Purim 2008

Normally I don't post a bunch of pictures of my kiddos - I guess I'm scared of the evil eye or something, but these were taken by a father of one of the other girls in Jonathan's class [thank's Oded] and they are just too cute not to share...This is right before and during the Purim parade they had from Bertha Alyce to the JCC and back (with the gym as a staging area)
Jonathan's sword luckily broke before the parade (and before he got me in trouble for letting him bring it to school-even though I insited he leave it in his cubby, but he got to use it all night at the party anyway!
Since we had been to hear the Megilla and be a part of the annual Purim costume contest the night before at Beit Knesset-until after 10, home almost at 11, my kids were just a little over extended (understatement much?) Yael was one of 2 in her category (the youngest ones) and she of course came home with a prize for her sweet, adorable costume!!! Probably sets the standard from now on of what they'll expect from me (I got the costume super on sale, right after Halloween at the supermarket of all places!!!!)
I didn't plan this really, but Jonathan was a pirate (the best one of the 6 or 7 at school, if I do say so myself, and I do!) And Yael was a fairy (someone suggested she could be Tinkerbell - I didn't come up with it on my own) In these pictures they forgot to put her wings on. Yoni called her the "butterly fairy princess". Works for me!
I almost forgot to mention the parrot I am wearing on my head is a luau prop from the Dollar Tree in Meyerland Plaza - I'm a real big spender, let me tell you - Enjoy!

Namerim Cuties

Last minute Mommy Magic Tips for the Parade

Super Drew, Cinderell-Ophir,
and Captain Jonathan, munching on a hamentash

The Monkeys Class, Purim Style

Henry, Ophir, Romi, Drew,
Jonathan, Carson and Ashton
not picured: Seth, Caroline, Noah, Sophia,
Jack (Batman)

The Monkeys Lead the Parade

Before the parade started, the Monkeys held their weekly Shabbat "service/snack" in the classroom. Because I am seldom there and Ms Fran feels guilty about never actually seeing me because I'm always working (do I really make it sound like I'm a workaholic or what?), and the fact that the real Abba wasn't there, she let Jonathan hold the kiddish cup and challah plate with his neighbor during the blessings. (He got to be the Abba, basically) Totally adorable! Especially since he was dressed up with those floofy sleeves and the kiddush cup looks like a chalis.

This joyous day came one day after the big scare that the whole Houston Jewish community was on alert for .[Sorry about the grammatical slip-up, I am running on caffine and it is after 1 AM on a school/work night]. There was a mailed vague bomb threat that was received at the JCC that targeted "the community" on March 20 at 4PM. I, like all the other parents, was a nervous wreck about it several days prior to the event, when all the hubaloo was coming out, and HPD and the FBI were getting involved (at your kids' school - its a little nerve-wracking to say the least!). Of course rationally I know that if there was to be a terror attack, there wouldn't be a postmarked letter announcing it beforehand. But it still made everyone, including me, jittery. They "beefed" up security by having an HPD officer at the school in the morning and in the evening, but who's to say they were there all along? I stormed into the "principal's" office freaking out the day all this came out and made my point that I didn't want armed "security guards" near my children's pre-school. My husband disagreed, in typical Israeli fashion, and wanted all backpacks and lunchboxes checked at the door. I think having visible, paid, uniformed, armed, police protection (which is what they chose) for a week or two is just about right. At least I THINK they have to undergo some sort of regular arms/safety training. And I'm not doing the research to disprove that theory!

On March 20, they did have extra police/constable patrols in the area around the JCC and even our little storefront shul had extra security measures including walkie talkies at both entrances and an armed constable in the front and back as well. All's well that ends well, I say.
Of course I went to my HR director and was such a basket case that she gave me a 24 hour help-line number. And then I went to present the situation (much more calmly) to my boss, who is or was some sort of minister and it rather piqued his interest both that I was Jewish and had lived in the "Holy Land". I then proceeded later in the week to ask for that day off to spend with my kids (I had a doctor's appt first thing in the AM and then took the 2 of them to get Jonathan's ear looked at - he had been SEEPING green yucky stuff from it and had been on antibiotics and I wanted to be sure it was all better and that he still had a tube in there and not that he had ruptured an ear drum!) Normally, I skip the short-term follow-ups if all is better, but wasn't taking any chances with his ears at this point. He has a hearing screening next week. While we were there, he got his 4 year old boosters and I took Yael with just so she wouldn't still be at school. It was VERY thin around there that day. When I dropped them off, my kids were #5 and #6 in the whole building. And when I picked them up, Yael was one of 2 in her class and Yoni one of about 15 on the whole hall. Were we all scared? Or just overly cautious? The truth is, it was the Thursday before Good Friday and most people (at least in the infant wing) were taking advantage of the long weekend to go out of town and visit family.
Interesting 2 weeks huh?