Our darling

Elijah continues to amaze us on a daily basis. He is 27 months old, and he is quite a little talent. He jumps like a frog and runs like there's no tomorrow. He can sing "Edelweiss" on his very own, and he hits every single note. While listening to Joshua Bell's "Short Trip Home" album, he pointed to the stereo and said, "Pretty song" I was tickled and asked him if he wanted a violin. He said "yes!" and I told him he can have one when he turns four.

Elijah has yet to bemoan our no-TV policy. With the occasional exception of CNN, the TV is rarely on during his waking hours. I was thrilled to watch the Inauguration with him, but his interest in it was fleeting. He's seen children's programming at friends' houses, but gets bored within few minutes.

The big exception to Elijah's TV indifference is the movie "Horton Hears a Who." In an effort to stave off the winter doldrums, I rented it earlier this month. Elijah was entranced by the tender pachyderm. He snuggled with Amiel on the couch for a good 25 minutes before moving on to his toys. Even then, he clearly continued to pay attention. I didn't know if I should laugh or grumble when he heard the line "Shut up, Horton!!" and then proceded to say just that. He continued to talk about the "elephant movie" for weeks and I finally decided to rent it a second time.

I won't deny the difficulty of adjusting to Elijah's increasing independence. He is no longer afraid to leave my side in public; one of his favorite parts about the Nature Museum playroom is unlatching the gate and bolting out at high speed. While driving Amiel to work yesterday, Elijah announced that there would be "no more talking!" To which I replied "Mommy and Dad can talk whenever they like," while stifling laughter.

He has been known to fling platefuls of food and yank on my hair, but I can't fault him for being two. I love the sound of his laughter. I love his fascination with Bananagram tiles and clocks. I love how he carries around Blue Doggy. I love watching him slurp smoothies through a straw and pick up raisins ("rose-ins) with his fingers.

I love the way his hair is matted down and damp after nap time. I love the subtle expression of amusement that crosses his face when I'm saying something ridiculous. I love how he runs down the hall to greet Amiel at the end of the day.

And that gorgeous hair. It's halfway down his back and blonder than ever. Gotta love that hair.

Playtime

Leave it to my Dad to choose a toy which blares "CATERPILLAR POWER!" and plays heavy metal guitar solos. "Is it driving you crazy yet?" Dad eagerly inquired. Thankfully the toy is not as annoying had he'd hoped for. Most importantly... Elijah loves it!

Elijah loves his toys and often prefers them to me. Yesterday we were reading books on the couch when he got bored and started looking for something new to do. He was clearly disinterested in me, so I decided to pull out a cookbook and make a grocery list. Within seconds he was demanding, "Close book, close book! Book on table!" I prefer not to be bossed around by a two year old, but I was kind of amused and decided to put the book down. A few minutes later, he was again busy with his toys and ignoring me. And yet, he immediately noticed when I went to retrieve the cookbook again. "No, book on table!" he shook his head as if I hadn't understood the first time.

Elijah is wonderful at playing independently. On most nights, I am able to cook an entire meal while he cooks in his kitchen or sits at the counter with a tub of Play Dough. He's not a very demanding kid, so it's hard not to indulge him.

Resolutions

I saw a hand written list of new year's resolutions on another blog and was inspired to do the same.

Happy New Year

Thought I'd sneak in one more photo of Elijah before 2009!! Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous year to come!! A special shout out to: Gilia, Savta, Rachel, Marilyn, Anna, Esther, Shelly, Nicole and anyone else who actually reads this blog!! XOXOXOXOXOXO

Oh Hannukah

Elijah loves playing dreidl with Daddy
Deb performs the Ugly Duckling song for the family

Dad jams during our post-prandial family sing-a-long
The Diamond-Steuerman-Kruss family

Lauren, Craig and upside down Ethan

The Steuerman kiddos

Deb thought the Israeli candy was play dough!

Shabbat shalom

We just got home from Shabbat dinner at the Herszages, and I still have a smile on my face. Everything was amazing. Brooke made the best ever squash souffle and the salmon was perfect. There was even vegetarian matzo ball soup! Elijah enjoyed chasing Bailey (the cat) around the house and playing with "Aiv."

Brooke and Aiva bless the Shabbat candles with Bruno
Amiel gazes wistfully at the challah

How cool is this? Pour wine into the top and the little Kiddush cups fill right up
Brooke and the amazing Hannukah cookie

Aiva and Elijah, what a happy pair

Elijah + Snow Pants = Irresistible

I love the snow and sharing it with Elijah is a real treat. The boots, the snow pants, the fuzzy red hat... it takes a little effort to bundle him up, but the result is adorable. I received dozens of smiles during our recent neighborhood photo shoot. Officer Swanson even agreed to model to model with the boy.

Thankful

Deb hosted this year's Thanksgiving feast and what a feast it was. After munching on some spectacular dips, we started the meal off with butternut squash soup (one of my contributions). We then moved on to mouth-watering spread of : mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, two kinds of stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, carrot cake, wild rice with nuts and mushrooms, salad and the tastiest ever sweet potatoes (think marshmallows, brown sugar, pecans and a hint of sweet potato). Dessert was a hit too. We had a wonderful homemade pumpkin pie (thank you, Erica), birthday cake (happy 39th to Sharon) and baked pears (another score for our hostess).

Erica and Bob

Deb, Elijah and Sharon
Deb set a lovely table

Elijah liked the napkin rings

Homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than the canned kind

My world is brimming with wonderful family, friends and food -- I have so much to be thankful for.

Milestones

Elijah climbed out of his crib last night. Guess it's time for a big boy bed.

Molasses cookies

Molasses is an excellent source of iron, so I like to think of these cookies as healthy. I have a batch in the oven right now, and the smell is heavenly. The recipe comes from Mollie Katzen's cookbook, Still Life With Menu Cookbook. I bet they'd make to-die-for ice cream sandwiches.

Mrs. Buerschaper's Molasses Crinkles

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground ginger

2 cups unbleached white flour

1 to 2 tablespoons additional sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 & lightly grease a cookie sheet

2. Melt butter over low heat and transfer to medium sized bowl

3. Beat in molasses and 1 cup of sugar. Beat egg by itself in a small bowl first, and then beat this into molasses mixture

4. Sift dry ingredients together (except extra sugar) and then stir them into the wet mixture

5. Use your hands to form 1 1/2 inch balls of dough. Place additional sugar on a small plate and roll each ball in the sugar before arranging on cookie sheet

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm to touch. Cool on a rack (or just eat them hot, yum).