Two Word Champ

This month it was all about washing her hands. She could play at that sink for hours. 

We had so many exciting things happen during the month of April.

1) We closed on our home. We are not moving in until the end of July because of renovations and such, but we are excited that we are home owners again. 

2) Orli is now a two-word gal. She strings two words together like a real champ. Some of her favorite phrase are:
*See you later -which a gentleman at Starbucks taught her
*See Elmo-she is currently obsessed with anything and everything Elmo.
*Color paper (Orli is a budding artist) this is followed by "Paint and messy paper" -anything with finger paint she calls "messy paper"
*Washy hands -Orli loves water play

At 19 months she is quickly mastering verbal communication. 

3) Bubbe came for an impromptu visit and Asher and Orli loved it. We didn't think Orli would recognize Bubbe, but at first glance, she said, "Hi Bubbe". This surprised us all. Orli continued to say it the entire way home from the airport. 

4) Asher is turning into such a nice big brother and although we are dealing with some sharing issues there are glimmers of hope. For example, the other day we went to the restaurant and he dutifully packed crayons and paper for Orli without even asking.  We also went to the playground and Asher wanted to push Orli in the swing. It was pretty adorable.

Here some pictures below that capture our time together.

Our babies

Her fascination with Elmo surprises us. 

Rittenhouse Square with Bubbe

Bubbe and the crew at Shake Shack, When we left Orli said, "bye-bye Shake Shack"

Water Play!

Wegmans, thank you for this wonderful cart. We wouldn't shop at your store with our two children without it. 

Orli, Orli, Orli

Orli is growing by leaps and bounds.  She does new things everyday and we are so amazed by our Little Miss Sunshine.  She is now officially 19 months! Although, she hit a lot of milestones right when she turned 18 months. For example, she now says two words. The phrases she likes best are--Asher sleeping, bye bye Daddy, hello Mommy, and Where is it? She also responds to questions with a yes or a no. If you ask her how she is doing she will typically reply, "good".  Lately, when we get ready to leave she will quickly sit down and try to put on her shoes, she will also grab her purse and bring it in the car with us. Finally, she tells us when she needs to be changed. She truly is just a little love and we are so glad that she is our sweet baby.

Orli loves to color

Pure Joy!

Loves giving hugs and kisses especially to her brother

Road Trip

It is really hard to put into words the sheer joy we had this past weekend. Seeing the look in my son's eyes as we drove down our old street, played with our friends, and stayed in a hotel was something I will never forget.

Our friend's birthday party was this past weekend, so Asher and I decided to make a road trip to celebrate.  Asher was so excited to spend one-on-one time with me. The night before we discussed what we should pack and the next day Asher had packed his suitcase. I double checked to make sure he had everything in there and to my surprise he did. He remembered what we had discussed down to the extra underwear. He also scurried to the bathroom to include a band-aid, just in case! Good thinking, Asher, safety first!

It was a lovely trip catching up with friends and having alone time with my precious son. We both want to do it again soon.

First stop, Joyful Jumps and lunch for a meet-up with Kiera and her Mommy.

Playing with friends on 6th street

budding pianists

Time to Party, Asher had a blast at Emma's party and had 4 slices of pizza in one sitting.

When Asher walked into the hotel room, he turned to me and said, "Fancy!"
He called the table lamps "Good Night Lights" and wanted to hang out in the room all day.

Quick stop at Lincoln Park before heading home.

Back to Philly

Ending February on a High Note!

Orli is a character. She loves to dance and sing.  Lately, we have noticed that she is paying close attention to the words and acts out many songs. Her favorites include: Patty Cake, The Wheels on a Bus (yesterday she improvised with a hanger she found on the floor to mimic a steering wheel), Baby Sign Time (The theme song to her favorite show), If you're happy and you know it, and Ring a Round the Roses.  What a little love.

Snow Angels

This past week, Asher had his first snow day of the year. The day was made even better because Daddy decided to work from home. When Orli saw the snow falling from the sky she pointed and said, "bubbles!" We thought that was just about the cutest thing ever and now every time I see the snow falling I think of her comment and can't stop smiling.

Is the storm happening inside or outside of the car? We are not sure! Asher was having a meltdown because school was let out early due to the impending storm. We sat in the car for over 15 minutes while he sobbed. Poor guy! POOR MOMMY and ORLI!!!

The snow day started with board games in our pjs.

Followed by baking in our Pjs.

Adding the sprinkles was the best part.

We also completed a lot of arts and crafts. Here is Asher showing the luminary we finished. 

Playing in the snow? We were supposed to get 10 inches we maybe got two.

still enough to make a snow angel and this was his first.

Party at the Please Touch

In our opinion, Asher's parties are always a little over the top--even for our taste.  This year was no exception and because we had so many guests invited we felt the need to get a big space.  We had it at the Please Touch Museum. His guests enjoyed admission to the museum, pizza and games and a carousel ride to top it off.  This was the first year that Asher knew more people than we did at the party. We had around 35 guests in attendance and we were so happy that both his Nana and Bubbe could attend. Even our good friends from New Mexico, Rachel and Theo attended the festivities.  The party was a hit and by the end we were thoroughly exhausted and happy.  

The Ladies Man-- Asher is living it up with the ladies. 

When did Birthday hats look this cute?

Patiently waiting for a turn on the carousel

A picture with the Birthday Boy!

Pure Joy

Even Orli and Daddy rode the carousel. She loved it. 

We were so glad our friend Rachel and Theo (not pictured) were able to attend. 

Love this family shot. We are all on the steps of the Please Touch Museum at the end of the party.

Finally, Asher had a class party to round out turning 4--pictures below.

Birthday Boy!

We've decided that turning 4 is truly a magical experience and better than any birthday we have celebrated.  Our little Asher was blessed to have this special event on January 2nd. He started the day with his Bubbe and a balloon. What could be better? Next, we headed to IHOP for a special funny face pancake and then to the Natural History Museum to look at the animals.  We rounded out the afternoon by going to Five Guys which had to the best lunch EVER! Asher wore his crown and everyone told him "Happy Birthday" you could just feel how happy he was with all the attention. When people didn't greet him with a "Happy Birthday" he walked up to them to tell them it was his birthday.  One kind woman gave him a dollar and he had no idea what to do with it. When we walked out someone rolled down their window to wish him a Happy Birthday! Finally, we went home to rest and then had dinner at his favorite restaurant California Pizza Kitchen. We came home and opened presents, played and went to bed. It was truly a dreamy fun filled day!

Natural History Museum Fun!

So happy with the puppets.

Dinner and a brownie at CPK...what could be better?