tali and her babs in all her glory cake

Becky's Barbie birthday cake reminded me that I never posted a photo of Tali's Barbie birthday cake. That cake was a turning point in both our lives (mine and Tali's). She was a bit terrified, but also quite entranced, and she and her friend Lily loved (eating while) decorating the cake with little candies and frosting. And well, I got the cake I always wanted as a kid. So there.

camp runamucka--next gen

My cousin, Becky, and her son, Ben, came to visit us last week from Madison. Becky and I have always considered ourselves half sisters since our mothers are identical twins and since Samuel and Ben were only born weeks apart, they're practically quarter brothers, or something. Anyway, it was so great to have them around and so wonderful to give our kids the family bonding time known in our family as Camp Runamucka...

Oh wait... It was so squishy in that tiny booth with six people... Here's one with all of us (sorta):

During this camp session, our campers participated in a number of different activities. Here are some we may add to the brochure for next year:


Here we see Ben practicing the fine art of eye rolling. Samuel is doing it, too, but you can't tell since all you can see is his head.



Here Becky and Tali participating in a favorite camp activity. Note Becky's fine, fine hairdo... Hair-doing is a fave of camp sports, especially for Tali. Here's a close-up of Tali's work. She would've gotten an award for this talent, except that we never got to our camper awards this year.


Pretty do...

Here are Tali and Noemi playing charades. Noemi was surprising good even though she really can't tell the difference very well between a television show, movie, or book. Still, she was quite enthusiastic. She also played very fairly for both teams.

The grownups (at least Becky, Boaz, and I) were allowed one survival trip out into the wilds of Seattle's downtown... on Saturday night... all by ourselves! We were overwhelmed by freedom... (you can see the fear in our eyes!)

But mostly, it was an amazing chance to see our kids bond with each other. It was so incredibly wonderful to see Ben and Samuel playing and conspiring and giggling with each other in the same way that Becky and I did as kids.

We all woke up the morning after Ben and Becky left feeling like our house was way too empty and we're still missing them. I loved Camp Runamucka and can't wait for the next session. La.

taking over the legacy--play ball!

Talia is playing T-ball. And, she likes sports. This makes me so happy...
I can't believe I've become a proponent of team sports, having been a miserable failure at them myself. But I feel that I've missed out on something having not played them. It seems like such a great idea--learning how to work together as a team to achieve success. Surely, it's a skill that can take a kid a long way. And as a side benefit, you get lots of fresh air and exercise.

When I asked if she was interested in playing, Talia surprised me by saying she absolutely was. She'd gone to her big brother's games and she didn't like hanging out on the sidelines. Plus, she has so much energy and nothing makes her happier than running around outside. But her friends have been talking up ballet lately and Tali was thinking about trying it again. And at the last minute, she went the way of T-ball because we'd signed up Samuel--she didn't want to be left out.

"I want to play, Mommy. I want to be a Maccabee," she says, referring to the one team in our league that doesn't play on Shabbat.

Alright then. But I totally flashed back to the time I was nine and tried out for Little League with my brother. Through sheer luck, I managed to hit the ball and catch a few balls and landed myself onto the Mustang league (which was, to my delight, a higher level than the Pinto league my brother was playing on). But during the first game, I blanked and after hitting the ball, I ran the bases the wrong way. Everyone laughed and I walked out out of the game for good. Baseball was not going to be my game.

But, Tali... She's my second chance and I know you're not supposed to live your lives through your kids, but she's so strong and determined... I know she's going to be great.

So after the first practice, I was excited to hear about how it went. Boaz said she had an impressive arm. (Is that how you even say that?)

"What did you do at practice?" I asked. "Did you catch the ball? Did you hit?"
"Well," she said excitedly. "It was so much fun. I threw and catched the ball, but I didn't hit because we didn't use bats yet--we only played with balls and mittens."

"Mittens?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said with obvious disdain in her voice. "You catch with them, Mommy."

Ah, the legacy continues...