Wednesday, April 20, 2011

So maybe easier wasn't the right word

Well, made it! Two seders done, everything cooked mostly fine, everyone fed, all done. WHEW!

Started cooking on Sunday, and continued Monday. Sam went with David on Monday morning for the Firstborn service at shul, and stayed with him all day, so it was just me and the other two all day. Cooked, finished cleaning, and watched the Boston Marathon on TV. (I must admit I enjoyed it on TV more than going to David's office to watch it right on the road; I got to actually see the whole thing instead of getting a pounding headache from all the crowds of runners!).

David's cousin H and her boys arrived around 3pm, and Laura and Lilie a little later. But my inlaws didn't arrive until after 7pm. Which means seder started LATE. With six hungry kids, three of whom know very little about seders. And my inlaws like to talk a lot, and the kids were rather rambunctious. So it was a somewhat stressful evening. I tried going fast through the seder, but David, not understanding that the kids were hungry, dug in his heels and went back to fill in more information for the not-really-listening kids.

But the food was yummy and it was nice to see the family.

First Seder pics:

Lilie and Ian
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Sofia studying her book:
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Ian
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The seder
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Sofia with Grandma Dianne
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David (and Ian) try to get Micah to pose for a picture with his hat on:
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but it doesn't really happen:
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Tuesday, David and Laura both went to work (Laura drove back to CT for the day!), so I had all four kids home while I cooked. Cousin H and her boys also left early in the morning. Cooked. And cooked. And cleaned.

And then the garbage disposal broke.

And I was all set to just deal with it, putting all the scraps that would normally have gone down the drain into a bucket instead.

But the sink wouldn't drain!

So, one service call, 3 hours, and nearly $500 later, I have a new garbage disposal. This has NOT been a good year for my appliances!

But otherwise, things went well. I was still prepping the chicken when the guests arrived, but we got started by about 6:30. I had the big kids all seated in the dining room and the adults and Sofia and Lilie in the living room. It was a great mix of people - really one of the best mixes I've been able to put together. Two other day school families, another family with two kids (all dear friends), the couple and grandma with whom we usually have Rosh Hashanah dinner, and my grad school chum Susan and her husband, a terrific older couple. We really delved into the seder, much better than the previous night. Lots of discussion, and the kids did a lot of reading.

Poor Micah missed the whole evening. When people were first arriving, he complained that he didn't feel well, so he went up to my room and fell asleep. And stayed asleep the entire night. Poor boy. Fortunately he felt better today. I guess he just needed sleep!

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I had my babysitter working in the kitchen, fortunately, and I wisely chose paper and plastic rather than my good china! Much easier, but still a lot of work!

Food was all yummy, although the stuffings got a bit burnt. We never made it back to the second half of the seder, but the older gentlemen did sing a few of the closing songs. Everyone was having too much fun talking.

Susan and I ended up at the foot of the stairs with the kids for a long time. We'll have a Girl's Event some time - she's just like me, and loves to hang out with the kids:

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It was a wonderful evening.

Today, Laura took Sam down to Connecticut to spend a few days with my parents. Had to leave early morning again, which meant waking up early again. In the afternoon I took Micah and Sofia to see "Rio". Micah liked it, Sofia loved it, and I .... fell asleep. Sound asleep in the middle of the movie. Only Sofia's shouting at the screen woke me up!

9:57 - David just walked in! Poor boy.

Sofia's Preschool Open House

Last week we got to visit Sofia's classroom, and I got pictures of her with her wonderful teachers, all of whom have been with her for the past three years.

Mrs. Tomasso, the lead teacher:
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Mrs. M, the main assistant:
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and Mrs. Henken, another assistant:
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Micah had fun exploring the displays:
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And Sofia was so proud to show us her class!
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