A Day In the Life of Us

My baby boy is 4!

2011-09-14T22:34:00.001-06:00

No one pass out because I am posting. Seriously. I know you're excited, but settle down. :)

My camera broke, which is why I have no pictures, but don't ask how it broke because I'm slightly embarrassed about it. Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I had a stash of dark chocolate in my purse, and when I went to girl's camp a few months ago, I put my camera in there, too. Well, in case you haven't heard, Texas summers are hot enough to melt things, and now my camera is full of melty, runny, chocolate. Boo.

Anyway, my baby boy Jackson had his 4th birthday last week. I can't believe he has gotten so big. He makes us laugh every single day. His latest thing is smells. He's completely obsessed with them. He'll walk around saying, "Mom, what's that smell? It's broccoli!" or "Ew, it smells like toots!" or "What's that smell? I need to eat it." It actually makes for some embarrassing moments when we walk into someone's house. It can actually smell pretty good, but he'll act all disgusted and start asking everyone what the smell is. *sigh*

A couple other gems from the last week or two:

-- Heard from behind me, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Hey mom, I'm punching myself."

-- "Hey mom, I have a girlfriend. But I don't know her name."

-- "I just burped - just like my daddy."

-- Jackson: "Mom, I am so sorry I was punching you in the face."

Me: "What are you talking about? You didn't punch me in the face."

Jackson: "Oh, well, never mind I guess."

-- "I just sneezed out my butt!"

He has been loving his birthday presents. He wears his new Spiderman outfit as much as possible. He also got a remote control car from his Aunt Kelli that he thinks is pretty much the coolest thing he has ever come across.

He is also in a really part-time preschool. He just goes a couple of times a week, for four hours each. He loves it. It makes him feel very grown up and important, like his big sister.

He loves anything that moves: cars, trucks, helicopters, trains, tractors, etc. He has recently decided it's pretty awesome to jump off of furniture, which I'm sure our downstairs neighbors appreciate. He has almost no desire in coloring or drawing. He still loves food, which I doubt will ever change. He can still eat as much as a grown adult. His favorites are applesauce, yogurt, goldfish, and pretzels. And you can usually get him to do what you want him to, if you can somehow convince him that Spiderman or Superman would do it.

He is the funniest, quirkiest, most loving little boy. He knows I adore him and he milks it for all it's worth. And I'm okay with that. He may be 4, but he will always be my sweet baby boy.

I love you so much Jackson!

We must be in Texas...

2011-03-29T11:01:00.000-06:00

...because summer is already here.

Good news!!!

2011-03-24T15:05:00.000-06:00

We had Jackson's first follow-up blood draw this morning, and the news is good! His platelet count is up to 392,000! We are so, so grateful for how well the IVIG has worked for him so far.

Some things I learned from the doctor today... Jackson has a 90% chance of having Acute ITP - I was happy to hear the odds on that. Acute ITP lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 months. During that time, there is a somewhat decent chance he will have to get another treatment if his platelet count goes back down once the IVIG wears off (usually wears off between 3 and 8 weeks after receiving it). Because of his excellent response to the treatment, we get to wait 3 weeks before getting another blood test (but we'll need to be watching closely for new bruises, nosebleeds, etc.). The results to that blood test will determine the frequency of more tests in the future.

If 6 months pass and we're still dealing with drops in platelets, it will mean he has Chronic ITP. The doctor said that he would have it for the rest of his life, although I HAVE heard of children with Chronic ITP going into remission.

We are so feeling so grateful today for our little Jackson.

Jackson's hospital stay

2011-03-20T22:41:00.001-06:00

We had an eventful weekend, and I'm warning you that this is the long version, or the "blue" version, as my family likes to call it. We took Jackson into the doctor on Thursday because he had been having some weird symptoms... bruising all over his legs, nose bleeds, and an old scab had been bleeding. He had also had a rough night on Tuesday where he couldn't stop throwing up. Then Thursday he had a fever, which finally got us to go in. The doctor seemed nervous right away. She asked us a bunch of questions about family medical history, and sent us to the lab to get some blood drawn. Jackson was so brave. Tom, myself, and Joni honestly marveled for hours at how brave he was about getting his blood drawn. I think we were all expecting a complete meltdown or something.

The next day we got a call from the pediatrician telling us that his platelet count was 6,000 (it is supposed to be 150,000 to 450,000) and that we needed to get to the local children's hospital immediately and have him admitted to the hematology floor. My heart sank. All I could think about was leukemia. I had just recently looked up the kind of leukemia that my mom has and learned that her type is common in both adults and children. I don't remember reading that before.

The whole drive to the hospital, Tom and I were both preparing ourselves for the worst, but we knew there were some other things besides leukemia that can cause low platelet count, so we were hoping for that. After being admitted (which took for.ev.er.) a pediatric hematologist came in and explained the different things that could be going on, and told us what the plan was. Jackson got some more blood drawn, and an IV put in.

Once the results came in, the doctor seemed pretty sure that what Jackson has is ITP, which is short for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. It's basically where the spleen starts creating antibodies to fight the platelets in your body. The problem with his platelet count being so low is he runs the risk of bleeding internally - either from some sort of trauma (hard fall, car accident, etc.) or sometimes ITP patients will just start bleeding internally for no apparent reason. But we were so relieved to hear that all signs were pointing towards ITP.

So we obviously went ahead with treatment, which included two rounds of IVIG, or intravenous immune globulin. It's a blood derived antibody something-or-other, that I couldn't accurately describe if I wanted to. The first round of treatment was on Friday night. Jackson and I did not sleep well that night. He started having reactions to the treatment (shaking really badly all over, and really high fever), so they had to slow down how quickly he received it (which made it take 7-8 hours through the night), and it also meant that they monitored him more. They took his vitals every 15 minutes for several hours, then finally every 30 minutes. Jackson and I finally went to sleep (sort of) at about 4 am. The only amusing part of that night was that Jackson kept saying funny things when he was half asleep... he talked about Grandpa, and the "Jesus ghosts", and his friends from Joy School. He also got really, really sad because Tom wasn't there (he was home with Joni that night).

I have to laugh now, thinking back to how feisty Jackson would get about the blood pressure cuff going off so often. Several times he just sat up in bed and yelled, "I'M DONE!" and he would ripe off the cuff and throw it onto the floor.

We were worried about how he'd feel all day Saturday because we were told that some patients get really sick the next day. But I'm pretty sure it was one of the funnest days of his life, thanks to family and friends. He was literally showered with gifts. I couldn't believe the outpouring of love and support from our ward. It really took me off guard. Jackson had more treats, toys, and balloons than he knew what to do with. The only really hard part about that day was when Jackson lost his initial IV, and had to get another one in the other arm. It was a long drawn out thing, and I was near tears myself. But I'm pretty sure his joy from receiving a Percy train and his own box of fruit snacks helped outweigh the pain. :)

Saturday night went much better. They administered the treatment a lot more slowly this time, and Tom stayed overnight at the hospital with me. I think I actually slept a little. The nurse that night was also very gentle and nice with Jackson. He got another bloody nose in the middle of the night, and all I remember is the nurse's soft sweet voice whispering to Jackson that she was just going to clean up the blood and that he could keep sleeping, and that he was going to be okay.

Then first thing this morning the hematology doctor came in and told us that his platelet count had gone up to 89,000! Besides the fact that this is a much healthier number, it also reinforces the theory that what he has is ITP. The doctor reiterated that it doesn't mean he is 100% in the clear for more serious underlying diseases, but the odds are definitely in our favor now. He will have to get regular blood draws for at least the next several weeks to make sure his body is able to sustain the increase in platelets. From the reading I did today, it sounds like the effect from the IVIG is known to wear off in a couple of weeks. So I feel like the blood tests we get three weeks from now will mean a lot.

Some of the pictures from this weekend... I had a bunch of pictures that didn't turn out for some reason, so I was bummed about that.... but this is probably sufficient... :)

Jackson's poor bruised legs

(that sheet looks gross, but it's just because he had spilled his juice).

This was taken while we waited in the lobby to check in. He absolutely LOVED the fish tank, and spent the next two days watching Finding Nemo that we borrowed from the hospital.

He loved that he could order anything he wanted at every meal. His first meal was macaroni and cheese, fries, honey nut cheerios, and chocolate milk. I promise he was ecstatic about it - you just can't tell because he has the Sowards stare that naturally occurs when watching tv.

This basket came from people in our ward. The tongue sticking out is a sign of absolute approval.

And this is when he received a little Percy train from his Joy School friends. Again, the tongue. :) This package also included several home made cards and signs from Joni and some of the other kids in the ward.

This was after he first started getting his treatment the first night. He called his IV arm his "robot arm". And he kept showing everybody at the hospital the race car sticker that he picked out to go on it.

Taking his vitals for the millionth time. He was such a trooper.

Leaving the hospital on Sunday morning. We were soooo happy to get out of there!

I felt like an absolute zombie driving home. All three of us immediately fell asleep for a couple of hours (some friends still had Joni and even took her to church). I feel like it will probably take us (mostly him) a few days to feel back to normal. He is still getting fevers, and he's extremely behind on sleep. And I'll tell you what - after three days of everyone waiting on him hand and foot, he has become quite demanding. :)

A few more things I want to mention. It gets humbling, fast, when you spend a few days on a hematology/oncology floor where you see bald children walking around with their IV towers. It was a constant reminder of how blessed we are that this will most likely resolve itself in the next several months.

I'm also so grateful for our family and friends who were praying, and even fasting, for our little Jackson. We received more texts, emails, phone calls, and facebook messages than we can count. It was also so nice for him to receive tangible distractions from his grandparents, his Joy School friends, and his ward family. We also had different friends watch Joni all weekend long, even overnight. My visiting teachers were amazing. As soon as I got the call from the pediatrician on Thursday I knew I could call them and they would help me. I feel like the church needs to do a little demo video on our ward as an example of how the church should always work when someone needs help!

Most of all, I am grateful that Jackson seems to be doing fine, and that it looks like he will even be fine in the long run. Tom and I realize that there is a very small chance that that could change, but for now we are focusing on the huge blessing of a good outcome to his recent treatment, and we will be praying that the upcoming blood tests continue to show improvement.

I feel like I just got up and gave a huge, drawn-out travelog/thanktimony about our weekend. Oh well, I'm sure that at least Jackson's grandparents will read through the whole thing. :)

Jackson moment(s)

2011-01-24T13:39:00.002-07:00

I just found a newly purchased bottle of strawberry jam on the floor in the kitchen. About one-third of it was gone, and there was a spoon in it. I asked Jackson if he had been eating the jam with a spoon, and he said, (in an annoyed voice, rolling his eyes), "No, mom! I was just drinking it!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I was typing this, Jackson grabbed my glass of cherry limeade Crystal Light, put both hands in it, then sprinkled it all over the kitchen floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I was carrying him to think-time, he said, "Yeah, mom, take me to think time. That will help me feel better."

