Cousins!!

We had such a fun few days last week with Hap, Elizabeth, and the kiddo's visit! Sam wanted the visit to be a surprise, and it sure was a big one for the boys! They arrived last Monday evening and we had a delicious Filipino dinner of Pancit. This dish is popular to make for happy occasions/good luck - birthdays, family get togethers, so the occasion was perfect. 

We enjoyed lots of time playing in the yard. Photo credit for this post goes to Elizabeth. She got a new camera and I did not pick up my DSLR once...just a few phone pics...

That morning, they walked to the park close by to our house while we were at work. I told her Caleb knows the way...and they made it :).

In the afternoon, we attempted to go to the Children's Museum but it was closed! Trying to convince the boys that we had a fun plan B....

And we did... a new trampoline park that opened a few weeks ago, only a mile or so from our house! This place was so fun, they had obstacle courses, indoor play area, walk climbing wall, lots of trampolines, foam pits, and fun slides. Fun for kids and big kids! We will definitely be back here this summer...

Like snow tubing...minus the snow. The boys did this for a while...

Fun rock wall/foam pit.

Lots of jumping!

We jumped too :). Elizabeth still has her cheerleading moves!

I went for a cannonball!

Spider boys climbing the walls.

Slam dunk.

The next day, we visited Mt. Nebo and Madaba while the boys were at school. It was a beautiful day!

This is where Moses first viewed the Promised Lan...and I bet it looked just like this thousands of years ago when he stood here - amazing!

It was so fun to hang with the boys and little lady.

This man was working on the wall and the boys enjoyed watching him for a while.

Jacob doesn't look thrilled, but he was having fun.  It was a hot day!

They recently finished the church. It has been under renovation since we arrived, and this was our first time inside. It was a beautiful church inside and out.

This guys was apparently very fast and poisonous. Good thing one of the twins and I walked right over the open grate where he was hanging out....eek!

Sweet Abby Lou. I'm running, I'm running was her favorite thing to say on Mt. Nebo!

Looking over into Palestine.

Abram was less than thrilled to take this picture :).

But Abby likes to say cheese and warmed up to us a lot.

Next stop was Madaba. Last time we visited was with Nathan's parents on the last day of Ramadan last year. So another Ramadan visit on the books!

Madaba is know as the Mosaic capital of the world. From ancient times, people came to Madaba to learn this trade.

It is also home to many Byzantine and Roman churches that had beautiful mosaic floors.

Abram and uncle Nathan checking out a church floor from up above these super sturdy walkways :).

This is the old Roman Road that went through the city.

This is the famous Madaba Tree of Life mosaic. It is located in the archeological park in the back of a dark cellar. It was covered with dust, so we poured some water on it and the colors popped right out!

Sweet, sweet twins!

 We visited some mosaic shops and the boys enjoyed a tutorial on how Mosaics are made.

 Our last stop was at St. George's church to see the famous Mosaic Map of the Middle East. I think it was from the 4th century.

 Andrew was so tired and he fell asleep in the church!

The five big boys slept together each night! The first night they stayed up late talking, but the next two nights, I think tiredness kicked and and they went to sleep easier.

Despite what they said, they did sleep..here's the proof!

The babies slept with Hap and Elizabeth...soon they can get in the mix too!

Elizabeth and I made Grandpa Mark's strawberry pie one night and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe :).

We were lucky to have them here on Thursday, when Benjamin had his end of year performance. I thought it would be songs (as all the other shows have been). Instead, they showed off experiments they prepared. Benjamin's table talked about things that dissolve and do not dissolve in water.

They had a captive audience, and it was fun to show Elizabeth and the boys our kids school and some friends.

 They did a great job! There were a several other tables around the room, so we made our way to see what other experiments the kids prepared.

What a blessing it was to have this time together! We are so thankful to be 'close by' for the next 3 years and plan to take advantage of more time together here, there, or somewhere. What a fun few days. We love you Jolliffs!

 Tes and the kiddos. She really enjoyed finally meeting everyone and the time with the kids. I think they enjoyed her too :).

