Thursday, December 22, 2011

Manny's first Hanukkah

It's amazing how fast our little boy is growing up. When we got him he was barely 3 pounds and now he's tipping the scale at a whopping 7.5! He's also gone through his teething stage which, needless to say, has seemed like the bane of our existence. Our evenings have been filled with babying the boy and letting him wear himself out so that he'll finally fall asleep. We've also taken turns sleeping on the couch with him because his gums are bothering him so badly. But, on a positive note, we've had our first Hanukkah together! Here are some pics we wanted to share...

Building a fort in his new bed

Celebrating Hanukkah with Daddy

And a makeup less Mommy

Manny and his new bed from Grandma and Grandpa Krugel

Monday, December 19, 2011

Happy Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hannukah, from me to you! Plus some FAQ...

In case you didn't know, the holiday season is upon us! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, Yule, Boxing Day, or any other festival, I wish you and yours all the best and more. On a side note, I've decided to dedicate this post to all that is Hannukah (or however you spell it). First, since I've become the Jewish go to in my office, I've decided to share some insight regarding this holiday and all it's acoutrama.

What does the holiday of Chanukah celebrate?

Chanukah celebrates two miracles:
a) The 2nd century BCE victory of a small, greatly outnumbered and out-armed army of Jews, known as the “Maccabees,” over the mighty Greek army that occupied the Holy Land. The rebellion was in response to the Greek attempt to force a Hellenistic G‑dless lifestyle on the Jewish inhabitants of Israel.
b) The kindling of a seven-branched Menorah (candelabra) was an important component of the daily service in the Holy Temple. When the Maccabees liberated the Temple from the hands of the Greek invaders, they found only a small cruse of pure and undefiled olive oil fit for fueling the Menorah. The problem was, it was sufficient to light the Menorah only for one day, and it would take eight days to produce new pure oil. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days and nights.

How is it spelled, Chanukah or Hanukkah?

In the Hebrew, Chanukah is pronounced with the letter chet. The chet’s “ch” sound is not enunciated like the “ch” in child; rather it’s a guttural, throaty sound—like the “ch” in Johann Bach—which does not have an English equivalent. The letter “H” is the closest, but it’s not really it. So while some people spell and pronounce it “Chanukah” and others settle for “Hanukkah,” they really are one and the same.

What does the word Chanukah mean?

Chanukah means “dedication” or “induction.” Following their victory over the Greeks, the Maccabees rededicated the Holy Temple and its altar, which had been desecrated and defiled by the pagan invaders.
The word Chanukah can also be divided into two: Chanu—they rested, and Kah—which has the numerical value of 25. On the twenty-fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev the Maccabees rested from their battle, and triumphantly marched into the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, ready to rededicate it.

Why does the date of Chanukah seem to change each year?

Chanukah begins on the twenty-fifth day of the Jewish month of Kislev. The Jewish calendar is primarily based on the lunar cycle, and its dates fluctuate with respect to other calendar systems. Thus the first day of Chanukah can fall anywhere between November 28th and December 26th.

Is Chanukah a major holiday for you all like Christmas is for us?
While this has remained a question debated throughout time, personally, it is not in my mind a so called "major holiday." When I think important holidays in Judaism, I think of Rosh Ha'Shanah, Yom Kippur, Yom Ha'Shoa, and Passover.

Do you get presents every night?
In our family we don't, however it some families they do. Since my family is rather spread out, it's rare that we get to spend hanukah together. For example, the holiday starts tomorrow at sundown, but we won't see our family until Thursday or Friday. We usually exchange at least one gift if possible or give smaller gifts, like I did for Brad this year.

And for your listening pleasure here are some of my favorite videos of the season...

Happy Holidays and a safe, happy, and healthy New Year!!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Tickle Me Tuesdays!

I've decided to join in on the fun that is Tickle Me Tuesdays!

If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:

1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!

So....here are the things that have bee tickling my fancy lately...drum roll please....

Cafe Brazil Coffee

I love love love Cafe Brazil!! It is the one place in Dallas that I make it a point to stop by everytime I'm in town. If you've never experienced Cafe Brazil you need to if you're ever in Dallas. They have delicious pancrepes, omelets, desserts, and best of all...COFFEE! My recent love is Chocolate Cherry Kiss. In fact, as soon as pay day gets here, I'm going online to http://www.cafebrazilonline.com/p-15-chocolate-cherry-kiss.aspx to order some delicious caffeinated goodness.

Cowboy Boots

As many of you know, I love Cowboy Boots! Especially Old Gringo boots, unfortunately when they cost more than half of your month's rent, it's time to move on. However, I'm working tirelessly to find a cheaper version.

Jelly Beans!

Why Jelly Beans? They're sweet, small, and satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising your entire diet. I've also recently found some sugar free ones as well!!

Scarves Scarves Scarves!!!

Since Old Man Winter has finally decided to pay us a visit, my love for all that is Scarves. Why Scarves? They're pretty and colorful and it's like a big hug around your neck. If you don't have any scarves, I highly suggest you go by one. It will change your life and your sense of style :)

<a href="http://yesteachercrafts.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s92/french_mk/tickle.jpg" /></a>

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tis the season to the be Thankful

Although I strive to express thankfulness for the things that I'm thankful for all year round, in the spirit of the season I wanted to share these with you now (please note that they are in no particular order).