He cracks me up!

Shiner

2011-01-20T09:26:00.001-07:00

So, what would you say if I told you Joni got the crap beat out of her by a big bully at school?

JUST KIDDING! She just tripped over her friend's foot. How do you not throw your hands out in front of you to catch your fall?

Poor kid. :(

Sleep talking

2011-01-15T20:49:00.003-07:00

I inherited the weird trait of sleep talking from my Grandma. It was pretty bad when I was a kid, and I remember waking up many times to the sound of my sister, Kristin, laughing her little tushy off. She loooved to get me all confused and riled up in my sleep for her own personal amusement.

Well, this time it was Tom's turn to be confused. I was just sitting here at my computer, doing a bunch of emails for church stuff. I realized I didn't know what the Priest's quorum called their youth class presidency. Tom was sleeping on the couch next to me, so I "woke" him up to ask him if he knew. The conversation went like this:

Me: Tom, do the Priests call their youth class advisors a class presidency like the Laurels do?

Him: Well..... (after a long pause, he starts talking in his official, professor-type voice).... doesn't it have more to do with the weather than it does with the whole timing of everything?

Me: (*laughing hysterically*) Huh? Do you know what my question was?

Him: Yes. It was about the ultimate destruction of this planet.

I'm still laughing. Now I know why Kristin always thought it was so amusing.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Tara!

Year in Review

2011-01-01T12:56:00.002-07:00

Yes, I know I've turned into the worst blogger in the world.

Yes, I know my header is reeeally in need of a makeover.

Life has been B.U.S.Y.

A little catching up...

Between school and work, Tom is pretty much always working on something. This last semester he helped teach a Women in the Bible class, and this next semester he is teaching Intro to Islam. He loves his students and will do pretty much anything to help them succeed, if they are willing to put in the work. He is on campus a lot, and even when he's home, he's not really home because there is always so much to do. As always, I am so proud of how hard Tom works. I'm even more proud of him for how hard he tries every day to spend time with me and the kids. He is always trying to balance work/school and family life. I think he does a pretty good job at it.

Joni is still enjoying Kindergarten. I am amazed at how well, and how quickly, she learns (yay for English!). She's definitely got her daddy's brain, not mine. Her teacher says she's very observant of all that goes on around her. If she (the teacher) starts to get flustered or upset, she'll look at Joni to see if she needs to calm down. Her teacher says she's friends with everybody, and makes special efforts to be nice to the kids in the class that everyone else seems to have a hard time with. At the end of each school day, she loves to give me a play-by-play of all that went on. Joni is a very special little girl, and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

Jackson... ohh, Jackson. He's my crazy little 3 year old. He loves to cuddle and give kisses, but then other times he will come up to me and say, "Mom, I just want to HIT somebody." And he does. He has tormenting his sister down to an art. But he's so darn cute, we can't help but love him. Another one of his favorite phrases is, "Mom, you're ruining my LIFE!!!" I'm pretty sure he learned that from a Barbie movie we rented one time when the kids were sick. Jackson knows all of his letters and their sounds, and he loves to count. He also LOVES anything with wheels - cars, trains, trucks, tractors... you get the idea. When it's his turn to pray at family prayer, he prays that Percy, Thomas, and James will be able to stop on the tracks on time and that something (can never understand what) will get out of the way.

As for me, I received the shock of my life several weeks ago when our bishop asked me to be the Young Women's President in our ward. I have never felt so shocked and dismayed. I still wonder sometimes what the heck the bishop was thinking. I'm much too big of an idiot to be in charge of 42 teenage girls. There were audible gasps in the ward the day they called me - no joke. I still feel like a fish out of water, and probably will for some time, but I just keep plugging along. I no longer know what free time is like on Sundays or Wednesdays, and Joni and Jackson do not like all the meetings I have. I'm slowly getting to know the girls, and they thoroughly amaze me. They are so much more put together than I was at that age. I'm pretty sure I am in this calling to learn from them.

We have had a great holiday season as a family. Joni and I made a big Thanksgiving feast together. She was horrified at the "rotten chicken" we were brining and cooking. I think I've traumatized her for life. Tom's parents gave us a surprise visit about a week before Christmas. It was a short visit, but we really enjoyed seeing them. Since then, we have all managed to get sick with colds and flus, but it was still one of the best Christmas holidays we have ever had. We are so happy to have each other, and to have a Savior that was willing to be born on this earth and fulfill His mission.

It has been a good year. Coming home from Jerusalem has obviously been a lot easier than going there in the first place. I still feel like I need to pinch myself sometimes when I am driving around shopping, or when I am able to share the gospel with somebody. I appreciate everything so much more, and I hope that doesn't go away.

Year in review, in pictures.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!

Joni's thoughts

2010-10-18T20:07:00.000-06:00

A conversation I had with Joni today....

Joni: You know, mom, when Heavenly Father gives you goals, you have to use them really good or He will take them away.

Amy: What do you mean goals?

Joni: You know, like, when Heavenly Father gives you something like how He gave me a good memory. Or if you're good at ballet or you know, doing stuff.

Amy: Oh, you mean talents?

Joni: Yes, talents. When Heavenly Father gives you goals and talents, you better use them because if you don't, He'll take them away.

Amy: Where did you learn that?

Joni: *rolling eyes* Well, they should be teaching me that at school, but they didn't so they had to teach me at church.

Jackson's preschool

2010-10-02T15:37:00.001-06:00

Some women from church asked if Jackson and I would like to participate in Joy School this year and we jumped at the chance.

He's LOVING IT!

(he's the second one from the right)

University of Texas shooter

2010-09-28T09:53:00.001-06:00

I'm guessing it is hitting national news by now, so I thought I'd let you all know that Tom wasn't up on campus yet this morning when the gunman showed up. Campus is closed so he won't be going there at all today.

We keep getting texts from the university and it sounds like they're looking for a possible second suspect. Please pray for all involved.

Looking back at August

2010-09-20T23:21:00.000-06:00

A horrible thing happened today. I somehow erased the contents of my photo card.

That's what I get for procrastinating getting my photo organization done for, well... months.

I got a bunch of it back, but certainly not all. I tried... oh, how I tried.

I lost the month of July in its entirety. So, you'll just have to picture dance parties with all the Balderree grandkids and lots of swimming at Willard Bay. We had some good times.

So although I have backed up all remaining pictures, I feel the need to quickly blog about our crazy month of August. It felt like we were all over the place.

We did lots of driving, and saw beautiful scenery... (the spots you see are my dirty windshield)

We got to see a bunch of Tom's family, including his grandparents on the Montoya side...

And his grandparents on the Sowards side...

Finally landing in Austin, getting acquainted with all of our old things, and feeling at home in a nice, new, non-crusty, non-moldy apartment, WITH air conditioning. August saw us become quite comfortable here....

Fun flash back

2010-09-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

I've been neglecting my photo memory card for a while now, so it's time to do some organizing.

I found three short little videos left over from our time in Jerusalem. It was so weird to watch them. I thought I'd post them here so I always have them.

This first one was taken on accident. I meant to take a picture, but my camera was on video setting. It's looking down into the cave where Christ was born. It was about a million degrees too hot because there were way too many people. A tourist group is just getting done singing songs....

I really wish this next one was longer. When I was finally able to take Tom to Bethlehem at the end of our two year stay, a Christian Palestinian wedding party was coming in just as we were leaving. So cool....

And this last one I took the day we packed up to come home. The kids were at a friend's house (hi April!) so we could do all the last minute packing and cleaning. I was waiting for Tom to come down after locking up, and decided to take a quick video. It starts out looking around outside, then I walk up the stairs a bit to get one last look at our crusty old front door. I won't lie - my heart started to pound a little when I watched this. It's very weird to suddenly go back to the place you went through so much....

Playing catch up....

2010-09-09T11:11:00.000-06:00

Three things -

1) School

Both kids are now in school for the year. Joni is in the local kindergarten all day and she LOVES it. It's such a contrast to what school was like for her last year in Jerusalem. Every single day was a huge struggle. But now she gets excited when it's bed time because it means she's that much closer to going to school the next day. When people ask her if she is liking school, she often says, "Yes, it's in English!"

First day

Also, some moms in the ward asked me if I would like to do Joy School with Jackson, so I jumped at the chance. He loves it so far. He feels all grown up. Speaking of Jackson...

2) Jackson's birthday

My baby is 3! I can't get over how big he has gotten. He loves to say hilarious things like, "Yes, sir!", "Oh my gosh", and "What-ev-er".

For his birthday he got a Superman costume, a train set, a new swimming ring floaty, and a little Cars container to hold his all important goldfish crackers.

This picture taken while he was opening his presents pretty much summarizes how thrilled he was all day.

Whenever Jackson or Tom is in need of a haircut, their thick hair starts sticking up in weird ways, especially first thing in the morning. Joni says it looks like they have plants growing out of their heads. :)

The race car birthday cake

3) Free time

If we ever have free time (and if Tropical Storm Hermine isn't crashing down on us), the kids' first preference for fun is swimming. They LOVE it.

Life made easier

2010-08-28T11:07:00.000-06:00

Joni has freakishly thick hair, and regularly gets comments on it. When other moms act jealous, I always want to say, "Do you really want to dedicate half your life to brushing out tangly hair, washing it, conditioning it, brushing it out again, blow drying it (because if you don't, it'll never dry), and then curling, styling - only to start over again the next day?"

So when we were staying in Colorado with family, I made a decision one morning that I had had enough. Luckily, Joni's cousin, Ava, had just chopped her hair, so Joni was in agreement that it would be cool.

I did not encourage the diva look, I swear. I did, however, find it hilarious.

We cut off her 8 inches just in time.

For this....

Tom takes the kids to the pool most nights after dinner. :)

Day 53 of moving

2010-08-18T11:14:00.000-06:00

That last post was written Monday night even though it wasn't posted until last night because our internet is still touch-and-go.

So it's two days later and things are going a little better. Tom has been at orientation all day yesterday and today, so I've been trying to get "manly" things done on my own. I went to Lowe's yesterday and bought all the parts I needed for the washer and dryer, and then I spent waaaaay too much time hooking it all up. It is finally done, and I did it all by myself (if you don't count the 300+ calls I made to my dad - thanks dad!). I even wired on a new power cord for the dryer because the old one didn't reach. I am successfully washing and drying clothes at this very moment. Holla!

I must also apologize for the horribly outdated header on my blog, and let y'all know it will probably be a while before I have time to change it. If I was rich I would pay some hot-shot blog designer to make me a new one, but we all know that isn't the case.

