Thanksgiving, LA, and Hanukkah 2006

We have had a fun-filled month of visiting family and friends. So much fun that I'm going to take three separate blogs to share all the pictures. First we'll start with the end of November and first half of December. Jonah started to smile all the time - especially when Ariella is around. We went to Mill Valley to spend Thanksgiving with our friends the Austins. Then the next weekend we drove to Los Angeles for a friend's daughter's bat mitzvah, and enjoyed seeing friends while in town. Back in Palo Alto, we celebrated the first night of Hanukkah before packing until 3:30 in the morning prior to departing on an 11-day journey to visit family, staying in 3 different locations!

In Mill Valley, Jonah and Abby in the sitting room, trying to figure out how to break the ice on their date :-)


Jonah: "This meeting will come to order"
Ariella: "What are you doing? I'm the boss!"


The kids in the Austins' mini-chairs


Isabel holding Jonah


In LA, we saw many friends, and were grateful to stay with Arlene while the rest of her family was in NY. Arlene took this picture after breakfast at Figtree's Cafe in Venice Beach


Afterwards, we played on the beach in 80 degree weather in December. Did we mention that there are some things we miss about LA?


Ariella examining a ladybug on the beach. You'll notice here that Ariella is wearing her new glasses, which she got at the end of November. They're purple, of course.


Before driving back to Palo Alto, I actually remembered to take a picture. Here's Andi, her friend Joana, and their second children Talia and Jonah.


Back in Palo Alto, Ariella's preschool had a Hanukkah celebration. The kids dressed up as candles and did a dance.


Ariella, the dancing candle.


Finally, on the first night of Hanukkah, which was also Shabbat, we celebrated Shabbat at our synagogue, celebrated Hanukkah at home late, and then STARTED packing for an 11-day trip at 10:00 at night! We were wiped out, and I'm wiped out now - so I'll post the Michigan and Atlanta trip pictures another day.

Thanksgiving 2006

In preschool, Ariella said she is thankful for Mommy and Daddy and Jonah. We are thankful for Ariella, too. Today we are having Thanksgiving with our friends Julie and Noah, at Julie's aunt's house. Ariella is looking forward to the sleep-over with Isabel and Abby.

Saturday, after 7 years, Rick is getting rid of his 2-door coupe BMW. It has been a fun car to drive, but the back-twisting to get Ariella in and out of the car for preschool combined with forecasts of high maintenance costs made getting a new 4-door car a good idea. A new Acura TL is on the way in the next few weeks. That means in 2006, we have:

* sold a house
* quit a job
* moved 400 miles
* moved into an apartment
* started a new job
* moved out of an apartment
* bought a house and moved in
* remodeled a house, adding new floors, paint, kitchen, window
* had a child start preschool
* sold a car
* bought a car

and, oh yeah,

* had a baby (who, as you can see below, is very smiley at 3 mos. old)

Anyway, will post more pictures later, but meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

November Update

Haven't posted pictures in a while - here are some good ones. We can't believe that Jonah will be 3 months old in less than a week. He is a delightful little boy - so calm and smiley. Here are some great pictures, first from Halloween, and then some more from our trip to San Francisco last weekend on a beautiful day.

Dressing up for Shabbat on October 27, 2006


Jonah, showing off for Homecoming 2006 - is he trying to sing the fight song?


This is what I look like when I'm about to cry (which is hardly ever)


Frenkel Family at Halloween Party, October 29, 2006


Trick-or-Treating with friend Galia. Ariella was a Michigan Cheerleader!


Jonah was a baby tiger.


Trick-or-treating was fun!


Ariella and Jonah pose on Halloween 2006


Ariella holding Jonah on her lap.


We met the Austins in SF in the Noe Valley neighborhood on November 4, 2006. Here's Ariella with Isabel.


Resting after a long day in Noe Valley.


Ariella, all decked out for Shabbat at preschool on November 10, 2006

Happy Halloween

There will be more Halloween pictures next weekend, but we're excited to post our first video! (By the way, who likes Daylight Savings Time when you have a 3-year-old. Just as we got her to wake up at 7:30 am, here we were today, waking up at 6:15).

Here's the video - Go Blue! (click on the link below)

http://www.youtube.com/v/lCxceCjAew4

Leave your comments!

Jonah at Two Months & Trip to Santa Cruz

Jonah turned two months old yesterday. He's now smiling all the time, sometimes a very sly smile, as you can see from the pictures. On the first day of October, we went to Half Moon Bay to a giant pumpkin patch for a birthday party. There was a petting zoo. This past weekend, to celebrate Jonah being two months old, we went to Santa Cruz. Every fall, the monarch butterflies return to Santa Cruz as they migrate south for the winter. We saw them on a nice sunny day in the butterfly grove at Natural Bridges State Beach. There were 3800 butterflies or so, flying around - the peak number will be around 12000 close to Thanksgiving. No pictures of butterflies this time - maybe in November.

Enjoy the pictures!

Ariella and Rick, feeding a goat in Half Moon Bay, 10/1/06.


Ariella and Gaia, Half Moon Bay, California, 10/1/06.


Ariella and Jonah at home, October 2006.


The Frenkels at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California, 10/15/06


Andi and Jonah on the beach


Ariella posing in the sand


By the "natural bridge"


Santa Cruz, California, 10/15/06


Redhead with a smile

L' Shana Tova 5767

Happy new year to everybody. A lot has happened in the past few weeks:

* Jonah turned one month old on September 17th. At his one-month checkup, he was 22.5" long and weighed 11 lb. 6 oz. He's doing great (except that he now has a cold, as does Rick - it's much tougher for Jonah, though - and Andi).

* Rick turned 40. And doesn't want to talk about it. And don't ask about the vitals! We did have a great wine-and-cheese party featuring incredible cheeses mostly from France, except a couple from Spain and Italy, and some terrific Mediterranean wine. Some pics below.

* Rick's dad and Donna came to visit for both of the above. It's thanks to them that we have so many excellent pictures (including the two great pictures in the blog entry from 9/18).

Here are the latest pictures. I'm still amazed that I can continue to post these and store them on blogger.com with apparently no limits. I guess I'll reach them eventually...

And here are the pictures.

Jonah and Papa Steve



Ariella and Papa, out for a walk



Ariella in her "Juicy NYC" T-shirt



Andi and Jonah



Jonah, deep in thought?



Rick with both kids



Rick, holding Jonah, with one of his first smiles



The Frenkels, September 18, 2006



Nana and Papa babysat while Rick and Andi went out to dinner and to Ariella's preschool for "Back to School" night. Our first of years and years of such events! Everyone had a fun time!



And now some of Rick's party. Here's Ariella, helping Nana get ready



Rick's 40th party, with Jonah



Dad, making a toast

More Pictures from Jonah's Bris

We discovered that there were additional pictures taken by Mom & Ron at Jonah's 8/24/06 bris - enjoy!

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Charlotte, setting up for the bris.


Julie bringing in Jonah for the bris, with the mohel(et) Debra.


Noah handing Jonah off to Uncle Jonathan and Poppy Harvey.


Uncle Jonathan and Poppy Harvey.


Ariella and Isabel, after the ceremony.