All Aboard!

One day we decided that it might be fun for the kids to go on a train ride. There's a train from Yerushalayim, that passes through Beit Shemesh, ultimately arriving in Tel Aviv. There are buses from here that go to the train station in both places, so we figured it might work out well.

Until we checked the schedules- we saw that the trains only come every two hours, and the Beitar bus gets to the train station about 5 minutes AFTER the train we would have taken. So Bentzi and I started thinking maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. But when Yisrael overheard our conversation, he got all tzebruchen- "We're not going to go on a train?"- we just couldn't break his little heart, so we decided that we'll just have to work it out!

So, to make a very long story a little shorter, we ended up taking a bus to Beit Shemesh, and taking a train from there to Lod. We then got off the train in Lod, turned around, and took the train in the other direction, to Yerushalyim. After getting off the train, we walked around the mall nearby, and got drinks, before getting back on a bus to come home! (talk about a lot of travelling!)

The kids LOVED it. I wish you could've seen the look on Yisrael's face when the train pulled into the station. He was THRILLED! The first train ride was very pleasant- about 30 minutes- and the kids were very happy to look out the window at all the scenery passing by.

But by the time we boarded the second train (it came late, so we were waiting outside in the heat for a while) they were a little worn out. We ate lunch on the train, and then they wanted to run all over the place- up and down the aisles, through the entire length of the train. They had a great time, but us poor parents were wiped after the whole day!

A trip to the Kosel

Of course we couldn't let Bain Hazmanim go by without going to the Kosel. Yisrael was really looking forward to it, since he learned a lot about the Bais Hamikdash and the Kosel in Cheder during the three weeks. He was a little disappointed - I think he was expecting a bit more than a wall, even though we kept telling him that that's what the Kosel is.

Bentzi took Yisrael with him to men's side to daven, and I took Bruria, where I had her kiss the wall, and I asked her to daven to Hashem. So she said "Shema", and then I told her to ask Hashem to help her be a Tzadekes, to which she answered, "Only Mommy be a Tzadekes!"

I think the part they enjoyed most was the water fountain in the Kosel Plaza... I hope that BE"H as they grow older, they'll get a deeper appreciation...but I figured we have to start somewhere!

The Mini Zoo here in Beitar

I must give the City of Beitar credit- whenver there's vacation, they really put together some nice activities for the kids, at very low cost. Its gives families something to do without having to shlep too far. Most of the activities were geared for kids a bit older than ours, but they did put together a GREAT mini zoo which our kids loved! They brought in rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, chickens, ducks, goats, snakes, a turtle, a camel and a horse!

Yisrael got to ride on a horse-drawn wagon (Bruria was too scared) and he loved petting the turtle!

Outside, they had a bunch of jumping castles set up, which was also lots of fun- even Azriel Shraga liked it! And of course, they were selling popcorn and cotton candy, which we just HAD to buy!

Too Much Hustle and "Bus"tle

I think that is a great way to sum up our Bain Hazmanim! I don't think I've been on as many buses since we moved to Beitar as I have during the past three weeks! B"H we really had a great time, and we tried to come up with some fun things to keep the kids busy. It was great to spend some nice time as a family, even if we didn't do any "MAJOR" trips!

The truth is that the kids LOVE the bus, I think they'd be happy just to go for a bus ride and then come back! Even little Azriel Shraga loves the bus- he learned how to say "BU" and screams for joy as soon as we start getting on!

Of course Bruria INSISTS on sitting next to Tatty (she has become VERY attached to her father the past few weeks) so the boys sit with me. Yisrael has his eyes glued to the window the entire time, and gives me a running commentary on everything he sees outside. Its a good thing that the ride to Yerushalayim is entertaining -there's three long tunnels- every time we get inside a tunnel, Yisrael exclaims, "It's tunnel time!" and when we get out, Bruria says "Buch Hashem we came out of the tunnel!" Azriel Shraga just tries to climb over all the seats and says hello to the people sitting near us...I guess in a few years he'll be happy to look out the window...

We basically ended up going to Yerushalayim twice a week, and on the rest of the days, we did more "low key" things like going for ice cream, playing in the park, swimming in the backyard, etc.

All in all, it was very enjoyable!

Teaching Good Manners

I try to teach the kids to be respectful, and to speak nicely. Whenever they ask for something, I always remind them, "How do we ask nicely?" and when I give it to them, I always ask, "What do you say?"

The other night, I gave Azriel Shraga a bottle before bedtime, and without even realizing it, I asked him "What do you say?" - and he quickly answered me, "Toda!"

(He must have gotten that from his sister, who always says "Toda" instead of "Thank You"!)

Can you believe it?! My little guy is bi-linugal already! (is that possible, if his total vocabulary consists of less than ten words?!)

"When I'm a Zaidy..."

Yisrael has become obsessed with thinking about getting bigger. He is always asking questions like "When will I be ben Arba?" or "When will I be big like Eli?" (our bar-mitzvah bochur neighbor) or "When will I be big like Tatty?"

He also started asking me when he is going to have kinderlach- will he have kinderlach before Azriel Shraga, will they be boys or girls....

Well now he's really moving along...he asked me when his kinderlach are going to be big like Tatty! I told him that when his kinderlach get big, they will have a Chasuna, and then Hashem will give them kinderlach...and when his kinderlach have kinderlach, he will be a Zaidy!

He pondered that for a moment, and then turned to me and stated, "When I be a Zaidy, I will eat lots of salami!"

Is that all that Zaidy's do???

Fun in the park

I always forget to take my camera when we go to the park, but last week I actually remembered- so I had a lot of fun taking pictures. Yisrael rode his tricycle (and shared it with Bruria) and when we got there, there was no one on the swings, so I got to put all three on at once!