On another random-info-front, I think my big toes hate me. You see, a YEAR ago I somehow managed to kill the toenail on my left foot after a rigorous day of site seeing. It never fell off, so it has been slowly growing out. After a YEAR of pain, I realized last week that it had finally stopped hurting.

Then yesterday in a Target parking lot as I was hurrying to put the kids and shopping sacks in the car, I kicked the little bar on the shopping cart with my right foot and it HURT. I looked down a couple minutes later because the pain wasn't going away, and blood was oozing out from underneath the big toenail. So now I get to start all over with the other foot. Maybe a year from now I can slam my whole foot in a sliding glass door.

And although I like to make fun of crappy things in my life, I have to say that I am so grateful for all the good. I occasionally have moments where this place feels very unfamiliar and weird to me (Texas could NOT be more opposite from Israel), but then I remember that all of Tom's dreams are coming true. We couldn't have mapped out his school path any better. The Lord has worked miracles for us over and over again.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not the shy submissive type. I will admit I have a few feisty bones in my body. So it must be known that I don't just submissively follow this unconventional path with Tom secretly wishing we were doing something else. I feel just as driven to follow this path as he does - in fact, I think sometimes I feel it even more.

We are where we are supposed to be, I am sure of it. If I lose a few toenails along the way, so be it.

New day, but same movie, same clothes, and a little bit different surroundings, including a wet towel to soak up a spilled drink. I think he also has spilled milk all down the front of him from breakfast. Don't be jealous of my awesomeness as a mom. ;)

Moving

2010-08-16T23:06:00.002-06:00

I feel......

gross.

And tired.

Scratch that – let's say exhausted. Yeah, that feels right.

Since leaving Jerusalem at the end of June, we have been living the nomad life. We've laid our heads in several different places – St. Louis, Ogden, Mora, Manassa, then back to Mora again. Then we made the trek across Texas and arrived here in Austin last week with the mighty generous help of Tom's mom, Cyndy (or as the kids call her, Omi). She is officially given the title of saint-hood, says me. I think you all should agree.

After staying in a crap-hole hotel for a few days (sorry, mom, there's no other way to put it), we decided on a nice little apartment on Friday.

It felt right. I love that.

But our semi trailer couldn't get here for three more days, so we made a trip to WalMart and spent what seemed like a fortune on annoying things like an air mattress (that didn't work – boo!), towels, and paper plates.

We've been living off of Easy Mac, corn dogs, and cereal. Oh, and let's not forget the all luxurious McDonald's.

Moving our stuff into the apartment today has been slow. Did y'all know that the heat index here is a steady 110 degrees?!? Now you know why my first statement is as true as it could possibly be.

We've lost binkies, raised our voices way too much, and eaten all of our meals sitting on the kitchen floor.

We have no idea how to hook up our washer and dryer, and I have MOUNTAINS of laundry to do.

Worst of all, I can't remember for the life of me whether or not I've brushed my teeth today.

Girl's night out

2010-07-29T23:06:00.000-06:00

Let me tell you all something.

I have some great friends. I have been best friends with many of them since I was in elementary school. At the very latest, junior high or high school. When I get together with them on a girl's night out, I feel like we haven't missed a beat.

They are proof that someone can move to the other side of the world and still have her friends when she gets back.

L to R: Jeni, Stacey, Me, Geana, Amy J, Cara, Tiffany, Erin, Kaedell, Tasha.

Lovin' this place

2010-07-23T10:14:00.000-06:00

Today the kids learned what a lawn mower is. Even Joni, who is almost 6.

Jackson kept yelling, "It's a big truck!" (it was a big commercial riding mower)
"No Buddy, it's a lawn mower."
"Ohhh, lawn mower...... look mom, it's a big truck!"

Joni also keeps asking where all the people are. When we get in the car and start driving down the long country road to go into town, she'll often ask, "So where did all the people go?" or "Where is everyone? Are we the only ones here?" Life feels quite solitary here.

I've discovered something about myself. I love to drive 25 miles an hour in my parents' small town. This isn't something I've ever enjoyed before, but I do now. It's so slow and relaxed. Nobody rides my tail, or swerves around me, or honks if I don't go exactly how fast they think I should be going. If someone does happen to be out, or if I see another driver, they wave and smile. It's fantastic.

And I still love WalMart. I still can't help but think that they are giving their milk away - $1.78 people! How are they making money? $0.68 for a can of white northern beans? It just makes me smile. I love the cute little old people who greet you when you go in, and tell you to have a nice day when you leave. I always reply with a big smile and a nice comment back. It makes me sad that they often look surprised. I think people ignore them most of the time. I know I used to. Not any more.

Yesterday I drove a little extra and went up to the Brigham City WalMart with Joni. It's such a beautiful drive. Huge rocky mountains to one side, with Willard Bay on the other. If I lived here, I would make that drive once a month just to enjoy the scenery.

I'm excited to move to Texas, but for now I am enjoying the beauty of Utah. How silly that I lived here most of my life and I'm just seeing it for the first time.

My kids with some of their cousins happily eating corn dogs for lunch on the back lawn.

So refreshing!

2010-07-22T14:58:00.000-06:00

My kids had soft serve ice cream for the first time the other day (at least that they remember).

They were in heaven.

Planet Utah

2010-07-10T23:47:00.001-06:00

I can tell that both of my kids think they have landed on a new planet. It feels like there is a TV and a computer in every room. They are also having a blast in the yard, the kiddie pool, the nice playgrounds, and the mountains. All these things are very new to them, and I love watching them experience it all.

Joni has been relearning some "new" words. Her two new words today, that she had no idea what they were when she climbed out of bed this morning: basement and toaster.

Jackson's biggest fascination at the moment are all the horses on the drive to my parents', and the ski boat out in the pond behind the house. He can't get enough of them.

I also keep feeling really weird when I think about it being Saturday today and I didn't go to church.

Thrilled over candy collected at the 4th of July parade

Cucumber boat races. The kids and their cousins would put their cucumbers in the stream and then race them down the water. Joni seemed to be getting a kick out of it, but feeling a little stressed at the same time. Finally she looked up at everyone and said, "Why are we doing this???" It cracked us up.

The boys taunting the ducks and geese.

Comparing dirty bums.

Watching the water from the bridge. He kept yelling, "Is water mama! Is water!"

I just keep picturing Jackson's brain thinking all the time, "What the heck is going on around here? Where did these mountains, stores, toys, playgrounds, and new foods come from?"

American cheese

2010-07-05T20:49:00.000-06:00

Today I found Joni biting into a piece of American cheese. We have been fascinated by cheese since coming back to the states because it has so much flavor. In Israel, "cheddar" is very light in color and mild in flavor because they leave an important ingredient out in order to keep it kosher (or at least that's the explanation I heard once upon a time).

After taking a big bite, and studying the appearance of it for a moment, she asked, "Mom, why is the cheese so dark? Do they sunburn it to get it that way?"

The land of the free

2010-07-02T16:22:00.000-06:00

It's kind of fun moving back to America right before the 4th of July. Not only am I noticing all the little differences here, but it makes it all the more easy to appreciate certain freedoms.

After getting my haircut yesterday morning, I literally spent the rest of the day shopping. I went to Ulta, Children's Place, Cafe Rio, WalMart, and Target. Were any of you aware of the fact that Super WalMarts are the size of a small city? Because they are.

I spent the same amount of money on several things at Children's Place that I would have spent on one item of clothing in Israel. And the selection! Oh, the selection! Picking out things like tortilla chips, or a sippy cup, or baby wipes somehow felt a little bit agonizing (and thrilling, let's be honest here). I kept stressing that I was going to get the wrong thing and that it was my only chance to get it. I kept having to remind myself that I can go to WalMart any ol' time I want to now. I almost leaped for joy when I saw Clorox wipes. If I ever would have come across Clorox wipes in Jerusalem, I would have bought out the store's entire inventory, out of both excitement and for fear that I would never see them again.

But my main thought of the day is how much we take for granted simple freedoms...

You can drive around for hours, or even days, and never reach a checkpoint where you have to show your passport, get your fingerprints scanned, or face the possibility of being strip-searched.

Store owners can buy whatever goods they want to sell to the public, regardless of race or nationality.

It's quicker to go from Ogden to Salt Lake (35 miles) than it was for me to go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem (6 miles).

People aren't rationed less water than others because of their race.

If someone were to ask me a question about my church, I can answer!

Speaking of, everyone here can go to whatever church they want, no matter where it is - no one is going to stop them because of where they live.

Anyone who wants to vote, can. We are allowed to have a say in what happens in our communities.

You can walk right into a store without having your bags searched.

People can choose what airport to go to, instead of being denied access to the one in their own country, and being forced to go to another country just to catch a plane.

I don't bring up these things to discuss it from a political standpoint, because I know it's not that simple. But I do think it's possible for us all to recognize and be grateful for all the little things we are blessed with here - which, when you add it all up, equals something much bigger.

Freedom.

Safe and sound

2010-06-29T12:47:00.004-06:00

We've been in St. Louis for a few days, enjoying being with Tom's parents and sisters. So far we have:

Gone to church on Sunday, minus the awesome view of the Old City.

Gone to the zoo, which included a trip to Build-a-Bear for the kids courtesy of Omi and Abba.

Omi and Abba also bought the kids Happy Meals, which indeed resulted in very happy kids. Joni enjoyed having the food passed to us through the window. Jackson was thrilled that the colorful box contained "CHICKEN!!"

We have also eaten at a Mexican restaurant. A-MAZ-ING. We ate two years worth of chips and salsa.

Gone to Walgreens. Oh my word, people. Have you seen the makeup aisle at Walgreens? Heaven! This trip may or may not have included the purchase of some peanut butter M&M's.