I'm thankful for my amazingly loving, generous, kind, and supportive family. Although I no longer live in Dallas, we do try our best to make it there as often as we can. In fact, once 5pm hits we will be hitting the road to spend the holiday with them. I'm also thankful for all of the sacrifices they made to come to this country and provide the life for us that we have been able to have.

2. I can't begin to express my gratitude to G-d and the fates of destiny for bringing my fiancee into my life. My friends can attest that I always had a fun and interesting life but I never knew how full my life could be until I met Brad. I'm so thankful that he's here and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him and our little man, Manolo.

3. I'm also thankful for the wonderful people that brought my amazing fiancee into the world and have helped to make him the person he is today. I'm so blessed to have such fun, loving, and kind inlaws.

4. I'm thankful for having the opportunity to have a job that I love, supportive and inspiring coworkers, and students that never cease to amaze me. They are the reason that I love what I do and have fun doing it!

5. I'm thankful for the health and happiness of my loved ones and hope that they continue to have all they wish for and more!

6. I'm thankful for the incredible friendships that I've been able to foster over the years. It doesn't matter if I've known you for a day or for my entire life, you are a huge part of who I am and who I'm becoming.

7. I'm thankful for my health and the blessings and guidance I've received that have guided me to the place that I am today.

8. I'm thankful for the experiences that I've had and the rich history and culture that I am a part of. Being different is a blessing not a curse if you embrace it and make it a part of who you are.

9. I'm thankful to be a Jayhawk, a Gamma, and an honorary Aggie!

10. I'm thankful to have the opportunity to be thankful for all these things and more!

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous holiday!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Two crazy kids and a little Manny

It's hard to believe that our little bundle of craziness is a little over three months old. Everyday brings new surprises, sounds and movements, as well as laughs. I know you've been waiting for it, so here's your latest and greatest update on all things Manny.

Manny has asked Mommy if he can be like everyone else he knows and loves and have his own facebook page. Since well, he's only a little over 3 mos old and is kind of missing opposable thumbs and mastery of English or Spanish, we felt like it probably wasn't a good idea. However we decided to meet in the middle, Manny now has his own Fan page!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fannys-of-Manny/133893600051243?sk=page_getting_started#!/pages/Fannys-of-Manny/133893600051243?sk=info

If you're a facebooker and want to be Fanny, click on the link above for all things Manny.

Also, since our little Manolo isn't camera shy, here are a few highlights of his latest highjinx...

Manny and Pato

Manny playing with Unca Sherlock

All dressed up and ready to go in the sweater his Abuela bought him

Boys and their toys

Simply Engaging Engagment pics

So this posting is a little late, I know, however things like work, sleeping, eating, dancing, family, and more work tends to get in the way. As we shared on facebook here are some of our favorite pics from our engagement session.

Still one of my favorites even if it didn't make the final cut

Posing outside the movie theater

Being artsy in Highland Park Village

Tres Chic, no?

Loved the colors on this one, just not as much as the next one :)

This one was the family fave and will be featured on our Save the Dates

Friday, October 21, 2011

Bringing up baby...

It's hard to believe that our little baby is a little over two months old. In the past couple of weeks we've seen him grow, develop, and go through countless changes, some good others not so much. In the beginning he adjusted very easily minus a few snafus with potty training and a nasty parasite, but thankfully he's getting better and learning more every day. If anything, this experience has taught us that we are not ready to be parents!! All joking aside, we do love him so much and here's some evidence of his most recent hijinx!

Puppy with his Ducky

Manny and Daddy

Meditating like his Mami

Manny and Mami

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

We are so proud to introduce you to...

The newest and cutest member of the Weiser Krugel familia...

Presenting in all his preciousness Manolo Martinez Esquenazi Krugel

We found out at 8pm on Friday night that we were able to adopt this little one and we've been head over heels in love ever since. That night we picked up some toys, food, and everything that we thought we'd need to care for our new baby. Before we picked him up I was a little nervous that he wouldn't like us but as you can probably tell by the pictures below we had nothing to worry about :)

Cuddling with Mommy

Playing with the Ducky his Bis Abuela/Great Grandmother bought him

Sitting with Daddy

Manolo even survived his first trip to Austin where he met one set of his grandparents and got to hang out with his Uncle Sherlock. When we came home he spent some quality time with his Aunt Mindy, Uncle Johnny, Aunt Becky, Aaron, Tirs, Ashley, and Uncle David as well. By the end of the day, he was ready for a well deserved nap.

You're probably wondering, Why the name Manolo? Well, here's the long and short answer, my abuelo David, has long called himself Manolo Martinez as his alias, and give that our baby kind of resembles a little old man, we felt that Manolo was a perfect monacre. Needless to say, we are totally in love with our little one and can't wait for everyone to meet him. Stay tuned for more of Manny's adventures in Aggieland.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Peep-mania!!

Until recently I thought that Peeps had a pretty limited purpose. These marshmallowy munchkins usually make an appearance for holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. However, much to my surprise and delight, these little critters are making a commotion and pushing the stereotypical, peep perception. I am proud to present a collection of the most creative, most fantastical, most unique Peep dinoramic debuts!! Enjoy!!