Summer fun

Much to report!

We've been to several doctors' appointment to find out why yael is a little small (although dashingly cute!). Found that theres nothing wrong but tehina is the answer to all our problems. Thanks Israel!

We've been to ikea (grrrrrrrrrrrr) and stocked up on stuff that we desperately need. Great day out for the kids. Mehadrin restaurant and a shul! nearly as good as grill express!

The cousins met several times in Yafo. Paddling pools and beaches.

Car journeys are spent listening to a rubbish version of disney songs. Orly loves hakuna matata and wont stop asking about the meaning of all the songs. So interesting. The other day something happened to Lauren and Orly said to her: "oh well mummy, hakuna matata!". She bursts out laughing every time we recall that story!

More cousins met at the Mevo Horon cow farm. Huuuuundreds if cows and calves. The guy was cool. 41 litres of milk per day per cow. WOW! Orly: "why do only the mummy cows make milk?", "good question! Because the mummy cows make the baby cows!". That settled it for now! Great smell. Although cautious at first yael got well into it.

Ben, the kids and sabba and savta went to jerusalem for the day to an aliya fair. Freebies! Sort of. Lots of kids activities. Orly made a very pretty playdough butterfly with sequins, well done. Pens. Lots of pens. We turned down a 'face reading life planner' without being rude (achievement!). Yael got the shock of her life when a large fluffy personoid walked towards us. You've never seen a kid so small dash for her little life screaming and crying! Whats that all about?! Orly had calmed down though and even gave him/her five. Well done!

Ben got a bike. Woo!! Had some mountain biking chances. Routes into the mountains from the yishuv are stunning. Yishuv night rides are peeeaceful, quiet and exhilarating. Golden jackals and bats greet me every time and I even spotted a Ruppells fox!

Yael is playing peekaboo now. So hilarious! She voluntarily throws herself down slides and finds it very funny. Happy and you know it clapping. What else?!?

We went to a water-shoot park the other day and Yael threw herself at the water gulping up loads! Orly,  Odelia and Yosef Chaim were all playing very nicely and sabba and savta too.

At the beach in Yaffo, Yael ate ger first sand pie (she eats grass too... non tehina calories count as well!). I let her do it, figure it out by herself. She'd keep going for it otherwise . Lauren of course went into the water fully clothed (what can one do?!) And yael sat in the sea splashing away and enjoyed a wave crashing over her whole little self. Poor thing! She loved it. Cautious Orly was struggling to set a toe in the water! In her own time :) Orly is fascinated by the sunset and is asking some great questions!

Orly meets the neighbours

Cousins and the cows

Baby cow x

The 'mummy' cows

Paddling pool on the balcony... hours of fun

bubble machine

Cousins in Rishon Le'Tzion park with water (not quite a water park (!) but great for the kids)

WAAATTTEERRRRRR!!

Head down and going straight for it with no hesitation

Snack time (or 'sneck time', in hebrew)

Cousins and aunties on Yafo beach

Orly and Odelia contemplating the sunset

Bear necessities

Post office. Lauren and Ben got their post box number and have an official address in israel! Yay. Really nice guy. But this post office is actually more aptly described indeed as a 'post box'!

We had a meeting with the town admin. Going through all the 'stuff'. And we discovered the town's restaurant catering which is awesome!

Ben met the local tractor mechanic who is crazy busy with the grape harvest.  Apparently Mevo Horon provides/repairs/sells combine harvestors nationally. A busy time indeed. He helped us sort out a petrol fob.

Fire station.  Not quite your typical 'fireman sam' style fire station.  This one consists of a metal shed with a 1960s fire engine!

And the kollel opposite, fully equipped with 'arctic mazgan 3000', mmmmm. Windows overlooking the hill... gorgeous

The local fire station

The local post office

Inside the kollel opposite

Kollel view... great view to distract one from learning

Civilised hard earned Bamba consumption after a gruelling Rami Levi shop

Tisha B'av

As the fast came in a aura of introspection lowered itself into town. Ben went to a heartfelt minyan, dimly lit with a united chorus of songs and lamentations.

Bare feet trawlled the town as a status of mourning was observed. A purported ceasefire in the recent conflict had just begun as well.

Sabba Kayser came to help out in the day whilst Safta Kayser went to help out the other Kaysers in Modiin down the road. He even helped Ben with his world famous puppet show, hosted in Yael's cot (with a blanket draped over the side) to the two kids. A favourite.

The Orens joined for a bit to share the day.