Eaten several delicious meals prepared by Omi, and have had fun catching up with Tom's family. I am lucky to have such great in-laws.

~~~~~~~~~~

The trip back was much less eventful than the last plane ride experience. Although, Jackson refused to sleep again, which was loads of fun. I was deliriously tired because of the phenergen I took for nausea so I feel like I took about a hundred 5 minute naps, always wakened by a screaming/crying Jackson. The funniest part of the whole trip was when Jackson beeped going through a metal detector in Frankfurt so security had him hold his arms out to the side while they PATTED. HIM. DOWN. A 2 year old. Maybe you had to be there, but it was pretty hilarious.

Jet-lag has been quite an experience with two small children. I woke up to Jackson running around the house at about 4:30 this morning. He suddenly discovered how easy it is to escape a porta-crib. We knew this somewhat obvious knowledge would come eventually, but the timing still stinks.

It has been interesting to see food and places we haven't thought about in so long. And everything is so stinkin' green, I can hardly believe it. The humidity might kill me, but I figure I better start getting used to it sooner or later.

It's also interesting to see how different the general public looks to me. I couldn't help but people-watch while at the zoo. People are much bigger here, both in weight and height. And no one covers their head. I feel like I've never seen so much hair before.

They're coming to America....

2010-06-25T08:04:00.000-06:00

...today! (Neil Diamond, anyone?) Now you're going to have that song in your head the rest of today. MUWAHAHA.

We leave in the middle of the night tonight. I am exhausted. And my back is in knots. Tom is letting me rest for a few while he cleans the bathrooms. Isn't he great?

I really, really hope the flight goes better than last time. If not, someone start reserving me a spot at the mental hospital now.

We'll be in St. Louis for a few days, then we'll be in Utah through the month of July. On our way to Texas near the beginning of August, we'll be stopping to see family in Colorado and New Mexico.

We have quite the summer ahead of us.

Now if we can just get through this flight.

More Bethlehem with Tom

2010-06-24T04:55:00.000-06:00

Tom inside the Church of the Nativity, touching the spot where they believe Christ was born.

Down in Jerome's cave, where they think he translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek, into Latin. Here Tom is telling Sahar what it says - it included the first verse of the gospel of John.

I always joke that Tom is my walking Wikipedia. He knows the weirdest stuff. This picture was also taken in Jerome's cave - in Greek, it is the first two letters of "Christ", and then Alpha and Omega (beginning and end). I promise I didn't make him strike this cheesy pose. He was running his finger along the writing as he explained it and I snapped a picture before he could argue with me.

Approaching the checkpoint at the separation wall to get back into Jerusalem. Sahar was so nice. She even went half-way through and stood in a long line with us. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. I would love to tell her story, but I'm not sure she would want me to do it here. If any of you want to hear it, just ask me when you see me.

Shepherd's field

2010-06-24T04:52:00.000-06:00

We visited some churches and some caves out at Shepherd's field. Here are some beautiful murals inside one of the churches...

Tom reading the Latin. It says, "...to God, and on earth peace, to men...".

Down in one of the caves.

It's obviously impossible to know exactly where it was that the shepherds saw the angels. But this area is where many believe it would have been for a couple of different reasons. First, there are a lot of caves that would have been used as stables. There is also a really good water source here, and the remains of ancient water cisterns. Even back in Byzantine time, they thought this was the area because there are remains of a big church here.

One thing that Sahar told me on this trip that I hadn't heard before, was a theory about why those particular shepherd's would have been chosen to see the angels and witness Christ as a baby.

It's possible that they were "royal shepherds" raising and preparing sheep for ritual sacrifice at the temple. They essentially would have been doing a holy work, and who better than them to witness the birth of the Sacrificial Lamb for whom their sheep represented?

Joni's memories of America

2010-06-23T06:52:00.000-06:00

I don't usually do two posts in one day, but I have to share a conversation I just had with Joni.

Joni: Hey mom, do you remember one time in America we were driving around in the car and we got really hungry?

Me: I'm not sure. There were probably lots of times like that.

Joni: Yeah, but this time we drove up to a store and they gave us food in the window. They even gave us drinks with lids. There were bubbles on the lid and I popped them!

Me: Oh, yeah, that's called a fast food restaurant. You drive up and buy food through a window.

Joni: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Do they still have those in America?

Me: (trying to hold back the giggles) Um, yeah, I think they do.

I think America is going to rock her world. :)

Tom finally got to go

2010-06-23T03:33:00.000-06:00

This last Saturday, Tom was finally able to see Bethlehem. It was so fun to go together.

Our friend, Sahar, always shows us around. She is a member of the church that was born and raised in Bethlehem, and joined the church while attending BYU several years ago on a scholarship that BYU offers to Palestinians. She currently serves as the Relief Society President in our Branch. Her mom, Fawz, prepared a huge elaborate meal for us to eat for lunch, even though it was her birthday! She is now 73 years young, and she's so funny. She always tries to tell Sahar that she doesn't like all of her "mormon friends", but she always treats us like royalty when we come. I think she secretly likes us. :)

The picture below doesn't even show all the food Fawz cooked for lunch. Then when we're done with the meal, she always has us sit in her parlor to eat several more courses - usually fruit, nuts, chocolate, and cake. I always leave their home feeling like I'm going to explode. I also always leave their home loving them even more than before.

Fawz loves to raise her own animals so she can kill them and eat them. Sahar hates that she does this because she gets blood all over the kitchen, but her eyesight isn't very good so Sahar ends up cleaning most of it up afterward. Here, Fawz is feeding her new rabbits. She's starting out with three, but she wants them to multiply to at least 50.

More pictures of Bethlehem to come...

It's official

2010-06-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

We have had our last Sabbath in Jerusalem - for now, anyway.

Jackson running to nursery in the Jerusalem Center. He has loved his time in nursery here.

My mind needs a resting spot

2010-06-20T06:35:00.001-06:00

I feel like my thoughts are all over the board right now.

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in my life.... Tom, Dad Balderree, Dad Sowards, Grandpa Sowards, and Popper. You guys all mean the world to me and I am so grateful for such good examples in my life.

People keep asking whether I am sad or excited to leave Israel. Well, it depends on the moment, to be honest. I feel very busy with cleaning and packing right now. Tom has been calling me Cinderella. I really hope it all gets done in time.

I am really going to miss all my friends here. My good friend, April, insisted on watching the kids yesterday so Tom and I could go to Bethlehem together (Tom had never been!). Our good friend, Sahar, has always been generous to show people around Bethlehem, and yesterday was no exception. Even as we stood in a long stinky line at the checkpoint to go home, she insisted on waiting with us. Her adorable mom cooked us an amazing lunch, even though it was her birthday. One of my other friends who lives in the West Bank, Carolyn, sent me the sweetest email today wishing us well. I hate that the busy-ness of life, and a big cement wall kept me from seeing her more. Two good friends, Wendy and Beth, just had baby girls and I am so happy for them, but wish I was going to be near them longer to help them out. They have both been so good to me. Analyn is pregnant but we'll be many states apart by the time she has her baby. Erika served in the Primary presidency with me and made me meals when my back went out. Four other friends, Brooke, Alexandra, Melyn, and Judith are already gone and are currently in Italy, Chicago, D.C., and Germany. I miss them already.

The list goes on and on. I have good friends whose husbands work for the State Department, some are wives of professors at the BYU-J Center, and then there are the service couples. They have all meant the world to me. Truly. They have each made my time here so much more meaningful. I feel like I could write a book just talking about the great relationships that I have made here.

But as I was doing one of my last grocery shopping trips today (walking to and from the store in 90-degree weather), I couldn't help but be excited to not spend 2 dollars on roughly 1 cup of cottage cheese, or 10 dollars for a pound of beef. My days of spending close to 2 dollars on one cube of butter are almost over.

As I did my makeup this morning I thought about how nice it will be to restock my dwindling makeup supply when I get home, but this time I'll walk out of WalMart after spending maybe 30 bucks, instead of walking out of a pharmacy spending 100 bucks.

We're going to sit on couches, lay on the carpet, and walk on the grass when we get home. I'm going to hug my siblings (and siblings-in-law), play with their kids, and try not to steal Kristin and Tara's cute babies from them.

I'm going to go on a date with my husband. Enjoy air conditioning. Drive a car.

See? I need a nice big branch for my thoughts to land on and stay a while.

I'm tired.

Oh, the wonders!

2010-06-13T11:51:00.000-06:00

Today Joni was mourning, once again, the loss of a doll that her grandma tried to send to her last year that got lost in the mail. I couldn't handle the tears for one more second, so I made her a promise.

I told her that for her birthday in October, we'll go get her a new doll and she can pick it out herself.

She was worried they wouldn't have the right doll. So I explained to her that there are these stores called Target and WalMart that have a whole aisle of dolls.

She couldn't believe it.

I went on to explain that these stores are unlike anything she has seen here in Israel. You can get anything you want. You just get in the car (yay!) and drive for a few minutes, and then you're there. The best part is that you can get anything you need.

Joni: But, can you get cooking stuff, like food?

Me: Yes.

Joni: Can you get dishes??? *eyes getting wider*

Me: Yes.

Joni: Can you buy makeup there?!?

Me: Yes.

Joni: WHAT. THE. HECK.

To Whom It May Concern:

2010-06-08T13:09:00.003-06:00

Dear man at the park: I appreciate you saying "shalom" to Jackson, but I don't appreciate you blowing your cigarette smoke directly in his face and making him gag.

Dear college students: I'd rather you save your 10 F-words for AFTER my children are not around, if it's all the same to you.

Dear other college students: throwing your empty beer bottles against the wall next to the playground scared the livin' daylights out of my kid.

Dear taxi driver: WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING. You came within INCHES of running over my 2 year old today because you were checking out a girl. NOT OKAY. I'm sure you figured as much when I screamed at you. I also thought some obscenities in my head, but I figure that's better than half the neighborhood hearing it.

Dear guy at the meat counter: I know it's the Israeli way, but I still think it's rude when you sit and chat on the phone for five minutes while I'm standing there waiting for you to hand me some chicken. If we spoke the same language I would teach you about a little concept called customer service.

Dear cashier at the grocery store: you have been my favorite for a long time, but today sealed the deal. When you told me to move the cart that was abandoned in line in front of me, I wanted to hug you. When you then took their bag of onions and cucumbers out of their cart and rang it through with mine so I would qualify to get the daily deal on produce, I wanted to kiss you.

Dear owner of the abandoned grocery cart: I'm sorry you had to go back and re-bag your produce, but maybe next time you could finish your shopping BEFORE you get in line! (Crazy thought, I know.)

Dear flowers outside my apartment: you were the prettiest part of my outing today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Almost two years?

2010-06-07T13:18:00.003-06:00

Wow.

We have now been here almost two years, and we have a mere three weeks left.

Today I was thinking that some of the things I will miss the most, are some of the things that took the most getting used to.

