Don turned 33 yesterday. He got to watch the Patriots game (sorry, they didn't make it to the playoffs) and then have everybody over for the last night of Hanukkah and his birthday dinner. The kids had a blast helping him blow out the trick candles. Since he's 33, I thought I could list 33 reasons that I love him. (Thanks for the idea, Jossie.)
1. He laughs really loud at funny movies and tv shows.
2. He always tells his parents that he loves them.
3. He's always willing to give somebody a helping hand, even help them move into a 2nd floor apartment in the middle of August.
4. He gives the kids their baths 99% of the time.
5. He loves my family.
6. He has really good morals.
7. He doesn't follow cars too close because he knows it worries me.
8. He doesn't complain when I correct his grammar.
9. He kisses me goodbye when I'm sleeping.
10. He unloads the dishwasher.
11. He always takes out the garbage.
12. He's an amazing father and loves to play with his kids.
13. He cried when my mom died.
14. He always does the grilling.
15. He is really handy around the house.
16. He likes to shop.
17. He dances.
18. We have the funniest conversations and always laugh together.
19. He picks up my shoes for me and doesn't complain that I leave them all over the house.
20. He likes neat closets.
21. He falls asleep watching tv with the remote in his hand.
22. He cleans the bathrooms.
23. He gets mad when people treat others badly.
24. He plays with my hair.
25. He gives me massages.
26. He's honest.
27. He always tells me what a good cook I am.
28. He cares about my friends.
29. He watches chick flicks with me.
30. He supports all of my goals and ideas.
31. He puts his family first.
32. He reads business and financial magazines.
33. He makes me feel safe and loved and is my best friend.
I love you, Honey.
Grammy (Don's mom) is Jewish. She grew up celebrating all of the Jewish Holidays. I asked her if this year she would teach my kids about Hanukkah and celebrate it with them. So, we are celebrating Hanukkah this year. One day when Katie was in school, Alex and I went and bought some menorahs and the candles. We've been lighting our Advent wreath for 3 weeks now, and they've been excited to get to light the Menorah too. I didn't know that each night the candles on the Menorah are supposed to burn all the way down. I figured it was like our Advent wreath and you'd just blow them out. 
Tonight, we learned a little bit about Hanukka, lit the Menorah, opened the first Hanukkah presents, and played Dreidel. Tomorrow we will lite the Menorah, search for Gelt and make Latkes. It's really fun to see Grammy so excited and for the kids to get to learn more about the Oppenheim side of the family. Katie is a really lucky game player. She won the Dreidel game. Here's a quick video.
Katie's KidShine performance was on Friday night. She did very well during her speaking and signing solos. However, for most of the performance she was playing with her hair and the ribbon on her dress. I'm not sure what got into her. The performance was in the gym this time, so I'm not sure if that played a role. I didn't get a shot of her during her singing solo, she was on the other mike and her teacher was blocking my view. Hopefully Don got it with the video camera or some other parent taped her. My favorite song was when the kids all danced. We are looking forward to another season of KidShine, or Music and More as it's now called.
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