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July 20 - Happy Birthday Adi and Aron! We can't believe they are 4 year old. On the one hand, the time has flown by and on the other hand - I feel like I have aged 10 years J.

Aron and Adi's birthday celebration started last month in gan because they had their birthday party with their friend Merav before the year ended. I was in charge of making a cake and bringing a present for all the kids in their class. I made a cake in the shape of an ice cream cone and Grams brought mini containers of Play-doh for the gift. Josh, Eliana and I came to celebrate and it was a wonderful party. The music teacher was there and all the kids danced and sang. The birthday kids got crowned and gave tzedakah (charity), lit candles and opened a gift. Each parent gave a blessing to their child and we lifted Merav, Adi and Aron up on a chair 4 times. Then everyone got a popsicle and the celebration ended. It was very special.

This past Shabbat, we celebrated Josh's birthday as well as Adi's and Aron's birthday with a Kiddush after the early minyan at shul. We baked sprinkle cookies, rice crispy treats, 24 cupcakes and number 4, "A" and "D" cookies. Aliza B made her oatmeal raisin cookies special for Josh and we bought bourekas. Many of our friends came to wish Josh, Adi & Aron a happy birthday and the food was a hit.

We bought 3 colorful helium balloons in honor of the birthdays and Eliana was in heaven. Before the kids got home from gan on Friday, she needed to hold all three balloons and was frustrated when one of them flew up to the ceiling. She is saying a couple of words now: "mama", "more" and "todah" (thank you). She also will say "uh-oh" when Alex (her elephant) drops out of her crib in the morning or she spills something. She watches and mimics whatever Aron and Adi is doing including climbing, jumping, dress-up, going down slides at the park (no matter how high) and giggling. She enjoys the night routine when we read books and say a prayer and will then read a book to Alex. She likes to hide under Adi's bed and has fun playing ball or peek-a-boo. She is a fire cracker and is always on the move.

Today the kids are at gan. Hopefully, Josh can come home a bit early so we can give Adi and Aron their gifts and we can enjoy watching them jam on a keyboard and microphone and scoot down the block on a scooter. Thanks to everyone who sent cards. They were happy to open a bunch of cards (some cake with stickers) this morning and put dinosaur stickers all over their shirts this morning.

Later this week, we hope to go out to dinner with some friends to continue the celebration of Josh's birthday.

With all the activities and delicious treats - the birthday people feel loved and special. Mission Accomplished!

May 11 - Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's that do so much for us. Everyone is used to the regular shedule again. Pesach was a lot of work and a great deal of fun. Bubbe came 2 weeks before the holiday and she was a huge help because preparing for the chag with 3 little ones isn't easy.

Pesach was really special. Adi and Aron participated beautifully at the sedar. They sang all their songs and we had jumping frogs and Unlce Matt was so funny. They said the 4 questions well and asked some of their own. We acted out leaving Egypt with matza on our backs and by 9:50 pm, the kids were ready to go to sleep. Then the adults continued afterwards and enjoyed each other's thoughts. I was really glad to have my parents and brother here for the every day stuff that Adi, Aron and Eliana do as well as being together for the holiday.

Josh was off 2 days during chol hamoed so we went on a hike one day and the other day we drove up to a kids place with water activities and climbing activities. It just was incredibly hot (it hit 100) so that was tough. But the kids enjoyed themselves!

After Pesach, we turned back the kitchen and then packed up and went down to Eilat for a couple of days. My Dad had never been down that south and my parents are celebrating their 40th anniversary so we wanted to do something special for them while we were all together. Eilat was very nice and you should check out the Eilat album (4 pages long) I put up on our MAC site: http://gallery.mac.com/jandpweisman#100226&bgcolor=black&view=grid&sel=0

It was really nice to get away and have a change of scenery. It is beautiful down there and on the way down we stopped at Mitzpe Ramon (Israel's Grand Canyon) which is pretty. You also see all the agriculture places that grow fruits and vegetables for the country.

