Twenty ten

Been a while

Sorry it has been a while. As you may have noticed, we've enabled password protection for the blog. An unfortunate incident occurred that invaded our family's privacy and we're trying to be more careful of what we make publicly available.

Anyway, the kids are growing up and we're having a blast watching them together. Ami is becoming a real person and is starting to interact with the world now. Ethan is slowly maturing and while he still has some anxiety around newcomers, he's still a rockstar - and a very smart one at that.

We have concluded that Ami is a mush

Dancin' in September

"The Cutest, Cutest, Cutest!"

My boy likes to potty all the time, potty all the time, potty all the tiiiime

"This is the best birthday ever!"

I'm sweet like Sugar...(dabba dee dabba dai)

The first and last time you'll ever see a Sugar in an "I love NY" shirt. This one's for you, Uncle Jonas.

Mommy and her boys

Our little monkey in the trees

Woof woof

Don't you wish you had one of these?

First day of camp

First field trip at camp

Mohawks in the tub are awesome

The best feeling in the world

We've put a lot of pictures and videos on here lately but haven't written much. Let's get up to speed.

Ami is over two months old now and it's unbelievable how time flies. We're still trying to figure out who he looks like; at times he looks like Brad's baby pictures, others he looks like an Ethan clone, and other times he looks like Dewey from Malcom in the Middle. Either way, he's delicious. He is a much better sleeper than Ethan was, since it doesn't appear he has reflux. But...he is certainly fussy. We make swedish, whiny children.

For the most part, Ethan has handled the whole thing like a champ. He is very protective of his little brother and is beginning to lose some of the anxiety issues that come along with all the attention that both he and Ami have been getting over the past two months. He always showers Ami with hugs and kisses, and joins him on his playmat occasionally. Ethan's also been going to camp, which has been great since he gets out of the house, interacts with other kids, and swims. Not mention it gives Shaina a few hours "off."

In all, we are really blessed to have a happy and healthy family. The past several weeks have been plagued with bad news in our community - and we've realized that each day we wake up healthy is a blessing. Whining and all.

How not to use a cell phone

Smiles cure everything

Graduation

Graduation - Ethan and his best friends (after he went bonkers at the ceremony)

Ethan loves his mini-torah

All is well - we have popsicles

Family photo

Abba and his boys

A boy and his mud puddle

Ami is always so pensive

Ethan decked out in swim gear

Smile!

CHHHEEESSSE

The secret life of beas (Brad, Ethan, Ami and Shaina)

Ami Gabriel

The past week has been beautiful, stressful, hectic, soothing...which pretty much sums up parenthood. Our family help has been phenomenal (thank you Aunt mei mei, nana, Zaide, Bubbe, etc) and we are very lucky to have the support of our community in such an important time of our lives. 

The bris was today (pictures can be found here) and was great. If any of you happen to live near us and want to eat for a month, let us know. Food abounds. Ethan had a little trouble sharing the spotlight ("Abba, hold me! Don't hold the baby!") but eventually was his cute self. Even after the baby was officially named, when asked what his brother's name was, he retorted: "I can't tell you. It's a secret."

Without getting too sappy, we have named him Ami (, pronounced "Ah-mee", or"my nation" in hebrew) as a symbol of both my and Shaina's commitment to the Jewish community and to the Jewish people. His middle name, Gabriel, is a tribute to Shaina's late grandmother, Goldie/Gail Katzoff. 

We are beginning to remember what it is like not to sleep. I'm actually dumbfounded that I'm sitting here writing this when I should be catching another 20 minutes. 

Ami is a stunning little boy. He is very well behaved, and is a huge eater and pooper. Yup, he's a Sugar. 

Here are some pictures from the past few days.