In loving memory.....

Seven years ago today, my mom passed away. This post is to remember and honor her. She is buried in St Petersburg so I wasn't able to go visit her today, but I thought of her often.

My mom, Kristy and me

Here we are again

Bad quality pic, but this is my mom and Avery when she was sick.

As most of you already know, my mom passed away from ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. This disease took her life at the age of 49. It was really diffcult to see the strong person I knew grow weak before my eyes and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. No one knows how you get the disease and there is no cure...and it is terminal. This disease is progressive and kills the muscles in your body slowly, eventually leading to full paralysis. My mom lost her ability to talk, swallow, eat, walk, and move any part of her body. ALS took everything, but not her spirit. Even though she was physically weak, she kept hope and showed more strength than I've ever seen anyone portray. Today, I want to honor her. She will always be my inspiration and I miss her so much. I love you mom.

Ethan...Happy Birthday big boy!!

I can't believe Ethan is 6!!! Above are some of my favorite pics of him throughout the years. Ty looks so similar to him don't you think? From birth, Ethan has always been a really easy going, caring child. He has a sweet spirit and kind heart and I couldn't be prouder. Below are some of his b-day pics. He had a little party at his school with cupcakes and candles and then got his presents from us at home. He got a fish that he named"rock" and a telescope. We had his favorite dinner (spaghetti and meatballs) and then made "everything but the kitchen sink" sundaes.

Happy Birthday to our very special boy.....Thanks for being you and bringing us so much joy. We love you very, very much sweetie!!!

Happy Birthday to Ty Ty!!!!

What happened?!?!?! Where did my baby go?!

Here he is enjoying some birthday cake!

Ty, we love you sooo much! Happy Birthday to our very special, cuddly, funny, sweet and adorable Ty Ty!!

At the Haircutters....again

So I documented Ty's 1st haircut, and now I'm doing it for Julianna. This time around at the haircutter's, Ty didn't have fun...at all. In fact, he hated the whole experience and cried the entire time (as you can see). Julianna on the other hand, was treated like a queen. She ate lollipop after lollipop, watched a movie, and made demands to the non-english speaking hairdresser the whole time ("I want another lollipop", "I want the pink balloon", "I want orange rubber bands"...) Thankfully, the girl was nice and tried to accomodate Jules as best as she could. And yes, stupidly I went back and spent another chunk of money we don't have. I really am just too scared to cut their hair! At least it turned out cute.

Our Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was really fun this year. Growing up, my mom always would celebrate each holiday with a little gift basket (that always included a stuffed animal) for Kristy and me. I want to keep that tradition alive for my kids. They were really excited to get their baskets and played with them all morning. Ty did get a stuffed animal...next year he'll get a basket don't worry! We had a pancake breakfast and then went to their favorite park in Surfside. I wanted to do something special for Avery so I decided to have a romantic dinner on the patio after the kids went to bed. So after a lot of thought, I came up with a special menu. The 1st course was lamb chops because we both LOVE them. I asked Avery to grill them for a couple minutes on each side. He looked at me weird and was like "Are you SURE you want me to grill them?" I said, "Yeah it will be fine" ....here's the thing; we have an "illegal" grill on our patio that I snuck up last Father's Day and I swear this thing knows it's not supposed to be on our property because basically every time we grill on it, it burns the food. So as I was finishing up making our main course, Avery rushes in with a plate of charred (and I mean charred) lamb chops and says the grill was flaming up so high he was seriously getting nervous. Oh well...we got a couple good bites in. The main course was seriously good though. You all know I love to cook and I was proud of this one. I made spaghetti and clam sauce. Real clams in the shells and all. I made garlic bread smothered in smashed garlic, herbs, and a stick of butter too. Growing up, my grandfather and I used to both love spaghetti and clams. We would go to a little hole-in-the wall, Italian kitchen to get it. Anyways, Avery loved it. For dessert, I made chocolate mousse. We ate with rose pedals and little candles all around. It was an awesome dinner.

