Home from Purim

Pictures to follow shortly.

A few quick things:

1) Kids who read in the Purim shpiel (play) read slowly and in a monotone. BUT it empowers them, so it's a good thing.

2) Youth group events with a 2 1/2 yr old, 4, 5, 6, 10, and 13 year old are very difficult to manage. You might have guessed this from the age spread. I had not realized that every child in the congregation would be coming. On a really good note, the youngest kid is a new member of the temple, his family joined specifically because of the youth programs I started! Hooray!

3) Xander is a bonafide flirt. When Jonathan and I were putting in our dessert orders at a restaurant, he caught the waitress' eye and signed, "more food, please." Then he blew her a kiss. She melted even before we told her what it meant.

4) Jonathan took care of Xander all weekend, drove the whole way, and still paid attention to all my rambling. All hail the rebbitzin.

5) I forgot to say earlier, that on Thursday before we left we called the local water company - they charged us over $600 for our January water bill. We thought that was ridiculous, to say the least. They argued with us. Jonathan reread the meter number to them over the phone, and turns out it was a much lower number than they had on record. After some investigation we realized what had happened - I had read the meter the first time, and... turns out I had read the water company the gas meter numbers. Oops.