For example, it takes forever to get anywhere, and always requires walking. Today I had two errands to run: buy cantaloupe, and pick up Joni from school. So Jackson and I set out at noon, which is usually his nap time but I have to keep him up some days because Tom is unable to pick up Joni.

We walked to our favorite produce market, then over to pick up Joni, and came home - it was an hour of walking in the blazing hot sun.

I enjoyed it, even though I was carrying three large cantaloupes and holding sweaty little hands.

It's so easy to be lazy when you have a car. I'm hoping that wherever we end up living in Austin we are close enough to stores and/or parks that we can walk.

Superman returns

2010-05-30T09:02:00.001-06:00

Remember Superman Frank I talked about in this post? Well, he was back today.

It was war.

I found the nasty cockroach casually crawling around on the wall above my kitchen sink. Of all the nerve. Most roaches seem to stay in the dark, but not this guy. Maybe because he's so big he thinks he can take me.

Moments like this always make me think of how Tom used to give me a hard time about killing bugs when we were first married. He would joke that I was going to have to answer to every one of the crawly creatures when I get to heaven.

But when it comes to roaches, I think it's a different story. There is NO WAY there will be cockroaches in heaven. And what if I don't go to heaven for killing so many bugs? Well, so be it.

On with the story....

Jackson and I stood on the other side of the kitchen watching the nasty ~~little~~ big bug crawl all over the place. As I stood and watched him, I was trying to get up the nerve to kill him. But I know what a "splat" they can make, and I just didn't know if I could muster up the courage.

I decided I would count to five and just do it. So I counted to five.... over and over and over, chickening out every time.

Finally, when I knew I couldn't miss, I did it! But I only got the back half.

Nice.

He ran away, leaving a TRAIL OF GUTS behind him on my counter. No joke.

So I tried again, but this time it made more guts SPLAT against the wall behind the counter.

Are you grossed out enough yet?

Even after two guts splats, he ran and hid underneath our wooden knife holder thingy.

Coward.

So after IM-ing Tom about the whole thing, I decided I'd go check to make sure "Superman Frank" was still there. To my horror, an army of ants had suddenly attacked my counter, and they were

EATING. THE. ROACH. GUTS.

*shudder*

My own story is making me sick as I write it. I won't be offended if you stop reading.

By now it was time to go get Joni from school and I knew I had to make one last attempt to either kill or capture. So after counting to five again... oh.... 10 different times, I heroically knocked over the wooden knife holder thingy and as the maimed roach tried to get away with the two legs he had left, I threw a bowl down on top of him, and then put several of Tom's expensive language dictionaries to good use.

I put them on top of the bowl so there was NO FREAKING WAY he was getting out this time.

He's still there as I write this, several hours later. I injured him enough that he's probably dead by now. And if he's not, I'm hiring a hit man tonight (a.k.a. Tom) to take care of him.

See you in hell, Mr. Roach.

Western Wall Tunnel Tour

2010-05-18T08:03:00.001-06:00

I won't be able to do this justice, but here it goes...

The famous Western Wall that I've shown pictures of several times is a part of the retaining wall for the Temple Mount that Herod built. But it's only a very, very small portion of it. I'm talkin' teeny tiny. Most of the wall is hidden underground and behind private residences.

So in recent years, there has been a lot of excavating to reveal more of the wall and some of the things surrounding it. Just one year ago they found an ancient mikvah (ritual bath) that dates back to Christ's time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of it because you can only see it from a distance through a window in the ground. And they are discovering new things all the time.

You can take a tour underground to see much, much more of the wall. First, you see a series of arches that held up a bridge 2000 years ago. The bridge led right up to one of the entrances to the Temple Mount. These pictures don't even begin to show how interesting and beautiful they are....

Here we are walking along side the wall. The stones on this level were ENORMOUS, usually weighing somewhere between two and eight tons each. There is even one that is 42 feet long and weighs 570 tons, if you can wrap your mind around that. When the tour guide told us that, she said, "Now I'm sure your next question will be how they got it here. The answer is, we don't know."

A model of what the Temple Mount would have looked like 2000 years ago. The tall white part in the middle would have housed the Holy of Holies, and that white structure would have been TWICE the height of the structure that currently stands in that same place now, the Dome of the Rock. The little yellow box that I drew in shows the small portion of the wall that we can see today.

A part of the wall that is the closest that women can currently get to where the Holy of Holies was (aside from being up on the Temple Mount itself, and I'm not sure they're even allowed to go there - they certainly would not be allowed to pray there).

At the very end of the wall they have uncovered the ground that would have existed 2000 years ago. Scholars disagree on what this area would have been used for, but many believe it would have been a market place.

Also at the end of the wall we walked through a HUGE ancient aqueduct. It was impressive. Our tour guide said that we don't even know how old it is. Then at the end of the aqueduct you come to the moat that Herod built around one of the northern corners of the Temple Mount. We were able to see a portion of the moat, but I didn't get any good pictures of it.

The Tunnel Tour was pretty amazing, and it was something I hadn't gotten around to doing before Mom and Becky came. We did this on their last day here. Their entire stay was so fun for us. I'm so grateful that I got to show them the sites here, and also what our day to day life is like.

Hopefully we'll be back someday and we can show more of our family members around the Holy Land!

On our way to the Western Wall

2010-05-18T06:53:00.000-06:00

Old City "traffic"

2010-05-16T00:14:00.001-06:00

Qumran

2010-05-15T00:09:00.003-06:00

I posted a lot of pictures the first time I went to Qumran, but it was cool to go again and show Mom and Becky around.

It was HOT.

Food surprises

2010-05-14T00:16:00.003-06:00

One of the things my sister loved doing while here was try new foods. On our way home from the Galilee area we stopped to get some dinner. There were a few different eating places close together that we could choose from. Becky decided on a salmon and cheese sandwich. Once she sat down to eat it, she realized the salmon was raw. She was pretty freaked out, but we had a good laugh over it.

My mom and I were trying to go the cheaper (and more kid friendly) route by getting hamburgers. They told us (in very broken English) that it was cheaper to buy the burgers together. So we ordered me, Mom, and Joni a hamburger in a meal deal. When we picked it up we saw that it came with a huge pile of fries, then onion rings, then cut up hot dogs on top!

Sometimes it's fun to see what you actually ordered when you can't read the menu. We didn't even come close to eating it all.

But Joni went to town with her hamburger. She was so pleased with how good it tasted. Ahhhh, the simple things.

Sea of Galilee

2010-05-14T00:03:00.003-06:00

My mom, sister, Joni, and I had a great trip up to the Galilee area for a couple of days. A friend of mine suggested a cabin to stay in that overlooks the Sea. We got there late at night, so we had no idea what the view looked like. This is what we woke up to the in the morning....

Grandma Joni and Little Joni took full advantage of the hammock in the front yard.

Later in the day we drove around the Sea and saw the sites.

Joni put her feet in the water.

I settled for putting my hand in. :)

Our favorite was a boat ride out onto the Sea. We were with a little Christian group from England and they were so sweet. Once we got out in the middle of the water, they turned off the engine and had a little service. Then we all sang "How Great Thou Art". It was one of the most amazing moments I've ever experienced.

Megiddo/Armageddon

2010-05-13T00:16:00.001-06:00

Megiddo was a city that was very influential in the ancient world. They have found nearly 30 layers of ruins here. It's an archeologist's paradise.

This area is also where many think the great and last battle will occur.

An ancient grain silo.

My sister, Becky, is standing at the entrance to what they think may have been a palace of Solomon's.

Nazareth Village

2010-05-11T22:30:00.001-06:00

Nazareth Village is this fantastic place up in Nazareth where they have recreated what the small town would have been like 2000 years ago. It was easy to imagine Christ growing up here (verses the crowded, loud city that it is today).

A recreated watchtower that would have overlooked a vineyard (this was built near an authentic ancient wine press).

Our guide explained that they would have always smashed the grapes with bare feet. Apparently, if you wear shoes it also smashes the seeds which gives it a bad flavor. Learn something new everyday.

They even had recreated houses which helps you see what they would have been like. Two or more houses would share a kitchen and a courtyard. Then each family would have a couple bedrooms and possibly a workroom.

What the inside of a synagogue would have looked like during Christ's time.

Good people

2010-05-10T23:56:00.003-06:00

When Tom and I did a big Galilee trip last year, we ate at this cute little restaurant that's owned and operated by an adorable Palestinian family in Nazareth. They were so nice. They kissed Jackson to death, and told Joni about 30 times how beautiful she is. They even told us at the end of our meal that if we ever come back to Nazareth that we are welcome to stay with them in their home. Talk about hospitality!

So when I was up there with my sister and mom, we thought it would be fun to try and find the same restaurant. Luckily we did, and the owner recognized me right away. Again, they were so nice to us. At the end of our meal, they insisted we stay a while longer so they could treat us to some fresh watermelon.

Church of the Annunciation

2010-05-10T22:44:00.001-06:00

This church marks the spot where it is believed that the angel Gabriel visited Mary and announced that she would bare a son, and that she should call him Jesus.

City of David, Part 2

2010-05-08T13:30:00.000-06:00

Towards the end of the tour, the guide had us sit and wait on some steps while some others caught up. So we hung out there for a while, and then when the guide came back, he explained that the steps we were sitting on were only recently discovered, and they were 2000 year old steps that led to the pool of Siloam. Say WHAAAA? Only in Jerusalem.

Joni striking a pose on the steps.

This was the landing outside the pool. Those stones were there 2000 years ago!

The guide showing us a picture of what the pool would have looked like.

Becky going up from the pool on the steps that led all the way up to the Temple Mount.

The thing that makes these step so amazing, is that they are the ACTUAL steps that were there during Christ's time, and we KNOW that. A lot of the sites you see here are either debated among scholars as to whether or not they are the actual place, and/or they are about 20 feet above the level of Jerusalem's streets 2000 years ago.

It's pretty amazing to know you've walked where the Savior would have walked. No debating. Those steps WERE how people walked from the pool to the temple.

At the end of the tour, back up at the top. Jojo did amazingly well. She walked for several hours and was so fun and happy to have with us. I hope she remembers some of this cool stuff. :)

City of David, Part 1

2010-05-08T13:27:00.000-06:00

The City of David was one of the places I had never been before Mom and Becky came, so I took more pictures than I have been at the other places. It was pretty amazing. The City of David covers the very oldest part of Jerusalem, and it's all outside the current Old City walls. It was a city originally built by the Jebusites thousands of years ago, and then conquered by David. David wasn't allowed to build the temple at that time, but his son Solomon did. The city is on the slope south of the Temple Mount and they occupied it until about 600 years before Christ, which is when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. So for you Mormonites out there, this would have been the Jerusalem that Lehi would have left from before it was destroyed.

Our tour guide explaining things before we start.

Joni and one of our best buddies, April, with their 3D glasses on after the introductory movie.

Looking up to the Temple Mount from the City of David.

Joni with some ancient ruins in the background.

Heading down into more ruins.

Just chillin' underground. :)

