Nothing. Absolutely Nothing.

I don't have anything funny, witty, precocious, or amusing to post today. Nothing. My boys were impossible today- all three of them. The baby kvetched the entire day nor did he nurse well which leads me to believe something is a brewin and that stresses me because though he is sleeping at the moment, I'll probably be seeing him again soon........
Aryeh Leib, of course, tripped and fell on his head like 30 times and on top of that was a royal nudnik and insighted Yitzchok Zevi. YZ took that as an invitation to hit, kick, pinch, push, etc. ALL DAY LONG. The only thing they did that would be blog worthy was so disgusting, I'm not interested in recording it for posterity on the www.

Whew- ok- that was therapeutic.

On a lighter note, here's a pic of Aryeh Leib bearing an uncanny resemblance to.............(Answer TBA in my next blog- any guesses are welcome)

Also, many thanks to Shelley Goldman for sending us the most unique serving piece I've EVER seen...........

Its a high heal! What's even cooler is that the heal is magnetic so it can be removed for cleaning.

Looking forward to posting lots of fun and positive things about my brood tomorrow but for now.......I'm going to bed. Let this day be over!

Good night to all and to all good night.

A little helper who thinks he's big......

I need to get some new lines. Mine are overused, apparently. Today I asked Yitzchok Zevi to clean up a toy. He then turned to Aryeh Leib and said, "Aryeh Leibi, lets see how quickly you can clean this up!"
Earlier today I had to punish Aryeh Leib. I did the unthinkable- I took away treats for the WHOLE morning. (For those who know AL, this really is a powerful punishment!) Aryeh Leib moaned, "Not do it again!!!" Yitzchok Zevi responded, "Lubi, this punishment will help you remember not to do it again next time."
Thanks for your help, YZ.
At least I know that something is penetrating......

After I took this picture, I turned around for a second to put down my camera. (Always a no no- even with the MOST responsible of 4 year olds.......or so I learned.) I turned back around to find Yitzchok Zevi supporting a STANDING Yisroel Meir!!!! Once I took my heart out of the throat I calmly explained to my big helper that 3 month olds are not meant to stand- specifically while being supported by their 4 year old brothers.....eek!

Ear Infections all around

I'm a tired Mommy. I spent much of the night awake- not just with my baby- but with my bechor as well! At about 1AM I hear a moan from the boy's room. "Mommy, I have an ear infection. I need medecine...." (I Didn't even have to pay for 4 years of Med school and the kid knows how to diagnoss........). By morning Yitzchok Zevi asserted that a Doctor's visit was most definitely in order. I asserted that a nap was most definitely in order. After I got my nap (Thanks to darling Husband), Yitzchok Zevi got his Doctor's visit. Lo and behold, he's got an ear infection. Again I get my validating and relieving (my kid's not stam a kvetch) confirmation and out we go- medecine hand. Having watched me administer drugs to Yisroel Meir for the past 2 weeks (long may those days be gone- poo poo), Yitzchok Zevi was quite excited to have medecine of his own. Thats when Aryeh Leib started flipping out. Not interested in being the odd man out, he insisted on having medecine as well. Try reasoning with a 2 year old that medecine is only for sick people - tis an exersize in futility. So, I did what I have to say may earn me the "creative mommy of the year" title. I took soy milk, added 1/8 packet of strawberry jello and viola! Aryeh Leib now has his very own pseudo-moxy-pen-placebo! All of my boys are feeling better already...........

Just a recap of our first day of Chol HaMoed........
Yisroel Meir took a nap in the afternoon. (and drooled all over my bed- ugh)

So, the rest of us played OLD MAID.





P-A-R-T-Y! A good time was had by all. Moadim L'simcha!

Yontif is a commin

There's no way that I superimposed my own feelings about what the boys must have wanted for a Yontif present....................

