Twin-Time!

Today was such a fun day!  This morning the girls and I took mom over to visit our dear friend and her twin girls.  Mom has met this friend before, but that was three years ago.  Now she has two year old twins that mom was dying to meet.

We spent a couple of hours over there catching up and watching my girls play with her girls.  They are all adorable, and so much fun!!  It is especially interesting to watch the twins interact with one another.

As we were driving home, mom suggested that we stop at a little cafe or something for lunch.  The girls jumped on that and we went to the little pastry cafe about a block away from our flat.  It was yummy, as always, and the girls were thrilled with the special treat of lunch out!

On Tuesdays, Callie and Lucy go to school from 2 to 7.  Even though we got home at 1:00, we still had plenty of time to get them ready and out the door to school.  As I was walking them to school, I saw several people with their bazar carts and remembered that Tuesday is our bazar day.  So, mom and I headed up there to check it out.

Mom looking for a toy for my nephew Cam.

We got back home just in time for Noah to arrive.  He had a snack and then I took him down to his guitar lesson.  Justin had a meeting tonight.  So he picked the girls up from school and dropped them off at home with mom.  Mom and Callie got dinner ready so that as soon as Noah and I walked in the door dinner was waiting for us.  It was fantastic!

After dinner we got our stuff all packed up and ready to go.  Tomorrow morning, mom and I are going across to the other side to the spice bazar and then we are all going to go away for a few days!!!  Thursday is the beginning of the big sacrifice holiday, so we booked a nice (hopefully) hotel out of the city to escape.  We are all looking forward to a few days of relaxation and fun!  

Monday

Monday mornings are always my major catch-up time from the weekend.  Today was no exception.  We did a few chores, and I had some homework to finish before my language lesson.   The girls performed shows for us all morning.  Around 11 a friend dropped by for a little bit.  Her daughter has started college in the States, so she had a care package for her.  It was funny to see the things that her daughter had requested... sunflower seeds (I can't taste the difference but her daughter swears the ones here are better!), and a few other types of snack food, too.

After I dropped Callie and Lucy off at school I headed over to my language lesson.  I must have been crazy to get back into private language lessons just before my mom came to visit.  It has been stressful, and I realized why I stopped doing private lessons and went to language school.  Oh well, it's good for me, and hopefully my language will really improve.

I was gone practically all afternoon.  Once I got home, mom and I prepared dinner, and then I went to get the girls.  Callie had a terrible day at school.  I was so glad that we made her favorite, macaroni and cheese, for dinner.  A little bit of mac & cheese makes everything better!!

Exploring with Mom

As I have said a time, or twenty, my mom wasn't too interested in sight-seeing.  We did all of that last time she was here.  This time has been all about relaxing together!  It has been such a fun visit!

There was one place that Justin and I had recently discovered, and thought that if we had the opportunity, it would be fun to take mom and the kids there.

We started the day with our small group worship time.  Four families gather together to worship together.  The friend whose birthday party that we went to yesterday also had a relative in town.  So we were a big group.  We always start out with breakfast.  Then we sing and pray.  After that we study the Word together.  Finally, we release the kids for a little bit, and have a more intensive time of prayer.

The forecast had called for rain and terrible weather.  But, we woke up to beautiful blue skies!  So, after worship we dropped by the flat to get our jackets and comfy clothes on- not that we have to dress up for worship, but my girls always do.  We piled in the car and headed here:

The beautiful Black Sea

My beautiful mother and me at the Black Sea

Gamma and her babies
This time next year, Noah will be taller than Gamma!

 This beach is one of our favorite places.  We come here almost weekly during the summer.  It was fun to show Gamma one of our major hang-outs!

After we explored a little bit (and Lucy fell into some mud and had to get her pants rinsed out) we continued on to this place.  It has huge lovely wooded grounds, a playground, a little cafe, and a beautiful palace that is now a nice restaurant.  A hundred years ago, it was the summer home for the Egyptian viceroy.

Gamma and Lucy looking at the pictures that Lucy took while we had a tea at the cafe.