The beginning of Hezekiah's tunnel, although we didn't end up going through it because we had Joni with us and we didn't want to be wet the rest of the day.

Pools of Bethesda

2010-05-08T12:35:00.002-06:00

These are the remains of the Pools of Bethesda,

where Christ healed an invalid of 38 years (John 5)

We tortured poor Jackson that day by not letting him have a nap. At this point he was losing it, but all was well again when he found "a bug!".

My boys

2010-05-08T00:28:00.002-06:00

The Garden of Gethsemane, Part 2

2010-05-07T13:14:00.001-06:00

The Church of the Agony - right next to Gethsemane

One of many beautiful windows

Warning sign on the outside. My kids sat and stared at it like it was a picture book. No guns, people. And don't even think about riding your bike in there.

The ceiling is amazing.

The North Garden

Tom got us special permission to be let into the north garden. He read us some passages from Isaiah out of his Hebrew bible.

With the exception of a very tired Jackson, it was a great day had by all.

The Garden of Gethsemane, Part 1

2010-05-07T07:11:00.007-06:00

The South Garden

I didn't get my height from my mom. :)

The gardener was there in the south garden at the time and asked Joni if she wanted to come through the gate and get a picture near the tree. She was reluctant, but I think she'll eventually think this picture is pretty cool.

One weird thing about going to the Garden of Gethsemane that you wouldn't expect is that it's close to a loud, busy road. So as you walk around the Garden and marvel at the old olive trees, you can hear the sounds of people, cars, and honking in the background. Since I'm used to the sounds of the city, I don't think about it a whole lot, but it was very noticeable to my mom and sister, Becky. I was feeling bad for a minute because it seemed to be a distraction for them.

But when I allowed myself to really think about the significance of what happened there in the Garden, the noises suddenly felt very fitting to me. Christ suffered for all of God's children - not just for every Christian pilgrim there in the Garden, but for every Muslim driver honking their bus horn, for every Jewish family driving across the city in their car, and for the pedestrians smoking as they cross the street.

Suddenly the noise wasn't such a distraction. It somehow made the Garden that much more beautiful.

Souvenir shopping

2010-05-05T13:51:00.000-06:00

There is a very sweet man in the Old City named Shabaan, and everyone seems to know him. He has a great little souvenir shop with amazing prices. I took Mom and Becky there and they went completely nuts. We had so much stuff to take home, we had to take a taxi instead of the bus.

Joni and Joni

2010-05-03T07:07:00.002-06:00

Little Joni and Grandma Joni at the Western Wall

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

2010-05-02T02:25:00.000-06:00

Many Orthodox Christian denominations think that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built over the place of Golgotha and Christ's tomb. It has a much different feeling from the Garden Tomb, but I still find it an amazing place to go and see other Christians worshiping the Savior.

The very place where they believe the Savior was crucified.

Mom and Becky taking pictures in another part of the church. It has been fun to watch them see all these places for the first time. It has really helped me appreciate these unique places that I have become so used to. I love seeing it all through their eyes.

Dome of the Rock

2010-05-02T02:10:00.003-06:00

The Dome of the Rock is the building that was built in 691 AD over a rock that is sacred to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

This is where 1) Mohammad ascended to heaven from 2) Abraham built an altar to sacrifice Isaac 3) the Holy of Holies was located

Morning of Bar Mitzvahs

2010-05-02T01:48:00.003-06:00

Here we are on the ramp up to the Temple Mount, looking down on the Thursday morning Bar Mitzvahs at the Western Wall. The women gather on the female side of the fence and peer over.

(The Western Wall is to the right of this picture, we're looking at it from the side).

At the top of the ramp, they store shields for the soldiers in the event that violence breaks out.

Garden Tomb

2010-05-02T01:41:00.000-06:00

This seems to be one of their favorite places so far.....

Quick update

2010-04-26T13:36:00.004-06:00

My laptop is still nicely sitting on our shelf, closed and unused. It's very sad.

I do occasionally get to hop on to Tom's when he is around and not using it for homework, which let's be honest, isn't a whole lot. Yesterday he did leave it home all day and it was awesome. I planted the kids in front of a movie while I made dinner and cleaned the house and I didn't hear a peep from them.

Heaven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The biggest thing we have going on is we finally have visitors coming tomorrow night. My cousin was nice enough to hook my mom and sister up with some standby tickets to come here, so all they're paying is the taxes, I believe. So generous and so thoughtful.

I can't wait to show them around. I don't know why it feels like such a big deal to me, but it will be so nice to have people see what our life is like here. They will be here for two weeks, so I'm not sure how much you'll hear from me for the next little while. Maybe if I can get my darn computer fixed I could post come pictures each evening since we'll be going all over the place. We'll see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a completely different note, did y'all know I hate bugs?

I had heard ahead of time that Israel has some freaky insects, but I think living in the city has minimized a lot of that. We get ants and we get teensy-tiny little spiders.

And then we get cockroaches. Luckily, when we got our kitchen redone the frequency seemed to decrease quite a bit. For many, many months, the only time I ever see one is first thing in the morning when I go to throw something away under our kitchen sink. I promptly slam the door and scream for Tom. I tease him that he is my knight in shining armor. But the thing is, I'm serious. Him going all crazy on a roach and saving the day makes me love him even more than I already do. :)

ANYWAY, this morning I did my normal Monday shopping with a friend and came home to a dark house - I had actually remembered to turn out all the lights as I left, and I hadn't gotten around to opening all the blinds. I got all the groceries up on the counter, turned on the lights, and just as I went to start putting food away, the BIGGEST freaking roach you have EVER seen was right next to my kitchen faucet. I died. My heart stopped, and I died.

Okay really, I screamed and ran across the kitchen. Both kids curiously came running to see what was wrong and pretty much saw my heart pounding out of my chest.

I longed for Tom. I froze. I almost cried.

I didn't know what to do. There was no way I was going go smash that thing and hear it crunch. Plus it was sort of hiding behind a kitchen towel, and the logistics of slamming a shoe on it just didn't seem feasible.

(Just a side note, Joni calls the cockroaches "Mr. Frank", so we quickly named this one "King Frank" because did I mention it was the BIGGEST freaking roach you have EVER seen?)

Then I did what any self-respecting mother with two onlooking, frightened children would do.

I paced the kitchen and started talking to myself. You can do this. It's just a bug. You can do this. Stop shaking, it's just a bug! Should I go get a neighbor? No, you idiot, they don't speak English. You can do this.

I then grabbed an empty plastic container and stood in the middle of the kitchen, watching the little antanae that I could see peaking out from behind the bunched up towel, creepily moving around in circles like they were trying to get cell phone reception.

In an instant of bravery, I lept forward and covered the beast with the container, and then promptly slammed two pounds of sugar on top of it.

Whew. I did it. I was proud. I went about my day.

Six hours later Tom came home and I left the room while he approached the dangerous situation.

He lifted the plastic container, and........

nothing. The dang guy was gone. He escaped. WHAT. THE. HECK.

So now Joni is calling him Superman Frank because he lifted two pounds of sugar

Uncle Frank, to my knowledge, Joni using your name doesn't actually have anything to do with you. But I could be wrong. :)

Computer problems

2010-04-19T16:01:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. My computer is on the fritz.

Booo.

God is good

2010-04-13T11:58:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure how to keep this short, but still convey how grateful we are, and how miraculous God has been in our lives.

As you know from earlier this year, we have been anxiously awaiting what would happen for us this fall. We've always known that Tom would have to get a PhD in order to make a career out of his field, but it has always been a mystery how that would all work out in an area that is so competitive.

Getting into a program turned out to be especially hard this year because of the economy. I know it sounds like a great time to be going to school with all the unemployment, but universities are really hurting, and even some of the most prestigious schools are unable to fund as many (if any at all) graduate students as they would normally be able.

I am happy to say that the Lord has done amazing things for us. A couple of months ago we did find out that Tom was accepted into one of his very top choices, University of Texas at Austin. UT-Austin has recently acquired two of the top scholars in Tom's field, the two people Tom has been idolizing for years now. It has been a dream of his to work with these two professors.

Ever since we (gratefully) found out he was accepted, we have been nervously waiting to hear about whether or not they would give him a fellowship to attend there. Living in a foreign country for two years and no income has been rough, to say the least, and we've known all along that funding would be pretty necessary on our next journey. So we have each been checking Tom's email roughly 300 times a day, for WEEKS.

We have finally received the good news.

They have offered him a funding package, and we have officially accepted.

We feel like Heavenly Father rearranged the world for us. We can suddenly look back on the last 8 years and know what the reasons were behind all of our promptings to do things the way we did. They were all pieces to a big puzzle that is turning out to be an amazing PhD program that we only could have dreamed about.

We are overwhelmed that God has looked out for us so individually. Little ol' us. That's not to say things haven't been hard along the way, but we just kept believing that if we followed the path God was giving to us, that things would work out.

And it looks like they are.

Languages

2010-04-07T00:05:00.001-06:00

In the time that we've been here, I haven't learned as much Hebrew as I was hoping I would. I know enough to get by, but I rely on Tom a lot to help with the language barrier.

Since Joni has been learning a lot of Hebrew in school, she seems to feel quite superior to me when it comes to languages. I can tell that in her mind I know nothing in this area.

Case in point, here is a conversation I had with her yesterday....

Joni: Mom, does Jesus know Hebrew?

Me: Yes, he knows all languages.

Joni: Does he know Arabic?

Me: Yes, he knows all the languages in all the world.

Joni: Well, I know he knows English, but what about Spanish? Does he even know Spanish?

Me: Yes, honey, he knows ALL languages.

Joni: Mom, I just don't think you have any idea what you're talking about.

Special day

2010-04-06T11:07:00.002-06:00

For those of us who are of the LDS variety, we believe that the true birth date of Jesus Christ was today, April 6th.

We were invited by some friends to go spend the day in Bethlehem, so Joni and I jumped at the chance to see the town where Jesus was born on the very day it happened. We had a great day filled with amazing memories.

First we walked around some shepherd fields near Bethlehem and checked out the olive trees....

We found a place overlooking Bethlehem to sit and read Luke 2 and sing Christmas songs.....

Then we were off to Manger Square where our friend from Bethlehem (Sahar, pictured above) was even able to get us in a back door to bypass the long lines to see the spot where it is believed that Christ was born.....

The air had a different feel to it today. It was easy to imagine Joseph and Mary with their brand new baby, the Savior of the world. Bethlehem has always had a unique beauty, but today it was especially beautiful.

Out of touch with the world - help!

2010-04-04T23:45:00.003-06:00

I am officially a technology dummy.

My MP3 player disappeared a few weeks ago (how can I do any housecleaning without music?), so I have been looking around online. What the heck people? Since when does an MP3 player take pictures/videos, double as a flash storage device, and can be used as a webcam, all for 40 bucks? I am amazed.

Reminds me of when my sister came home from an LDS mission and I had to explain to her what the internet was. I don't know how it works, it just does!