In Eilat, we went on a boat ride and the kids loved playing in the pool. We got a babysitter after we tucked the kids in to their beds so we could enjoy a relaxing dinner. It was a treat not have to cook or clean up or think about dinner. The kids are very young so there isn't that much we can do with them but Josh and I were able to go snorkeling while the kids were playing with their beach toys with Uncle Matt, Bubbe and Zayde. The mask didn't fit around Matt's glasses so he couldn't go. Snorkeling in the coral reef is quite an opportunity to get close and personal with beautiful fish and coral.

We celebrated Yom Haatzmaut by going on a nice family tiyul with friends in the area and then we had a lovely bbq with 6 other families on our block. Adi and Aron are going on a small tiyul with their gan this week and they are going to a hill in Efrat to play music, meet soldiers and eat some snacks. They are excited about it since they get to ride a bus to get there.

The kids are amazing! Adi is still an active little girl and has many facial expressions and is dramatic. She can only run (not walk) and is an avid climber and jumper. She is always singing and likes to dance. She loves dressing up as a princess and likes to color. She is more in to dvds than Aron but they both enjoy a good Dora or Diego and have been introduced as well to Curious George and Clifford.

They both like helping in the kitchen and Aron still LOVEs to clean (his two favorite things are a vacuum cleaner and a construction truck).

Eliana is 17 months. She is a force to be reckoned with. She wants to do everything Adi and Aron do and isn't initmidated by her age or height. She is very cute! She likes to play with her baby and kitchen. She got her first pair of shoes before Pesach and says a few words but makes herself known by singing, dancing and screaming when she sees food she wants. She has a sweet tooth (So does Adi) and loves her older siblings. She likes to mimic everything and is taking one nap a day now.

March 28 - Winter is on its way out and I am ready. The two snow storms this season was very cool and the kids loved the snow and hot shoko. I could just be with out all the germs, runny noses and trip to the doctor because we share our sicknesses. Hopefully this last cycle will be the end and we can all be healthy!

The kids were very cute on Purim. Adi loved twirling in her pretty princess dress and definitely looked like royalty. Aron was ready to go to a construction site and start working and Eliana looked like she would fit in at the ER. Josh was quite sick over Purim with strep but we still packed it all in to the day and enjoyed seeing friends.

What's next? Pesach of course. Bubbe is arriving soon and Uncle Matt and Zayde come a couple of weeks later. We are all so excited!

Eliana is walking. She started taking steps in February but wasn't interested in giving up her crawling. She was speedie. But come the first week in March - she wanted to let her legs do the walking. She is very cute and is ready to go to gan. She brings her jacket to Josh in the morning when Adi and Aron are putting on their coats and she likes to wear their backpacks. She wants to be involved in everything we do and loves playing outside with the car and balls.

Aron likes to talk and has a lot to tell me when he gets home from gan. He likes to go in the backyard and play basketball and enjoys using scissors. He is aware of rules and schedules and his newest phrase is "aiyn zman" - there is not time. He is concerned that he is going to be late or we won't have enough time to accomplish what we need to. He also asks how people are feeling since we have all been sick. He is of the opinion that if you don't feel well - you should stay home and go to the doctor.

Adi isn't as concerned about structure and enjoys getting magic marker on herself. She aso likes basketball and catching a ball with you but knows there is a time to get her pillow and balnket and relax on the couch watching a video. She is favoring Curious George at the moment. She is still a drama queen and doesn't like a lot of noise but usually is singing and asks for music to be played.

I went back to work a couple days a week in March for a short project and that made things even more busy. We all made it work and Eliana was happy to hang out with Tal.

Jan 20 - The past few weeks have been tough since Adi, Aron and Eliana have been under the weather. They kept getting high temperatures, had a cough and viruses. Eliana was wheezing so we were introduced to a nebulizer which was not fun. Thank G-d, Adi and Aron are back at gan and we are hoping Eliana's ear infection clears up soon.

The past week the temperatures have been very cold and there was frost on the grass and cars. No snow yet.