As for my present, I got myself a great new cookbook called "Enlightened Kosher cooking". I'm quite excited about it. I thought it the most appropriate purchase as I am definitely starting my diet tomorrow. My Yontif food prep has quickly gone from easy and simple to patchka city. Any recipe that requires the use of SIX bowls and TWO pots is just plain wrong! I already bombed my first recipe- at least from a presentation perspective. As far as taste goes, I don't know if you can mess up something that has ingredients like veggies, mayo, mustand, chicken soup mix, etc. but my "Tri Color Terraine" would be more aptly dubbed "veggie mush". I think this is a kapara for the time when complemented on my cooking I responded, "What's so complicated about cooking? Its just a matter of being able to follow instructions."
Thats Hashem's way of saying, "Mu ha ha ha ha!"
I'll spare y'all the picture of my little fashla........

Tales of the tzafloigen

"Aryeh Leibi don't run!!!!.............oy (grimace)..........You ok?"

My poor Aryeh Leib is a tzafloigena.

He is named after his Abba's Saba about whom it is said that he could walk through mud and his shoes would remain clean. Though I never met Jason's Saba, from what I understand he was a very genteel and special man with a big heart. My Aryeh Leibi has a huge heart and a good and genteel sole but if he would walk in mud, not only would his shoes get dirty but so would his socks, his pants, his shirt, his hair, and me!



He's delicious...............and he is an accident waiting to happen!



Last week the boys were jumping back and forth between the couches. Jason warned them to stop since inevitably someone was going to get hurt. (Translation: Yitzchok Zevi, the Monkey, will leap into the air and land gracefully on the other couch while Aryeh Leib will likely fall on his head.) They weren't in the mood to listen (as often they aren't) so they continued their bouncing. Jason called out, "Boys, DO NOT do it again!" Aryeh Leib looked at Jason (note- and not in the direction of the couch he was jumping towards) and said, "Not do it ag-" (plonk, spin, thud) (grimace) Aryeh Leib.........you ok?

Today we were sitting together on a ledge.........Aryeh Leib ended up in the flower bed behind us.

We went out for Pizza to welcome Bain Hazmanim (who-hoo we LOVE bain hazmanim!). Jason draped his jacket over the back of Aryeh Leib's chair. We discovered at the end of the meal that Aryeh Leibi had been using Jason's jacket as a napkin..........oops.

He marches to the beat of his own drummer and that's what makes him so so yummy. The other day he walked out of his room wearing this hat. "Aryeh Leibi, you wearing that hat to gan?" I asked. "Yup," he responded. And he did! Whatever floats your boat, Lubi dubi.








He almost flipped off this couch when I was taking these pictures!

Ear Infections

I'm sorry to report that Yisroel Meir has a really bad ear infection. The truth is that I'm happy to have something to report. No one likes a baby who's stam kvetchy- especially an exhausted and harried mommy. "Really bad" are actually the words of the Doctor himself! I thought that was rather exciting and validating. "Really bad?" I asked him. "Yes, really bad," he replied. Mind you, I have no idea what a really bad ear infection means. I cant say that if shown a picture I'd be able to identify a really infected ear from a healthy one. What I DO know is that I get to give my child antibiotics instead of "waiting it out" while the poor kid (and the rest of the family for that matter) continues to suffer. That, I have to say, is downright encouraging. After 2 doses of antibiotics he's already acting like himself. There is a light at the end of this tunnel of kvetch! (We hope.....)
In the meantime, Yirsoel Meirla, we wish you a refuah shelaima and sweet (loooong) dreams.

Aryeh Leib v'Chani- Zug

As parents, all we can do is expose our children to ideals and values that are concurrent with our own. We can shelter them and protect them, we can teach them and inspire them. But at the end of the day, it is they alone who chart the course of their own lives. We chose to raise our family in Beitar - "Ir haTorah b'harei Yehuda"- The city of Torah in the Judean mountains. It is an insular community where there is almost total separation between the genders - even on the busses! (right, Ma? :) ) Controversial though this notion is, we feel that it is this type of environment where we can best foster a love for the lifestyle that we have chosen.