Hi everyone! It's been a while so I want to fill you in on the latest. We have been pretty busy lately. Julianna is officially pooping in the potty and flushes it down to poopy world. Pretty funny right?! She is showing a lot more interest in letters and finds letters around the house and says "Here is a 'd' for daddy!" She knows o,t,s,e,a,x,m,j, and d. She has names for her babies and calls the big baby the "daddy" baby, and the has a couple of "medium" babies. Ethan is doing well. He is thriving in school and is reading books at a 2nd grade level now. I am trying to work on my schedule so I can help out in his classroom once a week. He LOVES school and it makes me very happy. His 100th day of school is approaching and he is very excited. Ty ty is great. My little lover. He loves snuggling up to me and I am just eating it up. He loves cell phones and remotes and gets really mad when they are taken. Every single solitary thing he comes across goes in his mouth, so as you can imagine it's been a little busy in our house. It's fun to see how things are coming together in his brain. Today he saw something under the couch and wanted it so he layed down on the carpet and stuck his arm as far under the couch as he could while he had his neck cocked to the side. It was so cute how he figured out how to get the toy. Soon he will be in a helmet to correct his crooked head shape. I wish I had known how important tummy time really was (you think I would by my 3rd kid!). He will be going to physical therapy once a week to help his neck mobility. At least these problems can be resolved now you know? I anticipate a great year for us. Some of my goals are to do more science and cooking with the kids, less tv (thanks Liz for the NO TV DAY idea; I'm going to implement that in my house once a week), and I want to volunteer at the Broward Children's Hospital once a month. They are in desperate need of help for people who will do kid's activities. Last year I was going to volunteer and it never happened...this year I don't want the opportunity to pass me by. I'm also thinking of starting a "Playgroup in the Park". I want to lead different educational, thematic based lessons that incorporate reading, play, science, math, music, and gross motor activities for the toddler/preschool age children. I would charge a small fee for an hour. The parents/nannies would have to be present, but could get a break for an hour. Who knows? I'm working on seeing if this would be feasible. Once again I had this idea last year and didn't follow through. It looks like that is something I need to work on! I could make a little extra money for the fam too! Avery is doing great! His schedule for the past month has been 5-about 10/11/or 12 and he is usually home by lunch. Can you believe it ?!?! It has been the best rotation BY FAR. He has also gotten to "get back in the gym" a little (our small condo workout facility :) but still he is physically feeling better. He has been amazing with helping with the kids too. Thanks Hun! You definitely deserve it!!!! Hope you enjoyed the update!

Merry Christmas!!

On x-mas eve we spent the afternoon with my grandma and grandpa and uncle bill and in the evening with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandma. We had our traditional cuban dinner with the pig roasted in the pit, black beans and rice, yucca, and plantains. Christmas day, we opened presents, made cookies, and had a traditional italian meal with meatballs and stuffed shells with Kristy and Paul. Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family!! Hope you had a great day. Enjoy our pics!!

Our family vacation

We had a bunch of fun on our 4 day vacation to Orlando. The 1st day we went to the Magic Kingdom, 2nd day Animal Kingdom, 3rd day back to the Magic Kingdom with the Goths, and 4th day to Universal's Islands of Adventure. Ethan had absolutely NO fear and rode Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, the Mt Everest ride, and Spiderman. He wanted to go on the Hulk sooo bad but wasn't tall enough. He watched Daddy go instead. The weather was great and it really was a "magical" time to go. We got to see a x-mas show and cool parades. Islands of Adventure was so cool. They had a Dr. Suess area that was awesome!!! I also got to ride the Dueling Dragons roller coaster. I could go on and on, but we really did have a fun time.

Tyler's 1st haircut

Yeah, I got ripped off....$19.90 for a stinking baby's haircut, but it was worth it to see him in the little race car chair with the cape on. He LOVED it!!

Happy Hanukkah!!

Happy Hanukkah to everyone!! What a special night. Thanks to all of our friends for coming to our house to celebrate. Thanks for contributing to the Pajama Program too. This year, 237 pairs of pajamas, 144 books, and $400 were raised!!!

Bye Bye Pacifier!

It's official...no more pacifier or diapers! We threw julianna a "paci" party and gave her a cake and balloons and everything. She threw a diaper and her pacifiers in the trash and we made up ridiculous songs about pacifiers as we wished them away. She ate it up and then screamed when bedtime rolled around...

Thanksgiving 2008

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Palm Beach Gardens this year at my Uncle Billy and Aunt Paula's house. My grandma was there (you can see her getting ready for dinner as she is putting her "bib" on), my aunt and uncle, cousins Anthony and Michael, and us. It was a blast and the food was great as usual. We rode bikes after dinner and roasted marshmellows. Anytime I go to their house, it brings me back to my childhood; memories of playing hide and go seek, "spying" on the adults, our "cousin conferences" where we would map out how to spy on everyone, and playing basketball. I hope my kids can make memories of their own in that house too.

Halloween

Ethan as the Hulk

Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street

My little sock monkey

Sorry guys!!

Ok, ok, I know it's been a while. I am the worst!! I have been slacking so bad!!! I knew when I first signed up for the blog that I would probably be really bad at it and I was right!! So anyways, everything's been pretty crazy lately. Avery's been on a trauma rotation where he is on call every 3rd night. He was on CNN.com and on the local news and has seen a lot of crazy things these past couple of months. Ethan is thriving in school and in martial arts and got student of the month at both schools in nov. He is learning how to ride a bike without training wheels too. Julianna is still potty training and it's going....ok? Let's just say i've been cleaning up a lot of poop! She loves art though and is coloring in the lines and cutting so well. Ty just got a haircut yesterday and was such a riot at the haircut place. He got to sit in a car and had a cape on and couldn't stop moving around and smiling. He got his hair gelled up into a mohawk and then to the side and he looked soooooo darn cute I couldn't stand it! I am in crazy mode because in a couple of days, we are going to DISNEY WORLD!!!! We got a really good deal and alot of free stuff, but have to go to a 2 hr timeshare presentation. Hey, it's worth it. It's going to be a suprise so I can't wait to see the kids reactions. Ok, I'll post pictures after Christmas..I promise!!