The kids are great. Adi still has curly hair, is dramatic, always singing, jumping and full of personality. Cute story about Adi - The other morning Josh made the kids oatmeal for breakfast and he puts a bit of brown sugar in it to sweeten it (Bubbe's recipe). He gave the oatmeal to the kids and he left the kitchen for a couple of minutes. When he walked back in the room, Aron was eating his oatmeal and Adi was standing next to the kitchen counter. She had taken the step stool and was standing on it with the container of sugar in one hand and a teaspoon of sugar in the other. She had the teaspoon up to her mouth and noticed Josh had entered the room. She didn't miss a beat, smiled and said "I just want to smell it."

Aron has a lot of energy, likes to climb and is a thinker. He likes to color and use scissors and also likes to talk - give him a phone and he is ready to share. Aron still loves to clean. You will often find him with a broom in hand and he will finish his snack and get a cloth and his spray bottle and clean off the table. Aron notices detail and will often repeat back instructions we gave him the next day. He is a sweet kid and at times very stubborn.

Eliana is adorable. She has so much personality and wants to do everything Adi and Aron does. We sometimes call her "Me Too!" She climbs up and down the stairs well and cruises but has no interest in walking. She is using the signs for "more" and "all done" so that makes my job much easier. She also shakes her head for "no." If you ask her to give loving she will put her head on your shoulder or give you an open mouth kiss. Eliana has little patience when it comes to food and she will flap her arms very quickly when she sees food that she wants. She loves Aron and Adi and is always smiling when they play with her.

Nov 20 - Winter has arrived and the cold, windy weather brings black outs. Josh has been traveling a bit and is happy the cold weather is here.

Adi and Aron are doing well in gan. They come home with paint or magic marker on their clothes and when they come home they head straight to the refrigerator. They have sweet teeth and enjoy a good snack! They like music, singing and jumping. They also usually need their fix of dvds.

They are good friends and enjoy being the older sibling. They take toys away from Eliana and point out the fact that they can have all sorts of food and Eliyummy can't. They love Eliana and like to giggle with her. They like it when she crawls over to their beds and stands up to say hello.

Eliana is almost a year old and is quite a character. She has two bottom teeth and four top teeth and likes to eat. She sings, makes raspberries, waives bye-bye and knows that she is "so big!" She gets cranky if she is hungry and wants to be included in everything. She likes to open things and dump things out and she likes to sleep with her pacifier and Alex, her stuffed elephant. She is adorable, scrunches her nose and is usually on the move.

Sept 5 - We had a busy August. We went to the US and did a lot of fun things and spent time with a lot of fantastic people. First we were in NJ and spent time with Poppy, Lisa and Aunt Becky. We stayed with the Goldberg's and slept in Goldie's room which was our first time in normal size beds. We had fun at

Joe and Grams also came to see us and gave Paula, Josh, Auntie Rahel and Uncle Scott the opportunity to go see the Broadway show "The Color Purple." What a phenomenal production!

Then we said goodbye to the Goldberg's and Uncle Matt hopped in the van and we drove down to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. We even rode a ferry boat which was cool because the car drove on to the boat.

The week at the beach was memorable. We rented a very nice beach house a couple of blocks from the beach. It was wonderful to wake Bubbe, Zayde and Uncle Matt up each morning and fill our day with playing in the sand, splashing in the ocean, collecting shells/stones, dunking our faces in the pool, bike riding, walking on the boardwalk and enjoying delicious meals and ice cream. Our twin cousins, Aliza and Talia even came to play with us which was so much fun. The best part was sharing it all and spending time with family.

The thunder storms came as we took our exit. We packed up and headed back to Pittsburgh which took us over 8 hours with stops. Interestingly, Bubbe and Zayde kept switching out of our van to ride with Uncle Matt. We only had to use Grams' portable DVD player for the last hour of our drive.

Our time in Pittsburgh was nice because we introduced Eliana to lots more family and Adi and Aron spent time together with just Mommy and Daddy. Adi and Mommy had a ladies day and got their hair cuts together while Aron and Daddy spent guy time together. We all liked the Children's Museum with the Clifford exhibit and Mr. Roger's "World of Make Believe". Kennywood, the amusement park, was a highlight since we cooled off by going on some water rides and got soaked.