Mom and me at one of the patios that overlook the Bosphorus.

Here are a few pictures that I copied from the website that I linked to:

 It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful place to explore!  After we walked around the entire property we decided it was time to go eat dinner.

I had been wanting to try this restaurant nearby.  It sits way up on a hill overlooking the city all the way down to the water.  We went upstairs to the closed in terrace.  It tilted a bit, and Callie was afraid we were going to slide right off the mountain.  I bet my mom was, too!

Anyhow, the food was good.  Everyone had worked up quite an appetite, so we chowed down!

Yo, Ho, Ho, Par-tay!

Today we had an ex-pat friend's birthday party to go to.  I wasn't feeling so well.  I'm pretty sure that I overdid it on baklava and my neighbor's cheese-filled biscuits.  But, we had promised the kids that we'd go, and they had been looking forward to it.  

The party was pirate themed, and it was held at a park down by the water that had a big ship-shaped playground.  There were actually two birthday boys.  The brothers, whose birthdays are one day part, were turning 2 and 6.  The 6 year old is one of Lucy's favorite friends (although he says that Noah is "pretty much [his] best friend.")

Noah and Justin had to come down a bit late on the motorcycle.  Noah started his Saturday sport at school.  He chose ice skating and had a fantastic time!

Once the party got underway it was super fun.  The parents had all sorts of fun party games, lunch in special treasure chests, and a beautiful treasure chest cake.  To end the party we all headed over to a little ice cream shop (to use the bathroom) and got ice cream.  All the kids had a great time.

My girls, dressed as pirates, waiting patiently for cake!

Playing "Pin the Sword on the Pirate"

So Proud of Mom!

So, today my mom ran a marathon!

We had invited some of my closest friends over to see mom.  She had met two of them before and one was a new friend.  I told mom that they'd probably only come over for an hour or so to say hello.  But, they ended up staying for 3 and a half hours!

We started the morning by taking Callie down to her guitar lesson.  Her guitar teacher had an emergency and forgot to call me to cancel.  So it ended up that Callie got to join us at Lucy and my favorite cafe (we go there every week while Callie is at guitar).  It was so fun to have both girls there.  Lucy had to finish up some homework.  And, Callie taught mom how to play hangman.  I could not believe that mom had never played hangman!!

As it was time to leave we loaded up on baklava and some other goodies to serve our guests.  We dropped the girls off at school, and headed home to do a bit of housework.

My mom has taken over the laundry.

We all ate a quick dinner together.  Then, Justin had agreed to meet a friend for a movie so we girls could have the run of the house.  

Mom waiting for our visitors.

My sweet neighbor from across the hall brought over two huge pans of this special super yummy bread.  Her oven had broken, so she baked them here.  My house smelled fantastic!  My neighbor is such a great baker.  

Then my other friends came over to hang out.  We all had so much fun together.  I was working up a sweat trying to translate, serve food, and tea!  HA!

The weirdest part was hearing them refer to my mom as "teyze."  That's the local familial term for auntie.  Typically, people here refer to each other in familial terms like, auntie, uncle, sister, etc.  It is such a kind and respectful way to speak to each other.  But it was just weird to hear my mom referred to in that context!

They were all so sweet to my mom, and were so happy to get to spend time with her!

Little Lucy tried her best to stay awake the entire time.
But, finally, she fell asleep in Gamma's bed.

I was so proud of my mom.  She was so sweet and patient.  I know that it was such a long night for her.  But, she did fantastic!  My only regret is that I forgot to take a picture of mom with my friends!

Visiting

Today Justin invited us to have lunch with him and see his office.  So, after the girls went to school we headed over there.  Justin picked a restaurant that had all kids of basic local food.  I was proud of mom- she didn't get the "safe" chicken shish kebab.  She was adventurous and had a sort of meat that is grilled and chopped with onions and tomatoes and wrapped in flat bread.  She said she liked it.

Mom enjoying tantuni

 After lunch we walked over to Justin's office.  Mom got to meet his employees and see where he works.

