Lockdown

I will finally be caught up blogging after this massive Coronavirus lockdown post. Today is day 25 of the lockdown in Jordan. We are thankful that the government took early and extreme measures to help slow the spread of the virus. On March 17th, the airports and borders were closed, to include entrances to cities, and we were all told initially to stay at home for two weeks. All businesses and restaurants were closed, except for grocery stores and pharmacies. Then a couple days into the lockdown the government abruptly decided to close the grocery stores and pharmacies as well. Here is a picture of our street from the roof. We live on the busiest street in our neighborhood and it was odd to see it with no cars driving or people walking around.

A few days into the lockdown, the government attempted to deliver bread and milk via public buses to the country, however the bread made it to only about 50% of the country and bread and water trucks were attacked by mobs of people. After 5 days of complete closure, the government re-opened the smaller grocery stores and mini markets and pharmacies between 10am - 6pm, however you could only visit grocery stores by foot. On the first day the stores re-opened, we arrived a little early and had to wait almost 1.5 hours to get into the store. The police were making sure people kept distance between each other (though you can't really tell from this picture), and would only let people in as people left the store. Within an hour, the line stretched back to our house's block, which is 3 blocks away and we heard some people had to wait as long as 4 hours to get into the store.

This guy was smart, he brought his suitcase!

We were glad we went because the government decided our neighborhood grocery store was too big, and was shut down.  We could visit the mini markets in our neighborhood if we needed staples, and we were glad when deliveries became available about one week later, even with the challenges of not knowing how many days it will take for it to arrive, or what items you may or may not get.

Close to the end of the two-week period, they announced another 2 week extension, but the government stated they will indefinitely extend the curfew as long as needed to keep people healthy and safe. Fortunately, Diplomats have an exemption for critical work, so Nathan and I are able to go to the Embassy a couple of times a week on a very limited basis, but otherwise we need to be at home. At 6pm each evening, curfew sirens sound and the military patrols the streets to make sure people are not violating curfew. Last weekend, the government instituted a 24 hour complete lockdown and this weekend there is a 48 hour complete lockdown, to help epidemiology investigations where there is concern the virus is spreading. As of today, Jordan has 372 cases, 161 recoveries, 7 deaths, and 204 active cases. The government posts daily reports on the caseload. The government is doing a good job to communicating regularly with the people about the cases, putting measures in place to ensure people are getting paid by companies, and there are a number of official and unofficial funds that are helping day laborers and others who rely on daily wages to meet needs. We pray for the government's wisdom as they navigate this unprecedented circumstance, and that people can stay patient and continue to get their needs met during these challenging times, so Jordan to continue slowing the spread. Right now, things appear to be under control, however an outbreak or high numbers would cause a lot of stress on the country due to the limited medical facilities and supplies available to test for and treat the virus.

The 6pm sirens. Nathan took the boys and Eliza up to the roof several times to hear the sirens, and watch people hurry home! 

Amidst the lockdown and new challenges, we are finding joy each day, and are so thankful for our blessings. We love being home more and having all this time with the kids, and we are getting into a new groove with weekday routines of online school. We are so thankful that their school has a distance learning program, and we have enjoyed doing school with the boys each day. School is generally from 10-2, and their teachers post morning meetings, a few assignments for math, reading, writing, and they have a special of either PE, Art, Music, or Arabic. It has been great to observe the boys' learning styles and able to work with them individually in areas they have more needs. They have not announced it yet, but we would be surprised if they go back to school this year. The year is scheduled to end the end of May, but we will see what happens. The boys use the dining room table for school, and sometimes if they have videos to watch they go to the couch or out to the glass room.

Another neat thing we have all enjoyed is Skype piano lessons! We were a little apprehensive at first on how it would work, but it is going great. Their teacher is very talented and patient with kids, and both boys are making great progress and enjoying the online learning. One evening Benjamin put on a piano concert for us :). He especially loves playing the piano and we have really enjoyed seeing his love for music grow. In addition to his book, he asks his teacher to teach him songs that he is learning by ear, and has learned Fur Elise, Dance Monkey, and Pirates of the Caribbean so far..

We love seeing the bond that the kids have and they play really nicely together (most of the time)! Each boy has a special way they play with Eliza and they are so good about including her in what they are doing. There are times where she inadvertently ruins a fort or knocks over something they were building, but that's siblings! I think she loves having the boys home and will be really sad when they got back to school.

Big smily girl :). She loves all things music - listening to music, singing, dancing, playing the drums, and her xylophone. 

During the day, one of us is at work, the other does school with the boys, and Tes watches Eliza. We are so thankful for Tes, and how she too has had to adjust to all of us being home. Her family is all doing well in the Philippines, and she too is looking forward to when she can go back to see them again. Their borders and entry to cities are also closed, and hopefully they will open soon too. We were supposed to leave Jordan in a couple of weeks, and she was going to have a few months with her family until she could come with us to Turkey, so her plans have had to shift as well.

I have loved spending more time in the kitchen. We have been making old favorite recipes and exploring new ones and the kids have been good helpers. One day we made pita chips...we get pita in quantities of 3kg, which is way more than we typically eat, so when it is going bad, make chips!

Another favorite is pita pizza.

Elizabeth sent me a yummy hash brown egg muffin recipe.

We made chocolate chip cookies another day.

Sometimes we can't find certain fruits and other times we have too many of a certain kind. We had a lot of apples, so we made apple muffins.

One night we enjoyed a BBQ crock pot packet we picked up in IL this past summer and had BBQ shredded chicken. This is one of the kids favorite meals.

When the weather is nice, we spend a lot of time outside. We are so thankful for our outdoor space, especially at this time when we are not allowed to be out and about. The kids typically play outside before school starts, during lunch, and then for a longer time after school. Eliza is loving having her brothers around all the time!

Benjamin started a lockdown rock garden. He makes a rock for each day of the lockdown. Lately he has been experimenting with different country's flags. So far, there is the United States, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Turkey, Philippines, and the United Kingdom. 

The yard looks amazing! Nathan has spent many hours chopping trees, weeding, and cleaning things up. He has recruited the boys for some projects too. 

On the weekends, I have been doing yoga outside. My old yoga teacher is posting classes online for us during the lockdown and it has been fun to do her classes again!

Nathan has been doing lots of push-ups throughout the days too!

Caleb likes getting her ready to play baseball!

We have been purging too. This day was the boy's room. After purging, they wanted to go through the memorabilia box in the top of their closet, where we have kept some of our favorite things as they have grown up. We did not get rid of any of this stuff :).

This was a fun book Elizabeth gave us for Caleb's baby shower. Hi Grandpas and Grandmas!

Caleb's big brother announcement shirt. We found sweet blankets people made, the boys first walking shoes, and tiny little clothes.

Eliza is a good helper. She likes to clean up and help unload the dishwasher.

The boys have been making impressive forts just about every day. They are getting really creative in the layouts and the are different every day! This one has a bedroom, reading room, game room, and a journal room!

We have been watching movies almost every night before bed. This little girl loves pop con, as she calls it!

More outside fun.

These three really love each other and play nicely together, and we are thankful for how they have bonded even more during this time.

The boys have friends that live on the other side of the wall. They sometimes throw the ball back and forth and have conversations over the wall :).

The boys are good about reading books with Eliza. It is sweet to watch them work with her and play with her.

We let them sleep in their fort last night, and they amazingly slept all night! This may be a new weekend lockdown thing. 

And when the streets are clear, the sheep wander freely...well, they wander the streets even when they are busy.

Praying you all are staying safe and healthy!