The Jolliff Family

See you after vacation!

As we head out today on vacation so that means my dad's time here is coming to an end.  He is staying a few extra days but will be flying back to America this weekend.  We have truly had such an amazing time with him here.  The boys have enjoyed an extra playmate, some sleepovers downstairs, and extra ice cream treats on occasion... not to mention his help with all the dishes and playing catch with Hap!  We have enjoyed sharing our lives with my dad and enjoyed seeing him share his life with those he has come in contact with here. My dad is such a wise, selfless, and giving person and though we enjoyed such great times together, it is always sad to say goodbye! We love you dad/grandpa/Mark! I'll update the blog later in the week from our vacation spot!! :)

Yesterday afternoon my dad and the boys went to the park to play while Hap and I did some last minute things before vacation.  After we finished up, we enjoyed some good salads and grilled meat at a local restaurant.  My dad hasn't eaten at a yummy ice cream place near us and there is always room for ice cream. We enjoyed it! All happy customers!

On Friday we took off for a tourist destination by the sea and enjoyed the time spent together.  Though we have visited this historic location before, it was a great opportunity for my dad to see something he has not seen before.   This port city was built by King Herod and became a prominent trading port in the Roman era.  Herod's work to build the harbor was an engineering genius. The city was bustling during the Roman era and included a large ampitheathre, Roman bath, and a hippodrome for chariot races and later for gladiator fights.  Andrew and Jacob played soccer in the hippodrome area. Much of the city was destroyed by earthquakes or floods but some of the city remains.  Here is a structure leading into the main trading district of the city. Original mosaic floor in a section of the bathhouse. More soccer playing! We packed a lunch and enjoyed some time underneath a shade tree before eating some ice crea...

Looking through pictures I realized that I never posted about the boy's trip to the Children's Museum with my dad while Hap and I were at a meeting in Jordan.  The boys spent the morning playing and enjoying themselves.  They didn't want to see me come and pick them up to leave!! Quick picture from McDonald's on our trip!  Eating at McDonald's is a treat for the boys and it had a play area! Onto the museum... They are going to open up an auto-mechanic shop one of these days!! :)

So these pictures uploaded all out of order and since I have so many uploaded, I don't want to move them around.  Meaning, this blog post will be random and out of order! On Wednesday morning my dad, Sam, and I headed into the Old City to explore some new areas.  We started the day by going to the large, famous mosque grounds.  I had never been up there and have been wanting to go.  Sometimes it is difficult to get onto the mound but we had no difficulty this week.  We walked around and explored the buildings, though we could not enter any.  We spent significant time up there. After exploring the mosque, our tummies were hungry so we ate a yummy shwarma and hummus.  After resting a bit we headed to the citadel.  The citadel is at the entrance of the city and served as a protected area for the kings of the city throughout history.  The citadel has built during the Roman era and overtaken many times.  The best part about the citad...