Happy Birthday!

It's Eric's birthday, so with a little help from the bakers at Sweet Jerusalem, we had a delicious "oogah" ("cake" in Hebrew)!

 

We drove down to Tel Aviv in the afternoon, had lunch and hung out in a playground with our friend, Michelle, and visited a couple of art shows that were showcasing high school students' art work. It was a great day, though we ultimately pushed the boys a little too far. We put them in the car at 7pm (their bedtime), hoping they'd both sleep in the car, but it ended up being a bit of a nightmare ride home, with the boys taking turns crying the whole way back to Jerusalem. Alexander was crying so hard when we entered Jerusalem that he actually threw up. At this point, Eric and I were beside ourselves! I know everyone has had car rides like this with kids, but it is no fun at all when you're actually going through it. Still, we made it home intact, and I learned a little something about resiliency from the boys tonight. By the time Alexander made it to the front door, he had recovered sufficiently to ask for more "oogah," if you can believe it! Needless to say, we gave him a quick bath and he settled for some water and a bit of milk. For his part, Benjamin got into his pajamas, had a snack, and settled into his crib. Before he fell asleep, he lay there for a good while listening to ocean sounds and moving his fingers in front of his face, studying them. Both boys feel asleep calmly, if a couple hours later than usual. No harm done. At that point, Eric went up the street to get us a couple of birthday falafels and beers. Turns out the day ended the way it started: pretty nicely!

Before I sign off, I'll post a couple more playground pictures -- I can't resist!