Grossman family west

san francisco


June 14th, 2016 by joel

Ayla turned two and pleaded—nay, begged!—to have a gymnastics-themed birthday party, and mom obliged… at least that’s the story that Holly (former gymnast) told me. Nevertheless, mom and Ayla both seemed to have a blast, along with a set of Ayla’s closest pals and their parents. Somersaults, bubbles, jumping, parachutes, and dancing with a slightly creepy stuffed clown—it was everything you could possibly want for your second birthday.

Pictures of the festivities are now posted in the Photo Gallery for your enjoyment!

Unclear who is having more fun


June 12th, 2016 by joel

We hosted Passover Seder this year at our new house and Holly came through in a big way, as she always does. The beautiful California weather cooperated and so we hosted nearly thirty people for Holly’s hands-on retelling of the Exodus from Egypt—including a burning bush (no actual bushes were harmed in the re-enactment), rivers of blood, and a cabbage-patch Noah. Our friend Dahlia found her first afikomen, and the Seder meal concluded with matzah s’mores (hey, it’s the thought that counts). Next year in Jerusalem!

Pictures of our 2016 Seder have been posted to the photo gallery.

Hands on Seder 2016 at GFW!


June 11th, 2016 by joel

What better time to post our Tahoe winter pictures than a 90 degree June day? (yes, there will be two more way-overdue posts over the next few days)

We only made it out to Tahoe once this winter (we’ll do better next season—Ezra just asked yesterday when we were going back) and we didn’t even ski that much. BUT, we had a blast sledding, playing in the snow, and even having a Shabbat dinner with some good pals. Our winter Tahoe pictures are now posted in the photo gallery!

Let’s go back to Tahoe!


March 20th, 2016 by joel

Pro scouts are already knocking down our door after Ezra’s 3-for-3 performance on Saturday at his first-ever organized baseball game. The coaches pitched and Ezra, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during the off-season, smacked the ball thrice, despite being the youngest player on his five- and six-year old Lafayette baseball team (Ezra just turned five last month). His development has surely been facilitated by great guidance from his older brother, Avi (who plays for the White Sox this year). Avi, having played two hours earlier on Saturday, made it to Ezra’s game to help where he could, both intellectually (with advice like “use the Spiderman bat”) and physically (literally giving Ezra a push as he rounded third base).

Ezra had a great time, usually put his mitt on the correct hand when taking the field, and has retained his habit from last (soccer) season of posing for the camera, even in the middle of a game, so this photographer is going to have to be a little more sneaky this season. Fifteen pictures from the game are now posted to the photo gallery.

A little push from a pal helps Ezra beat the throw home.


January 30th, 2016 by joel

We had a very special treat for Christmas week this winter—we joined Mimi, Zayda, and all of our aunts, uncles, and cousins (16 of us, in total) in Cancun, Mexico! We had a blast playing in the pools, eating all-we-could, and have a lot of quality family time. We even got to swim with the dolphins with Mimi and Zayda! We posted a bunch of pictures and a short video to the Photo Gallery.

Fun in the Sun!


January 10th, 2016 by joel

Having your own family website is a bit self-indulgent, so why not really pile it on?

We present our 2015 Family Photoshoot, now in the photo gallery.

Lookin’ good!


November 29th, 2015 by joel

Well, Thanksgiving seems to officially mark the beginning of ski season, so it felt like a good time to post some pictures and videos from LAST winter. We were fortunate enough to rent a ski house in Truckee (Lake Tahoe) and host a number of visitors. Although the winter of 2014/15 was the worst on record for snowfall in Tahoe, that didn’t bother our new learners at all. They appreciated the warm weather and they only need one beginner slope to be open to make the most of their new skills. Avi made great progress (earning a season pass!) while Ezra, who was only four years old, announced “I think I’ll try again when I’m five” but nevertheless enjoyed sledding, snowmen, and family time.

We’ve posted a new album in the Photo Gallery but sorted it chronologically in the list of albums (so it is not on top). You can find the 2014-2015 Tahoe album here. Also, not exactly related to skiing, we were treated to an impromptu performance one evening in Tahoe, which we’ve also posted here.

Fun in Tahoe with Auntie Robin!


November 3rd, 2015 by joel

Halloween 2015 fell on a Saturday (next time: 2020) and you have to make THAT count, so GFW traveled back to our old haunt: 22nd St in the big city! We had a great time with our old friends and neighbors trick-or-treating, eating too much pizza and candy and homemade Halloween treats, and watching a movie in the garage. A couple of weeks before that, we traveled with the same group to the Pumpkin Patch for hay rides, live (kids) music, face painting, pony rides, haystack play space and, of course, the old-time train ride. We hope that everyone had as much fun as we did, now captured in the Photo Gallery.

Best holiday ever, of course!


October 25th, 2015 by joel

In the middle of September, Alya decided that crawling just wasn’t doing it for her… and we’ve been trying to catch up since! Check out her progress in a new video just published to the Photo Gallery!

Just try to keep up with me, Mom!


October 4th, 2015 by joel

Soccer season has begun for the boys and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Ezra (who is playing organized soccer for the first time) seems to have been blessed with a rather usual talent on the soccer pitch: he is very good at noticing when Dad is taking a picture and quickly striking a pose in response. Some photos and two very short videos have been posted to the Photo Gallery.

Ezra showing off his unique skill, in the middle of a game