tales from a far-land

Bowling in an activity that Josh and I enjoy to do.  When we first starting dating five years ago, I was bowling on a league and actually convinced Josh to join the team with me.  We enjoyed our every Thursday night bowling league.  So, since we have not bowled in quite a long time, we decided to introduce our children to the world of bowling at the beginning of June.  This was the first time for both of them.  They were both excited to bowl their first game, but slowly petered out after that.  Thus, the adults were only able to get in a couple of games.  About half way through the first game, a neighboring lane allowed our kids to borrow their helper ramp so the kids could at least have a shot of hitting the pins at the end of the lane.  Madi enjoyed bowling a ton more once she was able to carry her ball to the ramp and push it on to the lane and then strut back to the ball return to do it again.  We are looking forward to many more family bowling adventures. Aiden Playing on the L

Anytime we are in the Los Angeles area, we strive to see as many of my sorority sisters as we can.  Because I have amazing and wonderful sorority sisters they, in return, make every effort to spend time with us when I announce that we will be near them.  For this, I am so grateful.  I appreciate the time they take from their daily busy lives so that we can all be our little sisterhood again, even if it is for only a short while.  Our past trip to California in May was no exception.  The Palmer sisters and their families enjoyed Sunday brunch together at Storyteller's Cafe in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.  It is otherwise known as the Chip 'n Dale "Critter Breakfast”.  At the Chip ’n Dale Critter Breakfast, animal friends from beloved Disney films dropped by our table to say hello and be photographed with the kids.  We were visited by Dale, Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear , and Meeko the raccoon from Pocahontas.   The kids also were able to participate

While in Laguna Woods last month, we decided we wanted to explore the area a little more to see what fun and new experiences were available to us.  Luckily, there is a gem right down the street from GG and GP's house named: Pretend City is an adorable interactive exhibit for children to pretend and have hands-on experiences throughout a miniaturized city. They have everything from a health center for doctor check-ups and dental visits, a amphitheater with costumes for dress-ups and perfomances, a police and fire station alongside a gas station, a construction site and farm with these cool rubberized pieces of dirt and tons of plastic vegetables and fruits to plant and harvest, a marina with a fun water area to play with little boats and go fishing, a sandy beach for sand play, a library to read books and pretend to be a librarian, and an art studio to color and paint to their heart's content, just to name a few.  Our kids *loved* this excursion.  Madi enjoyed dressing up

In May, we decided to take a road trip vacation to Laguna Woods to spend time with GG and GP.  What a special trip!  We are so lucky to have the opportunity to watch our children develop such a good raport and relationship with their great-grandparents.  We really are *so* blessed. GG gladly took the kids and Jenn shopping.  A love of both Madi and GG.  We enjoyed checking out GG's favorite shopping establishments -- The Children's Place and the 99 Cents Store -- and we did not leave either location without bags in hand.  Josh and GP enjoyed a round of golf.  We were also able to enjoy a couple of meals out at GG and GP's favorite local restaurants.  Friday afternoon/evening was very special.  It was spent celebrating shabbat with the Vorobiofs (and the Reismans) at their home in Calabasas.  It was so much fun watching the cousins play with each other while the adults mingled and prepared for the evening meal.  Thank you, Alisa and Gabriel, for opening your home up to u

Mother's Day for our family was spent conducting typical Sunday errands and chores in the morning.  Moms never really have the day off.  However, the afternoon was spent enjoying time with family and eating a delicious meal of barbequed shish kebabs, corn on the cob and garlic bread at my parent's house. Daddy and Madi Playing with a Ball Mr. Man My beautiful little girl CHEESE! Swinging with Oma Now Swinging with Papa Fun Skyping with Aunt Lynsey