Monday, October 5, 2009

Swirling Thoughts #50 –sukkot, togetherness, language

Sukkah hopping
From Friday morning my kids were asking when they could go sukkah hopping. By the time the actual “hopping” from sukkah to sukkah began, dinner was eaten and 3 out of 4 kids were asleep on the couch. Giddy and euphoric, Barbara went with her friends from house to house, collecting candy. Meanwhile, as we enjoyed dessert with our guests, we were the recipients of a variety of sukkah hopping guests, most under the age of 10. Candy was flying (literally – Bob was tossing it out) as they shared divrei Torah, stories about ushpizin (Sukkot guests), and pizmonim (songs).

Kulam B’yachad – everyone together…
After just one day of Yom Tov we began our 6 full days of hol hamoed with a trip to the beach at Herziliya. On the radio in the car, the DJ was playing music by which to enjoy our hol hamoed and wishing everyone a hag sameach. Everyone in the entire country. Hol hamoed is a time for family trips. The entire country is involved on some level with tiyulim – trips ranging from daylong excursions to the beach, olive picking, orange picking, dune buggy riding, kite festivals, music festivals, hikes, forest bike rides, etc. to overnight vacations to the Dead Sea, the north, the coast. And it’s a great time for – what else – sukkah bar-b-q’s. We have 3 scheduled.

Before the breathtaking Herziliya sunset and after the arctic man (ice ice!) we caught a glimpse of an army training exercise – about 40 young men running with two different stretchers on their shoulders, each loaded up with sandbags. We cheered them on and I later explained to the kids how they prepare for any possible scenario, including, Gd forbid, injury to one of their own.

Before we left the beach my phone rang. It was the pediatrician. The strep throat we had cultured for 3 days earlier had come up positive. For all three girls. I would have forgotten about it completely if Bob and I hadn’t woken up that morning with burning throats ourselves…

There’s a reason 3 year olds don’t go to ulpan…
My Rosie, who didn’t say a word before she turned two and who hasn’t stopped talking since she turned three, has started to babble in Hebrew. She’s in the habit of talking to herself anyway but now, if you listen you hear her talking about a Chamudi (cutie) and singing about the Shemayim and the Aretz (heaven and earth). She counts everything around her (in Hebrew) and even makes up Hebrew-sounding gibberish names for the new baby. She’s ahead of me on multiple fronts.

1 comment:

  1. I remember on my trip to Israel when they told us that "we work hard and we play hard". I can see that from your writings....By the way .Hope you have a good dental plan for the kids!!!!!!!
    Sounds like it was a wonderful holiday!!!!

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