Avery's comment

As you all know Avery works like a dog and hasn't had a lot of free time (especially to work out). He has just reassured me that "The new in is: all fat, no muscle." He had some funny poses to go along with this comment as well. Funny hun.

Ethan's comment

Ethan is really picking up on a lot lately. Avery was covering the pager for the hospital last month and was on the phone returning pages a lot. The other day Ethan went into my drawer and got out my old phone. He puts it up to his ear and goes, "This is doctor Goldberg returning a page..." Avery was so proud!

Cute Kid Pics

Ty during Shabbot dinner. Here he is wearing a pink bib (sorry Ty). His newest thing is he loves to hold his baby spoons. He holds onto them for dear life and DOES NOT like to get them taken away.

Ethan's latest martial arts pic, learning how to defend himself.

Ethan does something called sparring as part of his martial arts curriculum. He is all decked out in his gear.

Isn't this just great? Lately Jewels has loved art. On this day I suggested we paint (great idea huh!) That seat is now permanently stained. Thank goodness the color came off of the table though! If you think this is bad, she likes sneaking into Ethan's art box and getting out pencils, pens, crayons, you name it and running around the house "writing" on EVERYTHING. Once I pick up on it, she squeals and goes crazy with her writing utensil till it's confiscated. Isn't 2 just a lovely age?

Can they get any cuter!?!?

My Birthday Pics

My Banana Cream cheesecake. So good.

Cheesecake Factory with the girls. What a fun night!!! I love my friends and family!!!

Uncle Bill was so nice to take me out for a B-day lunch. He took me to one of my favorite places in Miami called Books and Books. We had lunch there and then went to his house where he suprised me with a homemade cake. Uncle Bill, it was delicious and thank you so much for your efforts. You're an awesome uncle!!!! Here they are playing cards.

Jewels in the bounce house at Jungle Island.

Ethan and Julianna with a couple of alligators.

Ethan and Ari with a parrot.

Ari came to Jungle Island with us and had absolutely no fear when it came to touching animals. Here he is trying to rip off the head of an iguana. This was his second attempt.

Daddy and Ty at Jungle Island on my b-day.

Here we are after church on my b-day with our great friends Vern and Chad.

Bunny and Ethan creating a "shark" with nature items found at the park.

Rosh Hashana family dinner

This past Monday we celebrated the Jewish New Year at auntie Susie and uncle Jason's house. The kids love going over there and have fun chasing the dog, playing the piano, and of course eating. Notice Ty trying to crawl :)

Our fun beach weekend

What a fun weekend with great friends and family. On Sat. we went to the beach for a family picnic and pirate treasure hunt with the Swartzlander's. We took some family pictures and had fried chicken and dug in the sand for treasure in the dark (sorry kids the time snuck up on us) but had a blast. Ty and I (Kim) whooped Avery and Trista's butt in the card game hand and foot which definitely made my night :) On Sun. we went to Deerfield beach with Robin and Ari and then had dinner at Harry and Deb's. TJ was in town and we had a brunch and a birthday cake for him. TJ is Robin's dad (Robin is my sister-in-law). We miss him a whole lot because he is a riot and awesome with our kids. He makes us laugh and is just one of those people who you can't get enough of.

Ty and Jewels: new milestones

Julianna is such a darn trip. She is talking so much and saying the silliest little things. She loves the one on one time she is getting from Ethan being in school. Her favorite is the park where she always wants me to chase her and screams nanny-nanny boo-boo. (sorry about the spelling?) She is potty training and prances around in her big girl underwear all day. Her hobbies include drawing, playing with her babies, anything Elmo, and of course eating. She is such pig! Ty is my sweet little saving grace. He is so precious and always wants to be held. He now has 2 teeth that just came through on the bottom and is eating rice cereal. He likes the park and can go in the swing finally. His newest little trick is clapping. When we say "yeah" and clap, he copies. He really is a mellow baby and for the most part sleeps through the night. I love his bright blue eyes and huge smile, he is so beautiful.

1st day of Kindergarten!!!

Wow! The day had finally come to let our little guy go. I can't believe he is a kindergartner. He was so brave and Avery and I were so proud. I basically had to drag Avery out of the classroom the poor guy was so sad. Ethan has now gotten used to school and has a group of friends he talks about nonstop. He has informed me that "you can't play with girls" and that the cafeteria lady is "very mean and mad at everyone". He is so cool.

martial arts

Ethan has been taking Kung Fu classes now for about 6 months. He has his orange belt and is graduating to his camo belt in Sept. He is part of the Leadership Program which means he gets to use weapons (like the staff and sword)and learn Chinese acrobatics (aka gymnastics). He also learns self defense moves and different punching and kicking combinations. He is sooooo strong, it's amazing. He can almost do a full split too!! Ethan's latest movie obsession is now Kung Fu Panda.

At the beach and 4th of July parade

Summer Fun