BOO!

Abba taught Ariel a great game today. The game is called "Boo!" It goes like this: You come up very quietly next to someone and shout "BOO!" and then everybody doubles over in peals of laughter.

Abba "boo'ed" Ariel once -- at which point Ariel started laughing so hard he almost cried -- and then Ariel figured it out and spent the better part of Shabbat afternoon saying "BOO" "BOO" "BOO" over and over! He even tried it on the cat, but it didn't go anywhere (though she did!).

Then, just when it seemed Ariel had forgotten about it, and Abba had gone and lay down on the couch for a nap.... Ariel crept over and shouted "BOO!" in Abba's ear! Silly abba -- you teach me the game, you're stuck with the results! Ariel also decided that the middle of "Corduroy" was a good time to shout "Boo" once more!

We're waiting to see if he shouts "Boo!" all day tomorrow in daycare!

And if you're still reading....

Ariel's new words (and better pronounced old words) are: mouth, pees (please -- he's got the S sound now), wash, eat (with the sign), gapes (grapes), gotcheese (cottage cheese, not goat cheese), wheeeeee (slide), and boo (obviously). His favorite books to read to himself are the Dr. Seuss ABC board book and Hippos Go Berserk (because there is a BUS in it). He reads himself to sleep -- in his bed, surrounded by Elmo and Ima's bear Cocoa, his sippy cup of water, one or two pacifiers, his Mickey Mouse toy videophone (in case he needs to call for backup at 4 a.m.), and his blankie.

He is obsessed with buses (and big-buses -- the double buses), trucks (gucks), cars, airplanes (aypayms), and helicopters (hecos).

He also -- recently -- began announcing "OOGA" and then walking in a circle!. It only took Ima ten minutes of saying "Ariel, tell me what you want in English" before she figured out that Ariel was just announcing the song he was about to dance to! He just wanted Ima to sing along for him!

Ooga Ooga Ooga is a Hebrew rhyming children's song which goes like this (it's kinda like musical chairs, but no one gets out -- instead, everyone holds hands and goes in a circle):

עוגה עוגה עוגה במעגל נחוגה נסתובבה כל היום עד אשר נמצא מקום לשבת לקום לשבת לקום לשבת לקום לשבת ולקום

"Cake, cake, cake / We go around in a circle / We go around all day long / Until we find a place / To sit down / to stand up / to sit down / to stand up / to sit down / and to stand up."

No, I don't know why it starts out "cake, cake, cake." I guess it rhymes.

BOO!

A year of day care comes to an end

As difficult as it is to believe, Ariel's day care ("ma'on") is reaching the end of the year. Check out the difference between last September, on his first day at the ma'on, and Friday, when they held a sort of end-of-year party:













The child on the left is a baby, not even a year old, unable to walk. The child on the right runs and jumps and climbs stairs. He also is now legitimately bilingual, understanding probably hundreds of words (and speaking a good number of them too) in both Hebrew and English. Quite a difference!

Anyway, the music/rhythm teacher, who visits each week, played songs about the summertime, handing out props for the kids to play with, as the parents watched with glee... and snapped a million pictures. After the songs, we all went out to the backyard play area for some cake. Ariel, as you can see, thoroughly enjoyed his slice.

For the record, he has also enjoyed his "teachers" -- especially Rada, a Muslim woman who is totally smitten with him, and Leah, who has comforted Ariel through a number of bumps and arguments over toys and has taught him to call out to turtledoves. He has gotten very attentive care and plenty of nutritious food, and he has learned a lot. We're going to miss ma'on!

Fortunately, the summer vacation for day care is a little less than a month... then Ariel gets to start a new year, which, we know, will probably fly by just like this one did!

Ariel goes to "camp"

Ariel really likes his new camp t-shirt -- even though he won't be old enough to come to camp until the summer of 2011!

Ariel had an amazing day (and a good way to stay alert long enough to discourage jetlag) when he joined Ima and the Ramah Jerusalem Day Camp (with Abba in tow) at Kiftzuba!

Ariel loved the ball pit and the ride-on car area -- so much so that he tried to ride a Little Tikes cozy coupe all around the grounds!

The day wouldn't have been complete without a few rides down several "wheees" (as Ariel calls slides), ice pops & potato chips, a ride around the Kiftzuba train with Abba, and bouncy castles (which, while they originally frightened Ariel, quickly became a place for him to practice -- quite happily -- his first somersaults)! Ariel really had a blast! The campers also enjoyed plying a very willing Ariel with treats, prizes from the arcade, and more!

Below:

Ariel and Abba wave from the train!

In Ariel's words:

"Oh, cain! Oh, cain!"

"Bye bye"

Sleeping, sliding and saying Shema

Ariel went to Lakewood for his Uncle Yechiel's wedding, flying into and out of Philadelphia for the occasion.

