A Trip to Chicago and a Visit from the Seidmans

Couldn't figure out how to move this: Mindy and me at City Museum.

Well, it's official: summer is over and the school year has almost begun. The chair and desk below were my last projects of the summer and (hold your breath) I DID IT MYSELF!!! I bought them for Zevi today as I was doing my (sigh) school supply shopping. BTW I thought we lived in a real city. What kind of Wal-Mart runs out of pencils in ONE DAY???!!? This isn't holiday season at Camp Lejeune where I had to have powdered sugar brought in from Raleigh for goodness sake!!

Anyway, Goldie, Zevi and I had a great visit to Chicago. First we went to Oak Park, IL to see my cousin and his family-and it happened to be his 39th birthday. He pointed out to me (quite happily I might add) that I am the oldest cousin from the Jacobs side. Well, isn't that nifty? We had a great time having amazing yummy chocolate cake and a new discovery: Squirt. Kind of like Fresca. So around dinner, we headed to Skokie. We got to Jewel and had delish chinese from there. We got up the next day and made our way to Bagel Country for breakfast. YUM!!! Doing 2 big adventures in one day proved to be too much for even Goldie, so we agreed on the Shedd Aquarium. Oh my! By far the best indoor aquarium I have ever been to. The Beluga whales were adorable, there were so many things to see and do. It was amazing...and exhausting. So we had a BBQ at our friends' home and then did something new and different: we went shopping! (That was a joke btw.)

We left Tuesday morning, trying to arrive before my friend Mindy and her 3 kids. They drove in from Memphis. Zevi and Izzy were in Pre-K 3 together in Raleigh and haven't seen each other in 2 years. (They visited us in Camp Lejeune and we saw them in Raleigh a few times.) You would have never known it. They had a BLAST!!! They played Legos, roller bladed, played the Wii, put on a show for us and just chatted. They were adorable. Ok, the other 2 have yummy peaches (thanks Mindy) and they are delish. Jack is 4.5 and had a little trouble with Miriam and kept calling me Maryann. But we fixed it! Molly (who is 2) was hilarious and LOVED Goldie. They brought this really, really, really, really, really, really fun game for the Wii called Just Dance. First of all, lots of the songs are from the 80's and the outfits of the dancer's are too. And then to watch everyone shakin' it was hilarious! WOW! It was tons of fun!

Everyone left us (dramatic SOB) on Thursday morning, so after the airport run, we went to Target (to get Just Dance, of course), had lunch and then promptly took a nap....until 6:30 pm!! Boy are we off schedule.

So tonight Zevi has a friend Noam sleeping over. Wednesday we go to Kentucky for a bar mitzvah and then summer is really over. WAAAA!

What about Mordechai, you may ask. Well, he is still in Pensacola. He has been told he may be extended (for, hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen: 2 more months), but the rumor is the command centers may be closing up shop sooner than that. So we just talk every day and wait. It's the military folks. Welcome to our life!!!

A new desk: proof school is really coming. And when did he get big enough to be in 2nd grade?

Their masterpiece...as more and more sprinkles were being dumped on my hand and all over my kitchen, both Goldie and Mindy commented on how much they liked my "happy pills."

Some happy kids (Izzy, Jack and Zevi)


Stunning, no?




This was like a skate board park for bodies. COOL!


Save a little sugar for Bob's Big Boy!



Amazing climbing for the kiddies!

So much fun...

In the middle of roller blading, we decided to go to Maggie Moos for ice cream. Hence the dorky helmets!

Is that a face or what?

Look out St. Louis...the rednecks from Tennessee have invaded!

I can't take them anywhere!!!

At the Shedd Aquarium

Strike a pose.

Awww, how cute!

MMMMM...Bagel Country!!!!!!!!!!!

Trapped at the playground. It was at least 25 degrees cooler at my cousin's house. We managed to go the park. Imagine that!

Befores and Afters

We have been busy making some changes around here. Follow along below and enjoy the ride!

Which one is before and which one is after....you be the judge!!!

When we moved in, Mordechai wanted an office. There was an unfinished room in the basement. This is what Mordchai's "office" looked like before the process began.