Justin in his office.

 Noah wanted to show Gamma his new school.  Instead of riding his bus home we were going to pick him up, and he would give us a tour.  We had about an hour to kill between visiting Justin and picking Noah up, so we decided to go visit the huge new mosque that just opened near Justin's office.  It is supposed to be the largest one on this side.

A funeral was about to start.  But I couldn't convince mom to stay for that cultural experience!

Then we went to pick Noah up.  He still loves his school and was proud to show it off.  Praise the Lord for the gift of this school!!!  It has been such a blessing to us!

Noah at his desk.

Mom relaxing with her Kindle.

 
Mom insisted on ordering pizza for dinner.  Although, she didn't get much argument from us!  We LOVE pizza!  The kids were begging to play dominos after dinner.  So they quickly finished their homework and practiced their guitars.

Domino Time!

I love playing games like this where everyone can play and chat at the same time.  It's so fun and the kids really like it too!

Tomorrow night several local friends are coming over to visit with mom.  It ought to be interesting!  I hope I remember to take pictures!!

Mall Walking

Mom has done amazing with the time difference and jet-lag.  She has been able to sleep through the night every night without any problem!

In the mornings we take things slow.  Noah leaves for school at 8 o'clock and Justin leaves for work at 8:20.  The girls do their homework, and I try to exercise and do my housework.  Then we play.  Mom brought dominos and taught the kids how to play.  So, that has been fun.

After the girls went to school, mom and I decided to go to the mall.  We had lunch and walked all around.  I really wanted mom to show me how to make country fried steak, so we picked up the necessary things at the grocery store at the mall.  (Yes, most shopping malls here have grocery stores!)  We came home and got to cooking.

I haven't done so well at taking mom's picture during our adventures.  So, I'm trying to get better at that!

Here's mom slaving over the stove!

All of us seated and ready to dig into one of my favorite meals!

Having mom here has been awesome.  We haven't done any amazing sight-seeing or anything, really.  We've just talked and talked.  It is the MOST fun!!

Tuesday with Mom

I didn't really plan much for mom's visit.  I knew that she wasn't interested in running all around and seeing the sights.  We did that last time she was here.  This visit is all about hanging out and having fun together.  The only thing that my mom really wanted to do, besides spending time with us, was go to our local bazaar.

The bazaar comes to our neighborhood on Tuesdays, so today was the day.  I like to go in the late morning before it gets crowded.   We bought a few things that we needed- eggs, hangers, green beans.  And, mom bought some really pretty scarves.  It's fun just to walk up and down the street and browse at all the beautiful fruits and vegetables, clothes, scarves, kitchenwares, etc.

We hurried home to eat lunch and send the girls to school.  After they left we worked on dinner and laundry and other exciting stuff.  It is so great to have mom here... even my mundane daily chores are more fun when we do them together.

After Noah got home I took him down to guitar lessons.  Mom stayed behind to get dinner on the table.  We were in a bit of a hurry because our team leaders wanted to drop by for tea in the evening.  They have been dying to meet mom.  So, we visited with them for awhile.   After they left we were all exhausted, so it was bedtime.

Respect

Today when my neighbor met my mom she kissed my mom's hand and placed it on her forehead.  This is a beautiful gesture of respect and it just made me feel so honored that my neighbor did that.  I know it probably sounds weird, or like nothing special.  But here, it's a really kind thing to do.

I just love how elders are treated here.  Everyone has been so excited that my mom is coming.  Since her arrival they have called and texted to make sure she arrived safely and to give their greetings.  When mom went to the girls' school with me on Monday, everyone noticed and many were quick to welcome her.  Lucy's teacher even came out especially to meet my mom and welcome her.

I know it's probably a little confusing and overwhelming for mom, but I feel so proud and blessed by the way others are honoring my mom!