And here, in the heart of Beitar, Aryeh Leib has found himself a girlfriend! What can I do? I suppose its my own fault. I do send him to a co-ed gan. And, since I am good friends with her Mommy, they do spend a lot of time together. (and they are so cute when they give each other kisses!)
They really love each other. Aryeh Leib makes sure that Chani Huvi has the best toys and always runs to get her water bottle as he is getting his own. (What can I say, I train my boys well.)

Despite all of this, we could have continued to live in denial just believing that they were "good friends". Then Lubi's ganenet sent home a note. She's a very devout chassidishe Lady (who just moved to Beitar from Nachala u'Menucha, for those who understand what that means!) who wrote, "Aryeh Leib v'Chani- Zug". Aryeh Leib and Chani are a couple!

Yup, there's NO denying it anymore! A couple they most certainly are.

The truth is, I won't mind if they do get married one day . She comes from a good family and I already know that her mother has great taste in friends!

My gang

My 3 boys hanging out together..........sort of.
The boys decided that YM's head looks too much like a bowling ball. Poor little guy is having a rough time growing that hair! I reminded my big boys that they too spent time looking like Mr. Clean. Yitzchok Zevi suggested that Yisroel Meir wear a bandana to protect his exposed scalp. The boys decided to show solidarity with those who are folicly challenged and they too donned bandanas. (where's Zaidy in this pic?) Then they started yanking the bandanas off each others heads- and that was the end of that!

A picture tribute to YM

I feel like Yisroel Meir is getting a raw deal. His cousin, 3 weeks his junior is the star of his own blog. Then you have poor YM who, lets face it, is kind of a dud compared to his wild and crazy brothers, receives but a mention once in a while. The "Pluto" of the Svei boys, if you will.
So, I've decided to devote a post to Yisroel Meir. I don't have much to say about him since all he knows how to do is smile, giggle, spit up, poop, and cry (alot), but I can do a tribute in pictures. This way, at least you'll know who he is if you bump into his stroller in the street.
Here's to you, Yisroel Meir! Don't let all this publicity go to your head.

By the way, don't Yisroel Meir and Yitzchok Zevi look so much alike as babies?

Getting big

We've reached a milestone in the life of Yisroel Meir Svei. YM has started to giggle. Weighing in at 14.3 lbs, when he smiles, he kind of reminds me of Michelin Man. His big brothers derive imense pleasure in making him laugh. They get so insulted when all of a sudden he bursts into tears. "How would you feel," I ask them, "if you had 2 people who are twice your size yelling in your face........at once?"Every once in a while Yisroel Meir will comply and give one of the boys a meak smile. C'mon YM, you are not making this "integration into the family" thingy easy! If your big brothers don't like you, thats NOT a good thing! For the most part, the big boys have been good sports. Yitzchok Zevi likes to call him "Baybala" and, as I mentioned below, AL's name of choice is "solamaya". In addition, we just got YM a personal entertainment system (otherwise known as a Graco swing). ALL parties concerned are VERY satisfied :).

A funny YZ and AL exchange..........
We have a park right outside of our apartment. They boys often stand at the window trying to identify park goers. On shabbos Aryeh Leibi thought he saw his ganenet and called, "Mowa giti!" Yitchok Zevi stopped him and said, "No, Lubi, she doesn't understand anglit. You have to say it in Hebrew! Like this, (perfect sabra accent) "Morah Giti.....""

And who says that i'm stunting my boys english by sending them to a Hebrew speaking gan? This morning I was having difficulty putting on AL's shorts. Frustrated, I said, "Aryeh Leibi, why does this have to be so complicated?" And he responded.......
"Yeah, Its impossible!"

Today Aryeh Leibi had a really sore tushey so I decided to let him go without a diaper for a bit. You know, to air out. He ate his ENTIRE dinner without having an accident. I started getting a little proud already planning the kind of underwear I'd buy him. With a whistful look I envisioned two boys making on the potty, wearing tzitzis.......when did they get so big?..........." Suddenly my reverie was interupted with a call from Yitzchok Zevi, "Mommy, Lubi pished on the carpet." Oh well.

Hey, what about me???