We also took a road trip to Cleveland to spend time with the Weisers. We got a tour of their bakery and got cookies and excellent pastries to take home. The bags of flour and mixing bowls were bigger than Adi and Aron. It was pouring so we had to do an indoor activity but it was so great to see everyone and give hugs in person.

It was really hard to say goodbye and get on a big plane back to Israel. We had a really good family trip and got to see many cousins, aunts and uncles, friends and loved ones. Special thanks to everyone who traveled a distance to come and see us - we appreciate it!

Now we are finally over jetlag and Adi and Aron have started gan. They are in a class of 35 kids which is a big change but hopefully everyone will adjust and we will have another good year. Eliana is crawling more on her knees, likes to stand and is enjoying making "raspberries" with her lips. She makes her needs known and likes to play with her big brother and sister.

July 17 - This is a busy week. Lots of special people are having birthdays! Josh's birthday is on the 19th and then the next day Adi and Aron turn 3 years old. They are having a birthday party in gan and we are very excited. The family is invited to come to the gan and Auntie Rahel is making a special butterfly cake for Adi and a dump truck cake for Aron. There will be singing and dancing and I am sure it will be a lot of fun.

Then Grams and Joe are arriving and it will be a nice shabbat. There definitely will be cake left over so the kids will be on a sugar high for a few days. It is unreal that they are turning 3 and sometimes you can see how they are more mature and have a bit of reasoning. And then there are other times where you are hit with the fact that they are still toddlers.

Adi is doing well with using the toilet and Aron is still not interested at all.

Eliana just had her 7 month well visit and is doing great thank g-d. She is getting over a cold (we all were sick with a virus in some form for the last week and a half so it hasn't been fun). She weighs almost 15.5 pounds and is doing the army crawl to get places. She also likes to do push ups and lay on her side. She sometmes pushes up and gets on all fours so crawling is definitely coming. She is enjoying her fruits and some of her vegetables and we hope to increase the amount of real food she eats. People make comments that she is chunky but she is under the 25th percentile in weight.

We are looking foward to our visit with Grams and Joe and Josh and I are going to enjoy a bit of pampering at the Carmel Spa. We are so excited!

June 26 - Summer is here. School is almost over and it is incredibly hot this week. Adi and Aron's end of the year performance and party is on July 4th and we are looking forward to seeing them join their classmates in singing and dancing. They will also celebrate their 3rd birthday in gan on their actual birthday - July 20th. Auntie Rahel is making cakes for the occassion and we hope to bring the video camera to both of those events.

Adi is doing well with her potty training. It isn't an easy process but she is doing a great job. I just wish Aron was more inclined to try.

Eliana got her first tooth - it is on the bottom and she started eating some fruits and vegetables. She still is not loving the texture and different flavors. She makes great faces though and likes to grab the spoon.

May 14 - We hope everyone enjoyed Mother's Day! Although it isn't a holiday here -- my Mom sent me a package with 2 books about motherhood that I look forward to reading. The day began with Aron and Adi wishing me a "Happy Mother's Day" and in the evening, Josh walked in the door with 2 heart balloons and a lovely card. Adi and Aron love balloons so they were very excited. It was an extra special day for me.

All is well here thank g-d. We had a nice visit with Grams. She got to know Eliana and learned her routine. Eliana made sure she received a lot of smiles, coos, dirty diapers and spit up. Eliana knew Grams was only here for a week so she wanted to make sure she got the full experience. Grams got Aron and Adi time after they got home from gan and in those hours before their bedtime, they tired Grams out. It isn't easy keeping up with twin toddlers. Adi and Aron sing, dance, play with puzzles or build towers, ask questions, want a treat, something to drink, dinner and of course they love books. You can sit down when they request to watch "Dora."

Eliana is now 5 months old and weighs 6.2 kilo (13.6 pounds). She has started to roll over from her back to her belly and has more hand control. She will take out her pacifier but hasn't yet learned to put it back in herself. She may also be teething a bit. She is still a happy baby and loves when Adi and Aron come over and play with her.

