helps their dream team win the Super Bowl. However, some guys just dream, and continue to do what they can to make the dream come true.

Last night one of Rob's dreams came alive. At approximately 11:45 PM PST he won a seat to play in the World Series of Poker ("WSOP"). For those of you unfamiliar with this it is where all great Poker players go to Las Vegas and compete for 10 days to win the "big prize". Which this year is over $8M, and the title of WSOP winner. Not only that but since he won his seat from an on-line poker game he has the chance of making even more money, by being a marketing tool for the site.

Most important is that he gets to go to the WSOP, and live the dream. Even if he comes home empty handed, he got to play in the series.

I have decided to go for at least the first 2 or 3 days with Rob, but reality is I don't have the vacation time to stay longer. Let's hope Rob doesn't come home w/me.

Keep your fingers crossed for him. Yay for dreams come true...

When I Grow Up

I remember when I was little I wanted to be a kid doctor (pediatrician to the sophisticated). I never ask the boys what they want to be because I want it to come from them. Of course my mother is constantly telling Jonah he wants to be a doctor {insert eye roll}, however, that's the right of a grandparent, and he loves it.

This morning Rob & I were in the bathroom getting ready while the boys were on our bed watching TV.
I walked in the room to get dressed and Jonah said, "Mommy when I grow up I want to be a daddy."
Me: "really just a daddy"
J: "yup a daddy"

When I asked Rob if he heard him, he said he didn't. I relayed the conversation and Rob just smiled from ear to ear. I think Jonah just made his week. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's going to be four this month.

Just A Quick Hello

I just wanted to write a little hello and an early happy summer to everyone. I've been a regular contributor to a blog called Car and Caboodle, and wanted to share in case you wanted to read about my inane ramblings. It is a blog dedicated to family travel and family life in your car. If you are a parent, and anything like me, you spend a lot of time in your car with your kids. Writing for the blog is a fun little hobby, and I'm really loving it. I know you are thinking I don't need yet another thing to do, but I enjoy writing so I'll do it for now.

As for the family: Jonah is finishing his first year of school and will be entering pre-K next year. He has grown so much this last year and really loves going to school. He's going to do camp at his school all summer, so he'll pretty much be at the Westside JCC all year round. He is starting to read and is driving us batty asking us what every word is and how to sound it out. It's actually great. Over the holidays I bought him days of the week underwear. He loved asking me EVERY day what day it was, based on his underwear of course. It's actually a good thing because he knows his days of the week now, and what order they are. Recenty, I had to buy him the next size up. The old ones had different vehicles, but the new ones have different dogs. The first day he wore them to school he came home and told me that he showed Noa the dogs on his underwear. I thought great Jonah's going to school flashing his underwear to little girls, what do they think of me now? Thankfully, it was a one time thing. Once June hit he started asking me when his birthday is, he makes me tell him how many days away it is from today. For the record today it is 21 days away. LOL! (Yes, I have updated his list so you can go on the blog and there is a link to it if you need gift ideas.)

Eli is talking up a storm. Understanding what he's saying is a whole other issue, but it's adorable anyhow. He continues to win over anyone who meets him with his smile. Yesterday, I took the boys to my Weight Watchers meeting and one of my friends there got a kick out of asking Eli how old he is. It was hysterical. She'd ask and he'd say "I TWO," very emphatically. His new thing is to pretend his name isn't Eli. You'll ask him "are you Eli?" "No I uh uh uh Nonah." Then he laughs hysterically. Now you know why I call him silly monkey, he's such a goofball. He's going to be starting at the JCC in September in the 2.5 year old class. He cannot wait to go to "Nonah's Cool". Sometimes I pick him up before Jonah and take him w/me to pick him up. He is so excited just to go to the school. He's pretty much got his ABC's down. What's funny is that wherever we go he sees letters and if there is a "T", then he says "T a Tata". I guess you know that Tata (my dad) must be pretty important, if that's the only letter he actually associates with a word.

