Grossman family west

Submitted without comment (except to ask how I enter this kid in that TV dance show. BOOM!)

Since January 1, Tahoe has received nearly 500″ of snow (that’s nearly 42 FEET) and many mountains are still sporting a base of nearly 200″, so it seemed like a good use of Spring Break time to grab some friends and head up for some April skiing. Avi and Ezra both hit the slopes for three days of solid skiing—two with dad and one with mom—while Ayla had some fun in the snow herself.

Check out all of the fun in a new album in the photo gallery!

Spring Break, woooooo!

(and yes, by the way, Governor Jerry Brown has declared an end to the drought)

We still have an actual library in Lafayette, believe it or not, and so Avi and Ezra got library cards last week. It’s the same as when mom and dad got their own library cards two hundred years ago, except now you can reserve the books online in advance (and, if they’re checked out, you can see when they are due back). Pretty cool!

Ayla is still working on signing her name so she can get one, too. In the meantime, she reads with Ezra.

Shhhhh…

Can I check all of these out, please?

It turns out that, in our tiny little enclave in Northern California, the sporting stars align during an otherwise peaceful March weekend. It is not March Madness, mind you, but Lafayette madness, during which the flag football season ends, and both baseball and lacrosse begin. The result? Seven sporting events over two days for two boys, and hundreds of miles (at least it felt that way) on the family car.

But, everyone seemed to have fun and slept very well afterwards. Some pictures now posted to the Photo Gallery.

Event six of seven…

Well, GFW loves Halloween and for 2016, we did it right: two costume parties, a pumpkin patch, and a night of trick-or-treating with our pals. The kids each picked their own costumes and while Ayla’s was adorable, Ezra and Avi sported incredible hand-crafted treasures. Holly constructed Ezra’s Blue Jay costume while “Uncle” John Osgood, a professional artist (check out JohnOsgood.com), constructed Avi’s Baseball Card costume (modeled after the 2016 Mookie Betts topps card).

The wonders of the 2016 GFW Halloween are posted in our Photo Gallery.

Boo!

There was a whole lot of cute happening here back in August when Uncle Dave and Aunt Dara brought Ian and Jared to Lafayette to hang out with Avi, Ezra, and Ayla. The kids made movies, we visited Fisherman’s Wharf, we played in the park, and we rocked all night long. We’ve finally combed through the pictures and videos and posted a new album for you to enjoy in the photo gallery.

We showed the east coasters where we used to send the bad guys when the superheroes caught them.

We hosted Passover Seder this year at our new house and Holly came through in a big way, as she always does. The beautiful California weather cooperated and so we hosted nearly thirty people for Holly’s hands-on retelling of the Exodus from Egypt—including a burning bush (no actual bushes were harmed in the re-enactment), rivers of blood, and a cabbage-patch Noah. Our friend Dahlia found her first afikomen, and the Seder meal concluded with matzah s’mores (hey, it’s the thought that counts). Next year in Jerusalem!

Pictures of our 2016 Seder have been posted to the photo gallery.

Hands on Seder 2016 at GFW!

What better time to post our Tahoe winter pictures than a 90 degree June day? (yes, there will be two more way-overdue posts over the next few days)

We only made it out to Tahoe once this winter (we’ll do better next season—Ezra just asked yesterday when we were going back) and we didn’t even ski that much. BUT, we had a blast sledding, playing in the snow, and even having a Shabbat dinner with some good pals. Our winter Tahoe pictures are now posted in the photo gallery!

Let’s go back to Tahoe!

Well, Thanksgiving seems to officially mark the beginning of ski season, so it felt like a good time to post some pictures and videos from LAST winter. We were fortunate enough to rent a ski house in Truckee (Lake Tahoe) and host a number of visitors. Although the winter of 2014/15 was the worst on record for snowfall in Tahoe, that didn’t bother our new learners at all. They appreciated the warm weather and they only need one beginner slope to be open to make the most of their new skills. Avi made great progress (earning a season pass!) while Ezra, who was only four years old, announced “I think I’ll try again when I’m five” but nevertheless enjoyed sledding, snowmen, and family time.

We’ve posted a new album in the Photo Gallery but sorted it chronologically in the list of albums (so it is not on top). You can find the 2014-2015 Tahoe album here. Also, not exactly related to skiing, we were treated to an impromptu performance one evening in Tahoe, which we’ve also posted here.

Fun in Tahoe with Auntie Robin!

Soccer season has begun for the boys and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Ezra (who is playing organized soccer for the first time) seems to have been blessed with a rather usual talent on the soccer pitch: he is very good at noticing when Dad is taking a picture and quickly striking a pose in response. Some photos and two very short videos have been posted to the Photo Gallery.

Ezra showing off his unique skill, in the middle of a game