The saga of Wednesday April 30, 2025 in Osaka, Japan
That morning, Chaim went to Kobe to pick up Matanel’s Kindle and more food from Chabad. When he got back, Matanel tore into the package. Well, he tried to. It was taped so well, we had to get scissors. Opening it was painfully slow, especially for a kid who lives in a world of instant gratification. To Matanel’s credit, he persevered and finally had his Kindle. He was ELATED! It was a great way to start the day.
After school and a light lunch, we took several trains to Osakako to visit the aquarium. The boys saw a Lego Discovery Zone next to it and pleaded with me. When I learned we could buy a combo ticket, I caved. Truth is, throughout our travels the boys had been regularly sharing how much they missed building with Lego. As soon as Amichai sat down to begin building, he turned to no one in particular and said, “It feels good to be doing Lego.”
Before leaving, we watched a fifteen-minute 4D movie that they thoroughly enjoyed. I, on the other hand, got a headache and had to close my eyes, which made the water spray even more surprising when it hit.
It was hard to get them to leave, but we had clear entry times for the aquarium. It took a minute, but once the boys settled in, they were all in.
At the aquarium, we were floored by the whale sharks, dolphins, squid, octopus, and giant king crabs. Eitan and Amichai took their time, slowly making their way down and around the giant tank. In contrast, Matanel and Shai sped through, often doubling back to make sure we were all still there.
Two hours later, we emerged onto an empty plaza. The boys flew out, running all over and playing tag. It felt like uncaging animals eager to run. They had so much energy that they ran all the way back to the trains and then had a hard time calming their bodies down at the train station. So, like any other emotionally full parent with a sudden burst of creativity and a deep well of patience, I created a competition: Whoever was able to stay still and quiet on the trains got a dollar. There could only be one winner. Just like that, the boys calmed down. More impressively, they accepted the winner.
While we were traveling home, Chaim prepared a burger dinner. We hoped everyone would eat a solid amount of protein this time. The boys were excited to find delicious burgers with buns and condiments waiting for them when they got home. I let out a sigh of relief knowing all of our children would eat well that night.
