It’s a big week for us! The first wave of bat mitzvah company arrived on Zoe’s birthday, with the arrival of Sandy and Cas; they spent a few days with us, and Aimee and her family came next. The girls are having a blast with their cousins: They took them to a Warriors game (where Tanner scored a Steph Curry signature!) on Monday night, and the next day they all went to school together. More family (and photos) coming soon…

-M

So here’s the thing about a bat mitzvah: It seems really far away through most of the planning process (especially when you pick the date two or three years in advance), but then suddenly sneaks up on you. About three weeks ago, it hit me that we were only a month away, and it suddenly felt very real. It also hit me that we had quite a bit to do: Though Q (our party planner) has been super organized and on top of everything, there are still a bunch of little details to work on, party decisions to finalize and outfits (and shoes) to pick out! 

Luckily, and most importantly, Zoe is totally on top of things, too – and she feels ready for next weekend. Here, a snap of her practicing alongside her sister yesterday.

-M

Zoe turned 13 yesterday, and I can’t think of a better photo for my rule-following, book-loving kid than this one. (She had indeed been saving this book for around her birthday; she crawled into our bed the night before the big day and said, “Now I can read this.”)

We’ve all been so focused on her bat mitzvah (less than one week away now!) that her birthday itself felt a bit anti-climatic. Still we made it fun by doing something very Zoe: We went to Barnes & Nobel, where she browsed for a while before picking out five books, and then went to a San Mateo restaurant where she had one of her favorite things in the world (strawberry rhubarb pie). Later we had dinner in the neighborhood with Sandy and Cas, who flew in that evening, and she blew out candles on a cake that her good friend bought and surprised her with. Not a bad way to usher in her teen years!

-M

It’s a whole new Avery! She got her hair cut in a cute, short bob (Q took her to the appointment last Saturday, and she totally surprised me with the new do) and later that day she did something she’s been wanting to for a few years: get her ears pierced! Check it out…

-M

With work, school, activities and planning for Zoe’s bat mitzvah, it’s been a super busy time – but I can’t let more time pass without sharing some photos from Halloween. Below you’ll see Avery and two of her friends (a fellow cheerleader and Ariana Grande) trick or treating in the neighborhood. Zoe had her own thing going on that afternoon and evening (no photos of her this year = mom fail) but I snuck in a photo of Maddie for good measure.

-M