A lot to be thankful for

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Seattle this year with the Horowitz clan! Everyone made their way out to celebrate Turkey Day and a very special occasion, my Dad's 70th. Not only did we enjoy a lot of food and laughs and performances by the Fairy Padaries (Thea, Nina and Jillian's rock band) we were all extremely grateful to be able to be together. A huge hole was missing without Benny, Stephanie and baby Zeke but we thought about them a lot, felt them in our hearts and can't wait to have everyone together next year. It was unusually freezing in Seattle but I was overwhelmed with warmth having almost all of my loved ones here in one place. Enjoy our memories.

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Jillian's Fabulous Fourth

Jillian turned four last week and she had an absolute blast! On her actual birthday Nina got the day off from school and we had an amazing day beginning with opening presents from lots of wonderful family members who were so thoughtful to send them to us. Then off to the best place in the universe for Nina and Jillian and our worst nightmare right now...the American Girl store! Thanks to the most generous Auntie Judi now Jillian is the proud owner of her first American Girl baby doll like Nina. We had a super fun time picking out her doll and outfits and then lunching at the cafe where the girls got to decorate their own cupcakes for dessert. She requested sushi for her birthday dinner and tore into her salmon and avocado roll. On Saturday afternoon she celebrated with her six of her friends at a salon where she had nails, hair styles and princess dresses galore! It was quite a week and she was birthday hungover for days but is still talking about all the excitement. Four is definitely her year! Enjoy all the photos.

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The graduate

Nina made us so proud this June as she graduated from her preschool at the Beth Shalom congregation. We have been so grateful for the three wonderful years she has spent there and are sad to see her leave but are thrilled Jillian will follow in her footsteps and attend there next year. Nina and her class, Eitim (Eagles in Hebrew), designed their own Talit and entered singing a song and then sat in a circle and shared with us what their year encompassed. They also performed a routine to a blooming song and danced. The most special part of the night was when each child got to sit in the middle of the circle while the teachers and school director shared their thoughts and love. This is what Nina's favorite teacher said about her: "Nina, you are wise which means that you know things not just in your head but in your whole body, including your heart. And you know things in a way that helps everyone around you. You are also always dancing!" It was very touching and we were so proud of our amazing Nina Bug. While Nina is processing lots of emotions about leaving Beth Shalom she is getting more and more excited about Kindergarten and we are excited to start her journey at John Rogers Elementary School right across the street from our house! Here are some photos and videos of the special evening.

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Jete-ing Jillian

Jillian has loved taking ballet this Spring and has proven to be quite the talented little dancer! I recently had a chance to observe the class and take lots of photos and videos and have shared them below. She is off to ballet AND tap this summer and can't wait to show you her moves soon.

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Fall shenanigans

While this Fall season was harder than usual with missing Grandma Cheryl, we tried to enjoy some of our favorite activities and cheer Mama up. We had our annual get together at Fox Hollow Farms with my PEPS group and I loved seeing all the animals and running around with my buddies that I've now know for almost five years. Mama loves seeing her mommy friends and they all get teary eyed when they think of how we are getting so big. We also hit up our favorite pumpkin patch and picked out two huge pumpkins to bring home and decorate. Poor Daddy got stuck carrying them in the rain but we loved the muddy hay ride and messy puddles to jump in! Halloween was a blast too. I was a black kitty cat and Jillian was Snow White. We had a fun party with our friends in the morning and then went trick or treating in our neighborhood in the afternoon. We filled our pumpkin buckets with tons of candy and enjoyed answering the door for the trick or treaters who came by. All in all it was a great Fall!

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A mother's love

My very first love was my mother and now I get to be Nina and Jillian's first loves. They will someday know the pain I feel now saying goodbye to that love. There is nothing that will replace the unconditional love that my mother provided me the past almost forty years. Though we had our good times and bad knowing that someone was always there to love you no matter how badly you messed up, have your back in any instance and be genuinely interested in the minute details of your life is something I will never take for granted again. My mother loved this blog and checked it incessantly, it was her doorway to her grandchildren and to my youth for which she never forgot. I dedicate all future posts to her and will deeply miss her witty comments and obvious love for her grandchildren. She had her own way of doing everything and she did it right up until the end. I miss you mom and hope you are still reading these (and correcting my grammar) from wherever you are. I will speak of you often, tell stories of our childhood and make sure those girls know how much I loved you. I ache to hear your voice one last time but can hear you saying "I love you J-belle" because you always knew how to make me feel loved.

