Happy Birthday Poolside

Sam was quite fortunate this year. He had 4 renditions of Happy Birthday: first in Boston the day before his actual birthday when we shared some cake with our family and friends, the second was on his actual birthday morning, sung by Tyler, the third was at school and the fourth was at our home for his party. Wow, how great it is to be able to celebrate with so many people who love and care for him.

More Birthday Party Pictures

Here are some before shots of the birthday party scene, filled with lots of balloons. The weather was perfect that morning, with lots of sun and the pool was a warm 84 degrees.

Sam's 4th Birthday Party

We decided to have a small party for Sam here in San Antonio. We had a bouncie castle, which was great (although Tyler was a bit nervous, especially when it was blowing up). Sam was so excited to have his friends at the party, including: Alex, Noah, Walker, Owen, Zane, and Jacob. They brought all of their smaller siblings which made Tyler happy too.

Tyler and the Russian Dog

Michelle, Boris and Julia gave Sam and Tyler the cutest gifts for Sam's Birthday. Here is a little dog who speaks and sings all in Russian. Tyler is just getting used to him in this little clip.

Tyler on the Phone

Tyler loves to talk on the telephone. He gets especially excited when the operator comes on to tell him that he has dialed the wrong number. He is truly a natural.

Happy Birthday to Sam!

For Sam's school birthday, we celebrated with a 'watermelon' cake. It was a huge hit with all of his friends and the teachers who were so pleased to have a healthy alternative to birthday cake. Sam graciously shared the spotlight with his friend, Vance. Tyler was quite pleased to be sitting so close to the action.

Shabbat with Sam at Heintz Preschool

Tyler and I joined Sam for Shabbat at Heintz Preschool last Friday. Tyler loves to dance around the chapel with the Torah with all of the other big kids. He just yells, "Shabbat, torah and keepah" all day and then bursts into fits of laughter. Sam celebrated his birthday at school with his friend, Vance, who turned 4 as well. They both got to where fun hats and stand in front of the school while everyone sings, Yom Chooledet Samech.

Fun at Newton Centre Playground

We spent a lovely, damp morning at the Newton Centre playground during our trip to Boston. Here you see Tyler, Jason and Sam, pretty much doing their own thing, but all having a great time.

All Aboard!

Here Sam is trying to take Amelia for a ride, but the conductor does not seem to realize that he has lost his passenger midway through the trip. OOOPs!

Runaway Train

Here is Tyler's first try at the train. As you can see, he really gets the hang of it on the first time around, and is having lots of fun.

Fun with the Train

We had a couple of people over in Boston to celebrate Sam's birthday. By far, the highlight of the night was Gema and Grandpa's toy train that the kids enjoyed driving around the driveway. Here you see Zack Matzkin, Amelia Kane, Jason, Sam and Tyler.

Sam and Tyler and the Girls

It was so great to be in Boston for Rosh Hashanah as we got to see all of our old friends. Sam and Tyler had a nice afternoon at the Ward School playground playing with Lexa, Jamie, Amelia, Sam Kahn, Theo, and Jason. Here you see Lexa, Jamie and Amelia getting very tight with Sam and Tyler.

Jason

Here are Sam and Tyler hanging out with Cousin Jason. It was so great for them to be able to play with Jason. They enjoyed eating together, playing trains, running around, taking the T, feeding the ducks in the Public Garden and going to the playground together. We cannot wait to play with him again.

Fun Going to Synagogue

Here you can see the family migration to Temple Emanuel, accompanied by our new friend, Beaver Puppet and, of course, Gema. Jason and Sam had a glorious time in 'babysitting', playing all sorts of games in their cute temple outfits.

Laughing at Papa

For whatever reason, Tyler just thinks it is the funniest thing to see Mike play basketball. Despite Mike's great shot, Tyler could not stop laughing at his dribbling, his shooting and his dunk shots. What cheap thrills!

Searching For Bugs

It is so nice to see Tyler and Sam playing well together. Here is a great example of that when they are outside playing together and finding bugs. The biggest excitement here in South Texas, aside from the stray lizard or snake, is the 'rolly polly', better known to an entomologist as a pill bug. Sam and Tyler love to collect them and watch them roll and move all around, thrilling, I am sure.

The Piesman Boy Band

Here are the boys busting out with some new tunes from their debut album, "Rainy Day in San Anton". They have a bit of work to do refining their new sounds, but for a first run, it was quite impressive. Look for them coming to your hometown soon.