Thankfulness

I love November for many reasons. It's fall, my favorite season, Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, and a reminder to be thankful for all things. So thing blog I will talk about some important things I am thankful for this year. I am thankful for our family, how God chose Nathan for me, and how He chose us to be the parents of Caleb, Benjamin, and Eliza. I can't say enough about how much Nathan means to me and the kids, so I'll just leave it at that for now. 

I am thankful for these three munchkins. They are each special and unique in their own ways, and we love the little people they are.

I'm thankful that Eliza is so easy going! This girl goes with the flow and takes whatever comes her way...as evidence right here :).

I am so thankful for Tes. She has been a part of our family for almost 7 years now, since Benjamin was 8 months old, Caleb was 2, and Eliza was a newborn. She loves our children like our own, and we could not do what we do without her.

I am thankful for an opportunity to slow down. In early October, I injured a tendon and joint in my right foot and was in a boot cast for a month. The injury caused a cyst to form on an inconvenient part of my foot (on the outside where my shoe rubs), and it had to be surgically removed in November. It's never convenient to be in bed with your foot up for 3 days, and spend a week on crutches when you have 3 little kids and a job, but it is what was needed and I was thankful for the time to slow down and rest like my body needed to. I could not have done that without Nathan and Tes's extra help, to care for me and the kids.

I am thankful for good friends. Heidi and Jake came to visit Heidi's niece who was studying abroad in Jordan, sightsee, and they spent a few days with us. We were thankful for the time we had with these good friends from Virigina that we don't get to see often enough!

I am thankful for the good friends we have made in Jordan these past four and a half years, who have become our family. This year, we spent Thanksgiving with our friends Mike and Cassandra, who we met our second year in Jordan.  They have twins, Sean and Ava, who are Caleb's age and they are great friends.  Cassandra works for the UNHCR, and most of the people they invited to their home for Thanksgiving were Jordanian or from other countries, and for several people, this was their first Thanksgiving. It was a nice evening sharing our traditions with others and spending time with friends. I didn't get a picture of the adults, but here is the kids' table.

Lastly, I am thankful for our families near and (mostly) far. We are blessed to have loving, healthy, and understanding parents, siblings, and extended families. The hardest part about living abroad is being so far away family and friends. We are thankful for technology that allows up to Skype with our parents every week, and keep in touch with family and friends near and far. Happy November! What are you most thankful for?

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our masked grim reaper (Caleb), zombie (Benjamin), and cutest little skeleton!

Each year the Embassy puts on a great Halloween celebration. They have trick-or-treating, a haunted house, kids games, and a dinner buffet. Nathan was out of town, but Tes came with me to watch Eliza while the boys and I did the haunted house and other older kid activities. The haunted house was a hit and we went through it a couple of times.

This sweet girl played outside most the evening!

I don't have any pictures, but that weekend I took the boys to their school's Halloween celebration called Spooktackular. It was the first year we went and I'm glad to say the last. It was a really well done event, but to say I felt like a sardine trying to maneuver through the crowds was an understatement. Lines were really long for everything, we waited almost an hour to go through the haunted house. They also had trick-or-treating, fairy gardens, spooky games, music, food, and lots of activities. If it was just 1/2 as busy it would have been great (for me) but the kids had a fun time so I'm glad we went this year. 

Dead Sea Fun

Over a long weekend, we took what we think will be our last trip to the Dead Sea before moving. It was perfect weather and we had a great time swimming in the pools and floating in the sea.  Our first trip to the Dead Sea almost 4 years ago, both boys were scared to go in the water. Now they swim out to the bouys, love the sensation of floating, and as you can see, like to lather themselves in the mud.

As much as they enjoy the sea, they love the pools most. We always stay at the Marriott because they have amazing pools, a water slide, and a kids pool. The pools were chilly, but it did not stop this crew. It's a good thing the boys hit the waterslide hard the first day, because it was closed the next day.

This sweet girl loves the water and I think it's safe to say she enjoyed her first trip here. She's a bit young to get in the sea, but hopefully she will get to experience it one day when she is older.

The sunsets are always amazing here.

After sunset we walked around the hotel. Eliza did a lot of walking on this trip, and as you can see she has two brothers keeping a close watch on her!

The next day we swam until lunch time, then headed back to Amman. It was a fun trip and we were glad we could get here one more time!

Benjamin is 7!

This special boy turned 7 years old, and he was so excited for this day. Benjamin has grown, both physically and emotionally, a lot this past year. He is a hard worker and puts his heart into everything he does. Benjamin loves all things music - singing, dancing, and especially playing the piano. He enjoys sports, arts and crafts, math, magic, and playing outside. Benjamin loves telling jokes and making people laugh, and he enjoys being the center of attention. Benjamin is also very sensitive and thoughtful and he thinks of others often. Benjamin loves his siblings. We sometimes say it feels like we have twins because he and Caleb are so close and we are thankful for their brotherly bond and love. Benjamin is a great big brother to Eliza and he loves playing with her and making her laugh every day.  Happy 7th birthday Benjamin, we love you big boy!

Ten Years!!

This year we celebrated 10 years of marriage! Life has been quite a journey for us and I am thankful for each day, the opportunities we have had to learn and grow about each other and ourselves, challenges we have overcome, lives we have created and nurtured, experiences and fun we have had, and the may places we have seen. 