Oregon Coast getaway

We've been back for about a month now but Mama just got time to go through all the photos from our amazing beach vacation to the Oregon Coast. It was such a wonderful trip full of memories we will never forget. We got to stay at a beautiful house just one block from the beach in Seaside, OR with Granny, Grandpa Frank, Mimi and Auntie Kerry. Jilly and I had our own room with four twin beds, tons of toys and a television! Since we woke up super early every morning Mama and Daddy caved and let us watch a bit of it while they tried to let everyone else in the house sleep a bit more. We played a ton on the beach and got used to the "moving" water as Jilly liked to call the waves. The highlight was most definitely downtown Seaside with the carousel, bumper cars and ice cream. I was especially excited about the paddle boat and was a star peddler. We got a chance to check out Cannon Beach, which was really cool, and watch Daddy and Auntie Kerry play volleyball on the beach. It was an extremely memorable trip full of many firsts and we hope to make it a yearly tradition! Enjoy the many, many photos.

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Jillian turns three

Jilly D here as I just turned three! I had such a wonderful few days celebrating my birthday. My best friends Miya and Ava started by throwing me a little party at their house since they were going to be away for my party. They were so sweet and made me a special strawberry cake and got me a beautiful butterfly Barbie doll. Then my Granny came into town and I was so happy to see her! Auntie Kerry arrived a few days later and they helped Mama and Daddy with an amazing Frozen birthday party in our backyard. The weather was beautiful and all of my friends came to bounce in a blow up princess castle with me and eat lots of yummy food and make crafts and play other games. I'm still recovering from all of the festivities and have done a really good job sharing all of my new presents with Nina. She hasn't given me much of a choice in the matter but I'm still handling it very maturely, I am three now after all. Enjoy the photos and videos of my candle blowing experiences. I found it a little tricky so the first time Miya did it for me and the second time Mama gave me a little help.

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Ballet recital

Last week was our last ballet class for the year. Mama was a little bummed we weren't allowed in the big girl recital with costumes and all, but we were able to have our parents and friends come watch our final class. I was especially proud to show everyone the Nutcracker and other dances I've been working hard on. Jilly was also able to show Daddy all of her hard work that she's been doing this year. Enjoy our many photos and videos!

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Spring things

Spring showed itself here in Seattle a little and we have taken full advantage! I got a new big girl bike and Jilly inherited by trike and we are on the move. Daddy found a great school playground/parking lot where we can practice and we've been going there a lot. We are also so excited because our new deck is done. We've been waiting for a long time to have stairs from the house to the backyard. Jilly and I can't keep off them, which makes Daddy nervous, but we love it. We also took a trip to the University of WA campus to see the famous cherry blossoms. It really was beautiful but I was very disappointed they weren't more pink like Mama told me they would be. I really love climbing trees and got a lot of opportunities to practice my monkey skills. Here is hoping for many more days in the sun!

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Nina turns four

Nina here to tell you about my most amazingly awesome birthday celebration! It was such an exciting start when I got to go with Daddy to the airport to pick up my Granny, Grandpa Frank and Auntie Kerry. I was so happy they made the long trip to celebrate with me. We had a lot of fun especially going to Red Robin the night before my birthday to celebrate. When we left it was snowing which made it even more exciting. On my actual birthday I woke up to lots of presents, snow and a fever. Mama and Daddy gave me medicine so I could get through my party. My party was a Sofia the princess theme, which I took very seriously. I wore my beautiful Sofia dress from my family and had a blast with my friends. The next few days were rough because I got really sick, but I was grateful I was able to make it through my special day! I'm already planning my next party.

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Dancing dolls

We were so excited because Mommy and Daddy were able to come watch our dance class a few weeks ago! Here are the pictures:

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Floridian Grandparent visit

We were so happy to have our Grandpa Richard and Grandma Jane come visit us back in January. It had been a long time since we saw them and loved having them out our house to share in all of our fun. We took a few trips including the Children's Museum and Snoqualmie Falls. It was sad to see them go and we hope we can get to Florida soon to spend some more time together.

