Crazy, Spicy, and Forresty

We had a fun long weekend last week. Thursday was the boys last day of school, before starting a 2 week break. The last day was crazy hair day...check out those mohawks!

Over the weekend, we had a spicy party at our house with some co-workers. The men in our office are pretty serious about their spices, Nathan included. Check out the smorgasbord of hot sauces to pick from....tens of millions of scoville heat units on the high counter (away from the kids)...if you like spice, you probably know this means HOT!

One of our friends made a variety of chicken breasts with various spices - ghost pepper, habanero, reaper, and one with everything. 

I made a mild crock pot chili, so people could add their spice of choice to their bowl. I caught three out of the four men sweating from eating so much spice, ha!

We had the day off from work for Martin Luther King Day, and we decided to go hiking at a forest that is about 30 minutes outside of Amman.  The boys loved it and hiked for a few hours without having to carry either one of them! They had so much fun exploring, climbing up rocks, and enjoying the beauty. We will definitely be coming back here a lot over the next few years.

After we explored for a while, we pulled out the camping chairs and had a picnic. Say cheers!

Then we watched a shepherd bring his flock down the hill. We saw him a few times on different hills during the afternoon.

Out for more hiking.

The boys found a wall to mine for gems, and Caleb said he wants to be a miner when he grows up :).

It was a fun day had by all, we will definitely be going back to the forest again!

Past couple weeks

I'm way behind on blogging, so these pictures are from a couple of weeks ago. One day I went to pick up the boys from their school activity. Caleb does soccer and Benjamin does gymnastics. When I walked in Caleb was practicing as goalie. It was so cute!

 Caleb got a kitchen science kit for Christmas and one day Nathan helped them make electricity with a lemon and electrodes. We have a box full of experiments that will keep us busy for a while.

One day we went to see Moana at the movie theater. The theater is on the top floor of the building, and this is a good view of our part of the city.

 The mall with the theater had a giant Christmas tree and Santa's seat. No more Santa, but the boys smiled nicely.

 There is a nice park close to our house that the boys like to play at and ride their scooters and bikes.

 They recently installed new play equipment and these gigantic swings.

The boys have been enjoying their Christmas gifts, and tonight we built a puzzle of the United States and talked about different states they visited. 

Stay tuned, I'll try to be better about blogging! Happy Wednesday :).

Golden Anniversary

Happy 50th wedding anniversary dad and mom! What an incredible milestone and special day for you two. I am so thankful for the unconditional love and support that you shown me over the years, and for the example you have set for a loving and caring marriage. Throughout my life, you have shown immense love, patience, and understanding towards me, no matter what the circumstances. You continue to pour out your love to our family and are loving and caring grandparents to Caleb and Benjamin. The testimony of your love is an encouragement to me and all those who know you.

And now as you continue to live your dream in Hawaii, I pray that you continue to encourage each other to grow in new ways and that your marriage will continue to be blessed, as you enjoy your lives together on this journey. Wow, how amazing to be celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary today! Happy Golden Anniversary Dad and Mom, we love you so much!

Happy 2017

Happy 2017! As I reflect on 2016, I think about many sweet memories and blessings from the year and excitement about what is to come in 2017. Our big news is that Nathan accepted a new job at the Embassy, extending our time in Amman, Jordan until summer 2020!

Our boys grew and developed much this year. Caleb turned 5 years old and Benjamin turned 4, and are in KG-2 and KG1 at the bilingual Arabic/English school. They do well with the language learning, and are having fun with gymnastics, soccer, and Tae Kwon Do. The boys make friends easily and are in class with many of the same kids from last year.

In January, Heather had the opportunity to go on a short term mission trip with a team to Ethiopia, to minister to street children and orphans, and provided Vacation Bible School, and visited ministries around Addis and outside the city.

Early this summer, we took a family vacation back to the US, and had the opportunity to visit Heather's parents in Hawaii, Nathan's cousins and Heather's brother and his girlfriend in Washington, Nathan's family friend in Oregon, and Nathan's parents in Illinois. We had a wonderful time being with family and friends, visiting new states, and seeing many beautiful places along the way. Some of our favorite sights were the Hawaii beaches,  NW Washington whale watching, Oregon's beautiful forests and waterfalls, and Southern Illinois kite flying, nature trails, and ice cream treats. Heather and her mom have the same birthday and celebrated together in Hawaii for the first time in 18 years, turning 106 years old!

Later in the summer, Nathan's parents visited us in Jordan for a couple of weeks, and we saw the highlights of Petra, Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo, Jerash, Ajloun, Jesus's Baptism site, and the ancient town of the Madaba, and lots of time with the boys!

In the fall, Nathan flew to Illinois for foot surgery, for an injury he had for several years. Surgery went well and the care of nurses Dad and Mom were excellent.

In November, we visited the Jolliffs for Thanksgiving, which was lots of fun with 4 adults and 7 kids! The cousins had a great time together and it was a sweet visit full of fun and lots of laughter.

In December, Heather traveled back to the US for a week, to help with a Christmas event at their home church, and partnered with a couple of friends to raise awareness about Iraqi Christian refugees who fled Iraq due to persecution and now live in Jordan, and to sell their hand made crafts at an international bazaar.

We spent Christmas together in Jordan, celebrating the meaning of Christmas, and all the fun and toys that come with the day.

We pray that 2017 is a wonderful year for you all!