Spring Break - and dealing with an age range...

Last week was Spring Break.  Since we had a big trip over Christmas, and a trip to North Carolina in February, we decided we needed to stay home for Spring Break.  It was nice to have a break from our hectic daily schedules, sleep in, and spend more time together.  However, it is always the change that is hard--going from being busy to having a lot of free time can be a challenge for some of my children.  I'm finding it is especially challenging to keep older children occupied.  Kate and William are the only ones that really like to "play" still.  The other kids don't really play pretend or play with toys anymore, so instead they either read or want to watch TV/get onto the computer, etc.  It is somewhat hard to keep them occupied, especially when they have (or are supposed to have) limited screen time.  Of course, some of them got together with friends, but that wasn't every day or all the time.  Choosing activities that they all enjoy is definitely a challenge too.  Because of their wide age range--2-15--they aren't all interested in the same outings. 

Kate has been asking to go to the new Children's Museum here.  So one day I decided to take Kate and William to the Children's museum and leave the other three home. When the older kids were little, we went to places like this all the time.  However, it is rare that the little ones get to go.  They had so much fun!

Another day we took a trip to the zoo.  Sarah and Rachel were not interested in coming, so this time I took William, Kate, Ben and Ben's friend, River.

The peacock was showing us his colors.  The peacocks just wander free in this zoo, and actually, he wouldn't let us go down this path.  We had to circle around and go the other way.  Silly bird.

One day during spring break I made all the kids go on an outing.  We went to the Washington State History Museum and the Museum of Glass.  I didn't take any good pictures--mostly because we have gone there before and I am sick of the same pictures in the same places.  (I guess that is what happens when we don't move!)  Some kids liked it more than others, but at least they were places we could all go together--despite the age range.  Does anyone else have this trouble--trying to keep kids of different age ranges happy when they have such different interests?

Being a knight

 Lately, William loves to play knight.  With his trusty helmet and sword, he can conquer all. 

Mostly, he wants to get the other knights, but sometimes he will fight dragons.  And save princesses.

 Often, he wants me to play knight too.  Here is my trusty helmet and sword.

Good thing we have a fenced back yard.

Last Day in Israel

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Here it was.  The last day of our trip.  There had been years of hoping, months of planning, and weeks of preparation.  And then two weeks of amazing experiences.  It was coming to an end.  We didn't want it to end.   The weather was warm and fabulous--the cold front that had settled over the city for the last couple of days had finally moved away, and we had beautiful weather.

The last few days we spent with Steve and Jennifer in the Jerusalem Center were fantastic.  The perfect blend of relaxation, time with family, and amazing sightseeing. 

Seth and Steve at Seth's baptism

On our final day we took a trip back to the river Jordan for Seth's baptism.  He had waited several months for his grandparents to be able to be there for the special event.  We were lucky enough to get to be there for the experience too.  It was wonderful!

We had been to the Jordan River the previous week with our tour group up near the Sea of Galilee.  This time, however, we went to a spot much farther south, closer to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.  It is probably much closer to the spot where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.   The water was definitely more of a muddy brown in contrast to the green water farther north.  Because the Jordan river is the border between Israel and Jordan, we had to go through a security checkpoint to get to this spot.  Armed guards watched us from above.  The deck on the other side is in Jordan.

The Jordan River

The Jordan River

We sat on these benches and witnessed the baptism.  Sarah led us in a song.

The Harpers at Seth's Baptism

The girls had to put their feet in the water and experience it for themselves. 

Hannah, Sarah and Rachel

After the baptism we went back to the Jerusalem Center and took a few photos.  Some of you might recognize this as our Christmas Card photo.

Steve and Jennifer and their family

David, his parents and his brother

My mom and me

Beautiful Rachel

The big girls wanted some photos of them in their matching two-layer skirts they got together at the Old City.

And then it was time to pack up.  Time to go.  Time to end this amazing trip.

It seemed fitting that the last picture I took on the trip was of the sun setting over Jerusalem.  Goodbye beautiful city!

I sat on the patio outside our room and watched the sun go down.  I listened to the call for prayer that happens several times a day.  This time it called to me, telling me goodbye, but to remember what I had seen, experienced and felt for the past few weeks.  I tried to soak it all in--the sights, the sounds, the way the air felt on my face at that moment.  I wanted to remember it all.

Our trip home was long.  We drove to Tel Aviv, and took off around midnight.  We flew directly to New York and tried to sleep as much as we could.  We had a two-hour layover in New York, but it was barely long enough to get through customs and back through security and run onto our plane.  They let us cut to the front of a really long line at security and we were still the last ones to board right before we took off.  We had another flight across the country, and then we were home.  Home, but not quite the same after these amazing experiences.

It has been a few months now since our trip.  I've had time to ponder and process all of what we experienced.  It truly was a trip of a lifetime.  I have loved going back through all my photos and remembering it all once again.  I now read the scriptures with more insight.  I feel the love of the Savior more poignantly as He calls to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and begs them to repent and come unto Him.  I see Him walking on the Sea of Galilee, calling to Peter to come and join Him.  I see Him walking the hills around Jerusalem, serving and loving others.   I imagine Him on the Mount of Olives and in the Garden of Gethsemane and so many of the places that we visited.  But mostly, I know that He lives.  And that He loves us.

Fabulous Fifteen

Sarah had a birthday this week.  She is growing into such a beautiful young woman right before our eyes! 

She had a fun day.  We are on spring break, so she got to sleep in and relax.  We had our traditional strawberry waffles, and then later she went out to lunch with a friend. 

She picked her birthday dinner menu of roast pork with pomegranate pepper jelly, celebration bread, cream cheese mashed potatoes and ceasar salad.  Her cake was funfetti--the same kind she has had on every single birthday. 

