Vroom

I mentioned a few days ago that Ada stopped by last Sunday to bring the boys birthday presents. Because she knows them pretty well, she turned up with some serious hits: Batman and Superman pajamas for Iyyar and Barak, respectively, which came with actual capes; and a Batman and Superman car (one of each) that you can shake, put down on the floor, and watch zoom away, with sound effects. "Turbocharged!" and "To the bat cave!" and so on. These were, Ada cheerfully admitted, the kind of presents you buy for other people's kids.

Barak and Iyyar, it goes without saying, are in love with their new cars. Barak is so possessive of his that I haven't seen it for a while, because he has it hidden in his bed; Iyyar has been playing with his all the time, but occupied less with the car itself than with the task of keeping it out of Avtalyon's hands. Iyyar's new goal in life, apparently, is preventing Avtalyon from ever getting any toys; whatever Avtalyon gets, Iyyar confiscates, with a merciless "no no baby! That's not for you!" I intervene in this at what seems like two-minute intervals all day, and while I remember that Barak used to do the exact same thing to Iyyar, it doesn't make me any more sympathetic. The house is FULL of toys, that baby rattle or toy wrench has been around since before you were born, and only now that Avtalyon's holding it it is the only toy you can possibly play with in the whole wide world? Give me a break.

Part of me is waiting eagerly for the moment when Avtalyon finally clops him one across the face (it won't be long); part of me knows all too well what will happen when that line is finally crossed. Anyway, by Sunday afternoon both the supercars were having time-outs, to reappear Monday morning (which they did). Of course, Monday morning both Iyyar and Barak went off to school, leaving Avtalyon... alone. With TWO supercars.

Asnat was here Monday and when it was time for her to go, I came out of my office to see Avtalyon hoofing it down our long hall in hot pursuit of the Batcar. Then he grabbed it, spied me, and came hustling back to present it to me for re-shaking and relaunching. But on the way, he wasn't just holding the car. He was driving it through the air, with a distinctly identifiable "Vroooooooooooooommmmm..."