What we have been up to

After a week of being sick I finally managed to get the kids out for some activities in the afternoon. We have been to Malka Mall, which has air conditioning, free play areas and a petting zoo. We did not go in, we just looked at the rabbits and birds. We also made it to a couple of parks. A great trick that I have learned from my mom is to take the kids on a bus to a new park. It is cheap and the kids think we have had a huge adventure. Thursday was a big day we finally, please G-d, got the kids registered as American Citizens and applied for their passports. It was a huge mess and suffice to say that if the U.S. government would quit giving money to terrorists and re-organize their staffing situation there it would be a lot more efficient! However, we went with another couple and while we were able to get everything done, the husband of the other couple had to come back the next day. The fate of many of the people there. So I should not be complaining too loudly.

The other exciting thing about Thurs. is that I got to leave the house with no kids for 4 whole hours by myself! I went in search of a wedding outfit for a wedding we are going to tonight. No such luck. Actually I went to what is called a gamach where you can rent fancy outfits for just such an occasion and then return it. You pay a deposit and then get it back when the dress comes back. I only went there as the bride and crew were going to be there. Great dresses, however, nothing suitable for nursing. But the great thing is I got to socialize with out my kids! Then I went up to the Shuk and bought all our veggies for the week. I know, I know, I get free time and what do I do? Go grocery shopping. But hey, it was still exciting!

Truthfully our new family anthem should be G-d Bless Av! She is the sister of the bride to be and is the daughter/niece of friends of ours from Seattle and Portland. Av lives in the area and comes over at least once a week, usually more, to help out and just hang out. So it was Av and her brother who rescued me on Thurs. so I could go out. The kids are great for her and she said her and her brother were able to hang out. She made them dinner, cleaned up afterwards, and got everyone ready for bed. Now in truth we have hosted Av for many a Friday dinner since we have been in the country, but what she does for us far out weighs a few Shabbat weekends. We really enjoy having Av around and she likes being here so it is great for everyone.

In kid news, Y and M both have 8 teeth each. I think Y is getting more but we will see. Also, Y has taken his first steps! We have all witnessed it now, although of course I was the last one to catch him in the act. So I expect he will be up and running soon. He can also climb up the foot stool now and play in the kitchen sink or grab things off the counter. I will have to start making sure the foot stool gets put back when we are done with it. Y also points when he wants something. On Friday night he was playing the drop game with S. He would drop his turtle from the crib and have S get it. When S would not get it, he would point and cry. It was really cute. S is getting big and seems to be on another growth spurt. He is also getting smarter by the minute! He is great at identifying tractors, helicopters and other vehicles. He also loves, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy and Fog Horn Leg Horn. We have discovered this thanks to You Tube and a search for various cartoons. M has become Princess Puff Puff, D came up with it, but it really suits as she has this straight hair that always stands up. It is really cute. Also, I have given up with initials. M is making her own progress, and is interested in the foot stool but is not really ready to climb it. When we were at the park she did explore and liked going down the slide, but she is much more cautious than the boys. She takes after her mommy.
I am in the process of trying to get the twins to give up nursing, but we are going very slowly. I need to get juice concentrate so I can encourage them to drink more. They get tired of water, but in this heat the kids all need to drink more. Although I am probably cursing myself, dare I say it, M is sleeping through the night! It seems that if we put her to bed late enough she does sleep through the night! Hurray! Now if Y would even cut back, I could be half way sane again!

As for us, the grown-ups, we are fine and just moving along. We are still debating where to move and what to do. We have a little less than two months and we still have more questions than answers. I really don't want to have to move again if we can help it so we are now looking into school options, Gans, location in relation to what we will be doing in 2, 5, 10 years, etc. Because David's line of work is not a conventional job and it is more about achieving more knowledge and where that will take him in the next few years, it is a little more tricky to envision. So we are going from the angle of where we want the kids in school, what kind of neighborhood we want to be in and how close the area is in relation to the rest of Jerusalem. We know that our lives will probably be centered here in Jerusalem for a while so we have to decide do want to live in a suburb and commute in or live directly in the city and which allows for more options for the kids, etc. We both agree that we would rather raise our kids outside the city if possible. I am also concerned that since we have moved here the kids noses have not stopped running, which makes me think allergies to the environment, there is little chance of having a yard here, and no option for a house, and I still say it is dirty and smells funny! Not all areas are like that but enough. It is a big city, it has noise and pollution and it is not always pleasant. On the upside, the school options are huge and we have a lot more help with the kids thanks to all of our friends who live near by. We also have more neighborhood options and we will always be closer to where ever D is working. I do also like the closeness of a lot more activities, more parks, the malls, zoo, etc. So we are weighing the pros and cons and hopefully we will have some place by the time our apt. contract is up here. Or like our friend pointed out we will be living our tents and camping until we do! (Not really!)