Shana Tovah! (Happy New Year!)

Well, it's a new year here in the Wolkenfeld household, and things are going pretty well. Particularly in comparison to last year. If you've spoken to me at all in the last month or so, you might already be aware that I spend a not-insignificant amount of time thanking my lucky stars that I don't have to go through last year again (little flashback for those of you who may have missed it: newborn twins. nursing. two year-old violently ill the day before Rosh Hashanah. New job. Need I go on?)
But I digress.

You want to know what our kids are up to; and really, what aren't they up to? It's a great time of year for kids. The twins are old enough to eat both apples and honey (but still no teeth. Can't have everything), and Noam is obsessed with the shofar. He goes around the house "blowing" his (paper) shofar that he made in school. The babies, he has explained to me, really like hearing shofar. Um, especially when they are trying to sleep.

And we made it through Yom Kippur with minimal drama. Noam was a little confused by the Eema not eating thing, but he got over it.

[On a side note, a pre-pre-fast meal grocery store run with all three children, necessary as Daddy was frantically practicing his Yom Kippur davening, yielded this letter, which I mentally composed in the car on the way home:
Dear People Who Stare Openly at us in the The Supermarket,
Perhaps you think that taking three children age three and under to the supermarket is my idea of a good time. Or perhaps you think that I had identical twins just to spite you, and have brought them here today to taunt you. All this is incorrect. You may further believe that if you just continue pushing your cart towards us, the double stroller will magically narrow. Also, not so. It's true, there are three of them. Yes, they are all boys. No, I cannot hold the hand of my oldest while also pushing the double stroller, but no, this does not make me a bad mother. And while we're on the subject of things that are socially less-than-desirable (like laughing at us while we try to get past you in the aisle) - I appreciate the sentiment, but has it occurred to you that wishing someone a "Happy Yom Kippur!" or a "great holiday" is somewhat akin to wishing a Catholic a merry ash Wednesday, or a phenomenal Lent?
Just checking.
Thanks to all those of you who did move out of our way. And to the rest of you - we also hope not to all be back here anytime soon.
Sincerely,
Eema of Three]

And now it's Sukkot. Noam helped build the sukkah - he had a great time - while the babies played inside. The funny thing about having two puppies - oops, I mean babies - is the way they play with each other. Witness below...(the first video basically just showcases Hillel's ability to walk, and Akiva's ability to articulate phonemes previously unknown to humankind, but the second one shows twin play at it's best).



If you really want a good laugh, it's especially fun to watch Eema bathe all three children without the presence of another adult. Let's just say it involves a lot of naked babies...

and then comes bedtime.


Note the proximity of Hillel's foot to Akiva's head. See previous post for details.

During these past two days of holiday, Akiva and Hillel both clapped hands for the first time, and Noam played intense games of Set and Bananagrams with some of the students. He also consumed an incredible amount of junk food, but let's not discuss that.

Stay tuned for tales of flu shots, dancing babies, and other fun stuff.