Sela bella the ballerina

Sela started her ballet classes last week and has been dancing around ever since and takes advantage of any audience she can get.

Hard to believe that I had such an aversion to dressing my daughter in pink.

True beauty after the rain

I was surprised to see any tomatoes left, thought the kids had eaten them all! :)Here are two of my beauties enjoying the fresh outdoors after the rain

Mishi loves to have her picture taken and poses for the camera.

SOCCER!!

Last week, we went to watch cousin Seth ref a soccer game. The kids cheered every time he blew the whistle. What fun!

Nathan is very excited about starting his soccer season and has his first game this weekend!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a nice, quiet weekend at home. Other than catching up on sleep and chores around the house, we did get out to the Science Museum and the Farm. Here are a few pictures:

At the science museum:

Getting some ice cream afterward and enjoying the beautiful day at the Inner Harbor:At the farm - the kids LOVED all the animals!!

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parents' 41st wedding anniversary. Here is a picture taken in Hawaii of them last year on their 40th anniversary:

In their honor, we purchased onil stoves for the families of the students we sponsor in Guatemala. The indigenous people of the Guatemalan Highlands use wood for cooking. Their kitchens are usually small outside structures with dangerous open fire pits. Kitchens typically do not provide for smoke ventilation. After food, firewood is the largest expense for families who are unable to gather it themselves. They typically pay 5 days wages per month for a supply of firewood which lasts less than one month.

These fuel-efficient wood stoves have financial, health, and environmental benefits. The stoves which are 70% more fuel efficient than traditional open-fire methods. Through hundreds of installations, significant reductions of monthly firewood expenses, reduced incidents of respiratory ailments, as well as reduced deforestation impacts have been observed. Forestation is very important in the Guatemalan Highlands to minimize fatalities caused by mudslides.

There is also a very nice congratulatory note for them on the Mayan Families website: http://mayanfamilieshonors.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/congratulations-ted-and-sandy-shooman/

Nathan and Sela decided to give Mom and Dad a surprise of their own this morning, and wanted to bring them breakfast before going to school. Unfortunately, my kids were so excited that ran in the house and right into the bathroom where mom was, and she was really surprised!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! May you have many more happy and healthy years together!! We love you!!!

First Day of School

Sela started school this year with Nathan at Bet Yeladim. Their first day was last Monday, the 11th. Sela was so excited to be going to the school with the big kids! There were no tears from my kids when I dropped them off, infact, they couldn't wait to push me out the door. Unfortunately, I got a call a few hours later that Sela had a fever and had to be picked up! She was home that afternoon and all the next day, so it was a short first week. The kids did have a little time adjusting to being back in school and in a routine. We are still working out the kinks - Nathan has to be reminded to keep his clothes on while in school and Sela has to be reminded that you must be quiet during rest time, but I think we all are going to have a great year!

Weekend Pictures

This past weekend, we had a wonderful visit with Grandma Helen on Saturday.

Then, on Sunday, we spent some time with Juhani and Sarah before they head off to Cambodia where they will be for the next two years. We met in Washington DC and got there a little early. The kids had fun playing on the mall - chasing pigeons, playing in the rocks and running around.
When Juhani and Sarah arrived, we went to the Natural History Museum. The kids saw the dinosaurs, we went to an IMAX movie, Sea Monsters then saw live butterflies. One actually flew onto my pointed finger and stayed there for quite a long time. People were coming up and taking pictures and that butterfly didn't move - nor did I for fear of hurting it!

I know that the kids and I will miss Juhani and Sarah greatly when they are gone, but look forward to having them back here in two years!