Adi and Aron have an abundance of energy and very much enjoyed climbing on tanks, in jeeps and eating cotton candy for the first time on Yom Haatzmaut. They also had a very nice Lag Baomer event with their gan where we all made pita and ate pizza, marshmallows, cotton candy and popsicles!

Next up - Shavuot -- we look forward to blintzes and cheesecake and Bubbe Marilyn's perogies (our friend Chana's Mom).

March 13 - Happy Birthday Bubbe! We are all doing well thank g-d. Purim came and went and in between we had a lot of fun. We looked forward to our daily fix of laughter and schepping nachas when Adi and Aron came home from gan in their new costume. I think the chefs and the strawberries were our favorites. Their teachers are fabulous.

Eliana is 3 months old and she has found her thumb, is rolling to her side, has large cheeks and takes after her siblings when it comes to her smile. It melts your heart. She is cooing with different tones now too.

Aron still loves cleaning and was excited when Josh took him and Adi to the superamrket and he saw them cleaning the floor. Adi was more interested in the candy section. Oh yes they both have a sweet tooth. They come home from gan and always ask for a treat!

They also like to talk on the phone although now they have a lot of their conversations in Hebrew. They are fans of Dora the Explorer and Ernie, Bert, Elmo and Cookie. They love to read books and recognize the titles of the book with their covers.

They use the word "no" readily and even shrug their shoulders when they don't want to do something. Two and a half is an interesting age. They want to be independant and do what they want to do and yet they still want a hug when they fall, want to push your buttons and when they get tired they have tantrums. They are learning so much and say the darndest things.

Feb 8 - Eliana is 2 months old today and she is occasionally smiling. She has a serious face otherwise so it is really nice when she brights up. She is such a doll.

Bubbe is back home in Pittsburgh with Zayde and I am glad the duo are back together again. Toda to both of them for all their help and support and for staying with us even though it was rough with all the germs and everyone getting sick including Bubbe and Zayde.

Adi and Aron are a bit obsessed with Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street and Uncle Matt got them Elmo and Cookie so they like to play with them as well. They often ask to watch a video by saying "Ernie-Bert!" And readily recognize the voices of who is singing the songs on their Sesame Street cds.

Our Simchat Bat was wonderful. Many of our friends came and we were very happy to celebrate our new blessing with them. The food was good too.

Feb 1 - Milestone -- Adi and Aron had their first haircuts yesterday and they look so cute. I found out that not every person deals with young kids but our friend Aliza recommended a very nice woman in Efrat who comes to the house and Claudia was great. Aron and Adi sat very nicely and afterwards had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.

The sicknesses continue - Adi and Aron are both on antibiotics and so is Bubbe. We have Eliana's Simchat Bat tomorrow and are very excited to share our joy with the friends. We got it catered by the local coffee shop and Josh brought back pink M&Ms and Hershey Kisses for the tables and we found pastel Jordan Almonds here.

Bubbe is going back to Pittsburgh soon and we are so sad but we are grateful and feel fortunate that she was able to stay for 7 weeks and it wasn't easy with the cold and ear infection that never went away.

Dec 15 - Bubbe has arrived and everyone is very happy she is here. She not only is spending time with Adi and Aron (and has rockstar status in the house according to Aron and Adi) but has made it a priority that I have to make time to put my feet up. I may be 32 but I am still her baby :)

Eliana is a champ. We took her to the pediatrician and she gained weight - she is back up to 2.8 kg (she left the hospital weighing 2690 g). She is a bit jaundice but since she doesn't need a brit they aren't as concerned.

"A great miracle happened here"speaks to the miracles relating to the Macabees winning the war and the oil lasting. The Jews being victorious in keeping their religion and traditions. It is especailly pronounced when you live in Israel and you walk around and see all the lights of the chanukiot and feel the spirit of the holiday around you. They estimate 18 million sufganiot will be bought over the hoilday. Now that is a lot of doughnuts!