He was very good on all the flights -- from Tel Aviv to London, London to Philadelphia, and back again -- and handled an overwhelming experience with aplomb.

There was so much to do: get reacquainted with Bubbie and Zaydie, and with (Great) Uncle Zvi and (Great) Aunt Ruchama, and with Yechiel, as well as meeting Uncle Andrew and SO many other people. Fortunately, there was also plenty of noshing going on, and plenty of playing.

Throughout the week, certain activities were repeated most often -- namely, sleeping in strange positions and playing his little heart out. Here are some photos of those moments, including a shot of Ariel propped up against a chair at the wedding, somehow managing to sleep through all the noise. At the end is a photo of Ariel "davening" one morning, wearing Abba's "pippah" -- er, kippah.

Oh, yes: Ariel also went to see the Liberty Bell. He was less than impressed. After waiting in line in the heat and several hours on the road, he gave me a look that said, "Abba, it's a bell. It's broken. Yay. Can we go get lunch now?"

Ariel reads Corduroy

Ariel likes to read. In fact, Corduroy (Corroy) is his current favorite book. He will command "read it" and "more," and especially likes real stories with good pictures and an actual plot. Although most people don't think a 21 month old can stay focused for the whole story, Ariel can!

This is how Ariel reads the book:

First, we have to look at the frontispiece, where there is a hot air balloon. Ariel notes: "laloon." Next page is just a picture of green overalls. Ariel's comment: "Corroy, hehehe." The story begins:

"Corroy" (pointing to Corduroy on the shelf). Turns page.

"Ani" (me), pointing to the little boy on the rocking horse. Turns page.

"Mommy," pointing to Lisa's mommy on the page. Turns page, and Ariel starts saying "oh no" now, as Corduroy slips off the shelf to look for his button.

As soon as he climbs up onto the bed to pull off his button (and land with a crash), this is what Ariel narrates: "Oh no! pull! Oh no, brokee. Oh no! Boom! Crash. Corroy."

He giggles at Corduroy's ears poking up from under the covers and then remarks again "Mommy" and "hug" at the end of the story.

And that's really the gist of it: "Corroy, mommy. Pull. Oh no, broken, crash. Hug."

Ayyeh, Merca, aypaym, abba

Ariel's now quite a jet-setter. He just landed in the US with Abba after a long flight (yes, alone with Abba -- good job, Sam!). He's going to celebrate, be"H, his uncle Yechiel's wedding this week. Ariel was very excited to go to the airport, where he saw lots of "aypayms" and then got to have french fries for breakfast with Abba. He was a good boy all the way through London and to Philly, and is now getting reacquainted with Bubbie and Zaydie -- and with the ground. Luckily for Abba, Ariel was able to sit in an empty seat on both flights. Now if only that luck continues in August when Ima takes Ariel to Merca.

Upon arrival, Ariel and Abba were greeted by Bubbie and Zaydie, and drove to Lakewood. Ariel was a good boy and slept on the ride, and before bed had a treat: chicken soup and parve "eyekeem."

Conversation with Ima on the phone at about 11 p.m. Lakewood time:

Ima: Hi Ariel
Ariel: MIMA!!!
Ima: Ima loves you very much.
Ariel: MIMA!!! eyekeem
Ima: Did abba give you ice cream?
Ariel: yeah
[in the background: Abba: Ariel, do you love ice cream?]
Ariel: Yeah. eyekeem. MIMA!!!
[in the background: Abba: Ariel loves ice cream and Ima. Ariel: yeah]
Ima: is the ice cream good?
Ariel: Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm. Eyekeem!

Not that this is exactly Shakespeare, but it gives you a sense of what it's like to carry on a conversation with an overtired 21 month old.

Ariel misses Noam

After spending the year growing, playing, and moving from babyhood to full toddlerhood with Noam, Ariel is very sad (Ayyeh, sad) that Noam has gone back to America (Merca) with his Ima and Daddy on an aypaym (airplane). Ariel doesn't really understand, so he goes to the door regularly, points, says "Noam" and when told no, Noam is in America, he says "Noam, bye bye" and looks distraught. But lots of good memories and hopefully future playdates to look forward to might soften the blow a bit.

Ariel feeds the hungry

Usually, Ariel is pretty busy feeding himself crackers, pasta, cookies, ice cream, fruit, veggies, and whatever else he can find. However, on July 4 he went with Abba and Kehilat Shira Hadasha to a field near Kfar Saba to pick leeks for the hungry with an organization called Shulchan l'Shulchan, or Table to Table. Ariel was very industrious and pulled off dead leaves and roots, loaded leeks into giant bins, and even tried to pull the very tough veggies out of the ground. He was a great help to Abba and the kehilah, and we hope to bring him back each year to continue to do this wonderful mitzvah.