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We spent a couple days in Brussels, visited Dinant and then left Belgium and spent a day in Luxembourg. We went to Bastogne and then to Liege. We attended church in Liege and then spent the afternoon with the Bellings, a family Scott taught on his mission. We had a wonderful time with them. Tomorrow, we head to Brussels and the next day to Bruges.

We will update our blog once we get back in the States. There are several things we need to add: Eilat, Arbel cliffs, Jerusalem and also the past weekend.

We will be back in the States on August 3rd, but things will be busy for a while. We hope to hear from you soon.

Scott drove up to Haifa and arrived about 8 am. Tiffany stayed with the kids in Herzliya. Scott started cleaning out the fridge and kitchen. Due to new customs regulations in the US, we aren't allowed to ship any food. Scott packed 5 big boxes of food to distribute to friends. Scott made about 10 trips to the dumpster throughout the day.

The work crew was supposed to show up between 8:30 and 9:00 am. Scott tried calling the shipping company at 9:15, but couldn't get through to anyone. The movers called about 9:30, said they were 20 minutes away and asked for the exact street name. By 10 am, Scott asked our building maintenance man to call the mover's cell phone. They told him that they were in front of the building. Within a minute they were arguing with each other whether they were in fact in front of the building. Then Scott found out that they were on the right street but in Tirat Ha-Carmel, about 30 minutes away from Haifa! By 11 am, the workers were at the apartment and started to work.

The packing started out OK, but then one of the movers decided to leave. He didn't come back until 5 pm. That left two movers to do all the work. The movers also kept telling Scott that we had too much stuff and they wouldn't be able to pack it all. Scott had to call the main office of the shipping company to get it all arranged. Of course, the movers didn't bring the scale they were supposed to bring, so this was all based on their guesswork. They claimed we had double what we were alloted.

Fortunately it was a very calm day in Haifa. There was only one siren and it was a false alarm. Scott thought it was funny that the movers, who were very hesitant to come to Haifa, ran to the windows to look outside when the siren sounded.

Scott noticed that the movers weren't keeping track of what was being packed for the packing list. Scott wasn't able to communicate that to the movers and so he called the shipping company offices. They told him not to worry. However, at the end of the day, the movers asked Scott to fill out the packing list after the boxes were packed and on the truck! The movers also didn't give Scott all the paperwork that we were supposed to receive.

After the movers left, Scott finished organizing the house. Scott left Haifa at about 5:30 pm and returned to Herzliya. Scott took a quick shower and we got the kids ready for bed and left them with the Earls. Then we went to a movie theater in Herzliya and watched Pirates of the Caribbean with our friends Rivi and Efrat. It was nice to have a break from the stress of the week.

This is what we saw out our window after one alarm. A missile hit a building down near the water.

Bat Galim

Scott took this video so that we could remember how loud the sirens were. Scott took this just as an alarm was ending so you will notice the sound trailing off. Scott stuck the camera out Tyler's bathroom window to take the video.

Siren (video)

During the time we weren't hiding in our closet, we were organizing our things so that it will be possible for the movers to pack if we don't get to go back to our apartment. We made piles in almost every room and made a list of what to pack. The kids watched lots of TV in our bedroom and also drove us nuts because they were so sick of being cooped up.

Piles of stuff

After we were mostly packed, we decided to go visit the Abbotts. Driving through Haifa was strange; it felt like a ghost town. A few minutes after we got to the Abbotts, there was another alarm (about the sixth of the day). Fortunately, their shelter is just one floor beneath their apartment. We chatted with their neighbors until it was time to return to their apartment. We think this was when the missile hit a street a couple of blocks away from our apartment, but we didn't find that out until Tuesday. Even though it landed in the middle of the street and didn't do any damage, we were glad we weren't home when it hit. The Abbotts fed us dinner and we enjoyed the time we had to relax.

Abbott's bomb shelter

We had planned to go to the Tel Aviv area Monday night, but we still had several things to do. We put the kids to bed and then organized the kitchen and repacked our suitcases. The last alarm of the evening was around 10:30 pm.

On Tuesday morning, we ate breakfast, packed the car and left the apartment. We wanted to drop some things off at the house of Tyler's friend Or. We had fun visiting them, but we got to spend some time in their shelter when an alarm sounded. It was pretty comfortable though because Or's room is the shelter and there were lots of toys and a TV.

