Happy Hanukkah!!! Merry Christmas!!!

In our home, we have decided to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. Your mother (me) was raised as a Christian and so was your father; however, your Opa (my father) is Jewish and so is the rest of his family, including your Auntie Auntie Nancy and Auntie Leslie.  It is because of your Opa that we embrace Hanukkah.  In fact, many households celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, as we've discovered together in the book we read, "Light the Lights! A Story About Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas". Our Star of David tree topper is an interfaith tree topper - it's our way of showing how we embrace the two holidays.  Of course, we are not "practicing Jews", however because of who we are, this is the way we've chosen to celebrate it! At Hanukkah, we celebrate God's miracle to the Jewish people.  At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Even though our beliefs differ, we respect Opa and his family for what they believe as they respect us for what we believe.  Its called love.  The lesson here: Always be respectful of others, their culture and what they believe.  

Madison's 6th Birthday Party at The Locomo (Roller Skating Rink)

 

Madison, I am truly proud of you, you virtually planned this "roller-skating" party on your own.  Almost everything was your idea, from the venue to the color of the cupcakes!  I enjoyed making the cupcake toppers with you, what fun!  At your party, the face painting was a surprise for you and you were so excited to get your face painted.  You truly enjoyed yourself at your party with your closest friends.  The thing that impressed me the most was that you did not use the 'skate mate' to skate.  You were very comfortable skating without it in your new "birthday skates" (with pom poms).  Your Daddy and I got in on the fun too, to your surprise!  Daddy dressed like, "Don Johnson" from an 80s TV show called, "Miami Vice"; and Mommy dressed like how she used to dress in the 80s when she lived in the Bronx.  Hahahahahaha! Happy 6th birthday my precious, you are growing up to be such a sweet, well behaved and well mannered young lady.  We are truly blessed to have you as a daughter!

Happy 6th Birthday Madison!

Madison you are the joy of my days! On this special day, six years ago, you changed my life. You are a miracle child and you have been a huge blessing to me and to Daddy! We are very proud of you and honored to be your parents.  Stay sweet!  We love you forever and a day!

 

It's beginning to 'feel' a lot like Christmas...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Random Act of Kindness

I am overwhelmed with emotions right now!  I stopped at McDonalds to pick up breakfast and when I gave the cashier my money she's says, " it's already paid for"!!!  At this point I'm baffled!!!  She points to a white Toyota Camry driving away and tells me that lady paid for it!   With the music playing fairly loud in my car coupled with having a tremendous amount of stuff on my mind, I was overwhelmed with emotion and started crying.  The words of the song at that point in time said, "let my heart trust in You, let my fear fall, let Your love carry me through it all and I will hold on to You even through pain".  That one small act of kindness by a stranger made such a HUGE impact on where I am right now!  I thank God for His gentle reminders of just how much He cares about us despite our circumstances!  Now to look for an opportunity to pay it forward!  Madison, I think we'll tackle this one together!

 

 

Election Day 2012

 It's a priveledge to live in a Country where you have the freedom to vote.  Madison and I did it together today!  Make your VOTE COUNT!

Madison holding the ballots!

Life is a Theater.

Life is a theater.  Invite your audience carefully.

Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least
minimize your time with, draining, negative, incompatible,

not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships.
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention.
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama

or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?
The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row

and who should be moved to the balcony of Your Life.
"If you cannot change the people around you,

CHANGE the people you are around."
Remember that the people we hang with

will have an impact on both our lives and our income.

And so we must be careful to choose the people we hang out with,

as well as the information with which we feed our minds.
We should not share our dreams with negative people,

Nor feed our dreams with negative thoughts.
It's your choice and your life..... It's up to you who and what you let in it......

Life is a Theater.  Invite your audience wisely.

 

Pink & Orange on a Sunday Afternoon

 Stay sweet Mimi.  Laugh often and live your life to the fullest!

 Remember that Mommy will ALWAYS love you!

 Sometimes its good to let some people or some things go. 

 Be sure to find a time to relax and take time for yourself.

 Don't take life too seriously.  Have fun.  Be yourself.

 Live.  Love.  Learn.  Laugh and skip.

 Your innocence is a gift. Protect it.

Smile, even if everything around you makes you want to cry.

We hope that when you look at us, you feel a sense of pride.

