poor wittle guy

Hey there, sports fans.

I have a riddle for you.

How do you know its time to lower your baby's crib mattress?

Answer: Thud.

Baruch Hashem, Yisroel Meir came out of his nose dive relatively unscathed, though his ego did get a little bruised......

There's no denying it- he's getting big and agile and mobile........incidentally, I wouldn't put it past him to try this stunt again.

Yup, like his brothers- he likes to get what he wants. If he wants outa the crib, out he goes.

I am SO outnumbered here.......

We're getting big

Yitzchok Zevi has become a fantastic bike rider. I know he's got a knack for balance (he balances on the metal bar doors as they swing back and forth, on the huge rocks in the park, on every possible ledge-anywhere.....) but even HE surprised me. I took him outside on his training-wheelless bike expecting a loooong process. Within minutes he got the hang of it and hasn't looked back since. He summed up my feelings quite adequately, "Mommy, I'm really proud of myself!" Now my goal is to teach him to curb his exaggerated looks of disdain towards any sorry fella who still has training wheels.

Aryeh Leib is turning 3 tomorrow. I can't believe how quickly time flies. He's SO big! Then I think about the fact that most of his life he's been living in Beitar- and we haven't been in Beitar very long. Incidentally, this blog is almost as old as he is. There's perspective for ya.
Yisroel Meir is ALMOST walking! He stands beautifully and has even taken A step. I haven't yet convinced him to do a repeat performance. Soon soon.......

And he loves giving kisses- just not on command.

Lag B'Omer

Just a little taste of Lag B'Omer here in the Holy Land. I took this tonight at a local (Beitar, that is) bonfire. Me thinks we won't be making the trip to Meiron this year. Hmmmm..........2.5 hour bus ride with 3 kvetchy kids to reach a place teaming with hundreds of thousands of people in varying degrees of inebriation. I think we'll skip that one. Those who have been to Meiron, the burial site of R'Shimon Bar Yochai, claim that the spiritual elevation that one can achieve there is unmatchable. AL's ganenet commented, "Inside the burial site is like Yom Kippur and outside the site is like Simchas Torah". A very nice idea but not one that I'm looking to substantiate at this time. Todah Rabah.
A happy Lag B'Omer to all!

p.s. no comments about unsupervised kids around the bonfire. Thanks!

Svei's on wheels

Who needs "Disney on Ice' when you can see "Svei's on Wheels"?
Below is Yisroel Meir being navigated ever so deftly by his big brother .


Help!

Our latest development is that YZ took off his training wheels ("Galgalei Ezer" in Hebrew. The boys have dubbed them "Galgalei Uncle Ezer").
The events unfolded rather quickly.
Yesterday we visited friends who's son, Moishy, had just learned to ride without training wheels. I observed as Yitzchok Zevi gawked at Moishy with a mixture of excitement, awe, and envy. I watched as the cogs began to turn in his little head. And then the inevitable question........I knew it was coming.......
"Mommy, when are we going to take off MY training wheels?" I was NOT ready for this. I was quite satisfied with the state of events as they were heretofore. But, alas, I wasn't given much of a choice.........
So off they went.
I don't yet have footage of my paperboy-in-training but he's actually getting the hang of it very quickly. He has great balance and is VERY motivated to be like his friend, Moishy. Whilst visiting Moishy, the two of them went to play with a third boy down the street. Incidentally, I knew that YZ did not like this other boy very much. When he returned, I questioned him. "So, do you like playing with Dani (not his real name) now?" "Yeah," YZ replied. "What changed?" I asked. "Mommy, its like this. I like any boy who can ride a bike without training wheels. If he needs training wheels, well, I don't want to play with him. That's how it goes."

...........We may need to fine tune our barometer for choosing good friends but at least I know my kid is self aware (and brutally honest).
Good Shabbos, everybody!