Afterwards, we went to Intel to talk to Scott's manager and some friends. We ended up staying for a couple of hours. Several of Scott's co-workers were all working in a secure room. They let Tyler play on their computers and Efrat got hula hoops and balls from the gym for Brooke and Tyler to play with. We also stayed for lunch - packaged sandwiches, salads and soda. While we were there, a missile hit the side of the mountain behind the mall across the street from Intel and started a fire. Fortunately, the area is open and undeveloped.

Fire due to missile strike

After we felt things were calm, we drove to Herzliya. We first visited Tiffany's dentist to prove to him that we were safe and then we went to our friends, the Earls. The Earls have two boys, one two years old and the other turning four years old. It was so nice to relax and let the tension dissipate. The kids loved being able to run around in the Earl's yard and playing with their toys. Scott drove to the Intel site in Petach Tikva, which is south of Herzliya. Scott had several meetings by phone and tried to catch up on his email.

We had a wonderful night's sleep. It was so nice to sleep without the fear and stress of alarms and missiles. The Earl's extra bedroom is even in their bomb shelter in their basement, so we felt extra safe!

The Earl's son Ethan is turning four and he had his pre-school birthday party on Wednesday. Tyler and Brooke got invited too. We had a little scare because the power went out and then we heard that power was out to much of the country. We discovered later that it was unrelated to the current situation in Israel, but instead a technical problem at a power station that provides one-fifth of Israel's power.

Ethan's party

After the party, Scott went to the Intel site in Yakum. Along the way, Scott passed several tanks on semi-trucks headed north.

Tank headed north

In Yakum, Scott met with several people and got some work done. Then after returning to the Earl's house, we had pizza and put the kids down to bed.

Tyler-isms:
"Do you want me to run home and get my squirt gun and shoot at them?" - Tyler comforting the Abbotts by telling them that he would take care of the missiles.
"Please tell them to stop shooting missiles because we are up here in our closet and we want them to stop." - While praying in our closet during an attack.

Brooke-isms:
"That one" - Brooke wanted Tyler's red cereal bowl.

We are doing fine and we are safe. We don't currently have internet, so it may be harder to reach us.

We will keep you informed whenever we can dial up.

A few minutes later, Ann Hansen called us to tell us that it was a Katyusha missile that had hit near Stella Maris. There were no injuries and only some slight damage to a sidewalk. Stella Maris is the traditional location of Elijah's cave. It is the northwestern point of Haifa and has a spectacular view of both Haifa Bay and the Mediterranean. We went there a few weeks ago and got a tour of the military base there. Later after the kids were in bed, Tyler and Brooke's pre-school called to tell us that the end of summer party scheduled for Friday would be postponed. We moved Tyler into Brooke's room because her room is less exposed. Tyler didn't even wake up as we moved him.

Stella Maris Carmelite Church (taken from the military base)

This is a picture of the remains of the rocket and the damage (from Uri Sabach).
Damage from Stella Maris attack

On Friday, we started organizing the house to get ready for the movers. We have to separate our stuff from the landlord's things and pull out everything that is going in our suitcases. The Abbotts came over for lunch and to use our internet phone to move their return flight earlier. After lunch, Doug and Scott took the kids swimming. In the evening, Ali watched the kids so we could go to dinner at our favorite French restaurant, HaShmura 1872, in the German colony at the base of the Baha'i gardens. It was a calm, but busy day.

Tiffany, after dinner, in front of the Baha'i Gardens

On Saturday, we went to church as usual. It was a special meeting because we were released from our callings in the branch. President Cox came from the Jerusalem Center. After the meetings, we were preparing for our potluck lunch when we heard several loud booms and the windows rattled. We grabbed the kids and went down to the branch president's office in the basement. We waited a little while and then we brought the food downstairs and ate lunch.

Tiffany, Tyler, Brooke and Mary safe in the basement office

We found out that several Katyusha rockets hit Tiberias and the surrounding towns. One hit within 200 meters of the church building. The two BYU center couples were told to go to Jerusalem. Several members also decided to go to the Jerusalem center to stay for a few days. We drove home the long way, past Bet She'an and Megiddo. Later that evening more rockets hit Tiberias and shattered and cracked some of the windows of the church building. We spent much of the evening talking to friends and family.