Hammamat Ma'in

A few weeks ago, Nathan and I took a trip to the Ma'in Hot Springs, called Hammamat Ma'in in Arabic. It's about 20 minutes past the Dead Sea and was a beautiful and relaxing night away! We stopped at a Dead Sea lookout point along the way. I love these signs that show distance to the major towns in Jordan and Palestine...but frustrated that we are close, but not that close when you account for border crossings. Wish we could just swim across the sea or Jordan River!

It was a hazy day, you could hardly see the sea.

From the top of the mountain, we drove into the middle of a wadi (valley) and arrived at the beautiful oasis hot springs!

Before you enter the resort, there is a waterfall open to the public. The water from the springs is HOT! Legend has it that the water has healing powers and many people go for therapy.  

 The women and children area. We were going to go in, but I was in a bikini and every woman there was wearing a burkini...(for those that don't know, that's a burka bikini), so we decided to pass and go to our pool.

 View from our room!

 We had a sweet setup too. The pool water was pumped directly from the spring and it was hot as well. We could only get in for a few minutes at a time, since it was a sunny and hot day. But it felt good to soak in the water and let it fall on your head. I think it would have felt especially great in the winter time!

 Beautiful sunset that night.

 Dinner on the terrace overlooking the waterfall. It was so peaceful.

 The next morning we enjoyed breakfast by the waterfall.

I typically take a lot of pictures, but these tourists from China beat me!

 On the way home, we made a couple of scenic stops to soak in the beauty.

 It was a clear day and we got great views of the Dead Sea on the way home.

 Thankful for the refreshing night away with Nathan, and for the boys having a fun night with friends!

Major Catch Up!

I am attempting to mostly catch up on this blog post from the past few weeks since we have been back from our R&R. One day, one of our friends from work hosted a BBQ as a going away for several of our co-workers - 4 of them leave within 1 month and 2 are already gone :(. It was a fun day for the kids to run around - 5 are missing from this picture! 

 We had another sleep over with Sean and Mary Claire. These kids are best buds and we are trying to get in as many play dates as we can before they leave this coming week :(.

 Nathan and I both took a trip to England for work, back to back weeks. We got to visit with our old boss Jonathan and their family who became good friends of ours. I spent my birthday with them for dinner, and enjoyed catching up with their almost 10 year old twins and 5 year old. It didn't take long for them to become totally British sounding again (they lived in England before Kuwait). It was such a treat to be able to visit with them!

Our pastor and his family went back to the US for a few months this summer. Our families enjoyed a nice day together the day before they left. Don't worry, we didn't stay in the trunk of the car all day :).

 It's pool season and we have been going the past couple of weeks. This was our first day back and Caleb was excited to find a ladybug and said it was his lucky day!

 Just a funny sign I saw in our neighborhood. Sad thing is they probably paid a lot of money for it!

The boys both had sports day at their school last week. Neither of them were interested in participating this year. Benjamin did do one activity with his teacher.

 Caleb stretched and then it was over for him too.

The boys slept over Sean and Mary's another night when Nathan and I went away for a night (another blog post). The next morning they went to Sean's T-ball game and enjoyed a popsicle treat.

 Benjamin and Mary running the bases.

Another day they were invited to a birthday party at the Marine house on compound and then the kiddos went swimming.

 It was so kind of the Marine's to let 17 kids run around their house. They let them do radio checks, try on their flack jackets, and told them all kinds of cool Marine stuff!

 Nathan and the boys gave me some pretty flowers and cute cards for Mother's day. Definitely a blessing to be these sweet boys' mom.

My favorite of the boys and I during our road trip to Kentucky. I'm not in the boot anymore :).

We had Sean and Mary's family over for dinner the other night. We had some delicious Indian food and a great time with our friends. Their family has become very good friends of ours these past two years, and we are thankful for the opportunity to meet them. They are moving to Vienna, Austria in a few months so we plan to visit!

 Benjamin and Mary got matching Peppa Pig stuffed animals.

 Caleb and Sean got matching dinosaur lego sets.

 Caleb made this card for Sean, and Benjamin made Mary a crown.

 Today we went to play at the park and to lunch with the crew. I think Benjamin and Mary look like siblings in this picture!

 Benjamin recently learned to pump his legs on the swings, just like Mary Claire.

 This pictures sums up their friendship perfectly!

Next blog on Nathan and my trip away for the night, then we are caught up! Happy Saturday:).