Category: <span>Moments</span>

We recently celebrated Sophia’s 3rd birthday and Eliza’s Brit Bat. This evening I sit back with a warm cup of tea looking at life I chose almost 4 years ago. A warmth spreads in my heart knowing that I couldn’t have been more fortunate in welcoming our not-so-little, little girl named Sophia. She’s our bashert. I am awestruck by how mother nature works to make a beautiful little person from two people and how every time I look into her eyes I see my husbands looks and my own mischievous nature gleaming back at me. And just when I couldn’t imagine making space in my life and heart for anyone else, along came Eliza. She’s so different from Sophia and yet she too, is our bashert.

Every time I try to think of what it is I wish for the girls besides rainbows, balloons and cake, I find myself at a loss for words. I wish for them to be surrounded by as many family and friends as we were on this joyous occasion, to be loved and to find love, to know that life’s riches are what you find within your heart.

And now the details about the party. We decided to celebrate Sophia’s 3rd birthday together with Eliza’s naming. Sophia didn’t and Eliza hadn’t expressed any negative thoughts about the matter, so why not? Our family has three kids’ birthdays in October so we have to share our weekends with our cousins’ celebrations. The party had a Curious George theme because Sophia absolutely loves that show and this is probably the last year I could have had such a theme before embarking on years of birthdays with princess themes. My in-laws hosted the event and Evan and I contributed the cake and cupcakes. The party was called for 10 am and we served traditional brunch affair (bagels, lox, whitefish, kugel, etc.,). My sister made a delicious kugel and my mom made her famous potato salad which I swore off at parties.

The cake and cupcakes were made by Sweet Elizabeth’s Elizabeth’s Cakes in Manayunk. The cake, a two tiered confection, had a chocolate cake on the bottom and a chocolate chip cake on the top. Curious George, The Man in the Yellow Hat, Hundley and Gnocchi are featured on the cake in fitting with the theme. The cupcakes were chocolate with peanut butter and Oreo buttercream, red velvet, and chocolate chip with salted caramel buttercream decorated with sprinkles and glitter.

The real starts of the party were not the desserts but the family and friends who came out to celebrate. The house was filled with children of all ages making new friends and playing. We couldn’t have asked for a better celebration.

The kids are asleep, the house is quiet and I can finally recount our most marvelous weekend over which we celebrated my sister-in-law’s beautiful country wedding. Before I share the details, I should preface how this wedding came to be.

My new brother-in-law is infatuated with all things equestrian and country and his infatuations seem to have rubbed off onto my sister-in-law. A wedding complete with horses, a country band, and a hoedown is what the bride and groom desired and an authentic country wedding is what they and their guests were treated to on a gorgeous early fall day.

The ceremony was held inside a barn built in the 17th century in the heart of Pennsylvania’s horse country. The chuppah was draped in linens gifted to the bride’s great grandparents on their 25th anniversary—in 1939. The flowers were a perfect representation of fall without succumbing to the typical oranges, yellows and maroons. The flower girls wore jean dresses with tule tutus hand-sewn by the mother-of-the-bride.

The reception was held inside a large tent erected on a beautiful green lawn surrounded by the lush countryside. The reception started after sundown and so the tent sparkled in the distance. The guests walked from the ceremony to the reception tent on a path lit by lanterns. It was so romantic, so ethereal. The walk to the tent itself set one’s mood for the spectacular feast that awaited once there.

Inside the tent the tables were long and rectangular with beautiful runners and low floral arrangements highlighting the antique [looking] plates. The guests didn’t just feast on the table scape but were treated to an amazing feast complete with a pie and ice cream stations, wedding cake and a bourbon tasting bar. When in Paris… or in the heart of Pennsylvania’s country country, one should be entertained by a country band. I had never seen a country band play the hora, but this one did and did a pretty good job of it too.

The bride and groom looked so happy, so in love that they seemed to be in a world of their own. The real magic of the day was, however, in the family and friends that came from far and wide to share and celebrate in this couple’s special day. Evan, myself and even Sophia all had special roles. I was a bridesmaid, Evan a groomsman and Sophia a little flower girl. Additionally, Evan … with some input from me, selected all the liquor for this wedding which we both thought to be an awesome responsibility; a good party has to have good drinks. I had to bring our nanny from Maryland to babysit Eliza and then Sophia so that we could attend and participate in the wedding. Being a nursing mom who was also a bridesmaid and a mother of a young flower girl was no small feat and I am relieved that Sophia walked down the isle, that Eliza took the bottle and that I was able to enjoy such a great party … and get a few pictures of my own.

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and embrace the challenge; that is exactly what we did this weekend when we tackled the girls on our own for the first time. It was challenging but quite manageable with a little big of creativity and planning. We even managed errands, park dates, a run to the mall and lots of play at home. But I think a post about how two adults, one of whom has a PhD, managed to take care of a toddler and an infant is rather boring. Lots of people have done this before us.

Sophia is turning three in October and we have finally embraced cartoons, Disney Princesses and fairytales. So far, Sophia has only seen Cinderella and on Saturday we showed her The Little Mermaid. I shouldn’t admit to this, but I have myself never seen the Little Mermaid or Cinderella (until I saw them both with Sophia). They didn’t show Disney cartoons in the USSR and I am not sure why I never saw it when I first came here… In any event, we made a movie afternoon out of the experience complete with home-made popcorn (not from a packet, either) and had the best time. Sophia loved the cartoon so much so that she asked to put on her princess skirt and necklaces and has been sporting both ever since.

I am not a fan of the princess stage per se; All the tiaras and pretend dress-up usually make me cringe, but there was something very darling about Sophia watching the cartoon, her emotions clearly on display.