Milestone and thrilling events...

This is a tender moment for us all here in Israel...


We've had a few firsts:


Elan willingly and of his own accord ordered salad for breakfast.

We joined a CSA!!! Now a huge box of organic and locally grown veggies comes our way every Wednesday night! Even the kids marveled at the dirt (we are easily pleased!), and Elan said, "Guys! Come eat these cucumbers!!! They were picked today!"

Mira walked Amalya to school by herself when Elan took a personal day. She got to take the kids' cell phone with her and kept track of it the whole day!!! Yes, we gave in. This was after one evening when I was with the girls and their chumash tutor, and Elan was supposed to meet Loren after coming home from a friend's house. They got mixed up in where they were supposed to meet, and everyone was a little confused and overwhelmed. Fortunately, Elan kept his wits about him and was able to get home safely, even stopping for two slices of pizza and a sprite (for just 19 shekels!!). Those are some well-developed survival skills!


Loren finally started his program!!! Tuesday was his first day of school! He bought a new backpack! He took the bus!!! He forgot to take a lunch!!! Just like a real student!!!

I used up my first bus pass!!!

Amalya told me about her dance class, and used Hebrew to describe it!!!!

All the kids are entering into a new level of accountability with our new family "JOB AGREEMENT!!"

I got two coffee places to agree to let me use my own coffee cup instead of a paper one! What an eco-thrill!

We are getting ready to welcome our first visitors in November...my mom and sister! We will be going around Jerusalem (my sis hasn't been here in over 15 years!) eating, shopping and having fun!!! You too can take advantage of our "Hachnassat Orchim" special we are running right now. We'll get all the visitor kinks out with these two, and your visit will be a breeze! Come see us soon!

We had our first stomach virus!!! (No photo, aren't you disappointed?) Elan was the winning vomiter. He's feeling better, so we're just hoping to avoid a puking domino-effect where one by one we all get it.

And on that note,

Shabbat Shalom!

Surreal world, school edition!

What a great first day of school (second day was great too)! I think everyone felt a little strange going to school for the first day. Elan and Mira have been torturing us with promises of Hebrew-usage refusal and closed minds; they have a future in the CIA. We are definitely trying something new educationally speaking. The Democratic School is a different way to go than the Solomon Schechter route they are used to. For more information about what I like to call, "Kooky school," you can check out the US counterpart at http://www.sudval.org/. Loren is definitely outside his comfort zone with "child-led learning," but the kids love it so far.

Elan got into a game with guys his age right away, and didn't even want to take the tour with his sisters. He admits to opening his Algebra book from home too! Mira called us during the first day...no tears thought! She was invited to a friend's house and wanted permission to go! Happiness! Amalya, as she gets used to the new school, is hanging out with Mira and her friends a lot. I know as soon as she gets her bearings, she will make more friends closer to her age. Mira also got invited to a sleepover next Tuesday night for her new friend Gavriella's birthday (no school on Wednesday...Happy New Year!).

Here are the kids in front of their school! Loren and I went out to lunch on their first day to celebrate. As soon as we finished, we walked along, passed another cafe, saw friends and had a cup of coffee with them! Rough life, truly.

We are having our first Shabbat guest tonight. It's pay-back time!! Tova and anyone else who might need a spot from shul will be at our Shabbat table. We are going to friends' tomorrow for lunch and meeting more people for Seudah Shlishit in the park later on.

The whole country is getting ready for Rosh Hashanah. The Israeli's are beside themselves over the three-day chag. It so rarely happens here! Every grocery store is handing out samples of everything, including wine! Just what I need when shopping with my kids, as I explained to the wine seller (It was my first successful joke in Hebrew! Not the funniest, but in Hebrew none the less).

We hope you have a great Shabbat, and will get to see people you love on Rosh Hashanah!

Shabbat Shalom,

Becca and family

School starts on Wednesday....insert ominous music here

We had a great Shabbat. Our friend Rebecca picked us up before Shabbat so that we could easily transport our contribution to Shabbat dinner (chicken soup with matzah balls and challah: the first attempt in Israel; not too shabby, but not the best!). We davened at Shirah Chadasha and it was amazing. The singing is just wonderful and there were many people we knew. The melodies are lovely, some fast and some slow. You can sing as loud or as quiet as you want and you will always blend in. I imagined what it would be like to be there with family for Elan's Bar Mitzvah. We're not sure where or even exactly when it will be, but if it is with this congregation, we will have a wonderful simcha for sure. The added bonus was the rock-star sighting of Mr. Stan Beiner, the head of our Atlanta school, and the brother of our new head of school! We sent him home with warm regards for all our friends. If he doesn't pass them on, he's in big trouble. We keep tabs on that kind of thing.
The dinner lasted until a quarter to 12! Fortunately, I enforced our nap policy #4 which clearly states: If you need to be on good behavior at another family's home past bedtime, you will sleep in the afternoon. It was that or apple-juice valium. Nap accomplished, we spent dinner laughing, talking and telling embarassing family stories that included glass breakage (and not under-the-chuppah kind, in-a- fancy store/hotel kind where you return their kindness "Oh don't worry, it happens all the time!" with never showing your face there again unless in costume). We are lucky the kids are used to the walk...it only took an easy 2o minutes to get home in the cool Jerusalem night air. Lunch was with another family (Loren and I have both worked with the husband in various camp adventures) who wanted to welcome us to Israel. It is so nice to so warmly welcomed. They were even nice when we broke something...not glass, but we'll be able to replace it tomorrow and have another embarrassing story to tell over another Shabbat dinner.
We were all exhausted, but clearly had to enforce nap policy #7, again, clearly stating: If you went to bed late and are so tired you could puke, you cannot take a nap which would bring about a vicious cycle...you must stay awake. Sometimes this involves torture, but we were lucky to get off with playground distraction.
We read, the kids played and met a young Israeli with the sparkliest personality I've met in a long time. She spoke to Mira and Amalya (she was 7), not really minding if they didn't respond, and was soon working with them to create some concoction out of dirt, water and rosemary leaves. Mira was reluctant to join in. It amazes me that the most gifted friend-maker in our family sometimes feels painfully shy (manifesting in a stomach-ache or a general, "I don't feel good."). I reminded her that the first 18 seconds are the hardest, and what follows is always fun. She took the full 18, and then made friends with happiness.
This evening, in exhaustion's grip, Mira was the first to succumb to tears about the desire to return home. Fear about what is coming this week, and the feeling of permanence that school brings I'm sure will overwhelm us all at some point. We rode it out, and fortunately, she remembers that staying open to what comes really helps, and that sadness doesn't last forever (it lasted a whole 6 minutes tonight). Elan and I also spoke on Friday while were helping out at school. "It feels weird" was the most complex explanation we could come up with, but it seems to fit well enough. Starting school means were here, and not just on vacation. I hope the weirdness balances out with the comfort of routine. They will start on Wednesday! We will try to fit in a few more vacation mode activities before then.