Snow Day

As I write this post, our lows are in the upper 40's and highs near 60 some days, but a little over a week ago, it snowed in Amman! Since living in Jordan the past 3.5 years, we have only had a dusting, but this was legit snow. Soft, heavy snowflakes, the nice pretty snow. 

The boys were already asleep when it started falling. We contemplated waking them up, and probably would have if we knew that school and work would have been cancelled the next day, but we let them sleep. They were super excited to see the snow when they woke up the next morning, and even more excited that we all had the day off together!

Backyard covered in snow.

We enjoyed the little bit of snow while it lasted. It sure seems to be done for this winter season, but you never know!

Broken bones, round 3

Benjamin fractured his left arm arm at school last week. He was playing with some friends at recess and fell on the concrete. Since arriving in Jordan, this is his third broken bone. A couple of years ago, he fell off the couch and had a severely broken right arm. Shortly after healing, he jumped off of the same couch and over a cardboard wall he built, and fractured his right ankle. So, we are getting to know the various hospitals and orthopedic doctors around here!

When I picked Benjamin up from school, he was in good spirits and had a smile on his face. His teacher told us that he never complains at school, so when he was holding his arm, she knew he was in pain.  The school nurse advised taking him to the hospital for an x-ray, and sure enough he fractured both bones in his forearm. Benjamin is a very good patient and was really brave.

Nathan met us at the hospital and the orthopedic followed shortly after.  The doctor was trying to talk to him and as he was wrapping his cast, and he asked Benjamin if he likes soccer. Benjamin thought he said sucker, and told the doctor, "you are a sucker!" We laughed and were glad to see his feistiness, despite his discomfort.

He had a nice welcome back at school the next day from his teachers and friends, and the Principal called us to let us know how proud she was of him for being brave. Benjamin was excited to show us all the signatures and pictures on his cast.  Since he is left-handed, he is already working hard to get proficient with his right hand - everything from brushing his teeth, eating, combing his hair, getting dressed one-handed, and even writing! Of course we will help him when he needs it, but he is very independent and a hard worker, and is proven to be quite efficient in the few days he has had his cast on.

Here is a funny re-take of a picture from when he broke his right arm a few years ago:

January 2016

January 2019

Just 5 weeks, then Benjamin will be good as new again!

A visit to the King Talal Reservior and Scandanavian Forest

We took a day off work to spend the time with the big boys, and ventured to the King Talal Dam and Scandanavian Forrest. It was beautiful weather to be outside and explore. This was our first visit to the dam and it was interesting to see. The dam is about 45 mins away, in the northern hills of Jordan, across from the Zarqa River. It is used to store winter rainwater and treated wastewater from Zarqa and Amman and to irrigate the Jordan valley. 

On the shore, the boys had fun throwing rocks and collecting bamboo sticks.

We even saw a guy rowing across the dam using shovels as oars, haha!!

It was nice to see something different and to be outside.

Our next stop was the Scandinavian Forrest. It is one of our local favorites to hike around and only about 1/2 hour away. I love the view of the city from up top and how clean and fresh the air feels.

Setting off on the hike. 

The hike is a loop and you get beautiful views all the way around.

Benjamin collected a lot of pine cones on the hike. They filled our pockets and the backpack!

And Caleb found some sticks that looked like bones. They like to go on dino bone hunts on this hike :).

And of course they thought it was funny to hike in a forbidden area...part of the sign says it is forbidden to enter, in Arabic.

Nathan ended the hike by surprising the boys with hot chocolate in camping mugs. It was a fun day :)

Eliza: Four Months Old

This sweet girl turned 4 months old this week. She is changing so much and we love every moment with her. Her neck is getting very strong and she holds it up well. The past couple of weeks, she has enjoyed her sitting in her bumbo seat and exploring the toys. She is starting to grab onto items and bring them to her mouth. The boys say she is tasting the world :). 

This month is started giggling a lot when you tickle or startle her. I think one of the things she enjoys most is watching her brothers play and talk to her.

Eliza eats 5 to 6 times a day.  She is in 3-6 month clothes and size two diapers. At her appointment earlier this week, she weighed 16lbs (50th%) and was 24.5 inches long (80th%). We are so in love with this little girl, and are so thankful for her.