Alev is too sweet...she wrote me her first letter, sounding out, spelling and typing everything herself.

It reads: "UNCLE I LOVE YOU HAPE HONICA I HOP THAT YOU HAD FIN WIY THE TOIZ UNCLE IJREA JLEA JULIA LLOVE ALEV"

Translation for those who don't understand Alevese: "Uncle I love you Happy Chanukkah I hope that you had fun with the toys uncle Andrea Julia Julia Love Alev"

How sweet is that? For some reason she still seems to think I'm jewish (see below for pix of dreidel gifts she gave me and Andrea on Christmas)...she's been learning about all different religions at school and I think thinks Happy Channukah is just another nice thing to say to people during the "holidays," which I guess it is.

Also, we have a cat named Lucy, whom Alev was remembering as Julia.

She's such a good little pumpkin.