Category Archives: sons

June 12, 2025 · 11:25 am

This is 35!

Son #2 turns 35 today!

It is hard to put into words the way I feel about this young man. We have the unique circumstance of a long family history that transcends the customary in-law relationship. In fact, it is hard to remember a time when he was not in our family.

Watching a teen grow into an adult is such an interesting exercise. Not needing to parent that young person is liberating. However, our situation is a hybrid. Corey is not above reaching out for advice or assistance, and in turn he has also become of enormous counsel to us.

Confidence with humility is his differentiator. Pardon the othermother brag here, but there really is not much he does not excel at. Jana will tell you it is kind of annoying, actually. But we know how proud she is to have him as her husband. Top on that list is his desire to keep it real and hover under the radar of praise and attention.

If I were asked what was the one thing about him that fills my heart the most, it is dedication to his people. His family, friends and co-workers know they can always count on him. No questions asked. I mean, how many young men can head a major restoration project for his in-laws’ business and not ever lose his cool? (this one was definitely a test for everyone, and they all passed with flying colors).

Simply put, life with Corey is just better. In every way.

Happy 35, my sweet girl’s boy. May Archie cut you some slack today and may the universe (and Iko) shine down upon you today and fill your heart with all the love you deserve.

Leave a comment

Filed under birthday, Corey, daughters, family, moms, sons

Tagged as , , , , , ,

October 7, 2024 · 4:21 pm

The Day After

Sitting here in a moment of ultimate personal joy and unthinkable global sadness it is hard for me to do much today. So much emotion. And I usually do emotion well.

The marriage of my son to the woman of all our dreams this weekend was one of the highest highs a parent can experience. The love in the room, the joining of two strong supportive families, the beautiful traditions and all the people who mean so much to all of us… THIS. This is what makes life so rich.

And yet we cannot ignore the significance of this date. And the current world situation.

I was inspired to write this by a beautiful, strong young woman I met this weekend. She is an American who lives in Tel Aviv. And I am so very honored to have met her and have our families joined. She flew out of Israel for this wedding, luckily in a sliver of time when she could. I asked her how she was doing. Her answer to me was this: we are at a Jewish simcha. This is what it is all about. This is what makes us exist. Got to love the Israeli mindset and Jewish outlook on life.

The Jewish wedding ceremony, the signing of the Katubah, the breaking of the glass, the seven blessings, the Hora… every one of those precious moments that always bring us closer to our culture and faith, had such a heightened significance at this time. Sitting in the middle of the two most sacred holidays of the year was that much more meaningful.

We are Jews.

We are those Jews. The ones that stand strong and proud, that love and care deeply for all humankind, and will never let anyone shake that.

There is no room for hate in a room filled with that much love.

May all who are suffering today feel the power of our heritage. May we stand tall and proud and never tolerate the evil and propaganda that threaten our existence. May those who are defending our freedoms stay safe and continue the job of ridding the world of this poison. May we NEVER forget. And let us say… Amen.

Am Yisrael Chai.

4 Comments

Filed under danny, family, marriage, parenting, sons, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

September 16, 2023 · 10:09 pm

This is 31

Uncle Danny.

Becky’s almosthusband (I never liked the word fiancé).

My boy.

There is nothing quite like watching your son sit in the happiest times of his life.

So here you are Dan. This moment in time when it all is falling into place and that smile seems to be a permanent fixture on your face. Not bad for a guy who could win the salty championship on any given morning.

Watching you get to this point has been such a joy. I am so proud of all the patience and support you have displayed to get here. At work. At home. And within our family.

This has been a roller coaster year. But you are the guy we can all always count on. You scoop me and make the hard things so much easier with your steady support and calm strength. And you bring fun and light into everything we do together.

A quick ‘you ok, Ma?” text to check in on me means more than you will ever know. Our shared book quote texts are one of my favorite things about being your mom. (note the main communication is texting here… yes I get you hate the phone).

You have taken my advice to be all you can to new heights. I can’t wait to see what you do next.

Love you to the moon, buckaroo. Happy 31!

Leave a comment

Filed under birthday, danny, moms, parenting, sons, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 10, 2022 · 2:18 pm

The family equation

Or what we like to refer to as Mom Math.

On this day, 4 years ago, in between 4 nor’easters, after 6 years long distance, these 2 joined together and grew our 2 families into a single kickass clan. We could not have chosen a better 2nd son (and partner for our daughter) if we tried. Now here we are, after 2 bizarre years, with the world still spinning out of control, waiting to add 1 more to this family equation.

We love you 2(½) people more than we can ever say. May you have the most beautiful anniversary day, celebrating all that truly matters in this world. And may you always know that we will all be your shelter in the storm. No matter what.

Big love, kiddos.

2 Comments

Filed under anniversary, Corey, daughters, Jana, marriage, sons

Tagged as , , , , , ,

June 12, 2021 · 6:25 pm

This is 31

Amazing shot secured from creepy Facebook stalking.

Happy birthday to my girl’s boy. Son #2. The calm in every storm.

Cor, It is hard to remember a time when you were not a part of my family. You have been with us through it all. And I could never fully express how grateful I am to have you there with your quiet strength and insightful perspective. You are my go to guy in an emergency.