Hi all. This time I had a REALLY good excuse for not blogging.........
Now I'm faced with a dilema- do I change the name of my blog to accomidate the newest (and most vocal) twerp? Yitzchok Zevi and Aryeh Leib would most certainly vote yes as they LOVE the baby SO much..........so much that they perpetually have their sticky bacteria ridden fingers all over him. My favorite is when Ayreh Leib gives the baby a big kiss and leaves a pool of slobber on his head. But thats ok because the baby (Yisroel Meir for those who haven't heard) does his fair share of sliming. Ah.....the wonderful world of spit-up. We've put away the dry clean only clothes with no expectations to wear them any time in the next 9 months. Bystanders look at the puddle on the floor and search for some kind of an encouraging comment. Most say something like, "At least it'll end by the time he's 3 months old." 3 months old? HA! My kids dont stop at 3 months! just keep spitting and spitting. There is NO light at the end of the tunnel and NO end in sight. They are WALKING and still spitting up. When the Doctor says that its time to start solids, all I can think is- great, colorful spitup.
Seriously, we are all enjoying Yisroel Meir- especially the boys. And they are so gentle with him! I'm very pleasantly surprised as I thought I was going to have to hang him from the ceiling.
It didn't take too long before "Sol Maiya" (That's Aryeh Leib's version of Yisroel Meir) became part of the gang. And I'm sure it won't take too long before he starts making trouble with them.
Two exciting pieces of news- First, Yitzchok Zevi got his first REAL bike. He'll tell you all about it. He'll tell you all about it again the next time you speak to him. Second, Yitzchok Zevi and Aryeh Leib now sleep in a bunk bed. AL was HORRIFIED when I took apart his crib but has B"H recovered.
Here are some pictures that we took over bain hazmanim. Yes, I am one of those mothers who likes to dress her kids alike :)
Thats all for now, folks. Have a great Shabbos!

By the way, Isn't that picture of Jason walking with the boys just begging to be on the cover of Mishpacha Magazine???

Hi Everybody.......Remember us?

I've started to get some negative vibes from all of the "Yitzchok Zevi and Aryeh Leib" blog fans. Ok, maybe vibes isn't the right word. Perhaps a more accurate phrase would be "overt expressions of dissatisfaction and annoyance". My - now critics- assert that my blog has been painfully neglected.

Though I offer my sincerest of apologies, I cannot proclaim this entry the heralding of a new chapter in blog entry frequency nor can I claim to be turning over a new leaf in my blog-behavior. I ALWAYS have the BEST of intensions but at this juncture, with the expecting of a new baby in (IY"H) less than 3 weeks (from this blog to G-d's ears!!!!); even I have to stop being delusional concerning unrealistic expectations. With that said, I continue to kvell/kvetch about my boychickels but- no promises as to the frequency, ok?

Some very funny Yitzchok Zevi-isms from the past month (or so) that deserve mention:

One Shabbos, I change Aryeh Leib's diaper in anticipation of "men's afternoon out" (aka: mommy needs a Shabbos nap so Abba gets to take the boys to the park). Two minutes later, Jason brings AL to me holding his nose. "Not again!" I exclaim. I decide to check Aryeh Leib's diaper before stripping the kid completely- just in case. Wadayaknow, it's clean! I turn to YZ and say, "Yitzchok Zevi, tell Abba that it's in his head!" Yitzchok Zevi ponders for a moment and then says to Jason, albeit a bit warily, "Abba, Mommy says that you have poopies in your head."

Another one.....

Grandma is coming to visit soon and YZ has requested that she bring him glue sticks. Grandma told YZ that she plans to bring SIX of them. Excitedly, Yitzchok Zevi turns to his little bro and says, "Did you hear that, Aryeh Leibi???? Grandma is bringing me SIX glue sticks! That way, in case one of them chas v'shalom runs out, I have more!"

