First Shabbat as Rabbi

Our first Shabbat in Portland went better than I could have hoped for. I was very nervous about being alone with both kids and acting as the rabbi. The kids don't have any friends in the neighborhood where we're currently living, so it was bracing for the worst. Thankfully, the kids made friends with two boys that came Friday night and Saturday morning. They ran around and played games together. The best was hide and seek. One would usually think that this is a nice, quiet game that would be very appropriate for a shul where there are many places to hide in the hallways and downstairs. The kids figured out that there are also more places to hide in the sanctuary which made the game all the more exciting... Eventually, I got the kids to only hide in the hallway. I didn't anticipate that this meant that the "counter" (1,2,3... ready or not, here I come...) would remain in the sanctuary so that he wouldn't see where any of the other kids were hiding. Naturally, he made sure to count loud enough so that everyone in the building could hear him so that they would be prepared before he began his seeking.

Like clockwork, the kids came running in to me in the middle of my speech. Everyone was very pleased to have little kids running around so no one seemed to mind. If anyone was nodding off during the sermon, it definitely woke them up. I should probably schedule them to come in every week at that time... In the afternoon we found our new "Shabbos Park". We had a good time for a while, then went home for dinner, havdallah, Hamsty time (new rule: no Hamsty on Shabbat), and bed.

Sunday, we found the Portland Children's Museum. It was great for the kids, they didn't want to leave. There was do it yourself face painting, water works, rock climbing, and anything else that kids would want to do. I posted all the pictures on Facebook in case anyone's interested. At night we had a Sheva Brachot at our shul. Now that we have a garage, I've been taking advantage and leaving the keys in the car (guess I learned it from my dad). I got the kids all dressed up and we were ready to go and found out that Dina decided to be extra cautious and she made sure to lock the car doors the last time she was in it (unlike my dad who just locked me in the car). Fifty-seven dollars later we were back in the car and I learned my lesson and now take the keys with me wherever I go.

The kids have been adjusting to their new schools. It's the first time that Dina and Yoel haven't been in the same building for the entire day. Yoel is only in a half-day program, so he's my "helper" from 12:30-3:45 when we pick up Dina. He usually falls asleep in the car and naps for an hour and then we go on to some activity. Today, we went to a park where he played for around an hour. We then went home to play with Hamsty. Yoel fell asleep on the car ride home (takes around 5 minutes) and woke up with a few minutes to play with Hamsty before it was time to pick up Dina. Tomorrow, Yoel and I are going to serve as chaperones for Dina's class as they go on a trip to the Bee Farm in the afternoon. Will let you know how that goes. And because I don't have anywhere else to put it, here's a picture from Dina and Yoel's first day of school last week...