Thirty to thirty-one has been one crazy ride. Never once did I see you falter. When things got scarier, you became more steadfast in your conviction to keeping it cool. Nothing like a pandemic to test the true colors of a man. (a little ironic, for a colorblind guy, huh?) When decisions had to be made, you brought them to the families with undying grace and respect. You always consider everyone’s feelings before making a move. And somehow, you manage to do it all with a smile on your face and a no big deal attitude.

When you marry someone you marry their family. That is not always easy to navigate. But we are so very fortunate that we took it one step further and married both our families into one. I could not imagine living without that. My gratitude is without measure.

For 31 I wish for you all that you have missed. All that you deserve. Music. Food. Festivals. Travel. Golf. And a fully opened NYC!

Can’t wait to see what this year has in store for you. Thanks for always taking us along for your ride.

Big Love.

1 Comment

Filed under advice to my son, birthday, Corey, moms, parenting, relationships, sons, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

September 15, 2020 · 10:21 pm

This is 28

You are 28, right? There are years that I have gotten this wrong. And in the land of time warps, how do you actually know you are 28? What is time anyway…

Never mind, I did the math.

Here we are again, as the day is about to turn from my birthday to yours I can’t help but think the big stuff. Especially now.

It is impossible to ignore where we are and where we have been this year. But I am going to use our birthdays to reflect on all the good that this crazy rollercoaster has given us.

One of the bright things… You. As a roommate. AGAIN! Only this time it was so much different than it has ever been. This time you were here to hold it together with me. To keep me sane when I started to let it all run away with me. As I circled the drain you put out your steady hand and pulled me right out. With an eye roll and a ‘yes, mother’ you could lighten up even the toughest of moments.

You will forever be my sounding board. You think the way I do but with a mind that is so open to all possibilities that my insight pales next to yours. You slow me down, keep me on course and help me to stay straight and go with my gut, even when my gut seems to be nowhere to be found.

Oh, and you vacuum and do the dishes!

But best of all you do this all with a keen sense of humor and the ability to make light of the heaviest of all situations.

You navigated some incredibly tough waters through this crazy ride of a year and worked hard to land in the most amazing place. Without once feeling sorry for yourself or giving up. It’s how you navigate the hard times that determines who you are. You kicked the ass of 2020.

Ok, so I am your mom and I am supposed to say this stuff. But others do too.

Thank you, Dan, for turning into a man I could not be more proud of if I tried.

And one who always remembers… Everything Matters.

(Be all you can be and be careful)

Leave a comment

Filed under birthday, danny, moms, parenting, sons, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 16, 2017 · 8:51 pm

This is 25

IMG_817125. Twenty-five. A quarter of a century. WTH! Unclear how I am the mother of all those years. Lord knows I certainly don’t behave that way.

Which brings me to my son. Dan. Danny. Daniel. DLev. Buckaroo. Seriously, what 25 year old man tolerates being called Buckaroo? Even embraces it.

My son.

I rarely blog anymore. But my kids’ birthdays are sacred. And blogworthy. So here goes.

This guy. He has taught me so much more than I have taught him by now. Me? I keep hitting home the same lessons. What is your end game? Keep your eye on your own ball. Be true to who you are. Be all you can be and be careful. Have integrity every day. Always resolve conflict with the party you are conflicted with. The love of reading. Floss.

Him? He challenges me. He makes me better. He makes me think.

Every day.

He taught me that you have to love people the way they need to be loved, not the way you want to love them. He DOES NOT like to be told what to do. In fact if I do, it is a guarantee he will do the opposite. He has taught me how to trust those you love to do the right thing. To believe that when you raised a child to be independent, that independence may come back to bite you in the ass (ok, not such a parental phrase, but go with it), but you are guaranteed to have a child that knows who they are. Always. Without a second thought.

But most of all, he has taught me about overcoming adversity. And shown me how incredibly strong a human can be when faced with a life(style) altering issue.

Here’s to you, DLev. I stand in awe of your strength. And your ability to find joy everywhere. All the time.

All you can, my love. All you freakin’ can!

Happy 25!

(please note I got your age right this year). 

1 Comment

Filed under advice to my son, birthday, danny, family, sons

Tagged as , , , ,

September 16, 2016 · 2:02 pm

This is 24 (not 23)!

img_2670

This guy! I adore pretty much everything about him (ok, except for mornings).

That sweet face on the right stares out at me from those big brown eyes, with a little hint of a smile that always said, hey, I really know who I am. I’ve got this. And there he is again on the left – over two decades later – same sort of expression, telling me that he will always be cool with it. Whatever ‘it’ is.

DLev. Baco boy. Oneida for life. Badger. The king of sucking it up and moving on. Always gives 100% and never complains. Sometimes to a fault.

I will refrain from the ‘my-little-boy-is-gone-my-son-is-perfect’ drivel and just simply say that if on this day in 1992 I could have written my hopes for who you would become, you have exceeded my expectations. You make me laugh, call me out, challenge me, make me think and most of all let me lean when I have to. (ok, a little bit of my-son-is-perfect, but it’s your birthday)

Raising you has been a joy, buckaroo. (oh, except for that incident with the inside of my windshield, but hey, this is not about embarrassing you ; ).

To the moon and back.

Happy 24, Danny-boy. All you can.

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under birthday, childhood, danny, parenting, sons, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,