Yitzchok Zevi has proven himself to be a real MAN- totally uncommunicative. Every day, I ask him what he did in Chaider and receive in return, every day, the same response: "projects". "What kind of projects?" I ask in earnest. "I don't know- just projects." Well, I've accepted my fate as mommy without a clue and look forward in anticipation to when Aryeh Leib will begin chaider. Then I'll finally know what happens in the place! ...........or not. Last week as Aryeh Leib and I walked back from gan together, I asked him, "So Aryeh Leibi, what did you do in gan today?!" And AL, not yet 2, not quite speaking coherently or in complete sentences, turned to me and said, "poducts".

Here are some recent pics of my little munchkins. Talkative though they aren't, we still have a great time together!

(edit: blogger is not letting me upload pics.......I'll have to try again another time..........harumph)

Purim In Beitar

Today was our first Purim in Eretz Yisroel. As I post this blog our Purim has ended (my husband is passed out on the couch) and Shushan Purim, the holiday that we've been celebrating until now, has begun in Yerushalayim. I have to say that Purim out in Beitar Illit is somewhat more subdued than A Jerusalem Purim. In Har Nof there was blaring music and roaring fireworks until the wee hours of the morning. In Beitar, all you could hear was the sorry echo of a lone party snapper. I can't say that this disappoints me. Not much of a party animal, I enjoyed being able to walk through the streets without having to dodge trigger happy 10 year olds and their cap guns. What are those parents thinking????? I celebrated my purim with my little apple and carrot and their Abba. Of course, I can't imagine that Yitzchok Zevi will remain too sheltered for much longer. I saw him eyeing those police man costumes at our Purim Seuda today. What makes me think he is not going to be interested in being a Bananna next year? This is a picture of Jason trying to convince Yitzchok Zevi that Haman was a tzadik. Hope you enjoyed that wine, Jay!

double trouble

My kids are crazy. I am beginning to sound like a broken record. This is all I have to report- post after post. But, the honest truth is, they are forever finding more creative ways to make trouble. I can't fault them- they are curious kids. I like to think its an indication of extraordinary intellegence. They should use it for good things!! Right now, getting into my things is especially exciting for them since I have lots of stuff in boxes. Every box is a new adventure. Today's adventure involved a box of toiletries. I won't go into too much detail but but just as an example- they discovered that corn cushions make really fun puffy stickers. I keep warning them that they'd better get in all of their fun now because as soon as we get into our apartment the party is over. There will be locks on EVERY cabnit, EVERY appliance, EVERY door, and EVERY chair will be NAILED to the floor. Ok, I'm exagerating a bit about the chair nailing but anything that has a door with be YZ and AL proof. My house will NOT be a free-for-all!!!! Ha! (Whatever. We'll just have to wait and see who gets the last laugh. Why do I have this funny feeling it aint gunna be me?)

We Win!

We have hundreds of picture cards of different animals, objects, vehicals, etc. The kids enjoy looking at and identifying the pictures and I am happy that Yitzchok Zevi is practicing his english vocabulary.

The other day Jason was flipping through the pictures and we were quite impressed by what Yitzchok Zevi was able to identify. He recognized a rhino, a hippo, kangaroo, a frying pan, etc.

Then Jason pointed to a picture TV.

"What's this, Yitzchok Zevi?"

"An Oven."


We win!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the wild and crazy adventures of YZ and AL! Yitzchok Zevi and Aryeh Leib are 2 months older, 2 months wiser, and 2 months more experienced at making trouble. We took a little break (ok, a big break) because of technical difficulties but now we have a wonderful new camera (Thanks, Grandma!) and are most definitely camera happy................is it any indication that I've used up all the space on my memory card TWICE and I only got the camera yesterday?
The big news is that we got the keys to our apartment and at this point await the arrival of our lift so that we can move in! Thank you again to Grandma, Bubby, and Zaidy for all of your help with the lift. As Yitzchok Zevi told one of my friends, "Now we are wenting on Ben Zakai" but soon we will be in our very own apartment in Givah B!
Aryeh Leib is starting to say more words though he doesn't need words at all to make himself VERY WELL understood. Yitzchok Zevi is as funny and witty as ever.

A YZ quip:

"Mommy, there are kinderlach in my chaider that eat chocolate for lunch. Thats not baree (healthy) at all. I eat Peanut Butter."

