Friday, January 4: Passport renewal and the beach

He slept really close to me most of the night, sharing a pillow. He was up right at 7. Carly made him oatmeal and he watched Pink Panther. We got ready to go and I mentioned something about making sure there was nothing dangerous in our backpacks. August said, “I do have some lemon spray I’m gonna spray all around the building…” We were driving at 7:45.

He was quiet for awhile, then said, “Dada, I’m in control of some dangerous stuff. Bombs that cut down trees and fire out of the roof…mainly to kill birds and make earrings out of them.” “Maybe if Tenita(sp?) was here she’d buy all of them.” That’s from Wild Kratts, as she’s the one always trying to make fashion accessories out of animals.

We parked on the street by Herzliya Medical Center. They’ve taken out the pay meters, but the signs still say you have to pay. August and I stayed with the car while Carly went in and got her routine blood work. We walked around a bit and then played in the front of the car.

She came back, and we drove to Tel Aviv, parking in a lot just north of the embassy at 9:20. August told us “I do NOT have coffee in my laboratory. Well, I could make some scientific coffee.” We walked around the block to make sure we knew where the embassy entrance was, then we walked down to the beach and played on a jeep thing in the playground. August was a driver and driving me around. I could choose what speed to go, and he’d use the hand brake to pump gas into the vehicle.

Carly wanted coffee, and we had plenty of time, so we walked up to Embassy Coffee just north of the embassy. We each got cappuccino and August got a small chocolate croissant. I got a little bread with cream cheese in it. While there we learned that we can’t take backpacks or phones into the embassy. We rented a locker and put all of our stuff in.

We then went to the craziness that is the embassy. There was one line area and no signs. A woman directed us into a line. After about 10 minutes I thought it was odd that everyone was speaking Hebrew. Carly went to ask, and was directed to the same line again. We stood there a bit longer, then a guy working the line said we were in the line for visas, and directed us back to the security guards. We looked around, walked to the other end of the embassy, and was directed back to where we had come. It turns out there is a small line by the entrance that just looks like the big line. I found a little double headphone sort of plug and that kept August entertained until we got inside. He was pretending to shoot shocks at people.

We got inside, but at security they said my watch couldn’t go in. And kept directing me through the metal detector, but then telling me to go back even though it hadn’t gone off. Carly took the key back and put my watch in the locker and found us. We had gotten a number and now waited in a room full of other people. Carly and I both wished we had had books, and it turned out they were okay, but we had left them in the locker as I couldn’t find any info online about what could be brought in. There was a sign once we were standing in line, but by then it was too late.

August and Carly did some hide and seek and August watched the soundless cartoon that were on and played a little with the baby toys that were there. Finally it was our turn. I did all the paperwork. August wanted to yell into the microphone, so the staff member offered August a clipboard to draw on. He and Carly drew together. When they were out of paper, August got random pieces out of the garbage cans and would clip them to the clipboard.

I finished the paperwork and paid, then we were told to wait until the consular staff called us up. We waited and waited until we were literally the last people there. August made up a game using the abacus on the baby toys, where he would combine the colors on it and I’d explain what sort of color I thought it would make. Finally, it was our turn and we went and held up our hands and affirmed that everything we had submitted was true to the best of our knowledge, got our other documents back, and were free to leave.

We had first gotten in line just before 10:30 and it was after 1:1o as we walked away. We went and got our stuff from the locker. The guy said he’d been waiting for us. We think he was ready to close up.

We walked the short walk to Mexicana for lunch. Quesaidilla with corn for August, eight shrimp, and a burrito with a salad that Carly and I shared. And August and I (mainly him) had an horchata. We ate and left at 2:10. They went outside while I waited to pay and were writing on leaves and hiding them when I went out.

While we headed to the beach, I mentioned something about Korea (we had been comparing this trip to the embassy to our trip to the embassy after he was born—that was much easier) and where he was born and August reminded me he was thousands of years old and from another universe. I asked what happened to his original parents. He said, “My original parents died” I asked what happened and he replied, “That would we a story for another time.”

He spent a few minutes climbing up and down a slanted wall in a park area, then we headed to the beach. I went to get the beach toys from the car and realized I didn’t have my keys. I was afraid they had been left in the locker, but it turned out Carly had them in her purse. I really got the beach toys now and August was digging in an area away from the water, close to two other boys. They were being a bit territorial and August didn’t like that, but didn’t want to move. Eventually Carly got him to move, first in the sun, then closer to the water. They dug together, then went up and down on the beach while I read.

He then had me finding the little foil hearts that were all over the beach. Not as many as were on Vatikim that one day, but still several. He was immediately reburying. He then found a sort of seat that someone had made out of sand. He called it “My potty station.” He had me add a bigger tank and he was playing the poor game for a bit, pretending he lived on the beach. We were then adding other features to the structure. He had a predator deterrent that would poke a predator if it tried to sit on the potty station. We joked around with that, getting poked because the chair was in ‘test mode’.

We packed up and started to leave at 4 but he stopped at the playground. Played there for awhile and then sat on the stairs and had some snack. There were a guitar player and drummer at the top of the steps. They were playing the same jam the entire time we were there. I called it the song that never ends. We went up the stairs, then watched the sun dip below the horizon from the lookout there. August was playing on the slipper benches. He kept falling off, but was okay with it. He didn’t want to leave, and eventually we dragged him away.

We were driving after 5. We read Shivers, and ‘goose bumps’ was the word of the day. We were home by 6.

He watched the Berenstain Bears “The Trouble with Adults” and giggled when he saw the title and first picture and said it was going to be the sillliest one ever. He convinced Carly to light one of our emergency candles and they had fun with that. He poured water on it to put it out once.

He ate some corn and pita, then played Kings and Queens as I did the next steps on the bread, making the dough. I walked down the stairs with him, and he said, “Dada, know what? I love you.” He and I discussed the after school activities for the rest of the year. He decided on STEM (with Ms. Andrea), although at one point he also wanted art and dance.

I chatted with Cassie about the classes and play dates for him and Taya. She said that Taya talked about August every day on their trip to South Africa. When I asked August if he wanted to play with her Monday or Tuesday, he asked which was a shorter wait and went with Monday.

Carly give him his bath, after he played at the sink for a long time. He had come back down for a butter knife and a metal spatula. She washed his hair, and I brought up a lollipop for him. He said we could throw the green ones away as he only likes the purple.

He came down while I turned the dough once, then we went up and finished reading Shivers 3 for the second time. He requested the excerpt from the fourth book and was upset when I said the next book wouldn’t come out for several months. I turned off the lights and he said, “Tell me when you are going to turn off the light.” I told him the“The School with All the Rules” story, then turned off the lamp. I sang “Imaginary Bars” and he was soon asleep, just after 9:10.

I didn’t make it out for a walk, but did place an iHerb order, make the loaves ready to bake in the morning, and gave Zoe feedback on the first chapter of her novel.

At some point today he declared, “I’m evil! I’m detestable! I’m a pirate!”