Rob's very excited because tomorrow he's going to the Dodgers v Cubs game. The funny thing is that my uncle (Nate) is going with him. Nate is a huge Dodger fan. They will go there in their individual team garb, sit next to each other, and root for the opposite team. I think it's hysterical and endearing all at the same time. Thank g-d there's someone else in this family who understand Rob's love for sports. Yes, I actually hear the Sportscenter jingle in my head, even when I'm not in front of the TV. If you or your significant other watches it you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

Well, I've decided to start blogging more often about my ramblings. So if you are on the e-mail list and would prefer not to get every message I post, please e-mail me and I'll remove you from the list that sends you the posts.

I hope that everyone is well, and we send our love to all of you far and wide.

Toxic Toys

I just wanted to bring to your attention the importance now of understanding what chemicals are in children's toys. I rarely preach b/c it really isn't my place, but I thought I'd share a link to a PBS program worth looking into. http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/412/index.html Robert and I are really trying to be informed consumers as far as the children go. It's a tough thing to keep up w/all of the new information out there, but we are committed to a better environment for the next generation. Thanks for endulging my passions.

A Great Laugh

I had to share with you all this youtube video that made me laugh so hard. Even Rob stopped what he was doing to watch this one, and laughed just as hard. We've watched it twice already. It's called Ethan Laughing. It's the good laugh everyone needs to have.

Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY

First Trip To Disneyland

For Hanukkah this year my boss got us the gift of Disney. Seriously. He made a reservation at the Grand Californian Hotel and bought our admission to Disney for the 2 days we were there. It was so much fun. Jonah loves to tell everyone how fast the roller coaster went. It was the roller coaster in Toon Town, so it was meant for kids. He went on Dumbo twice. Of course being able to see the fireworks from our room was probably one of the biggest highlights of the trip. By the time we got home Saturday afternoon I was exhausted. I know the boys probably will not remember this trip, but I'll remember every detail of it, so I can tell them everything.



Here are the boys in their strollers when we got there.




In Toon Town there is a Donald Duck boat playhouse. Jonah & Rob went in to check it out. Eli & I waited for them below.

Jonah's face as we were going up in the roller coaster.

Just as we were about to give the kids a bath, there was a knock at the door, it was complimentary milk & cookies. Here are the cookies they brought, and the boys enjoying them.

The cutest moment was them passed out on our way home.
We had so much fun. I can say it ranks in the top 5 gifts I've ever gotten.

A New Year

I know it's been a while since I've posted on the blog. I'm so sorry for that. It's been crazy as usual around here.

Updates:
Jonah is doing really well in school. He is almost reading by himself. In the next few months Rob & I are going to focus on teaching him to read because he so desperately wants to read to Eli. It's actually very cute! When you ask Jonah who his friends are he'll list you some kids in school including his girlfriend Maya. However, when you ask him who his best friend is he'll say Eli. It melts our hearts every time we hear it. In the fall semester he took a music class, which honestly was worth every penny. Jonah has really gotten into music. The best was walking somewhere and they had a poster of music notes and he said look mama music notes. I was stunned. He is quite opinionated and has demanded certain types of music in the car. It's all kids music don't worry, but it is funny how he and Eli love to tell us what to do with the radio. This semester he's taking Mad Science. He also continues to take swimming lessons every week. Bubbe & Tata have generously decided that it's so important for him to learn to swim that they wanted to pay for it. Eli will probably start in the spring/summer time.

Eli has really started verbalizing. Unlike Jonah at that age, so much of what he says is hard to understand. Jonah is constantly translating. Nona = Jonah, wahwah = Sascha, inni nine-stie = Little Einsteins and keeka = Mickey Mouse. As you can see it takes a degree in linguistics. It is super duper cute though. He wants so badly for us to understand him. We need to start pushing him to sign more though. He's doing really well in day care and continues to melt hearts everywhere. Even at day care they have a hard time disciplining him b/c he's just so cute. However, he has entered his terrible 2's and crankiness is a major factor these days. He and Jonah are playing w/each other all of the time, but they fight a lot as well. He had a doctor's appointment 3 weeks ago and he was in the 90th percentile in height and weight. He's only 3 lbs lighter then Jonah. However Jonah, being tall and skinny, still towers over him by more then a head. The JCC wouldn't take Eli after his 2nd birthday so he'll be starting in the summer. He is very ready to go to school and he misses being with Jonah. On top of all of that Eli is going to begin potty training very shortly. Once Jonah was potty trained Eli was so interested in what Jonah was doing. He asks to go potty, but doesn't *go* when he's on the potty. We hope to be done with diapers by the summer.

Robert is still working at MOC as their in house counsel. He's considering the possibility of looking for a new job because money is becoming a factor. He loves it there, and really wants it to work, so we hope this year will turn a new leaf. He also joined Weight Watchers with me and has successfully shed 13 lbs so far. Mom & I have even convinced him to go to the meetings with us. This last year he's really been working hard on his career. He also continues to be the chef of the house. We recently bought him a stainless steel top island for the kitchen so that he will have more counter space. Look for him on Food Network soon. :)

As for me. I've maintained my weight loss for the most part and will continue to try to lose another 5 lbs. Otherwise, health wise I am doing alright. I'm still working full time. I also moderate an internet mommy shopping group. This has been the most fun. I've made some lifelong friends on the internet. They live all over the country.

In 2007 I began my green endeavor. I really wanted to become an environmentally friendly family. It's hard to make change and sometimes the changes cost more money, but I know our planet is suffering. Although, Rob understands where I'm coming fron he isn't as on board as I am. However with more and more news about the chemicals in this and that, I think it's safe to say he's definitely seeing the light. As always he supports my endeavors to keep our family healthy. Here are some items I've gotten that have really made a difference to me and are just fantastic:
1) No more plastic grocery bags. Rob has a set of bags and I have a more "feminine" set which are Envirosax. Everytime I use them the checker or person behind me in line wants me to tell them where I got them. I've given out their web address so many times. Maybe, I should contact them to pay me for marketing. We keep our bags in the trunks of our cars. Some supermarkets have incentives for bringing your own bags. Ralph's gives you $.25 back for every bag you bring in (even if you don't use them all).
2) Eliminate the use of plastic containers. I got rid of most of our plastic sippy cups for the boys and switched to aluminum. I have the Sigg bottles for all of us. We don't buy bottled water. Rob & I fill up the bigger bottles if we want water. I even take one to work. We still use safe plastic containers for storing food, but we no longer put it in the microwave. Even if the container says microwave safe.
3) No more disposable diapers. About 6 months ago I switched to cloth diapers ("CD") for Eli, and it has been so much easier then I ever imagined it to be. Yes I do laundry more, but it really isn't a chore or even something I dread. I only kick myself that we didn't start it when Eli was born. Hind site is 20/20 right? Unfortunately, we've been unable to find a leak proof CD for nighttime so we had to keep disposables. That's when I switched to Target's new enviromentally friendly brand. Since we only use 1 a day I wanted to at least be sure it wasn't one that will be in our land fills in 500 years. If/when we have another child I'll be CDing from the get go, that's for sure.
5) Safer cleaning products. This one has been the hardest for us to undertake. I will continue to try, but money does come into play here. I switched to Purex Free & Clear laundry detergent, which believe it or not is cheaper then many others. I've been using the Bi-O-Kleen OxyBleach Plus, Bac-Out Stain remover and Produce Wash. They are all just wonderful products. The last of the products we switched to are sold at Target. They are the Method Cleaning Products. The only thing we don't really like is the dishwasher soap. However, my hunt for a more safe one that cleans well contines.
6) Eliminate plastic toys (where possible). As many of you know 2007 has produced more recalls on children's toys and gear then ever before. This had us re-thinking what the boys play with. We are trying to eliminate plastic as much as we can. For Eli's birthday and Hanukkah we focused on books and wood toys. To tell you the truth the boys are truly loving the wood stuff even more then plastic. Don't worry they still play with Legos and Matchbox cars, but they have less of those things.

My hope for 2008 is to continue to make our family more environmentally friendly. Not only has switching to environmentally friendly product produced enlightnement, but we are eliminating unnecessary chemicals in our lives. I promise to continue to share any new products I find that are worth looking into. I've supplied links to all of the products above. Please consider looking into ways to save our environment where you can.

I hope 2008 is a healther more loving year then ever before for everyone. Happy New Year! All our love.
Candice