It is hysterical watching the kids enjoying their time in the States. There have been so many funny moments – but I’ve been too busy running after the baby to write about them.

Here’s just a quick glimpse. As we drove to the store the other day, Yehuda remarked about something that I had been noticing. He said, “Mommy, why aren’t there any kids out?” Asking him to clarify, he continued by saying, “There just aren’t any kids on the street at all. We’ve been here at all hours, driving around, and we don’t see anyone – there are all of these big yards but no one is out playing.”

Now it’s possible that this is an older neighborhood with kids who have already grown, but it’s also possible that kids just don’t play outside as much here as they do in Yehuda’s neighborhood – and it was a very interesting and astute observation from a 10 year old.

So, yesterday, when we had a bit of time to burn before Shabbat and we wanted to get the kids out of the house we went…to the sporting goods store.

Nope, we weren’t buying anything. We just figured we’d take them to one of the most astoundingly sports-filled locations around and allow them to relish in the fun of it all.

Last week, we went to the sporting goods store for the first time. I was as star-struck by the visit as were the kids. Josh and I were cracking up as we walked through the aisles. Our conversation with Zeli was as follows:

Zeli: Ohhhhhh…daddy, can I chave that Spiderman skateboard?

Josh: No buddy.

Zeli: Oh – I want that bike. Can I chave that?

Romi: No sweetie.

Zeli: Oh – I vant that baseball bat. Can I chave that?

Josh: Um (trying not to laugh) no sweetie.

Zeli: OH – I need dat. Can I have that boat?

Josh: That boat?

Zeli: Yea, dat huge boat over there.

And on and on it went. The kids had NO idea what to do with themselves in a store like this. We just don’t have large, buy-your-boat-your-gun-your-football-materials-and-the-kitchen-sink stores in Israel. So they were going crazy.

So, with that in mind, we brought them back to the store yesterday afternoon. Here’s how they entertained themselves:

They dressed as football players:

Then, on the Nerf gun aisle, the boys all collected Nerf swords and started a battle. Yes, I tried to bury my head somewhere so that I wouldn’t be dragged away by the sports-store police.

They had a blast, running from aisle to aisle. They discussed the merits of this boogie-board over that one…of this Nerf gun versus that one…and on and on.

Then, they each jumped on one of the treadmills and bikes to “test” them out. Meanwhile, they had huge signs in the store that said, “Please don’t test out the equipment. Find a sales associate for assistance.” I kept pointing out the sign and explaining what it said to the kids, but the equipment was too noisy, as were their giggles, for them to listen.

Sigh.

We finally dragged them away and convinced them to go to Baskin Robbins for a quick snack before Shabbat.

And yes, as usual, we were stopped by two families who were counting kids. One of them cracked me up.

“Are these all your kids?” They asked.

“Yep,” said Josh. “All ours.”

“All biological?”

“Um, yes, all biological.”

“Amen. What a blessing!” they said, shaking their heads in amazement as they walked back to their car.

Just another day on our whirlwind tour of America!