The past 10 years we have had 3 kids and lived in 3 countries - U.S, Kuwait, and Jordan. I don't think 10 years ago we would have guessed our lives would be what they are today, but I'm so glad they are, and am grateful to be sharing and experiencing life with this man. I love to remember this perfect day and all the love surrounding us. 

Nathan is a loving and dedicated husband, father, and friend. He is my rock, by better half, and I love how he can bring calmness to any situation. Nathan is an engaged father and our children adore him. He is a role model, a wrestler, a cuddle, and adventurer, and so much more to them.

I love you so much, and I thank God everyday for choosing me to be your wife. 

Sweetly remember our first dance, Swept Away, which is also the song he proposed to me to, on his 28th birthday, at Shenandoah National Park.

We talked about taking a trip to celebrate, but for now, we enjoyed a nice dinner at a French restaurant we had been wanting to try. And this is the dress I wore for our wedding rehearsal dinner :).

Happy 10 year Anniversary Nathan! I love you so much, and look forward to what the years ahead have in store for us!

Happy Birthday Nathan

Happy 39th birthday Nathan and daddy! Today we celebrate you and the amazing person you are. Thank you for being so loving, dedicated, and and an amazing husband and father. 

Nathan had been traveling for a couple of weeks and returned on his birthday, just about a hour before this picture was taken. You can imagine the excitement from having him home, and this picture captures it perfectly. Happy birthday Nathan! We love you and are so thankful for who you are.

Eliza Rose: One Year!

It is hard to believe that one year ago, we welcomed Eliza Rose into the world. She has been such a blessing to our family and she is pure love. Eliza is a very sweet natured little girl. She is goofy and loves to make people laugh, and she wants to be part of the action. Eliza's personality is mix of both boys in many ways, but she is her own person and we love the sweet addition she is to our family.

Eliza is cruising all over the place, and it won't be long before she is walking. She loves all foods she has tried and especially loves her milk. She has 8 teeth and working on a couple more. Eliza wears size 4 diapers, 12-18 month clothes, and size 4 shoes. She weights 22.5 lbs (75%) and is 30 inches tall (85%). 

Eliza's smile is contagious. She loves laughing and making people laugh. She loves listening to music  and we equally love hearing her sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, probably her favorite song these days. This girl also loves to be outside, playing, and going on walks.

Poor girl had a tummy bug on her first birthday, but the following day we celebrated, though she still gagged on the frosting - a pure sign she was still not better!

Smash cupcake

Benjamin playing happy birthday for the birthday girl :)

 Oh how we love you Eliza Rose! Happy first birthday. We are so excited to watch you grow and know that God has a great plan for your life.

Back to School!

The boys are in their third and final year at ACS! Caleb is in 2nd grade with Ms. Malhaus and Benjamin is in 1st grade with Ms. Sweiss. 

 The boys have had great experiences and opportunities at this school the past few years, and we are very thankful for the great teachers and friends they have made.

Here's to a great year, boys!

Jaffa and Tel Aviv

The week before school started, we took a quick trip to Jaffa and Tel Aviv to enjoy the beaches and explore the area. We stayed in Jaffa, which is a few miles south of Tel Aviv. Our AirBnB was in a great location to easily walk to Jaffa Port and explore the city. On our first night, we walked to the port and along the boardwalk.

 We ate dinner at a famous restaurant called 'The Old Man in the Sea,' inspired by Ernest Hemingway. They served fish, of course, and the restaurant is famous for all the other dishes they brought to the table, which I think was 21 in total...as you can see in the picture. We all enjoyed sampling the different foods and the very busy atmosphere. The restaurant was packed and the servers appeared to be going full-speed all night long. It was really impressive to observe and kept the kids occupied watching all the excitement. The falafel and hummus was one of our favorites, which this part of the world is known for.

After diner, we walked watched the sunset and came across these kids jumping in the water!

Enjoying the sunset.

 Benjamin especially liked the suspended sailboats. The Jaffa port was a lively and fun place to explore.

The next two days we visited the Tel Aviv beaches. The beaches in Tel Aviv were perfectly set up for families. They had a very organized system to purchase umbrellas and chairs, and each beach had public restrooms and a restaurant. We took a taxi each day to the beach because we didn't want to give up our parking spot on the street right in front of the AirBnB. The beaches were very crowded and full of families.

The boys love the  beach and they had fun digging in the sand and swimming.

Eliza is a water lover too and she had fun sitting on the shore and playing with beach toys. This lucky girl even got to take her naps at the beach. We are so thankful for how easy going she is.  If she is around 'her people' she is happy!

We went to a different beach the second day and the waves were quite a bit bigger here.

Enjoying lunch at one the beach restaurants.

On our last day, we explored Jaffa. Enjoying a beautiful view of the Tel Aviv coastline.

Admiring the old beauty through the side streets.

They even had a small souq that sold lots of trinkets, carpets, furniture, and of course fresh fruits and vegetables.

After dinner, we ended the evening downtown Jaffa to see the famous Clock Tower, which is one of seven clock towers built in Palestine during the Ottoman period. This tower has two clocks and a plaque commemorating the Israelis killed in the battle for the town in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

The next morning we had breakfast and headed back to Jordan. We were thankful for the time away, the opportunity to see another new place, and the ease of having so many places to see within driving distance of Amman.