Pumpkin Patch

Watching you at the Pumpkin Patch was such a treat! I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see you discovering something new.  You were so excited to see the pumpkins and even more so you were intrigued by the different sizes and shapes.  You couldn't believe how BIG the big ones were and you thought the little bumpy ones were, "soooo cute".  You liked them because they were different, that made me smile inside.  You dressed in fall colors so that we could take 'Harvest' pictures and I just love how we threw a splash of 'blue' in there to spice things up!  I absolutely love and look forward to the moments we share.  It's a little scary for me because as much as I enjoy these moments, they are direct reminders of just how fast you are growing up.  When I think about the future, I wonder if I am doing everything I am supposed to.  I wonder if I am a good enough example to you, as a wife, as a mother and as a woman.  I always worry about you making the right decisions when you grow up, however I am reminded of a quote that I love by Roy Disney, "When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier." 

It's truly amazing just how evident this is in your life already at almost 6 years old.  You have a clear understanding as to what our family values are and when you make choices, it's obvious how much it resonates with you.  As you grow older, I don't think we'll have to worry much about you picking 'the right pumpkins' from the pumpkin patch. I think you'll have a clear understanding of exactly what you want and what you won't entertain.  As you choose your friends, the same applies.  Choose wisely.  Choose the ones that share your values.  Life is less complicated when your core circle is like minded.

As a final thought, just as you held this pumpkin in your hand, always be reminded of how God, who created you, holds you in the palm of His hand and has had a plan for your life, even before you were born.  (Psalms 139:13-18).  Rest in that.  I love you today, tomorrow and forever! 

Dear Madison:

The original purpose of this blog was to document your life so that one day you could look back at it and see the different stages of your life.  It quickly turned into a 'lets keep the out of town family updated with the happenings in your world' blog.  Well, change is good and I want to take Madison Avenue down another road...I dont think you'll mind....and quite frankly, I dont think the out of towners will either!

 

Today I was inspired by a blog that I came across on www.pinterest.com created by a Mommy for her daughter Scarlett.  From what I can ascertain, Scarlett was born about a year after you were and her Mommy has documented her life as I have since you were 22 months....but with a different perspective:

 

"This is a project to our daughter, Scarlet. We, your parents, are documenting your life. Our hope is that when you grow older you'll be able to look back and see how happy you have always made us." - http://dearscarlet.tumblr.com/

 

So from today on....  my perspective will be the same: I will continue to document your life, so that not only will you be able to look back and see the stages of YOU, but so you can see just how much joy you brought into our lives and how much you taught us to be the parents that we are today. You didn't come with a manual, and we never attended one parenting class.  You taught us everything we know.  You are one amazing kid!  You are precocious, full of life, sassy (as seen in the picture above) and as lovable and snuggable as you can be!  Everyday you challenge us to be better than the day before.   

 

10-21-01: the day your daddy and I became one (11 years ago today).  My heart smiles everytime you pull out "our married party" video cassette tape, watch it and cry tears of joy.  One day you'll have your own married party....and I'm sure I'll cry my own tears of joy. 

 

I'll leave you with two things I learned from my parents - be a GIVER:

From my Mom (your Guy Guy): never rest until you've GIVEN your best.

From my Dad (your Opa): forgiveness is a gift YOU give to yourself...GIVE it often and give it freely.

Some lessons are caught...and some are taught.  I promise to always be mindful of this.  I love you and I look forward to every tomorrow with you... Good night!

 

 



California 2012

 On our way to California with a stop in Dallas, Texas.

 We were so delighted to meet Aunt Henny (my father's cousin).

 She took us out to dinner at her friend's restaurant, Milky Way. 

Her friend Leah, just happened to be Steven Spielberg's mother.  What a treat!

 We were on our way to San Diego from Los Angeles to visit my sister, Nancy.

 Madison and Auntie Auntie Nancy waiting for Butterflies to land on their fingers.

 Yummy Smoked Salmon for breakfast with bagels, cream cheese oh and my favorite, Whitefish Salad.

 

 It's a Hummingbird!

 Madison and Auntie Auntie Nancy

 Mimi and Mommy

 Daddy, Mimi and Mommy

 Mommy, Mimi and Auntie Auntie Nancy

 Daddy, Mimi, Mommy and Auntie Auntie Nancy

 Mimi, Daddy, Mommy, Auntie Auntie Nancy and Uncle Gary!