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Holidays delayed

Once again, big apologies for taking so long to post these photos from the holidays. We were so lucky to have Auntie Kerry come and spend Christmas with us. She took us ice skating for the first time and we enjoyed some snow play at a ski resort. Mostly we just loved having her here and showering us with attention and love. Here are some photos from our activities.

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East Coast Thanksgiving

Mama apologizes for the delay in posts, she said she will try harder to update more frequently in the new year. Onto more important matters...we went to NJ for Thanksgiving and it was awesome! Jilly and I did very well on the plane, except for a few meltdowns, and loved staying at Uncle Benny's house in Jersey City. We got so much quality time with friends and family but always wish it was longer. We spent a couple of days in NYC with Aunt Judi and Uncle Shel and that was really exciting. Aunt Judi took Thea, Jilly and I to a Berenstein Bears musical and then to Mama's favorite Jewish deli for lunch. We ate a ton of great food on the trip! In a few days Auntie Kerry arrives for Christmas and Mama says she will post those pictures much sooner than these.

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San Juan Island trip

We just enjoyed a week away on San Juan Island to celebrate Mimi's 85th birthday. It was so fun to take the ferry over and stay in a big house with our Mimi, Granny, Grandpa Frank and Auntie Kerry. We got to sleep in big girl beds and had a blast exploring new adventures. Some of the things we did were a Whale Museum, beaches, alpaca farm, and a cool event where we got to go in all different kinds of trucks. Most importantly we got to spend such quality time with our family and make very special memories!

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Uncle Luke and Cousin Thea visit

We just had the best two weeks with our Uncle Luke and Cousin Thea! There were so many good times it's hard to share them all. A few highlights were a trip to the Aquarium, the beach, a road trip/overnight to Leavonworth, lots of parks and just hanging in the back yard. We miss them lots and can't wait to create more memories when we visit NJ for Thanksgiving.

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New beginnings

It has been a very big week for me so I thought I'd report. I started wearing underwear all the time now, no more diapers during the day! I've been working very hard on it and am proud of myself. I also moved up to my big girl bed, no more crib. I really love being able to get in and out by myself. Jilly and I also love reading and putting our babies to sleep in it. We had school pictures at my class recently so Mama posted those pictures for you. She says I look like a big girl in them.

Jillian turns two

Jilly here to share with you my photos from my awesome birthday celebrations! Mama and Daddy threw me a party at a play area with my friend Laurel, who also turned two. We had lots of our friends there and of course our older sisters, who enjoyed the party as much as us. A few days later my Granny, Grandpa Frank and Auntie Kerry came out from CA to celebrate my birthday with me. I was so happy to see them and was blown away by my super duper new little cottage they built for me in the backyard. I have to share it with Nina, but that's okay as long as she isn't slamming my hand in the door. On my actual birthday we had a beach day with my friend Pip and her family and then went to dinner at Red Robin, doesn't get better than that. I liked when they sang to me and the ice cream wasn't bad either. It was a very special birthday though the biggest memory of it by far was my Elmo cupcake. I mention it at least twice a day.

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Cali fun

We had a wonderful time on our trip to CA. It was action packed but well worth it. LA with our Aunties Leslie and Mary was very special. They took us to this awesome train museum where Jilly and I got to run around on actual trains and we really enjoyed singing and dancing together. Shabbot dinner was especially nice as we got to meet my Mama's Uncle Alan. The only downside was when Mama got mad at me for making poopy jokes during dinner, I really do need to work on my table manners. I also got to visit with my Great Grandpa John who was really sick. I was very grateful for the time since he passed on a few days ago. Our long road trip to Sacramento went really well, I watched a ton of tv and Jilly slept on and off. We loved the swings and all the outdoor activities at Granny and Grandpa Frank's house. A trip to the river was really fun. Auntie Kerry bought us awesome life vests and rafts and we had a blast throwing rocks and swimming with our family. Mimi came to spend time with us too and I liked swinging with her and chatting. Granny had a little BBQ so we got to see all of our old friends, including our buddy Grant. We enjoyed popsicles, swimming and playing in the yard for hours. Jilly and I also had our first chicken drumsticks and we loved them! Poor Daddy, his hope of us being meat-free is fading fast. We ended our amazing trip with a visit to the zoo with Granny and Grandpa Frank and a train ride. We miss everyone a lot but were very grateful for creating so many new memories with our family. Here are the photos, there are a lot but Mama just couldn't narrow it down.

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