It all comes back to family...

I had in mind that I would write a long and beautiful description of our relationship and visits with our dear cousins Arie and Orna over the years.  However, time is up, we're packing our bags, and I didn't want to leave out this most important and joyful experience.

On each trip, we've spent an increasing amount of time with Arie, Ronnie's cousin on his father's side.  Today was the definition of our previous and all future trips...FAMILY.  After two previous visits already, Arie and Orna arranged for a beautiful gathering at their home.  We met his 3 sons and their families...our family.  Arie & Orna transformed the farm that they've been working so hard on into a virtual disneyland for kids.

Tree-swings, toys, wagons, gymnastics rings, a huge blowup pool, blinking lights, gorgeous landscaping, a huge buffet of food and much to Cela's delight...strawberry ice cream!  Watching Cela play with her newly found cousins, and enjoying getting to know our extended family was the absolute highlight of our trip.  In trying to thank Arie and Orna for all their efforts, I couldn't find the words, but I did find the tears!!  Here are some pics...

The Moshav is so tiny...here is the town's museum!!

Enjoying the wagon with cousins Agam and Micah.

Too small for the big pool?  No problem! They've got buckets!!

And Orna is armed with the materials for science experiments too...this was Cela helping to make a mock tornado!

Arie's son Asher, his wife Dorit, and their youngest cutie Tal.

Cousins Adi, Noga, and Agam in the pool...notice a curly trend??!!

Sammy with his all-time favorite...Orna!

Post-swimming fun with Adi and Dorit

Agam attempts the gymnastics ropes

 

Cela loving the tree-swing.

Girl-time...Cela couldn't have loved it more.

And the best part...letting all the water out of the pool!!

Despite the bribes of more ice cream, this is the best we could do for the family photo. Arie & Orna on the far right. Then Ronnie and our kids, Arie's son Tom, then Asher, his wife Dorit, and their kids Noga, Adi, Tal.  And another son Oren, wife Liat, and daughters Micah and Agam.

Chip off the old block

Cela has taken a real interest in taking pictures...Ronnie is grinning with glee as I type this!  It started because it was fun to play with the camera, but now she really enjoys taking pictures and figuring out how it works.  Even better is that she's getting really good!  Here are a few samples of her work (trademarked...she'll want credit for any re-use!!)

 

The Samster

It is really fun to see Sammy developing here.  Cela was almost exactly the same age when we came to Israel last.  She was speaking a LOT more, but had just learned to crawl and wasn't as mobile or as active (like mother like daughter).  She was curious, but very happy to watch the world from her stroller much of the day.  Sam is a busy, busy guy.  He loves to crawl, walk, see, touch, and taste everything.  We went to the Austrian hospice where Cela climbed her very first two steps.  Sam was cruising around the entire garden, and really loved (much to my chagrin) splashing his hands in the puddles that formed in the dimples of the thousands years old stones (forgive my english) and then splashing them to his face.

His knees seem permanently black from crawling on the sidewalks and floors that are truly living history here.  And i'm not kidding about the permanence.  You should see us scrubbing his knees in the bath and out to no avail.  This is AFTER a handwashing and putting vaseline to soften his poor hard skin there!!!

He has started sort of mouthing/whispering words...like book, kelev (dog in hebrew), ruff (barking like a dog).

 

Sammy LOVES to skype and laughs and laughs at Grandma and Grandpa each morning.

He is so curious about how things work, and spends lots of time investigating when he finds something as interesting as the rope that holds the sun umbrella open!!

His sense of adventure keeps us on our toes.  This is Sam trying to take a forward dive down the slide.

He has started feeding himself yogurt with a spoon and actually does a pretty good job!

Sam seems to have adopted some traits of a dog.  He loves the trashcan, the toilet, and tearing paper of all sorts.  This is what Ronnie found after a recent nap...I left a roll of toilet paper a bit too close to the crib (don't judge, we have runny noses this week!!) and Sam went to town.

Above all, Sam is a happy, adventurous, busy guy.  When people comment on him, they always note his happy demeanor, his beautiful smile, and his need to move.

He's coming home a boy that understands more Hebrew and English, and who will be SO excited to see the Disneyland of toys waiting for him, after "surviving" with 3 toys in our apartment.

Sibling Love

It was a joy to watch Sam and Cela entertaining each other at home, but as they get older, and have fewer kids around while we're here, they have formed a bond that fills me with something I don't have a name for.  Nobody else can make them laugh as much they do together.  Today they sat at the dining room table for 15 minutes and roared as they handed pieces of pita bread back and forth.  The kind of laughter that sounds almost painful because it is obviously completely uncontrollable.  I'm left out of what makes it so funny and I have never been so happy to be left out of anything in my life.

WHAT?!?!

Cela and I reacting to the ca-ray-zee news that there are NO strawberries in July in Israel.  That is just plain bananas (which is what Cela decided to have on her pancakes instead).

Busy Start to the Week

We took it easy last week after some sad news from home, and are now back to business exploring Jerusalem!

Monday was an adventure to the Science Museum.  It turns out that Cela was a bit too young to explore this place, and the crowds of day campers made it more of an adventure in not getting run over, but it was a new place to check out and ended with long well-deserved naps for all.

Tuesday was a day of fun!  Many of our activities involve taking the bus or the train, and we've discovered that often, the transportation is the most fun for the kids!!

Mifletzet is an oddly placed, but SUPER cool park that was basically built around a huge sculpture by famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle.  It is known as the monster park, and you'll see by these pictures why.  The Monster is HUGE and it's tongue acts as three very steep slides that kids (except mine) go crazy for...it turns out, Heidi was the only one interested in braving the slide!  Under the monster's head is a huge sand area filled with shovels and other sand toys.  There is a beautiful green space where Sammy took lots of steps holding Ronnie's fingers!  Picnic tables in the shade allow for rest and snack.  We probably spent longer getting there than actually playing there, but the truth is that the combo of being on the train and a new playground equals a successful day for us!

After naps, we met up with old/new friends.  When Ronnie and I came as newlyweds in 2009, we randomly ran into Josh Hoffman, a friend of mine from Sunday school days, who is now a Rabbi in Los Angeles.  We have stayed in touch and crossed paths in Israel since, but never got a chance to meet each other's families.  

Tuesday night, we finally got that chance and had so much fun! It turned out to be Josh's 40th birthday, and what better way to celebrate than with old friends, crying Cela and barfing Sammy?! We met at Burgers Bar (YUM!!!) and had a great time, despite Sam's barf-o-rama all over me and the floor.  Cela was enamored with Josh's kids Ethan (9), Ariana (7), and Elizabeth (4 3/4 - a very important distinction!!). Elizabeth took Cela to the bathroom twice, where Cela managed to get herself onto an adult-sized toilet, go to the bathroom, and wipe without me.  Lesson learned in babying my kids!!! 

After dinner, we went to a park right down the street from the apartment we lived in on our 2011 trip.  The playground has been revamped and we had a ball.

After the park, it was OBVIOUSLY time for an ice cream break.  Cela admitted several times that she was so tired and needed to go to bed, but wasn't quite ready to give up on her treat, so we went for it and it turned out to be a lovely way to end the night.