This is Scott, our handy man!

Zevi and Goldie had a BLAST helping! Zevi picked the color, "Cosmic Dust". It is pretty much ivory. The other part of the fun was that we kept it a surprise/secret for Mordechai!!

And the finished project!

Summer Lovin'

I put my guests to work!!

Pizza Night!

Rock Climbing

Nascar Racing

After the Bumper Boats - soaked!!

Fun at the Mills Mall.

We told Zevi we were picking up some friends' parents so he was waiting for the "Zeffrens" but really it was Abba. The video is at the end!




We are having a blast with Goldie this summer! We have done some painting, yummy baking, gone to the Science Center, visited with Mordechai, gone to see Toy Story 3 in the theater and then to the Nascar Speed park at the Mills Mall in St Louis.


Goldie has been working hard at camp (while I sit at home eating bon bons-ha). The kids LOVE her!! Today she saw three of her campers at the JCC (we had a personal trainer - why does Golide NEVER hurt afterwards???) and they wanted her to watch them swim. They gave her hugs and kisses and it was soooo cute!


Friday is her last day in camp and then we are off to Chicago for a few days. We are going to visit my cousin Chris (it's even his bday!) and then to see some friends in Skokie. Monday we are planning to see the aquarium in the morning and the Museum of Science and Industry in the afternoon.


This visit is coming to an end (boo hoo) and with it summer. But we still have a few more fun things planned!

Summer in St Louis...

There is a lot of love in this box!
Goldie and Mimi (notice the nails...Do you lilac it?)

Off to save the world, ma'am!

One last hug before he goes...

I decided to take all the neighborhood girls out for a fun day 0f shopping and ice cream. These are the cuties who come over when they have nothing to do and say, "Mrs. Schwab do you need any help?" They have unpacked boxes (23 one day), unloaded the car, helped make dinner, polished the silver and yes, even helped me make my bed!! What a great neighborhood we chose. These girls (and yes, there are others) are the best!

Girls Day Out!

Cute idea from my heroine, Aviva Kesiva (AKA Donna Zeffren)

We got "Naked" at Avi's bar mitzvah!!!!

L'chaim!

What a handsome man.

And his cake.

A yummy, pretty cake just because I felt like playing around!

Zevi and Mommy just before Shabbos. (Matchy matchy)

Playing the Wii with Lozzy.

The kids in Zevi's class made Mordechai a sign for Memorial Day. Cute!

...is like an armpit. SOOOOO HOT! Goldie arrived just after Mordechai left. He gets to spend 2 months in the Gulf helping the people who are cleaning up the mess. (Thanks so much BP!!!) He travels between Mobile, AL, New Orleans, LA and Pensacola, FL. We miss him lots but have been keeping busy.

I catered my first big event with the local caterer. I did all the desserts out of his kitchen at the Crown (an independent living facility nearby). It was a lot of fun and I made my first tiered cake with fondant flowers. The ba'al simcha said he was "blown away by those cakes" and my very favorite comment was while someone was eating a cream puff, he looked at Jon (the caterer) and said, "What did she put in these? It must be heroin becase I can't stop eating them." Hilarious!!

We got a Wii and if we weren't popular before, we are now!! It is so much fun to play with all the kids in the neighborhood. Zevi and I went to Baltimore for Avi's bar mitzvah and some of the girls said to Mordechai, "Rabbi Schwab, you will be so sad without your family. Don't worry we will come visit you!" Well, he got a little break and just stayed home alone!

We are almost half way to Mordechai coming home for the summer and (SHHHH) he is coming for a surprise visit this Thursday night. Zevi thinks we are picking up another family's grandparents is quite annoyed they can't do it themselves. Can't wait to see his face!!

Zevi keeps playing outside without bug spray so he has another 50 bites, including more than 10 on his face. He did not want to go to camp this way, so he was home on Benadryl all day. But Goldie had her first day of working at camp and is making little girls happy every day~ she is very cute with them!

Now we are just trying to keep the visit a surprise for Zevi...but will post photos of his great appearance!