Back in Jordan

We have been back in Jordan for a little over a month and are mostly settled into our new routines. The boys were happy to be back to familiar sights, we are thankful for how well they re-adjusted after being gone for several months. We came back to great weather and have been enjoying playing outside and taking lots of walks. Nathan did a lot of work in the yard this summer, organizing inside, and setting up Eliza's room. Everything looked great when we got back.

The boys started school a few days after we got back. Their teachers made a big deal about their arrivals and the kids were excited for them to join the class. Both boys had good friends from last year in class, and they jumped right back into things.  Benjamin is happy because in Kindergarten they go to special classes - Arabic, art, music, PE, and library, in pre-school he only got library. And Caleb has been enjoying Robotics class once a week after school.

This sweet little girl lights up our days. She is such a content and easy going baby, and seems to be enjoying life in Jordan so far. Tes adores her, we are so thankful for the great care she provides. I went back to work part time in the middle of November and go back full time in January. It's been a good transition, and I'm thankful for the extra time I have had at home with the kids.

We had a fun Halloween. The boys each had Halloween celebrations at school, and then the Embassy had a Halloween event that evening. Benjamin was Bumblebee, Caleb was Venom, and Eliza was just a cute little girl. I found the tutu and head band at the Pioneer Village in IL this summer.

Eliza sporting her Jordanian kufiyeh bib. She is such a happy baby and smiles all the time.

Just in case we get boo boos...which we do from time to time, we are covered. Thanks Grandpa Mark and Grandma Betty!

Caleb loves to hold his sister. He is turning into a very responsible big brother. He likes talking and reading to her, and I love the way she follows his voice.

Both boys adore her and they like learning how to take care of a little person...in small doses :).

And she is getting strong!

The boys are back into Tae Kwan Do twice a week and doing great. Ms. Irish works them very hard and we have been impressed with their focus.

Caleb breaking a board

Benjamin breaking a board

Hi guys!

The boys have been invited to some birthday parties. It seems like they never end....this one was at a big jump park called Gravity. It's a huge jump park, climbing wall, and obstacle course. They had fun and were wiped out afterwards.

Another weekend was a party at the Children's Museum. This was a huge dinosaur themed party, and they even had a magician!

We are proud of Benjamin for bringing home the Bee kind kid many times since the school year started. Each time they get to purple (great behavior for the day), they bring this home. 

Caleb went on a field to an olive farm, and he brought home olive oil and fresh eggs. He told me they are fresh because they had poop and feathers on them :).

Caleb likes to write in his journal. He draws pictures, writes down ideas, and other stuff on his mind. 

Nathan and I had the day off of Veteran's Day, and the boys had school, so we had a date day downtown. We visited a few shops, walked around, and ate at a restaurant we have been wanting to try. It was a beautiful day and we had a nice time.

Aunt Elizabeth, thank you for the shirt...I hope to be brilliant like my Aunt when I grow up!

We got the boys a mini Nintendo as an early Christmas gift and they enjoy video game time on the weekends. Let's be honest, we are all enjoying it...kids little and big!

We got some big boxes for our baby shipment...they were beds for a few days, bedroom forts, and now they are forts in the glass room out front.

Eliza loves bath time with daddy!

This sweet girl melts our hearts....

That's what we've been up to in a nutshell. I'll try to blog more frequently now!

Legoland!

We departed Salem early in the morning, and began heading north to Chicago to catch our flight the following day. We had a fun activity planned for the boys that afternoon, to visit Legoland Discovery Center. Legoland has been on Caleb's bucket list for a while and both boys were excited to go. 

There were lots of Lego figurines, building centers, and even a couple of rides. Here are a few photos of the boys in front of some of their favorite characters.

Enjoying the play area for a bit. It was geared towards smaller kids, but the boys didn't seem to mind and they had fun.

We spent a few hours at Legoland, and then made our way to the hotel. The boys each got to pick out a Lego set and built it in the hotel room that evening. It was a fun way to end our time in America, and we were ready for our big trip the following day. Here we are at the hotel with all of our stuff.... next stop, Amman, Jordan

Until Next Time...

We had such a memorable summer and beginning of fall in Salem. It was very bittersweet leaving, but it was time to head back to Jordan. We came to IL to help me have a healthy rest of my pregnancy and safe and smooth delivery of Eliza, and we did just that. We are so thankful for how lovingly Mark and Betty opened their home to us, served our family, and poured out their love into all of our lives, and bonded with the boys and Eliza. We enjoyed the time together, spending time with friends, and making new friends. 

Another unique thing about this trip is we had lots of celebrations. We celebrated Caleb's 7th,  Nathan's 38th, Benjamin's 6th birthday, and our 9 year anniversary!

On our last night in town, we went to Dairy Mart ice cream, which was the perfect way to end our trip because a LOT of ice cream was eaten by all of us this summer (except for Eliza of course).

I love this picture of the boys. In addition to all of the ice cream eating, the boys did a lot of bike riding up and down the street, to the airport and back, and on many different trails. We are so thankful  they had this opportunity to ride in open spaces and we are missing it already...

We are so thankful for how the remainder of my pregnancy went, and for how smooth of a delivery I had with Eliza. She has been such an easy going, sweet, cuddly baby girl, and we are loving each day with her. She is the perfect addition to our family. We had no idea how sweet a little girl could be.

She changed so much during her first 6 weeks of life, and she is growing so fast. This swaddle blanket does not fit her anymore at 2.5 months!

She is so alert and curious about the world around her, and I love how she looks like Nathan and her brothers.

Another thing I loved was seeing the change of seasons. When we arrived mid-June it was hot and humid and Betty's zinnias were not blooming. We got to see them open up, bloom, and die. We saw the bean and cornfields grow, turn brown, and be harvested, and we got to experience the weather go from hot and humid to cool and damp. I really loved experiencing the seasonal changes, since we are usually in Salem for a short time of any given season :).

The boys loved running through the cut down bean field behind Mark and Betty's house...and it was good exercise for them!

We loved our time in IL. In addition to Eliza's safe arrival, we are so thankful for the time we had together and fun things we did. Mark and Betty made a list of those things as a memory, and it was long and so fun to read. Here's to more outside playing, bike riding, ramp building, water sliding, ice cream eating, road tripping, swimming and diving, going to camp, tourist attraction visiting, movie watching, parade attending, school going, soccer playing, dud throwing, museum visiting, Big Foot searching, bug catching, and hot dog eating (this is the abridged version). Thank you, we love you, and we look forward to next time!