Amazing Ani

Ani is an ancient city (9th century-ish) in Eastern Turkey along the silk road.  It was a major city in its heyday (100,000-200,000 people) until an earthquake destroyed it in the 13th century.  Anyway, you walk through the gate to the city to find some of the remaining buildings.

Proof we were there.....Sofia was tired, ornery, and cold.  So, we parked it by the gate to block us from the wind and keep us in the sun.  Mostly we spent our time looking at bugs.

I'm so glad we will get to go back.

29th Birthday

I think I'm at that point where birthdays are no longer exciting.  That's a sure sign I'm getting old!! This year it fell on Easter Sunday.  I got some pictures of the girls with their Easter dresses.  They were pretty excited about them.  :D  I hadn't planned on buying Easter dresses this year since they don't really need them and it's one more thing to fit into the suitcase when we go home....but Hannah remembered getting a dress from last year.  Needless to say they got dresses.

We attempted to get a photo with all of us in normal, smiling faces.  Fat chance!!  The silly faces was much easier.

It was a low key day.  There was an Easter celebration for all the Christians in Erzurum.  We went to it and there was a really good turnout - probably 40+ people.  So, I didn't even bother making a cake because I knew we would get plenty of treats.  That made the day even easier. What more could I want?!

Kars Castle

James presented at a University in Kars - just a couple of hours away.  We went with him, and of course had to visit the local castle.

As a side note...we sat in on the first few minutes of the presentation.  Can I tell you how crazy it was to see his name, Dr Flammer, up on the screen and the 200+ people that came to listen to James talk. It was kind of a moment of awe.  

As another side note....he should do presentations for large people in his career...it's natural for him.

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

No. I. Do. NOT!!!  I want sun and warmth.  Here's what we did last week (or maybe the week before?!)

We got an unwanted snowstorm, but at least we had fun.  This is the biggest snowman I've ever made.

I'm happy to report, that the snow is now (2 weeks later) officially off of the ground.  And the temperature is rising...if only we could get the sun to visit us.

Squat Toilets

James loves them.

I had no problem with them for 2 years in Thailand....but that was before kids.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to undress a toddler (especially in winter clothes) without letting anything touch the dirty/nasty/wet ground

Trying to hold them over the toilet since their legs aren't long enough to reach across the toilet on their own

Balancing them (and yourself) without getting peed on.

While holding a baby that is trying to wiggle out of your arms

And trying to keep the preschool aged child inside the bathroom.

And carrying toilet paper...such a nuissance since a diaper bag never happens when we're out walking around.

And no soap (or sometimes even running water) to wash the hands.

Yeah...I'm not such a fan of the squat toilets now a days.

Unfortunately the girls love them.  And, if there is ever an option between the squat or regular toilet, it's the squat every time!!

V Day

It’s just a little late, but I was trying to organize our photos and clean off our camera.  I came across these pictures and knew I needed to document that we do have some festivities in our home.  I’m one of those people that always detested Valentine’s Day because I felt like you should show your love every day, not need some commercialized holiday coercing you to buy chocolate/gifts.  I still kind of dislike the commercial aspect and think you should do little things every day, not just February 14, BUT it’s a really fun holiday to have (with kids especially).

Our festivities included baking sugar cookies.  That totally takes me back to my childhood – I think that’s the only time I remember making sugar cookies.  But, it just feels right to make them in February.

We also had a candlelit dinner with heart biscuits on top of the chicken pot pie.  And we ended the day with heart brownies.  We had eaten lots of treats (how do you avoid that when baking and frosting cookies?), so I added some zucchini to the brownies and felt a little better about them.  :D

Pasinler Castle

Now that we have a car, we’ve been trying to do some more exploring.  We set out on an adventure to a castle that is only 30 minutes away.  As we got to the city we could see the castle, but no idea how to get there.  So, we picked a road - it soon turned to dirt, then narrowed to 1 little lane, and finally ended when a car was parked blocking the road.  It didn’t take us to the castle, but we saw how the rural Turks live.  These houses made us feel pretty good about our living conditions.

Me holding on tight so Sofia didn’t jump to the stone 50 feet below.

James

He works hard.  

Loves teaching, but has some very long days and nights.  Who knew University professors teach so many nights and weekends?  

When he’s not teaching he’s applying for jobs (a full time job in itself).

He drives like a Turk – well almost.  I feel a lot safer with him because he at least looks for pedestrians.

Always finds energy to play and be fun with the kids when he gets home.

He’s majorly torn with the decision of life stateside vs overseas.

Although he might not admit it, I think he’s terrified of committing to a more permanent ‘real-life’ job.

Thanks to my inability to cut his hair without attachments, he is now sporting a buzzed hairstyle.  He claims he’s just going bald gracefully.