Madaba, Jordan 9/7/13

After Kerak we drove to a city called Madaba known for mosaics. We were tired and ready to check into our hotel. After pulling in we decided to leave everything in the car and check in first then come out to get our bags.  Seconds after shutting the door we realized that Chris had set his car keys down next to the car seat to unbuckle Tristan. My purse was still in the car, where we had stashed it so that I didn't have to carry it around the castle. 

The hotel called a locksmith unfortunately he had already left for the day, and wouldn't be able to help till morning. Chris and one of the Hotel staff got a metal hanger and went to work on the lock, with technique Terry taught him. 

Heavenly Father was watching out for us yet again and within 30 minutes the car was unlocked.

This is the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George that has the famous Madaba Map in the floor. The map was rediscovered in 1884, but it dates back to the 6th century AD. It is one of the oldest depictions of Jerusalem. 

Bummer for us the church was having mass and we couldn't wait the 2 hours till it was over. We had to just look in through the door at the church and take a picture of the map's photo that was located outside. 

If you can read the index;

 1. Jerusalem, 3. Dead Sea, 4. Jordan river. etc.

Kerak, Jordan 9/7/13

In a city called Kerak, we had fun exploring the Kerak Castle. Jonathan was super disappointed that I forgot to bring along a flashlight. The castle had many dark tunnels and rooms to explore especially in the dungeon. It was torture to Jonathan not being able to go in every nook and cranny.

Camel Trek in Wadi Rum Dessert, Jordan 9/7/13

The next morning after we camped in the Wadi Rum we got to take a camel trek back to the village. We thought we were only taking a 1 hour ride through the dessert and it ended up being a 2 hour ride. After about 30 minutes we started to realize that our Gringo Butts were not used to being bounced around for that long. 

Also not having any stirrups to put your legs in made them have to just dangle which didn't help with blood flow.

We were quick to discover that the one leg over technique helps to relieve one side of your rear end.

When the baby fell asleep after about an hour I realized that it was extremely hard to hold on to him and not get bounced off the camel. 

(should have worn the baby pack)

Now that we have done it our consensus is that 30 minutes is about the max that anyone should sit in the saddle of a camel. But, we are so glad that we got to do it!

Wadi Rum, Jordan - Jeep Trek 9/6/13

I love to be in a place where there is a necessity for a sign like this!

And obviously it is needed!

Our first day in the Wadi Rum was awesome. We did a full day Jeep tour and it was a highlight of our trip. We drove through the desert and stopped at different sights and then after the sun went down they drove us to the Bedouin Camp to sleep.

The guides were so wonderful with the kids. They let the kids drive the jeeps and race through the sand.

This stop was interesting because there was a small underground stream that feed the vegetation and gave some green to the dry desert.

Another stop was a hike through a narrow canyon.

When we got to this next stop the guides said this is the second biggest sand dune in the Wadi Rum, Go hike up it!  So our kids took off and started up, then the guide said it is easiest if you go at this other angle it's less steep. 

(Thanks but a little too late)  

Chris volunteered to go after the kids, poor man caught up to them and then had to piggy back Tristan up the hill at an awful incline. In 98 degrees none the less.

Jonathan made it up in less than 5 minutes and then yelled for us to hurry up. By the time that we all made it up he said he was going to run down and then come back up. Which he did as we all tried to catch our breaths.

We all took a second at the top to breath. Chris is smiling in this picture but don't let it fool you. It took him a good hour to stop feeling like he was going to puke. 

The Mushroom Rock

At one of our stops we took a lunch/nap break to pass the heat of the day. 

Tristan perfected his Jordanian Squat while on this trip.

This was my favorite stop, a huge natural arch that you can climb to and stand on. It was extremely scary to climb to, but the guides were awesome and helped the kids the whole way. Chris was nice enough to backpack Tristan up and help drag me to the top.

This was at the top of yet another sand dune, Chris almost revolted when told to climb and check out the view from the top.

But it was worth the climb.

As we watched the sun set our guides made a delicious bread that they cooked in the ashes of the fire. I was very hesitant to eat bread cooked in ash on top of sand but it was very yummy.

This is a picture of our Bedouin Camp. After our long day we slept like babies, and didn't even worry about camel spiders.

Aqaba, Jordan 9/4/13-9/5/13

I was determined to get to the Red Sea and so we planned another trip to Jordan to make the trip worth while. We went with some friends of ours here and we had a fabulous time. Our first stop was in Aqaba, Jordan where we went scuba diving and swam in the Red Sea. (The Red Sea is also in Israel but it is extremely expensive to stay at any of the hotels on that side).

Because I am still having a tooth ache while diving I could only go to about 6-9 meters. So we did 2 shore dives around some gorgeous reefs that were amazing with color. Then Chris and our friend Joanne went on 2 more dives where they went deeper.

You can see in this picture a prickly pufferfish. We saw many of these on our dives.

This is called an upside down jelly fish because its tentacles are on the top and it swims upside down. It is safe to hold and it felt really neat.

The Lion fish were my favorite, they were much bigger than we had seen on any other dive. 

The colors of the coral were so much brighter than we had ever seen. Neon Green, Lavender, Fuchsia and some bright blues also.

Chris was oh so lucky and on his deeper dives he saw some turtles and was able to swim with them and touch one. I am still a little bitter with envy. :)

Side story, about a week before we left for our trip we had a day where our car battery was dead. We had problems getting to church because the battery wouldn't hold a charge. It died 3 times on our way to church, and we had to keep getting people to help jump it. Finally Chris thought about putting water in the battery and it was fine for the rest of the week. 

But of course after getting into Jordan we started having problems with it. We even took it to a battery store and they tested it but said that it was fine. That night it wouldn't start, and we were to leave first thing in the morning to Wadi Rum. As I put the kids to bed Chris decided to walk back to the store and buy a battery and then take a taxi back. He changed out the battery and our car started as good as new. Thank you Chris and Heavenly Father for watching over us on our vacation.

First Day of School

First day of school was August 20th. The kids got their new school shirts the day before and their schedules. We did a practice run with Michael so he would know where to go when he got off the bus the next day.

They were all so excited for school.

And they are off!

Michael got to come home at noon for the first week, the school was getting them ready for full day kindergarten . 

All of the kids like their teachers so far and have been having a great start. Michael is ready for the full day of school, mostly because he wants to eat lunch there like his siblings.

Fig

This is for you Mom;

So for everyone who only knows the basic fruits like me, and if you saw something like this fruit below and would have no clue what it is, this is for you too.

The Fig 

 Yup this is a fig fruit it grows on a fig tree with the really cool leaves.

The fig is very sweet and you eat the whole thing, the inside is a bit stringy of sorts. but it is good.