An incredible morning

This morning, I was honored to be a guest in Nathan's classroom at his school, Bet Yeladim. They were celebrating Shabbat, and it was his turn to be abba (father).

During circle time, as abba, Nathan was allowed to choose a song to sing and chose The Soup Song. I had never heard it before, but it is a great song about making soup for the Sabbath and each child gets to choose a vegetable or something healthy to put into the soup. Nathan choose vitamins! Next Morah (teacher) Ellen discussed tzedakah (charity) with the students. They talked about collecting money to give to the less fortunate so that they can buy food, clothes and houses. Nathan very proudly told the class that his PopPop builds houses for poor people. It was amazing to see my son so proud of his grandfather. I had tears in my eyes and a heart filled with pride for them both!

Nathan took his spot next to his teacher and the ema (mother) for the day and together they recited bruchas (blessings) for the candles, the wine and the matzah (no bread as it is still Passover). Nathan wore his tallit (prayer shawl) and his kippa (head covering) and spoke loudly and clearly. He obviously knew his blessings well and felt confident and comfortable as we do this every week in our home.

Here are a few pictures of our special morning:

March for the Animals

The walk was held yesterday and our team raised over $1000 in checks and online donations. Thanks so very much to all the supported us. The turnout to the event was amazing and the kids loved seeing all the different dogs. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate which cut our walk short.
Here is Nathan getting ready to go: Our friend Laura (Juhani's sister)joined us for Passover and the walk and Nathan was THRILLED to have her sleep over!

Celebrating Passover

This past weekend we celebrated the start of Passover. Nathan had been learning all about the holiday in school where he prepared a Haggadah filled with all the prayers and songs and made a special wine glass and Sedar Plate.

Here are the kids excited about going to the Sedar:

Nathan and Miriam:Sela with Aunt Sherry:

Nathan plays soccer

Nathan started playing soccer this spring in an instructional league. The field is amazing and the coaches are terrific and very patient. These are pictures from his second practice when there was a HUGE improvement - Nathan was now kicking the ball rather than picking it up and running around with it. Here is getting ready for practice. Sela enjoys watching and running around on the field.

Medrano Packing Weekend

I have been preparing a shipment to be sent to the charitable organization I have been working with, MAYAN FAMILIES in Guatemala. Items have been collected at my kid's dentist office and from various friends and families. People from the group I belong to, Mayan Families Connection which supports the works of Mayan Families have also contributed to this shipment as well as many of the members of the Guatemalan Adoption Forum I belong to.



This past weekend, three amazing women who I am proud to call my friends, joined me, my mother and my sister in sorting, inventorying and packing all the items. The house was filled with kids and lots of smiles and laughter! It was a wonderful day and we got a lot accomplished.

This shipment is coordinated through the Mayan Families Connection Group which gets a very sizeable discount from the shipping company. People then donate money to the shipping fund so we can afford to send the items to Guatemala.

Unfortunately, at this time, we are still short on the shipping. If you would like to make a donation, you can paypal money to: RLK913@aol.com. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the size of the box we are shipping. 8 were packed over the weekend and a 9th is getting ready to go. The kids are standing on a 2 step ladder in front of two of the boxes we packed stacked on top of each other:

My Bubie

On Sunday, March 9, our family lost our matriarch, my Bubie Ruby. Below is an exerpt from the eulogy I wrote and read at her service.

"...Over the past few days, many people have called and written to express their condolences. Many have shared stories about Bubie, how special she was and how she touched their lives. These thoughts and stories mean so much to me, and I am saving them to share with my children someday in hopes that they will remember their Bubie Ruby..."

"...The other day at the hospital, Bubie's Grandchildren, those of us who could be there, gathered at her bedside. We recounted old stories, sang songs she sang to us as children that we now sing to our children. We reminisced about old times and our favorite memories of Bubie. We even traded recipes and talked about her cooking - after all, it was Bubie's dinners that brought our family and friends together..."

"...I am sad today because I miss Bubie and mourn her loss, but I am even more sad for my children who didn't have all the wonderful years with her that I did. My kids loved their Bubie Rub-ee, as they called her, very much. They loved to take her out to eat or to talk to her on the phone to tell her their new jokes or sing songs or just to share their accomplishments with her. I am so sad for my kids who will grow up without her, but I also feel blessed that we had her for all these wonderful years..."

Visiting with Family

We typically refer to Sunday as FAMILY DAY - we try to do things as a family on that day, but this entire weekend was FAMILY DAY! We were able to see and spend time with Bubie Ruby and cousins Hannah and Marlee on Saturday and then on Sunday, we spent time with the Shooman Family and saw all our Bassin cousins and Aunts and Uncles.

The kids had a great time with all their cousins and enjoyed playing with all the new toys. They cried when it was time to leave, but slept very well both Saturday and Sunday nights! Here are a few pictures from our great weekend.