After that last post, I really needed to post some happy thoughts about the Rubin Family.  First of all, I am honored to have been asked to write an article as a contributor for the Jewish parenting magazine Kveller.  I really like reading this magazine/blog and really enjoyed getting to be a part of it in this way.

In the article, I wrote about how wonderful our Rosh Hashanah was going to be compared to previous chaotic years in far off places.  Indeed, we were able to walk as a family to shul and see and catch up with so many lovely people.  I even got to enjoy a bit of the service, thanks to the youth room!

Over these two holidays, we  are hosting a young student rabbi from New York who is acting as cantor for our shul.  We are so happy to be able to share the holiday with him and so many Jewish young people here in Pensacola.  On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, we had about 14 people for dinner,  including a few young families and new faces we met during the different services.  I underestimated the meat – and over invited guests – but I think all enjoyed the evening.  For Shabbat, we had our rabbi and his whole family over for dinner.  Following dinner, the rabbi and the rabbinical student lead us in some festive Shabbas singing.  We then stayed up way too late discussing Judaism and Torah – something I haven’t done since my days in Jerusalem.  I think the evening refreshed my Jewish soul.

For milestones, the kids are doing wonderful things.  Gavin is on his way to being potty trained.  He started over labor day weekend and has done really well.  We still have good and bad days, but I am working on only praising and saying nothing when he slips up.  I am also trying to relax and allow him to do this at his own pace.  He is already way ahead of Faye who didn’t wear underwear until she was three.

Evelyn rolled over from back to front this week.  She hasn’t been on her back much because she has had such terrible reflux, so I thought she would be really behind on these milestones.  It was probably only the 3rd time on a blanket on her back and she just rolled over.  Crazy.  Then she did it a few more times.  She doesn’t like how she ends up, but she keeps doing it!  She is also chewing on her hands and seems to have found her feet.  I am so impressed with her!  She can hold a toy or a ring, and often pulls the binky right out of her mouth.  This is of course followed by complete annoyance and a wonder at who took her sucky thing!  So cute.  By far, she is still the easiest person in my house to take care of.  Once she is fed and changed, she is a pretty happy kid.

Faye’s 6th birthday was last month, and it was a sweet one.  She invited a few good friends to one of our local parks where we did art projects, decorated cookies, and ate cake!  She decided the theme should be “leaves”, because her birthday is the beginning of the fall season. This idea came shortly after she thought of a Barbie theme, so I was all too pleased to jump on the leaf idea!  I love her innocence.

Faye is really enjoying Kindergarden and is doing so well there.  They have a behavior system with green, yellow and red lights to indicate how they did with the day.  They even added a blue light to highlight a child who does exceptionally well on a given day.  Every day when Faye gets in the car she is so excited to tell me she got on Green or Blue!  She is just bursting with excitement from her day.  I am surprised at some of the concepts they are learning, but so proud at how quickly Faye seems to be taking it all in.

FInally, Jason and I are continuing to do the things that make us happy outside of our family.  The kids and I were thrilled to cheer Jason on twice this past month as he raced here in Pensacola and then rode his bike up 11,000 feet of Georgia mountains for 100 miles last week.  It is so exciting to see him doing what he loves, and to see all of his training paying off!  He is a strong rider and I am so proud of him.  As for me, I am excited to be back into my running and training for another marathon.  This time I have my sights set on January 29th, when I will run with one of my best friends Caitlyn Kano in Sugar Land, Texas.  What better way to keep my sanity and connect with such a good friend!  There is nothing better, at the end of a long day, to be alone on the road with only the sounds of my footsteps and breathing and no one calling my name.