Happy belated Chanukah

This year Bella said we should make a giant Menorah and we did. The kids selected the wood, with dad supervising, those days a Monte Vista lumber are paying off. We cut by hand, no electric saws for this project. The kids cheated and used the cordless drill and then we painted. We made room in the living room and spread a tarp. It took about three weeks from start to finish. The kids did all the painting. We used tree stakes as candles and they were 7 feet tall. The Shamash is the candle in the center an in the menorah it stands over 8 feet tall. Each night we added another candle. For christmas day we wrapped our candle in colored lights. People walking by all complemented the kids and some brought their own families back to see it. We didn't see any other menorahs in all of our christmas lights sight seeing. Decorating is not a big part of Chanukah, but as the jews say, " what ever works for your family". Our uncle Ron Niver was here for the begining of Chanukah and we had him help with the decorating, he had never done it before. The kids had fun, Bella is our fire marshall, she is in charge of all candle lighting and burning of small sticks. Zane keeps your lap warm and Lake monitors the neighborhood kids. We spent the holidays playing with friends, ice skating and going to the movies. School is back and the routine is back in full swing. Everyone is waiting for summer, did I ever tell you that spring is just around the corner for us, 2 months and the flowers will start to bloom. We are happy to be here and look forward to another year.

David