Today I was scrambling around to get things ready to leave for a couple of weeks to Israel. While I was upstairs packing and putting Asher down for a nap I came downstairs to find Max laying in the living room on his back wagging his tale so proudly with all fours in the air.
It seemed a bit odd the way he was acting and as I looked around the room I noticed some things scattered all over the place. My first thought was that he had dragged in a bunch of tree bark. As I looked closer, I realized they were MICE (or maybe baby moles)! Ewwww, ewwww, gross, I wanted to throw up. Everywhere I looked there were more. It turns out there were five total, and they were a good four to five inches each.
I couldn't look at them any more otherwise I would lose my stomach so I escaped to the laundry room to finish folding clothes.
Soon the time came when I had to deal with Max's masterpiece. So I went around the living room with a rubber glove and garbage can feeling like I was on some sick and twisted treasure hunt. Just as I was halfway through, I discovered one was still breathing!!!! That's when I lost it! That's when I finally had to call Moises. He was very supportive considering he was in the middle of a lunch meeting. (He said it made great conversation over dessert!)
So the last mouse (or baby mole) now lays to rest in the front yard flower beds. I just hope one didn't escape and run under some piece of furniture to die and I don't have to explain what happens after that.
No more kisses for Max! EVER!
We went to a handful of wineries and ended up with some delicious bottles to take with us. My favorite winery was this one called Pelter. It isn't set up for public wine tasting so we basically had a very informal tasting right where the wine is actually made.
After our wine tasting, Ory, the assistant winemaker took us on a personal tour up the road to the U.N. border with Syria.
Zefat is an ancient kabbalistic (Jewish mysticism) city a few minutes away from our hotel. It is known as Israel's art capital. It's full of really interesting art galleries from paintings to jewelry to home accessories. 
Asher had non-stop entertainment from Babi and Zaideh. That means everybody was happy!
Brownies! Boy, this was a treat! Asher never gets to eat sweets; and not only that, he got to sit on the counter and eat them. 
On out way back up to the North we stopped by to have lunch and yes, do some more wine tasting. 
Asher got a very special present shortly after his first birthday. Yes, his very own potty! Moises and I have been putting him on it several times a day with some books to read, songs to sing, and his new toy, ABC Elmo. He actually seems to enjoy it. He loves the undivided attention he gets. In fact, he's already gone on it once.
We had a couple days of gorgeous weather last week so Asher and I met up with his friend Jade and her mom Meredith at the park. It was so nice to get out and breath some fresh air. Unfortunately it didn't last longer than a couple days.
Last week my friend Danielle was in town because her husband had some business meetings. This woman is amazing and I can't begin to imagine how she does it all and comes out alive. So the story goes... when her oldest son, Dylan (now 20 months) was about five months old, she became pregnant again... with TWINS! And if that's not enough to make this story interesting, they had to move to Fargo, North Dakota a month before the twins were born where they had no family or friends. Yeah! Like I said, I really don't know how she does it. Being that Dylan, her 20 month-old is such an easy going, sweet little guy and the twins, Maya and Nathan are so irresistibly adorable with blue eyes the size of saucers helps.