Monday with Mom

Mom arrived yesterday late morning.  We got her home, let her unpack, and then ate lunch.  After lunch she couldn't stay awake a minute longer.  So, she laid down for a nap.  Actually, Justin and I did, too.  After a good sleep we all felt better.  We walked down to the park to get some exercise and let the kids play.

Later on, it was so fun to get to sit down to dinner together and just chat away!  I think the kids were still trying to get their minds around the fact that Gamma was here.

Today was a quiet day.  I finally let Lucy sneak in and wake Gamma up at 10.  After a big coffee she was feeling fine!  We played dominos, Barbies, and house with the girls.

They went to school at 12:40, and I had to go to my language lesson at 1:00.  For some dumb reason, I started language lessons again, right before mom got here.  I don't know why I didn't just wait two weeks.  Anyhow, mom assured me that she would be fine alone at home.  So I headed out for my 2 hours of torture.

After my lesson mom and I just hung out and talked until it was time to go get the girls.  Mom walked to school with me, and she sure caused some heads to turn.  Everyone was excited to see that my mom had come.

After dinner, mom helped out with the nightly routine.  Having one adult per kid is awesome!  We stayed up a little bit too late talking.  I just love hanging out with my mom.  She is the BEST!!

Surprise!!

When my mom decided to come visit six weeks ago, I decided to wait to tell the kids.  I didn't want them to ask me every second, "Is Gamma coming today?"  But as her visit drew near, I just didn't know when to tell them.  So, in the end, we decided to let it be a surprise.  It was so hard and we almost slipped a bunch of times.

Finally, the day arrived!  We told the kids that we had to pick someone up from the airport for a friend.  They sort of begrudgingly made the trip.

(Excuse the terrible phone pics!)

Waiting for our mystery guest.

When someone is coming we stand there and stare at the arrivals board and double doors.

Justin, Callie, and Noah

Noah was so mad I made him come to the airport.
I almost let him stay home and pay the consequences of being a grump!

I totally expected the kids to see Gamma, scream, and go running at her.  But, when she walked out, they just sort of stood there in shock.  One of them said, "that lady looks like Gamma!"  She spotted us and headed over.  I said, "That is Gamma!"  Finally they got the surprise!

Gamma zooming over to us.

Everyone running over to hug Gamma!

 Everyone needed huge hugs.

The kids were so excited to realize that Gamma had come to visit.

Gamma will be here for two weeks, and we plan to have so much fun with her!!!

Lucy's Birthday Party

Lucy invited two of her friends over to celebrate her birthday.  We started off by just letting them play for awhile.  Then it was time to start celebratin'!

Another birthday cake!

Daddy lighting the candles.

6 candles

Make a wish...

After birthday cake we headed over to the mall to play.

The kids played at the indoor playground for almost an hour.

Then bumper cars

Finally we had lunch at McDonalds.

I think Lucy had a fun time with her friends.  She planned the whole day, and we did exactly what she wanted.  So, she was sort-of a birthday diva.  Luckily it only lasted a day!

Lucy's Birthday

My baby turned 6 years old today!!

She is such a precious little ball of sweetness.  It was so fun to celebrate her.

Opening up presents first thing in the morning.
I was so shocked that she slept in until 7:30.  I fully expected her to be up at 6 am.

Thanking Callie for the bracelet and necklace that she made.

Testing out her new scooter from Gamma and PawPaw.

Opening her stroller from Grandpa and Grandma.

Playing with her veterinary kit from mom and dad.

Showing off her horsey shirt.

Lucy requested açma (sort of a cross between a yeast roll and a bagel)
for her birthday breakfast. 

After a good bit of playing with the new toys, it was time to make cupcakes for Lucy's class.

Making the perfect shade of pink icing.

My beautiful bakers.

72 mini-cupcakes 

About 100 chocolate chip cookies

It was so fun to take treats to Lucy's class.  She was so excited.
I was surprised that the kids ate the treats.
They usually turn their noses up at anything new.

Lucy posing with her little friends.

Lucy and her sweet teacher.
We love her!

That night we celebrated with our team.
My sweet friend made a yummy pink cake with gummy bear decorations.