"Is Peanut Butter healthy, YZ?"

"Yep and if you put peanut butter with the chocolate, that will be healthy too!"

Aryeh Leiby Baby

I have to get it out of my head that Aryeh Leib is a baby. He's not. He is a full fledged trouble maker and monkey. I assume that he cant do things like climb out of his crib or onto the table- but he really can! I don't give the kid enough credit. He is really and truely capable of reeking havoc all by his lonesome! I've already accepted the fact that Yitzchok Zevi has mistaken our book shelves for a jungle gym. I didn't realize until yesterday that Aryeh Leib can do the same. I was davening mincha in the corner by the book shelf. Suddenly Aryeh Leib was next to me AT EYE LEVEL!!!!!!!! Its a good thing I cover my hair- it'll hide all the grey that I'm going to get soon.

Makas Choshech

Great new way to meet the neighbors! Just have your 3 yr old turn off your fuse box in the middle of Yontif.

I asked him what posessed him. He said that he likes the "snapping" sound. I pointed out to him that the contents of our freezer were going to defrost. He told me not to worry- that he would turn it back on after Yontif. My little Tzadik.

Thank G-d for those nice neighbors who lent us lots of freezer space.

Partners in Crime

I think I'm going to just concede defeat right now. I am outnumbered and am CLEARLY the underdog here. Each of my boys has alot of ........... energy but when they pool their resources, they are crazy!!!!

Yesterday morning I put my head down on the couch for TEN minutes. See, I was a bit tired since theyd woken up at 4:00 AM that morning. In that TEN minutes, they managed to open up a bag of chocolate chips, 3 packages of tissues, a tub of chumus, and cottage cheese. They proceded to dump all of these items on the floor. Yitzchok Zevi tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Look, Mommy, we are makin a chocolate cake for shabbos!"

This morning they both disappeared to the back of the apartment. I decided to give them a little space and waited a few minutes to follow. Apparently it only takes five minutes to turn 6 towers of neatly piled empty boxes (waiting to be used G-d willing soon..........) into a sea of box. In addition, Aryeh Leib was delighted to learn that when you overturn a box filled with stuff, the contents spill out everywhere. Yitzchok Zevi was the one who enlightened him to this reality. Unfortunately for them, they both learned that doing this makes mommy REALLY MAD.

I'm going to sleep.

We Moved!

So I finally found that cord that I use to transfer pics from my digital..........who says that moving organizes you? Anyhoo, we are back and while there are no promises for a blog every day, we will try to be a little more consistent.

Welcome to Beitar- "Ir haTorah b'harei Yehuda"! A Torah city in the Judean Mountains. It is so unbelievably beautiful here. There is nothing that I can say that could do justice to the beauty. Have no fear though- I'll post pleanty of pics. Beitar is an oasis of green surrounded by red desert mountain. There's one strip that I pass where I am forced to comment on the beauty each and every time. Y'all will just have to come visit us and experience it for yourselves.

Thank G-d, I must say that our adjustment has been quite smooth. Yitzchok Zevi is enjoying cheder though he asks me daily when he'll have his Rebbe. I don't have the heart to tell him that he won't have a Rebbe for another 2 years! For now he'll have to be satisfied with Mowa (Morah) Tami and Mowa Chaya.

Jason is thrilled with his kollel. He really appreciates being able to learn locally after having travelled all the way to the old city for a zman. He always said that he wanted to find somewhere at the end of the earth to just sit and learn in peace. He found it. His kollel is at the very tip of Beitar. If you go any farther you literally fall off the mountain. All he can see from the bais medrish is desert!

My boys and I are, of course, getting to know all of the parks (sand parks- ugh) and any other place we can find to get really dirty. We have a good time. Here are pics of us getting- surprise- very messy!

Note: Aryeh Leib got a hair cut since my last blog..................I had mentioned to Jason in passing that I wanted to get AL's hair cut. I MEANT a trim. He decided to surprise me and surprise me he did! What you see in the pics is 4 weeks POST hair cut. He looks like he could join his big brother in cheder!