On Sunday morning, things seemed pretty calm. However, pre-school was cancelled so the kids stayed home. Scott and some co-workers were supposed to meet with someone from the US who had just arrived in Israel for a business trip. Scott picked him up from his hotel and took him to work. A few minutes into the meeting, Scott heard some noises but he dismissed them as noises from the construction site next door. Then Tiffany called to tell him to come home because rockets had hit Haifa. However, at the same time, Scott was told to go immediately to the bomb shelter at Intel. Tiffany grabbed our 72 hour kit and took the kids to the bomb shelter in the basement of our building. Fortunately, someone brought coloring books to the shelter and the resident association president brought snacks and water.

Some of the rockets that hit Haifa were the more advanced Fajar rockets and not the Katyusha rockets. One rocket hit the train depot which is near the water of Haifa bay.

Scott arranged for the co-worker on a business trip to meet with the people he needed to in the bomb shelter. Scott participated a little bit, but mostly checked news and answered email. Someone brought water, soft drinks, fruit and cookies to the shelter. Later, Scott visited the different shelters at Intel talking to his friends and trying to get touch with Tiffany. Tiffany couldn't get cell phone service in the shelter and the cell networks kept crashing.

After several hours, Tiffany and the kids left the shelter to go upstairs to a friend's house for lunch. During that time we were able to call each other and talk until alarms sounded again and we both had to go back to the bomb shelters. Scott found the shelter where his manager was and met with him. Scott also was able to return calls for all the voicemail messages he got while the networks were down. Scott found out that the movers cancelled the appointment to pick up our things for shipment home.

After a couple hours, Tiffany and the kids were able to go back to the apartment and Scott drove home. We spent the evening packing our suitcases and organizing things for our move. Throughout the evening we heard many Israeli jets flying overhead.

On Monday morning we were awakened at 6 am by the emergency alarms. We woke up the kids and went to our closet, the most protected place in the apartment. There we played Memory until we couldn't stand it any longer. We found out that the alarm was a false alarm. Then we got ready and made more preparations for the movers because we don't know when they will come and we need the packing to be somewhat self explanatory.

Brooke is pretty oblivious to what is going on. She only gets nervous when Tyler does. Tyler is a little nervous and runs to us anytime he hears any noises.

Tyler-isms:
"Are the people riding in the rockets OK?" - Tyler pictured NASA rockets crash landing in Tiberias.
"Are the animals OK?" - Tyler was worried when he heard that one of the missiles had landed in a field. He didn't know it was a football field.

Brooke-isms:
"Rocket! Rocket!" - Repeated while running around wildly whenever any loud sound is heard. This is much like the game she plays, yelling "tontor" and pretending there are monsters in the house.

The movers are supposed to come tomorrow. We don't know if they are still planning on coming. We hope so, because that will help us relax.

Intel is taking care of us and has already offered to move us to Tel Aviv. The BYU Jerusalem Center has also invited us to stay at the center. We will wait until the situation calms down and we can gather our stuff. We already have our suitcases packed and our 72 hour kit ready.

We are not scared, but sad that our stay in Israel is ending this way.

We hear that the members of the church are safe. Many have moved to the Jerusalem Center. We will update you later.

If you weren't wondering, then don't worry about it.

Cotton candy

On Friday we went to an archeological site that we have wanted to visit for a while, but hadn't gotten around to until now. The site is Bet She'an, also called Scythopolis in Greek, and was the capital of the Decapolis. The Decapolis was a group of ten cities which formed the easternmost part of the Roman Empire. It is a city with lots of history: Canaanite, Israelite, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and more.

The ruins are amazing. There is an impressive colonnaded street, called Palladius street. The colums were huge.

Palladius street

Here is the capital of a column that may have fallen during the earthquake of 749 AD. Brooke had fun climbing around it.

Corinthian capital

We hiked to the top of a nearby hill where there are additional Egyptian, Israelite and Canaanite ruins. We took this picture from a lookout point with a view of the rest of the site below.

Bet She'an ruins

Bet She'an was a very interesting place. We saw a well preserved Roman Theater, two bathhouses and even a public lavatory. The expansive ruins make it easier to imagine how the city may have looked in its prime.

It was a hot day, so we had ice cream from the park gift shop before driving to the Swiss forest in Tiberias for a branch activity. Ritchie and Judy Whitehead, our service couple, brought a beanbag game that the kids loved.

Beanbags

More beanbag games

The sunset from Swiss forest was beautiful. We were amazed at how clear the air was; it was so clear we could see Mount Hermon, the northernmost point in Israel.

Mount Hermon

A few days after the branch activity we celebrated Lag B'Omer. We had the traditional bonfire at the park near our house with Brooke and Tyler's pre-school class. The kids mostly ate roasted marshmallows, but there were also hot dogs and kebabs. Brooke loves to swing and she even says what Israeli kids say as they swing, "nad ned."

Nad ned

Tyler-isms:
"We have to wear hats so we don't burn our hair." - Why Tyler thinks he has to wear a hat when we are out in the sun.
"I'm all marshmallowy." - After eating marshmallows on Lag B'Omer.

Brooke-isms:
"Tyler pushed me." - Brooke's first real sentence; sad, but true.
"Happy!" - What she says when she gets what she wants.

Tyler, age 5

Tyler sang a song (with the teachers' help) to his dad, mom and sister. The words are, "come, come, come my mom (with verses for my dad and my Brooke after) and give me a hug and a kiss." Tyler and Scott posed very well together after their verse.

Tyler's party

The whole class had fun doing the chicken dance and dancing around in circles.

Dancing

Of course we also had a chocolate birthday cake complete with candles and sang happy birthday in Hebrew. In Israel they put an extra candle on the cake for the next year.

Birthday candles

Another fun tradition here in Israel is to lift up the birthday boy in a chair one more time than his age.

Israeli birthday tradition

Here are video clips from Tyler's birthday party.

Birthday party (video)

As has become our tradition, we decorated Tyler's door. He's now in the habit of asking for it before his birthday every year. Tyler especially liked the parachute man Scott hung from his door frame.

Decorated door

Once again, Tyler was spoiled with way too many presents.

Birthday loot

Since we had a cake for Tyler's party at preschool, we decided to have our favorite birthday treat, surprise cupcakes. Tyler enjoyed the cupcakes, and we were glad that he enjoyed his whole birthday weekend.

Tiny birthday cake

Tyler-isms:

"People are loving me since it's almost my birthday" - Tyler enjoyed getting mail and extra attention.
"Unhold my arm" - After Scott caught Tyler and prevented him from running away.
"Does mommy know more than you?" - After Scott couldn't answer one of Tyler's many questions.

Brooke-isms:

"Mamo" - Tomorrow.
"My all gone" - When she finished her bowl of Cheerios.
"Boka Toes" - Brooke tried to say "Boker Tov" which means good morning in Hebrew.

Bowdens and Moodys

We finally let the teachers at Tyler's pre-school convince us to let Brooke go to school for our last few months here. Tiffany went with Brooke in the morning thinking she might need to stay a while to make sure Brooke was happy. However, Brooke said goodbye and went off without another thought. Tiffany left our camera with the teachers so we could have pictures of Brooke's first day.

Brooke in the balls

Brooke was in heaven with all the toys to play with. Tyler was a good big brother and showed her around and watched out for her.

Toy area

It was easy for Brooke to go to pre-school because she already knew the teachers. They said they had been waiting for this day since Tyler started preschool.

Brooke and Annetta

Brooke had lots of fun playing with all of the "girl" toys at school. She loved the doll house, play kitchen and dress up corner. The girls at school love having her there too. The teachers said Brooke is like their very own doll and the girls take good care of her.

Dollhouse

The same day Brooke started pre-school, Scott had a team building activity with his work group. They first went on a hike at Ein Tina (Tina Spring). The hike involved wading through a stream and then climbing up a waterfall. The setting was beautiful.

Ein Tina

After the hike, Scott and his group drove ATVs at Ramot Naphtali. Scott had fun driving through the orchards and fields of the kibbutz. They also drove to the top of a nearby hill, where they had a view of Hula valley and much of the Golan Heights.

Tractoron - Hebrew for ATV

Our apartment complex decorated in preparation for Independence day. Tyler was excited to see all the flags.

Independence day decoration

Every year for Independence day, the kids get a T-shirt from pre-school. The teachers were thoughtful enough to plan ahead so that Brooke would have one. They really enjoyed wearing their shirts and crowns and waving their flags.

Independence day dressup

We invited the Abbotts over on Independence day for a barbeque and to watch the fireworks from our balcony.

Independence day fireworks

Tyler-isms:
"Can I be a fireman instead of going to work?" - Tyler wants to be a fireman when he grows up.
"You should have said three goodbyes." - He was unhappy that Scott had to leave for work before the kids were up and only Tiffany got to say goodbye.
"Do you think I haven't been in the sky?" - When Tiffany said that she heard a jet.
"Can you wrap up my teeth?" - Tyler's teeth were chattering while watching fireworks and he wanted to be wrapped in a blanket.

Brooke-isms:

"Umm... umm... play" - When asked what she did at pre-school.