Dec 11- Paula and Baby got home Sunday afternoon, and she spend some time getting used to her new surroundings. When the kids got home from Gan, they had fun spending some time with their new baby sister. The first night passed without major incident (and also without major sleep). The baby looks forward to spending her first full day home on Monday.

Josh named the baby Monday morning in Shul- Eliana Sophia (אליענה סופיה). Sophia was Paula's maternal grandmother, and Eliana means "G-d answered" our prayers, which is certainly true about our little girl.

Dec 9 - Mazal Tov! Paula began feeling contractions Friday morning at 6:00 AM. We took the kids to Gan, packed a bag, and got to the hospital by 11:00 AM. By 12:45, Paula was already pushing and Baby Girl was born at 1:08 PM. Way to go Paula!!

Paula and Baby spent Shabbat at the hospital, and Aron, Adi, and Daddy were home. We had a visit with Mommy and Baby after Shabbat, and all look great. Hopefully, they'll be coming home Sunday.

Nov 2 - The weather has turned cooler and it even has rained a couple of times which is always good for the country.

Last Friday, Aron was "abba shel shabbat" (the Daddy for the shabbat party in Gan) and he came home with a special crown. We are so proud of him! They also learned about vegetables last week so they came home with pictures of the vegetables they learned about on popsicle sticks with their name in Hebrew - tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, carrots and peppers. Adi and Aron picks one up and asks "ma ze" (What is this?) and then repeat the name of the vegetable in Hebrew. It is so cute! They are definitely learning Hebrew and there is a cute video of them in action on the home page.

Sept 25 - Happy New Year to All! We are thank g-d doing well. Paula is in her 7 month and is looking forward to cooler weather and Josh is working long hours and is looking forward to getting back to a more normal schedule.

Adi and Aron are enjoying Gan and the important thing is that their teachers are loving and warm and they are doing well. Hopefully in a few more months they will understand even more although they are starting to say some Hebrew words already. They both say "gan" and "doko" (shoko - chocolate milk), "bo" (come), and now "puach" (tapuach- apple) because of what they learned about Rosh Hashana.

One of the projects that Adi and Aron brought home from Gan is a green apple with different laminated foods which we eat on Rosh Hashana (dates, apples & honey, carrots, head of a fish and pomegranates). They love playing with it and asking what each of them are called and then repeating their name.

Adi and Aron greeted friends with the traditional salutation Shana Tova over the holiday. Adi says it clearly as, "Shana Fufa".

Sept 7 - We are back from the US and we had such a fantastic visit! Adi and Aron had a blast at Camp Bubbe and Zayde and were lucky to have guest staffers Grams and Joe and Uncle Matt for a few days as well. Thanks to all for helping Bubbe out. We know how energetic Aron and Adi are and it si tough to keep up with them but they are so cute!

Josh and I spent a long weekend in Pittsburgh and took our leave to go to Alaska via a cruise. We went with Rahel and Scott Goldberg and we all had an amazing vacation. Alaska is a gorgeous place with stunning scenery and a slower pace. We also got to spend a couple of days in British Columbia. We missed our Boos and called every chance we got and they were fine. They were playing in the back yard, visiting the Children's Museum, Zoo and watering flowers.

After another shabbat in Pittsburgh we headed for NJ and got to spend some time with Poppy, Lisa and Aunt Becky. And then it was time to go back to Israel since Aron and Adi were startung Gan.

It has been a challenging week since Adi and Aron aren't happy when we drop them off at Gan but we are hoping in another week they will be better adjusted. The gan is a 3 minute walk from our house and the ganenets (teachers) are loving and warm. Adi loves the swing, the dolls and the puzzles and Aron likes the power tools and kitchen. They get a warm lunch and a snack and they nap on the days Mommy is at work and picks them up at 4 pm.

Adi and Aron are very verbal and even started to learn some Hebrew. Yes, it is a Hebrew speaking Gan so in a bunch of months - we hope our AMW2 will be bilingual. We are so proud of them and are looking forward to all their growth. It is going to be quite a changing year for all of us.

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