She finally got to open some presents.

 She was happy to get the iphone case she has been wanting.

 She also got some new piano music from Grandma Hales, that she started playing right away.

Sarah and David were gone all weekend on a band trip to Disneyland (David was one of the chaperones).  So while they were gone, Rachel and I made Sarah this cute fleece blanket.  It was the first time I've tried making one, and it was pretty fast and easy.  Sarah has been wanting one of her own cuddly blankets, especially to take to camp or other trips.  Rachel made the bow on the package (pictured above).

Some things about Sarah right now:

1.  She is allergic to beans--kidney beans, lentils, black beans, garbonzo beans (hummus), and even soy beans.  She definitely could not be a vegetarian.

2.  She would like to be the supreme ruler of the universe.  Actually, just today she told me that if she was in charge of the world, she would make Istanbul, Turkey her capitol city.  And make everyone do things her way.

3.  Sarah must unpack from a trip immediately when she gets home, no matter how late it is.

4.  She likes to listen to broadway, Disney, and instrumental music.  She is very into The Piano Guys right now.

5.  Tangled is her favorite movie.

6.   She plays the flute, piccolo, and piano. 

7.  She wants to be a scientist when she grows up.  Right now she's leaning towards medical school.

8.  She's very social and talks (and texts!) lots of people, but has a few very close friends.

9.  She LOVES her iphone and always has it with her. 

10.  She loves babies and has begged me to have another.

11.  She loves the sunshine, and has decided living in the rainy Pacific Northwest is not for her.

12.  She is smart, creative, fun, and responsible and we love having her in our family!

The Old City

View of the Old City from the Orson Hyde Garden

Monday, December 26, 2011
The weather had cleared up a bit--it wasn't storming, but was still quite cold and windy--but we were ready for a day of exploring the Old City.  We left the Jerusalem Center on foot and walked down the steep Mt. Scopus over to the Mount of Olives.  We first stopped at the Orson Hyde Garden.  It was a beautiful peaceful place overlooking the Old City.  

Orson Hyde Garden

Ben overlooking Jerusalem

Rachel and Sarah in the Orson Hyde Garden in Jerusalem

We continued our walk down the Mt. of Olives and into the Kidron Valley.  There were lots of old olive trees growing along the path.  This area looked more like what I imagined the Garden of Gethsemane looked like at the time of Christ--more natural and less manicured.  It was beautiful.  We walked past the Garden of Gethsemane, but we didn't go in, since we had already been a few days before.

Walking down the Mt. of Olives

Olive Trees on the Mount of Olives

The Wall around the Garden of Gethsemane

The Church at the Pool of Bethesda

Our next stop was a possible location for the pool of Bethesda.  There was a beautiful church built there and we listened to a choir sing.  We walked around the area and talked about how Jesus compassionately healed a lame man here.

Ruins at the Pool of Bethesda

Ruins at the Pool of Bethesda

Rachel and Abby at the Pool of Bethesda

We stopped next at the Garden Tomb.  This was one of my favorite places.  Instead of a big ornate church, the Garden Tomb has been preserved as a garden area, and it is a very peaceful and beautiful place.  

Entrance to the Garden Tomb Area

At the Garden Tomb

This is an area that could possibly be considered Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.  Some people say that this area of rock looks like a skull.  Can you see it on the right side of the photo?

Our group at Golgotha

A wine press in the Garden Tomb area

We had an awesome tour guide at the Garden Tomb.  He was a cute man from Scotland, who comes several months of the year to volunteer there.  He told us how much he loves the BYU Jerusalem Center students who often come and spend time in the Garden Tomb area.  He invited us all to come into the tomb.

We were able to go into the empty tomb and see for ourselves, "He is not here.  He is risen."

Inside the tomb

Our Family at the Garden Tomb.

After the garden tomb, we explored more of the Old City.  We stopped for lunch at the Austrian Hostel, which was a neat building hidden in the Old City.  If Steve and Jennifer had not known to go in through an obscure wooden door on a certain corner, we never would have noticed it.  Our group took up almost all the tables in this beautiful arched hallway.

Having Lunch at the Austrian Hostel

The boys at lunch.  Notice David in the background.  He was really sick this day with fever, chills, etc.  He tried hard to be a good sport and smile in all the pictures, but he was not feeling good at all. 

 The hostel had roof access with a beautiful view of the city.

Grandma and Grandpa Harper

The Dome of the Rock.

Me and my mom in the Old City

After lunch we further explored the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem.  We went into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is where the Catholics believe he was buried.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We walked along the Via Delarosa and looked in all the cool shops.   I could have spent days exploring the Old City.

We made our way out of the Old City and to Omar's wood shop.  You can see by his big blue flag, that he obviously caters to the BYU students.  There were pictures of Omar with Steve Young and President Hinckley.  We had fun picking out nativity sets.  I got one for our family, and the kids each picked out one for their Christmas present.  Rachel had picked hers out in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, and Kate found one at a different shop, but we still did quite a bit of shopping in Omar's shop.

After our adventures in the city, we all squished into Steve and Jennifer's van (Jennifer had driven into the city later with Grandma and Grandpa Harper) and drove home.  It was nice not to have to walk all the way back up the steep hill to the Jerusalem Center.

That evening, Sarah got her patriarchal blessing from her Grandpa Harper.  It was a special blessing in a special location--kind of a pinnacle to the spiritual experiences we'd been having for the last couple of weeks.  We took some pictures in front of the fountain in the Jerusalem Center.

Beautiful Sarah

Sarah and Grandpa Harper on her patriarchal blessing day

Grandma Hales, David, me, Sarah, Grandpa Harper, and Grandma Harper