Okay, in her defense, I was FLOORED when I got home from my mission and everyone had switched to DVDs instead of VHS. All I could think was, "What is everyone going to do with their videos?" I was horrified.

So help me out. What should I get??? Is there a certain brand that is best?

I don't need all the bells and whistles, I just need something that will play me some music while I clean every day. Cheap is good, too, since you know, we don't have an income. And if it could last me the next 5 years or so, that would be awesome, too. ;)

He Is Risen

2010-04-04T07:51:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter

Sad state of affairs

2010-04-02T23:44:00.002-06:00

Our futon bed completely fell to pieces a week ago.

We had it folded up as a couch and the whole family was snuggled up watching something on the internet when it suddenly felt like the earth was moving out from underneath us.

Joni and I couldn't stop laughing, but Tom was furious it didn't last 3 more months. We carried the frame out to the dumpster (hopefully not offending observant Jews on Shabbat) and are now sleeping on the futon pad on the floor. Which is pretty much all we had when we first got married. Tom says we have regressed 7 years.

Awesome.

I don't even know what to call this post

2010-04-02T04:02:00.007-06:00

I've been thinking lately about having the puberty talk with Joni. She always has a million questions about this or that, but I often turn out to be one of those lame scardy-cat mommas who diverts the conversation to something else. I mostly do this because Joni is such a talker that I'm worried if I say too much, she's going to go blurt out something about my period or my boobs to a stranger at the park. We also have never been one of those families who refers to body parts by their official name. This wasn't thought out or on purpose - it just happened. So we use phrases like, The Girls, Peeps, Junk, Buns, and the like. This is evident by a conversation I overheard Joni having with Tom the other day.

Apparently they were wrestling and Joni took a hard, swift kick to Tom's *ahem* "goods". Tom calmly told Joni he wasn't very happy with her and asked her to leave the room. When she came back in Tom still had his hands over the "family jewels", and the following conversation ensued....

Joni: What's the matter, dad?

Tom: You kicked me so hard I think you bruised my penis (why he suddenly chose to use the proper word, I don't know).

Joni: Haha! Peanuts! Why do you call it peanuts? Is it like nuts that have pee coming out of them?

Tom: Ummm, yeah, sort of.

*sigh*

Random Happenings

2010-04-01T13:10:00.006-06:00

I hate (I know it's a strong word but it's true) heat and humidity. I am DREADING the hot weather that I know is coming. I think about it every single day and am trying to thoroughly enjoy the currently mild weather while it lasts.

The above statement is a bad thing considering we think we're moving to Texas this fall for Tom to start his PhD program. But mark my words, our next apartment WILL have air conditioning. For every other reason besides the heat, we are out of this world excited to go there.

Joni is out of school for 2-1/2 weeks for Passover and I might go a little crazy. I love that girl to death, but she never, and I mean never, stops talking. I would say she got that from me, but prefer to put the blame on my mother.

I look wretched these days. I feel like I wear the same clothes every day and I've only had my hair cut once since getting here (I think I've mentioned this before, so maybe "these days" isn't quite accurate - maybe "still" would be better). When I think of the perfect prissiness of Utah I tremble in fear.

I think there is such a thing as defective beans. I briefly boiled some white beans yesterday, soaked them all night, and I have now been boiling them for 7-1/2 hours. They are just barely starting to soften. The internet says to boil white beans for 2-3 hours, and if the internet says it, by gosh it should true.

I cannot wait to go to Cafe Rio. Or the chiropractor. Or the salon. Or Target! Ohhhh, Target.

My kids had the F-word screamed at them today for no apparent reason. If there wasn't a fence in the way, I fear Tom would have caused permanent damage to their faces.

Jackson thinks he's Superman. We can't find him a cape here, so he's currently using bibs put on backwards.

Picture of the Day #31 - Easter is coming

2010-03-30T23:15:00.003-06:00

Well, I made it. I successfully posted a picture every day for the month of March. Sometimes I was a little late, but hopefully with the time difference, those of you in the States were none the wiser. :)

Easter is almost here, so with that in mind I would like to end the month with a picture of my children walking in the Garden near the Tomb, holding hands.

This Garden has been a place of much peace for us. I have felt the Spirit many times here. I like to think that the Garden saw my family grow in ways we wouldn't have if we hadn't come here - hopefully each time we visited, we were better people than we were the time before.

I know Christ lived and died for us, and that He rose on the third day. I know He loves us and wants us all to be happy. I pray that may be the case this Easter season as we think of Him and all He has done for us.

P.S. I'm still going to try and post a lot during these last 3 months, but probably not every day.
P.P.S. Happy Birthday little bro. Love you. Miss you. Thinking of you. :)

Picture of the Day #30 - The field

2010-03-30T04:14:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned several days ago, we went to the place where David slew Goliath.

It makes me sad that there are a lot of religious people who don't believe that this event actually took place. I believe that it did. It gives me courage to know that God can give us strength that we wouldn't otherwise have on our own. When we're armed with faith in God, we can slay any Goliath in our lives.

This is most likely where it took place. The brook where he gathered the five stones is to the right of this picture. The Philistines would have been gathered to the far left, and the Israelites to the far right. So David and Goliath would have met in the middle, so, right about here.

Picture of the Day #29 - Salads

2010-03-29T08:12:00.000-06:00

We rarely go out to eat here, but we really enjoy it when we do. One thing that is different about restaurants here are the "salads". Very often the main dish will come with two or three side salads. In the States, a side salad usually means a bowl of lettuce with a few veggies on top, and tossed with a dressing of choice.

Here if you order something with three salads, it means they're going to bring out a basket of fresh pita along with an assortment of things to eat with it. In my experience, some of the common salads would be hummus, some kind of vegetable doused in vinegar, and the third one is a wild card. It could be tahina, something spicy, or dips that look similar to a runny salsa.

The other day we ordered Jackson a "yellow cheese sandwich" that came with fries and three salads. At this particular restaurant, the salads came on the same plate as the main dish instead of separately before hand.

His cheese sandwich came on a very crusty bun completely covered in sesame seeds, which is fairly common here. They really like them some sesame seeds (Middle Easterners, not Jackson - he wasn't a fan).

He's using the hummus as his "dip-a-dip" (which is what he usually calls ketchup or fry sauce). The other two salads are purple cabbage swimming in vinegar, along with some onions swimming in an extremely spicy red sauce. Jackson was brave enough to try all three, but hummus was the only one he stuck with. The cabbage was too hard to eat, and when he took a big bite of the red stuff he started shaking and yelling, "Is spicy! Is spicy!"

Picture of the Day #28 - Mountains!

2010-03-27T23:07:00.001-06:00

A beautiful view from the mountains we went to the other day to find the stalactite caves. Winter and Spring are the greenest times of the year here because that's when we get rain.

Picture of the Day #27 - Stranded

2010-03-27T14:04:00.000-06:00

The other day we all went to the Old City with some friends, and then the kids and I came home without Tom because he had to go get some things done. We rode the bus home and just as we got to our apartment I realized that Tom had the house key.

So the kids and I were stranded outside for 3 HOURS.

I let the kids go to the little store by our playground to pick out some Cheetos and a sucker. Have I ever mentioned the peanut flavored Cheetos they have here? Blech. The kids seem to like them but they are not good. Trust me on this one.

We spent the rest of the time at the playground, which was fun for a while but the sun was going down and it got colder and colder. The kids would take turns sitting on my lap with my arms wrapped around them in an effort to warm them up.

It was a loooooong three hours.

Picture of the Day #26 - Green stuff

2010-03-25T23:40:00.002-06:00

No, I'm not talking about money. There's none of that around here. :)

In Arab markets here it is very common to see Muslim women sitting on the ground on the side of the walkway with bags all laid out in front of them with fresh "green stuff" to sell - fresh herbs, leafy greens, and right now they're selling fresh green beans and peas.

Today I captured a couple of examples while we were out and about....

It's often so cheap that we feel guilty about how little we pay. The first time we bought a big bunch of cilantro for a shekel we almost went back and gave her more because we felt like we were stealing.

Picture of the Day #25 - David and Goliath

2010-03-25T00:13:00.001-06:00

Today for playgroup we went to the place where David slew Goliath, and played with sling shots.

My friend and I tried to explain to our kids on the way home what a unique experience it is to do something like that on a plain ol' Wednesday morning, but we're not sure they reeeally understood.

They definitely enjoyed the sling shots, though.

I have a lot more photos of the day, but this will have to do for now. It was definitely one of my favorites.

We felt so spontaneous today. When we were half-way home, we saw a turn-off to go see some magnificent stalactite caves. We had no idea where we were going, but we drove up into the mountains until we found it. If I was an outsider looking in, I would have wondered what these two crazy moms were doing driving all over the mountains of Israel without a clue in the world what they were doing. But dang, it was fun.

And now I'm fried. Tom has told me at least 100 times tonight that I am sun-burned. Okay, honey, I got it.

No rocks were used in the making of this photo. You think I'd give my 2 year old a rock and a sling shot? Sheesh.

Picture of the Day #24 - Running video

2010-03-24T00:24:00.002-06:00

I frequently get comments about Jackson's funny run. People keep reminding me that I should capture it on camera before he outgrows it. Here he is running home from the grocery store.

Picture of the Day #23 - Chocolaty goodness

2010-03-23T01:30:00.001-06:00

Picture of the Day #22 - Birthday Video

2010-03-22T08:09:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Tom!

We love you so much and we hope you have the best birthday ever!

Love,
Amy, Joni, and Jackson

Picture of the Day #21 - Singing with a view

2010-03-21T00:19:00.001-06:00

Our Primary singing in church last week.

So cute.

Picture of the Day #20 - Cemetery

2010-03-20T08:46:00.001-06:00

This picture is taken from on top of the Old City walls, looking down on a Muslim cemetery.

Picture of the Day #19 - Golgotha

2010-03-19T02:14:00.000-06:00

Picture(s) of the Day #18 - Love birds

2010-03-18T00:07:00.001-06:00

Oh heavens, if we believed in arranged marriage.....

Look at her hang on his arm! How adorable can it get, I mean really?

Although I want this handsome little man to be mine forever, I wouldn't mind if he got snatched up by his beloved "Zo-zo". I love Zoe, but Jackson looooooves Zoe. :)

Picture of the Day #17 - Tension

2010-03-17T00:11:00.001-06:00

For those of you who follow Middle East news know that there has been some added tension the last several days. A lot of rioting has taken place in nearby neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, and also in and around the Old City. Hamas is calling it a "day of rage".

Lovely.

Something that often happens when something is going on is we hear a lot of helicopters. This morning was no exception. I was starting to think Israel had 500 helicopters flying around today. But when I went to pick up Joni from school, I realized it was mostly the same one or two flying around in circles, most likely monitoring the rioting activity. I snapped a picture of one while it was making its fifth circle in less than ten minutes. Round and round she goes.

For hours.

Picture of the Day #16 - Produce market

2010-03-16T00:30:00.001-06:00

The corner market where I like to get our produce. It's all half off on Mondays. LOVE it.

(talked about it here)

P.S. Hanan, I changed it. I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?

Picture of the Day #15 - Outside

2010-03-15T01:09:00.003-06:00

My mom informed me that I wasn't showing enough pictures of my neighborhood and the average things I see day to day. So here is what we look at each day as we come out the door of our building, which is actually in the back of our complex.

This cute little Arab home has somehow managed to stay alive, completely wedged in between a bunch of dormitory housing for the university. Take notice of the fence in front of it, how it looks like it's supposed to keep them in their property because of the angle at the top. But there are a couple openings, one on each end of their property, where they come and go as they please. I would love to talk to the person who made the decision to spend money on that fence. Was it just to appease Israelis living in the dorms and give them a weird sense of security? That's my guess, but who knows.

There are dormitory buildings all around the other side of the house, too. They are literally surrounded. I wish I could speak Arabic because I would love to talk to the people who live there.

On a side note, seeing their clothes hanging off to the left made me think of something. I don't think I've ever mentioned that it's unusual to have clothes dryers here. Most people who have washing machines hang all their clothes out to dry. Which for some reason also makes me think of the weird way they mop their floors. I'll save that one for another day. It will baffle your brain, trust me.

PIcture of the Day #14 - After church

2010-03-14T00:20:00.002-07:00

All bets were off after church today. The kids love to go out on the lawn of the Jerusalem Center and stretch their little legs that they've been holding still for three hours. I figure that since it's one of the only times Joni sees grass all week, I might as well let her enjoy it.

Picture of the Day #13 - Cross

2010-03-13T00:16:00.001-07:00

A cross at the British Cemetery near our house.

The Christian population has become quite small here. I think it's somewhere in the vicinity of 2 or 3%. So although we, as Latter-day Saints, don't normally have pictures or statues of the cross, I did find this one a little comforting in a country where I am so clearly in the minority.

Shabbat shalom. :)

Picture of the Day #12 - Wheelin' and dealin'

2010-03-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

A little shop in Bethlehem.

You know you look like an easy target when a shop owner sends his kids out to practice their haggling skills on you. This has happened to us several times, usually in the Old City. I'm not sure if it's hilarious or sad that I can buy a hookah from a 9 year old.

Picture of the Day #11 - Snails

2010-03-11T00:02:00.002-07:00

Jackson with some friends at playgroup today. They gathered about 40 snails and proudly lined them up along a wall. You should have seen Jackson's surprise when he realized they were alive. Hilarious.

Picture of the Day #10 - Sallah

2010-03-10T00:04:00.003-07:00

Muslims perform ritual prayer (salah) five times a day. Here is a man doing so in the middle of a parking lot, on his prayer rug. Occasionally you see people even pulling over to the side of the road so they can face the direction of Mecca (qibla) and pray.

This is one of the aspects I have loved the most about living here. I love seeing people who believe very strongly in the faith that they follow, and who are not ashamed to practice what they preach.

I see the same thing among Jewish people. They read the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) very regularly, and know it from front to back. I love to watch them read the Torah while riding the bus or at the Western Wall.

There is a lot to be said about the Middle East, and Israel specifically, but one thing that isn't talked about enough is what good people live here. What you see on the news back in the States is not representative of the every day Palestinian and Israeli who want nothing more than to be safe, raise a family, and practice their religion. They are GOOD PEOPLE.

I will always admire them for that.

Picture of the Day #9 - Gethsemane

2010-03-09T00:09:00.001-07:00

Looking down on Gethsemane.

The South Garden is just to the left of the lower church. The North Garden is further to the left from there.

Picture of the Day #8 - Quick trip with the girls

2010-03-07T22:50:00.002-07:00

Today some friends and I took a little trip out to Bethlehem to meet one of our friends that lives there to have lunch together. It consisted of five Americans, one Palestinian, one German, eating at a Chinese restaurant.... in Palestine. It was awesome. *sigh* My life is going to be so boring when we're done here. I will also miss my Israel friends so much. They are my sisters here. I have a couple pictures of us all at the restaurant, but in one of them a head is cut in half, and in the other one someone is blinking. So I'm going to be the good friend that I am and post this picture of Jackson and I across the street from the restaurant, standing in front of the Separation Wall so everyone can enjoy the pretty backdrop.

P.S. When I write these posts I do them the night before, so when I say I went there "today" it really means I went there the day before. I feel like I'm being dishonest and/or confusing if I don't clarify that. :)

Picture of the Day #7 - IDF

2010-03-07T00:29:00.005-07:00

One day we headed to the Western Wall and were taken by surprise when it was more crowded than we had ever seen it, and there were a LOT of Israeli soldiers everywhere.

After watching things for a while we decided that it must have been some kind of induction into the military or something. They all looked extremely young and we think we missed some kind of program because as we were showing up, they were cleaning up hundreds of chairs. Although the soldiers were large in numbers that day, it is very normal to see members of the military here - it is mandatory for all young adults to serve in the IDF for 2 or 3 years.

The whole thing reminded me of when you take a young LDS adult to the MTC to serve a mission. There was lots of hugging, some crying, and finally the parents walk off in one direction, and the soldiers gather together in another direction. This picture is of one of those groups.

Do you think the guys on the left are looking at me? I didn't think so at the time, but now that I look at the picture, it makes me feel a little nervous. Maybe I should be more careful when taking pictures of 18 year old kids who have just been given huge guns.

Picture of the Day #6 - Mosque

2010-03-06T00:12:00.001-07:00

The Mosque of Omar in Bethlehem, built in 1860.

Picture(s) of the Day #5 - Tantrums

2010-03-05T02:12:00.002-07:00

I cannot possibly do today's picture of the day justice with one measly snapshot.

You see, Jackson is our second child, but he is unlike our first in a lot of ways. Joni wasn't a huge tantrum thrower as a toddler. She had the occasional meltdown, but I honestly can't think of one real tantrum from her.

Oh, how times have changed.

You know Jackson loves food, right? Combine that with pure stubborness, and you have a lively combination.

Take today for example. We went to the grocery store (are you sick of hearing about my grocery shopping yet?) and at the checkout they gave me the option of buying three bottles of dish soap for a shekel.

Sure.

Then came one problem. When we got outside the store and Jackson saw them, he was convinced they were applesauce. He grabbed one right away and tried to run off with it.

I tried to get him to come back, but the more I tried, the farther away he ran (which, thankfully, is unusual for him). I finally chased him down, ran back to the stroller on the main sidewalk (where a guy was creepily looking around in my basket), and strapped Jackson back into the stroller.

The screaming began. And oh, how this boy can scream.

He paused at times to pout and cry.

As he cried to get out of the stroller, and screamed to eat "applesauce", I tried to tell him it was soap. Then he started screaming for soup.

Then it was back to...

"Applesaaaaaaaaauce!!!!!"

He kept screaming as I walked through the Student Village dorms area, and of course there just happened to be way more students out and about than normal. I won't try to describe the dirty looks I got. I also won't lie and say I didn't secretly wish them all their own screaming toddlers one day.

By the time we got home, I told (okay, barked at) Tom to please wash Jackson's hands in the sink with the new dish soap so he could see for himself that it wasn't applesauce OR soup.

Jackson got completely drenched in the process, and changed into some dry clothes.

Then sat down at the table and ate a bowl of Cheerios like nothing ever happened.

For those of you who are new to this blog, yes, that is really what my kitchen table and chairs look like.

Don't judge.

Pity, but don't judge.

Picture of the Day #4 - Sunset

2010-03-04T00:11:00.001-07:00

The sunset out my bedroom window.

Picture of the Day #3 - Sleeping

2010-03-03T00:07:00.002-07:00

I love this picture. This man was sleeping outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, with crowds of people all around him. He is beyond adorable.

Reminds me of my adorable dad. He can sleep anywhere, too.

A little side note I just have to share. Remember my post on grocery shopping here? Well, today while I was at the grocery store looking for a checkout line to get in, I stumbled upon a line that had a woman putting all her things on the belt, and then behind her cart (get this!), there was a HUGE pile of food lying on the floor. Yes, folks. This person had no cart, so he was just coming back to the line every so often to put his things on the floor to save his place!

I immediately started fishing for my camera but then the guilty party returned. It was a soldier with a big gun, and I chickened out. I sheepishly got in the line next to him, hoping he wouldn't telepathically know that I was about to take a picture of his food and make fun of it on my blog.

He stood there in line for a few minutes, and then just as it was his turn, he turned and left the line again! By that point I already had a lady behind me, who quite frankly, was being rude and trying to cut in front of me. I couldn't let her have the satisfaction of having my place. But it would have made a hilarious picture.

In my humble opinion.

Picture of the Day #2 - Rub-a-dub-dub

2010-03-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

In case it's not obvious from his bulging biceps, this is Jackson showing us his "muscles" during bath time today. See those tightly clenched fists? Yup, that's where the power comes from. If you still don't believe me, checkout the tension in his neck.

Picture of the Day #1 - Clothes line

2010-03-01T00:35:00.001-07:00

A rooftop in the Old City. :)

March is coming

2010-02-27T11:09:00.001-07:00

For the month of March, I have decided to take on a little project.

Each day when you come to my blog, I will have a picture of the day posted (and let's be honest, I'll probably have a thing or two to say, also).

I am doing this for two reasons:

#1 - To make sure I document some of the random, yet favorite pictures of mine that I have stored away and have never used.

#2 - To cause me to look at my life here in Jerusalem with a new eye. I have been here long enough that it all seems very normal to me. It's hard for me to notice the little things anymore. I think that by doing this, my eyes will see things that they haven't in a while, and I will take pictures of things I wouldn't have otherwise.

The pictures most likely will not largely consist of historical sights. I may sprinkle some of those in there, but it will also include daily life with my children, or details of my neighborhood. I guess I'll just see where this takes me.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

A good deal?

2010-02-22T13:12:00.004-07:00

As I've mentioned before, groceries are quite expensive here. We spend roughly 3-4 times as much on food here than we did back home.

But one surprising thing is that produce is a little bit on the cheaper side because almost all of it is grown locally. If you can find a little produce shop in your neighborhood, it's even cheaper than buying it at a regular grocery store.

Shortly after we arrived here we discovered a little hole-in-the-wall corner shop that we could find things that we didn't see anywhere else (like BBQ sauce, or refried beans, etc.). Then after we had been here for around a year or so, a friend of Tom's told us that said hole-in-the-wall has a huge produce sale every Monday, where they put every kind of produce imaginable out front, and it's all half price!

Today I walked the kids down to this little shop and bought our produce for the week. It never ceases to amaze me how much I can get for so little there. I bought:

A bag of tomatoes

4 bell peppers, red and yellow

2 oranges

3 cucumbers

2 containers of strawberries

A bag of apples

2 yams

1 artichoke

1 large zucchini

4 carrots

5 onions

A bag of basil

9 avocados

I never could have taken a picture of the whole lot, but I wanted to show some of them in the picture above. I love pretty produce.

Do you want to know how much it was? I know my sisters are reading this, yelling in their heads, "Yes!", so I'll tell you.

Approximately $15.00.

I can barely get 2 gallons of milk for that price.