Yael LOVES the swings!

sweet

Keeping the kids busy

Modiin jimboree and Ben was the only male parent amongst the rather female dominated mass crowd. It was busy.

Lauren had to study this morning so ben took the kids. Orly and Yael LOVED the indoor play. Flying from corner to corner. Yael has improved her kissing and even practices when she sees a mirror. She climbs everywhere. Yael was egging on Orly in the ball pool who subsequently buried Yael in balls! Orly was scared of the upstairs bit so we took a snack break. Yael finished her half banana quicker than Orly as well as 2 dates. By lunchtime they were zonked!

We had a Yael 'poo mountain' incident the other day... lauren was bathing the kids, put yael on the floor and discovered a poo mountain! Eek! Quickly she washed off yael and put her in the bath which within moments turned brown. Meanwhile orly and lauren were shouting for ben who was taking his time to bring up the shopping! Ben!!

After the defumigation squad arrived the situation was neutralised

Yael climbing

Steady!

Ball pool heaven

Orly exploring

Yael getting to know the locals

The Loch Orly monster striking her victim

Civilised dinner time

Summer days

Serene scenes at the foot of the Judaen mountains. Yishuv life doesn't fail do delite as our shabbat invites increase. And its nice that Israelis have time to talk. People are happy to say hi and get to know who we are.

Before Sam left Ben and Sam took the kids to the Ayalon national park which backs onto the yishuv. Mountainous forests galore. We started at the wellspring path; a series of ruined well sites dug up by our ancestors 2000 years ago. I think its safe to say that our Jewish heritage places us safely within the 'we've been here a while' category! Stunning views. Orly showed off her (catious!) rock climbing. We picked, bug checked and tasted a juicy fig in the fig orchards and orly was flummoxed when shown where dates grow! Yael was joyously sitting in her backpack which sam and ben alternated wearing before a squash-faced yael popped off to sleep.

After progressively grumpifying orly was not having any of this walking business and took to the buggy.

Glorious sunset scenes plague the evening skies daily and (what sounds like) herds of jackals serenade nature's night theatre. They are very cute. And so are the bats!

The team get ready for a walk in Canada Park

Orly viewing the surroundings after climbing mount impossible

awww

Panoramic of typical hill view

Yael contemplating raisin consumption and then contemplating no more

Sunset as viewed from Mevo Horon overlooking the reservoir and the hills to the left

Mevo Horon

So here we are!

Gorgeous surroundings, peace, quiet and a larger living space.

Temperature: shmoilingboiling

Air con: yes... phew!

Within 5mins of removal people unloading our neighbours came over to welcome us an offer us a 3 course dinner, which we gladly accepted ☺

It feels like we're back to square one with boxes, but slowly the place is looking 'liveinable'.

We're in the older part of the yishuv with a good amount of trees and greenery surrounding us which is nice. Ben went on a nighttime stroll... great star viewing and nocturnal wildlife!

Route three towards our new home

Cousins reacquaint in new settings, orly's top bunk

The view from our balcony

The meal offered to us within a few minutes of setting foot in town!

Setting the scene

Morning hue looking into the hills

Mile upon mile of vineyards surround the yishuv

Not ripe yet...

Leaving the holy city

The time has come. Packing galore, and we're nearly done with all the boxes.

Orly has finished gan and sam came to help with lots of stuff. Thanks!

Yael has really improved her babbling and established her status as 'pasta monster'.

Orly is excited for the move and lauren got pooed on by a bird. Its all very exciting here.

We'll be sad to leave our next door neughbour who bought orly a present. We bought him one too and we went into the garden to rescue a stranded hedgehog. Orly liked that.

Also the saga of the Jerusalem cockroach massacre continues in our flat. Around 10 so far in last few days. Lauren is handling it surprisingly better than her first frantic screamathon! She is so cool with it now that she even went to bed with ants (still wriggling) stuck to the bottom of her feet. We also have a weird leaf bug that, no matter how many times it is flushed down the sink, magically seems to reappear! Resilient israeli bug!

Ben took a final nighttime stroll in the garden, watching the flitter of bats and hearing echoes of jackals in the distance, this will be missed...

Daily boxes filled at Weizmann for soldiers

Orly eating her last falafel in Givat Mordechai

Gorgeous thing

Orly taking a photograph

Yael loving the swings!

Lauren being unceremoniously pooed on

Yael speaking her mind

Sam the mitzvah man, and some of our boxes before the move