He was up a little after 7. They nursed, then Carly made French toast. When Carly was making him more he set his fork on the syrup on his plate. Carly washed it off for him, but August told her she should have dried it. He wouldn’t use it until I suggested he go and dry it off with the towel in the bathroom.
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He and I discussed the north and South Pole and what languages people spoke in different people. We talked about how people survive at the north and south poles, and how you would save someone’s life by letting them into your research station. He put a paper towel roll on his arm and said “This is my armor!”
I got out one of his small water bottles to see if he would drink from them again. Only having one water bottle that he’ll drink out of is kind of a pain, as we have to take it everywhere, in and out of the backpack, etc. He said he wouldn’t use it, but was initially excited about taking it on trips. That turned out to not be the case.
He wanted to play Piano Maestro and got the piano keyboard. First just played in GarageBand. He played something new that I recognized. It was “Lightly Row”. A little mystery what song it was until he showed me it was from Chordana. We then played Piano Maestro. Mainly me again, but then he did a little, trying one with two notes. When we were done I went up and took a shower. They did some reading out on the patio (Amelia Bedelia and What Do You Do with an Idea?) and played with the kaleidoscope cards. When I came down they were taking pasta and spinach out and ate outside.
Carly was going to take him to the plant nursery and the tractor museum over in Ein Vered. I told him Bat Chen told us about tractor museum. He asked “Did she say it in Arabic or Hebrew?” I told him English. He replied “What‽ She speaks English too‽” I guess he has mainly heard her speak Hebrew.
Carly took him up for his bath. He said she doesn’t do ten second baths. So I explained. After his bath she made him popcorn. I helped him season it. We did a little translating in the shapes book we got from the library.
They left at 11:10. They went to tractor museum first. Parked at the end of the pavement and walked up the dirt road. At the museum they first showed him the toy trucks, which he didn’t care about. But then there was a display of old typewriters and he loved that. They tried to bring out markers and stuff for him at one point but he said he didn’t need to do that now. He liked sitting on the tractors and pretending. They were machines would pick the fruit and squeeze it into juice. The steering wheels had arms that handed you juice: plum and orange, carrot and orange, etc.
Then to the plant store. Carly said it is fun to go with him now as he’s interested and helpful. He chose a flat green plant. Carly got some other plants to fill in the pot where one was broken by the wind and got a new big pot. And plants to further fill in the kitchen window boxes. And a second plant for inside.
I worked while they were gone on Sabeel stuff. They were back at 2:10. He helped outside a little. He came in to use the bathroom. He heard the Strand of Oak song “Hard to Be Young” and said “Add this to my playlist…I like this band. It’s one of my favorite bands.” I asked what his favorite part of the trip was and he said “Sitting on those tractors was pretty fun.” He then typed and made buttons on my iPad, then measured things while I measured the wall for a picture.
He wanted food, but didn’t eat curry. He then Skyped with Vivian for a long time. They were being ghosts, putting blankets over their head. Played their turning off the cameras game. August said “It’s getting close to bedtime.” It was only 4. Vivian went to get something from her room, so August headed up the stairs as well: “I’m showing Vivian something from my room.” He came back with the bracelet we made this summer with our initials on it. She came back with books from school that she then read to us.
I talked about walking into town with him to mail Carly’s postcards and go to the hardware store to get nails. He said “I don’t feel like sending the postcard. I’m a little bit hyper.” Still skyping with Vivian, August wanted to do another experiment. So he got out a bunch of spices and we did another mixing experiment on the floor. Vivian asked if he liked it here and I asked what his favorite part of Israel is. He said “That we have a park close.” He played some piano for Vivian, with Ono three keys in it. He actually played a pretty cool song that got really intense, then slowed and faded at the end.
We said goodbye to Vivian and I eventually got him going out the door. He said “Dada, don’t forget Mama’s chocolate bar. Because one time we went to the library and I got some on the way there, and some when we were done…at the park.”
We left at 5:10. Outside, he played his music machine, then talked about how he was turning the rake into new levers to play notes like a typewriter.
He ate pieces of the chocolate bar along the way. He forgot at first, then was concerned that he wasn’t eating the pieces at the right spots. Convinced him that was okay. We got to the post office. The number machine was broken, so he wondered what our number would be next time. He lay across the seats and I quickly paid for the postcards. We went across to the hardware store, where he really, really wanted a pink-handled dustpan or broom or stool. He was okay when we didn’t get any of them. Got our nails and another set of Tupperware.
We headed home at 5:40. As we walked he asked how they got the tractors to the tractor museum, as they were too old to work and too heavy to carry. Really cool questioning. He asked for water 4 times on the trip, but I had just taken the little bottle. He refused to drink from it. I tried to convince him that the small bottle was magic in different ways, but each time I said a way in which it was magic he said he added the same magic to his bottle at home.
We got to the snakes and ladders playground before 6. He finished the crumbs of the bar and then set about seeing if he could make mama nervous: “Well, the point is can I do anything that makes mama nervous here? Maybe I can’t; I don’t know.” He posed and said “Well go ahead (take a picture). Make mama nervous. I’m not being safe.” He asked for water again: “I want water. NO, I don’t want to.” When he remembered it was the small bottle. He climbed a couple things, then up into the netting area. He was actually quite safe, and wanted to practice climbing up a little higher than he has before, but was asking how I could reach him if he did. He didn’t really go any farther, but thought about how to do it.
We left there at 6:15, then stopped again at our park. We went up into the ‘store’, but this time it turned into a space station. He said “Theres a cafeteria in here. Would you like something to eat? We have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…” Got silly listing things, then said “Would you like one of each?” He had me go float out in space several times in my spacesuit. He was talking about/asking about going to the bathroom in space a lot. At one point he said he didn’t want to go to space because you couldn’t go to the bathroom in your spacesuit.
We were home at 6:50. When he saw his big water bottle he said “There you are!” It then turned him into a butterfly, which was one of the magic things I said the smal one could do. Carly made him a sandwich. It was peanut butter and honey. With broccoli. I later told Carly it was the most parent-ish thing she’s done. August didn’t fall for it: “Mama, it’s really just broccoli! There’s no type of green honey.” He wouldn’t eat it, and he wouldn’t eat the other food options and got upset. Carly took him upstairs and got him half-pajamed. He played a little with the kaleidoscope cards, then Carly went outside. We ended up following. She showed us how all of the sh
ade plants really curled up their leaves/flowers at night.
Back inside he asked me “What happens if someone doesn’t have a wife?” I said then they’re single, etc. He asked “Why is a lot of people single?” I said maybe they like being single, or maybe they haven’t found someone they love. He replied “We find-ed someone we love: mama.”
He went and played the piano. Suddenly, he played Ode to Joy, although I’ve never heard him practicing it. Surprised me. I took him upstairs and he did some singing from the songbook. We read some of The Sisters, and he really wanted to buy the second book. I told him he was going to sleep in a minute when Carly came in and we didn’t need to buy it today. He wasn’t happy with that answer. I told him to dream about typewriters. I left them just after 8 and he was asleep soon after.
Tractor museum:
Toilet paper he liked and wanted a photo of:
At the park in the evening:
