23 Nisan

April 23rd is a huge children's holiday here. It is such a fun day. The children usually begin preparing special performances early on in the year. They put a lot of time and practice into the big day. My favorite part is always the costumes. Each class does something different- a song, dance, poem, etc, and they usually wear traditional costumes. Even Lucy's little preschool held a performance. Although Lucy's class wasn't so traditional it was still majorly cute!

Noah's class did not do anything. He was happy, but I was a little disappointed.

It is fun to have a special day to honor children. This country really loves and values children. They recognize them as the future of the country.

Here are some pictures from the day.


The middle-schoolers decorated the school. Each window had decorations, and then, of course, there are the beautiful flags.


Callie- far right. She looked so beautiful in this costume, and she danced beautifully too! She knew all the moves! She is so shy, but she loves dancing in front of a crowd!

Filiz'in 23 Nisan Töreni from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

Filiz 2 from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

Here is another example of the beautiful costumes. These kids are from another class.


Same class. These boys did an amazing dance where they kept falling onto their knees. I am sure they had to have knee pads on!! It was Noah's favorite. I like their hats!! The rockettes better watch out!


Lucy's performance was later in the day. It was just in her preschool courtyard. So, it wasn't crowded or hard to see! Plus there were little stools for everyone to sit on!! Lucy was too cute!


This is the 5 year old class reciting a poem.


This is the 4 year old class singing a song.


And this is cutie-pie and the 3 year old class dancing to music.






Um... yeah, she does stand out. Just a bit!! HA!

Meleğin 23 Nisan Töreni from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

'Stache

Did I ever tell you about the time Justin grew a beard? When he got tired of it I convinced him to give himself a handlebar mustache. It was pretty awesome!!

Try not to kiss your screen!

It's Been a Long Time Coming

So, hi, my name is Elizabeth, and I have abandoned my blog.

Sorry and nice to meet you!

UGH!!! Why do I do this? I want to write- to share about our lives here, but sometimes I can't make myself do it. No matter how much I enjoy it, it feels like a chore sometimes! So in an attempt to get back on track, I have composed a list for you...


1. My least favorite names here are FatmaNur for a girl. Pronounced like fat manure. And Tuna for a boy. Pronounced just like the fish!

2. Friday was the huge children's holiday here. Callie and Lucy each got to wear special costumes and be in programs for their schools. Lets hope that I can convince myself to post the videos. Serious cuteness!!

3. Callie's school P.E. uniform pants flew off of the drying rack on our balcony. After much searching, Justin found them in a construction site at the end of our block. They were quite dirty, but otherwise no problems! I am so happy!!

4. We are up to our eyeballs trying to plan for our first furlough this summer. It's only a month away. First time in 3 years we've set foot on American soil!

5. Justin may have a job change on the horizon. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom as he gathers information and considers what to do. This is a HUGE decision for us!

6. Last week I had a "tea party" for all the ladies in my building- 14 of us in all! My head still hurts from cooking for 3 days, drinking 683 glasses of tea, and listening to so many women talk at one time. But it was fun... no really it was.

7. I haven't bought diapers in 4 months. My womb aches!!

8. "For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair."

2 Corinthians 4:6-8

9. Laundry mountain is my biggest enemy! Followed closely by rapidly reproducing dust bunny colonies! Could this be the work of Satan?

10. Sometimes I feel like I have so many friends that I can't keep up with them, other times I feel like the loneliest person in the world. The worst time is picking up the kids at school and everyone in the schoolyard is talking about me instead of to me!

11. Do you know what Bakugan is? It is some kids' craze akin to Pokemon. Noah is obsessed with wasting his allowance on the goofy little toys. I think its weird!



That's all I can come up with right now!

Funny Questions

I was telling my friends about often being asked if I dye Lucy's hair. And they shared some funny questions they had been asked:


How long by bus does it take you to get to America?

My (Chinese) friend was asked by a neighbor if I was her sister!

Is America next to Yugoslavia?

Sunday Sneak Peak

This is how we get our water:


The city does not treat the water for drinking standards so we have to order these large bottles. When they run out we just call the man and he hops on his scooter with a few bottles and brings them right over.

We use our tap water for pretty much everything but drinking and cooking. Sometimes the water runs a little muddy (I hope thats why its off color) or even worse, does not run at all. But most of the time it is fairly decent!

Miss Clairol # 10

I am often asked if I dye Lucy's hair!

She is 3 1/2.

Um... NO!

Mars and Venus

I think that the real difference between men and women is this:

I am seriously longing, hoping, and waiting for the day- with full belief that it will happen- when every single stitch of laundry in this flat is DONE!!

Justin is seriously longing, hoping, and waiting for the day- with full belief that it will happen- when the Minnesota Twins realize his talent and invite him to spring training.

Maybe next year!!