Family news

Grandma and J just boarded a plane home this morning (Z and O were disappointed they couldn't accompany to the airport) after a lovely weekend visit! The boys had a great time with them, from picking them up at the airport to getting to spend lots of time playing, reading, running around at a local park, and more. They also got to see some of the, ahem, culture of the east side, accompanying me to a holiday orchestral concert where one of my compositions was being performed to a sold out (!) audience. (I also got some coverage from the local newsradio station, who met me for an interview in a Denny's parking lot (!).)

And we all got to celebrate the beginning of Chanukah as well. The first night was a mild disaster (due in part to starting things too late and O continuing to battle against the afternoon nap) of melting down children, but the second night was far more positive at friends' R and M's house with their son J, several other families, and of course an all new set of toys for the boys to explore in between lighting candles and spinning dreidels.