Just shy of Two

Little Orli is in her last full week as a 1 year old. Where has the time gone? She is a full blown chatter box and we are getting a kick out of it. She gives compliments like, " I like you hair." The other day she told someone that she liked their purse. She also carries on conversations and tells you exactly what she wants in FULL sentences. Orli sings and counts and says her shapes. We are in awe and laugh daily at the things that come out of her mouth. She is a hoot and a breath of fresh air!  We just love our almost two year old. Oh and if you ask her how old she is she says, "I'm cute!"  Yes, she is cute.

Germantown Academy

The exact replica of the original school house, now the administration building

We survived the preschool admissions process. Hallelujah! A big pat on the back should go out to us! This has been the most exhausting thing we have gone through in a long time and it all ended yesterday. 


Our little guy will be attending Germantown Academy in the Fall.  A Prek-12th grade nonsectarian school. The oldest nonsectarian school in the nation.


If you have been rolling your eyes, we understand. This can all seem so ridiculous if you are not in the thick of things. Sometimes we think it is ridiculous--we've gotten over that part. In the end, it is the biggest financial decision we will ever make, so a little bit of intensity coupled with anxiety should be expected, right?


We originally picked Springside Chestnut Hill, but had a change of heart after our meet and greet. So, we decided to reevaluate our decision and shoot for a school that we originally thought was out of reach.  We felt like we had nothing to lose because we were late in the admission process. If we didn't get in we could always blame it on that small little fact of being late.

 After a 2 hour evaluation/playdate (longest evaluation to date) and a parent interview we were told that Asher was accepted. We can now put this chapter behind us. What a relief and what a rollercoaster ride.


  I hope the month of July has us reminiscing and writing about other things, such as my son calling me a vegetable out of frustration with getting ready for bed. (yes, that was the meanest word he could come up with)  Or that he got to go to his first baseball game with his Nana and Pop-pop, what a treat. In the meantime, Go Patriots!

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.