Confluence of positive things

There are some happy things going on at the moment, so for a change of pace, I think I’ll take a moment to list them. Yay happiness! Yay happy things!

First, the Boy has not thrown up again. Woohoo! In fact, he is back to his usual monstery self, engaging in his usual tricks (such as banging his head against stuff and grabbing things away from the Nephew), so I think it’s safe to conclude that he’s cured. Yay!

Second, RS was not sent home yesterday. We believe she is lice-free, and she’s scheduled for a military buzz haircut on Friday (along with the Boy, who is beginning to look either like a girl, or like a resident of Williamsburg, when in fact he is neither). Woohoo!

Third, one of my favorite people in the world just announced the birth of his tenth child. Yes, tenth. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I adore and admire this person, and not only because when I call him to pick his brain about halachic matters, he almost always gives me the answer I want (most memorably, when I was pregnant with the twins and he agreed with G that I wasn’t really fleishig and could indulge my milk craving) (heehee). He also happens to be one of the most upstanding and outstanding individuals I have ever met. The very idea of him and his wife (who is also an unimaginable human being, though I don’t know her as well) having ten children is the most perfect thing I’ve ever heard in my life. So, mazel tov, and כן ירבו!

(Of course, the flip side of this is that I am now missing a friend with nine kids. I was very pleased when my friend in Israel had his 8th and I realized I now had friends with 9, 8, 7, 6, etc. (once you hit 5, it gets a lot easier). I emailed the friend with 8 and told him my problem, and asked if he could have another one ASAP, but so far he’s been sort of selfish about it. Feh. )

Fourth, one of my other most favorite people in the world, heretofore to be known as BFFA, is making a bar mitzvah this weekend. Yay! I totally wish I could be there, but G needs to conserve his vacation weekends, and leaving him alone with the kids for Shabbos is not exactly a viable option, and bringing any of the kids with me – especially the Boy – is an even less viable option. Heh. (I adore him and everything, but he can be a bit - um – much to deal with on one’s own. ) Anyway, one of the many, many things I love about BFFA is that she’s one of the most comfortable and reliable human beings in the world. She’s just one of those people you can ALWAYS count on, no matter what, and she understands everything and responds to all of my insanities with humor, wisdom, and love. (She also holds the 6 spot in terms of numbers of kids had by my friends; I can’t think of anyone else who’s tied with her, so you see her place in my life is very, very important).

Anyway, I can’t go to the bar mitzvah, but it makes me very happy to have the opportunity to wax happy about her, and it also so happens that this kid of hers is an AWESOME kid. I’ve had a few chances to get to know him a little, and – this is a greater honor than you can possibly imagine – he’s tied for the #1 spot on my A-list of hand-picked sons-in-law. And that, my friends, is saying something. So, mazel tov BFFA, and mazel tov to what’s-his-name who married you, and mazel tov to the young man of the hour and to the 5 other pitzels. You should continue to have much nachas, and I’ll totally be with all of you in spirit.

Finally, the following thing took place in my very own backyard this past Sunday.

Heeheehee.

That, of course, is my son and my local nephew, and the reason they’re all blurry is because the swing was in motion. They were riding on it together during the shul barbecue we were hosting, and it was one of the cutest things the world has ever seen. MUCH cuter than when they bang their heads on the dishwasher and shout “Oh!”, and almost as cute as when they chase each other through my dining room and kitchen and then stop to sit down on our bottom step like a couple of old men on a park bench. So, cuteness abounds around here – and if that isn’t happy, what is.

Tags: Friends, Kids, Relatives