Blue Cruise

I have fallen way behind on blogging again, and will try to catch up over the next month. The beginning of May, the boys, Nathan, and I stayed on a wooden gullet boat on the Mediterranean Sea, with our good friends Victoria and Brett, who live in Istanbul. We would have loved Eliza to join us, but we knew that being on a small boat and in the water for 4 days would have been challenging for both her and us, so she stayed with our nanny, Kadem, and her family and she had a great time with them. We met our friends in Istanbul and flew to the coastal city of Dalaman together, then took at 3 hour drive to Kekova, where we got onto the boat for the next 4 days. The kids are great travelers and were excited to get on a plane, even for a 4am flight :).

Getting on the boat after early morning travels.

The hallway of the boat. Kitchen to the left, our room to the left, the boys room to the right, and Victoria and Brett’s room straight ahead.

The kitchen where all the magic happened. We had a captain and a chef on board, and we were very spoiled by the delicious Turkish food that the chef cook for us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Nathan and my room and boys looked the same. We had a small bathroom and enough room to walk on the side of our bed. It was small but comfortable quarters.

Setting sail! Each day we visited 2-3 harbors and would stop at each one for a few hours to swim. The temperature was perfect to be outside. The water was a bit chilly, but we all got in to enjoy it. The boys practically lived in the water for 4 days.

Brett and Victoria. They are special friends from Jordan and we are thankful they are in Turkey with us.

They brought adult floaties, which was a great idea to easily relax in the water.

In their happy places. On a boat in jumping distance of the water.

We also got floaties for the boys, but they swam around most the time.

The food was so good. I don’t remember everything we ate, but it was all amazing.

Can you see the boys on the rock?

On board, there was a paddle board, kayak, and a dinghy boat. To get to shore, we would use them (the captain took us in the dinghy). 

The boys loved taking out the kayak and the paddle board themselves. Many harbors had small islands and rock formations and the boys would paddle over to explore. It was a really neat to watch them enjoy this freedom.

This was one of the most scenic harbors and was such a pretty sunset. We stayed here the first night. 

The next day we went were off to see more harbors.

This harbour had a bat cave nearby, and the captain took a few of us at a time inside the cave to see...lots of bats.

Then we paddled to shore and took a hike to see some Lycian ruins. We would sometimes put the 4 of us on the paddle board, and Brett and Victoria on the kayak if we all wanted to go to shore. It was a convenient mode of transportation.

After getting back from the hike, we moved to another harbor and passed a sunken city of Dolchiste, an old Lycian settlement, along the way. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century.

You can see some of the sunken homes above the surface. It was an interesting site.

The evenings got a bit chilly and we enjoyed wrapping up in big blankets.

More good food!

Our boat was called the Kekova II.

The next day was a bit rainy, so it was a perfect day for a hike. The dinghy took us to shore and we got to explore some old Roman tombs and ruins.

There was very few people there, it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Roman tombs.

And great stones for rock skipping.

History of the area...

We went to the next harbor where we stayed for the evening and enjoyed more delicious food and playing some card games after dinner.

Early morning kayak and swim.

Next we went to a beautiful harbor called Aquarium Bay. It was a very popular bay and was visited by several day-trip boats with. This bay wasn’t quite as relaxing in comparison because there were so many people there, but it was still beautiful.

Then we explored the cute village of Kalekoy, only accessible by boat, for a few hours that day. We visited the castle at the top of the island, walked the narrow streets, and enjoyed some home made ice cream.

Prom pictures:)

The Turkish Evil Eye (Nazar Boncuğu) in Turkish, is everywhere, in order to keep the bad energy away. People have them hanging in their homes, cars, in restaurants, pretty much everywhere you go. This wall seemed pretty well protected!

Back to the boat.

Sometimes you just need to a nap.

Dear friends ;)

The next morning our family had to leave around 5am to make the 3 hour drive before our 10am flight. It was such a fun and unique trip to take with Brett and Victoria, we greatly enjoyed the experience and time with them. They continued on for a few more days to Bodrum, and we headed back to Ankara to get Eliza.

Eliza had a fun time while we were away. She was a little sad the first day, but after that she had a great time. She was with Kadem and her family during the Bayram (Eid) holiday, so they did lots of traditional things such as visiting family, going to parks, and seeing friends. They kept busy and had fun. Here are some pictures from their time together. Enjoying Turkish breakfast and tea each morning.

Eliza loves to help in the kitchen.

It rained quite a bit while we were away, but they got out to enjoy some parks and sites around Ankara when the weather permitted. Eliza with Kadem, her husband Mustafa, and their younger daughter Ebru, at Atakule, a famous landmark in Ankara.

Atakule tower. Eliza calls Mustafa ‘baba’, which means dad in Turkish. It’s really cute.

Their eldest daughter, Ezgi, came to town for the week as well. Eliza enjoys spending time with her when she is in town.

Kadem had a birthday while we were away. Here is Eliza singing the happy birthday song in Turkish. Eliza was only exposed to Turkish while we are away, since Kadem’s family doesn’t speak much English. Of all the kids, Eliza knows the most Turkish and understands quite a bit, from being with Kadem and Ebru the past year and half.

One day they went to a farm and Eliza picked a couple eggs and flowers for Bayram (Eid).

Another traditional thing Turks do during Bayram is visit their families. Kadem has a large family in Ankara, and they have been excited to meet Eliza. Apparently Eliza wasn’t into the crowd of unfamiliar people, but they did get to meet her briefly.

Ebru and Eliza had sleepovers in Ebru’s room or the living room each night.

We are thankful that Eliza had a fun few days with their family. It was a special time for Eliza and Kadem’s family, they adore our children and treat them like their own.

43, 118, and Mother’s Day

A couple of weeks ago I took my 43rd revolution around the sun, and my mom took her 75th. This was our 118th birthday! I love that my mom and I share a birthday, it is a special gift. That morning I woke up to hugs and cards from the kids and Nathan, then we all went our separate ways to work and school.

At work my co-workers decorated my desk, and we ordered lunch and had cake, and they gave me this personalized Turkish plate.

I had these pretty flowers waiting for me at home from Nathan, and he got me a new watch.

We ordered dinner, had cake, boys had piano lessons, and we relaxed for the evening. It was a good day! My mom and dad spent the day celebrating in Ft. Lauderdale with a water taxi ride and they went out to lunch and dinner. I guess we both ate our way through our birthdays this year!

A little over a week after my birthday is Mother’s Day. I am so thankful for each of our children and for the best gift ever, to be called mom. I am thankful for my mom and mother-in-law, and for the wonderful example they have set as mothers for me, for Nathan for making it possible for me to be a mom and being right there beside me through it all. I am thankful for all my friends and family that are moms, and for the love and support we share with one another. Being a mom is such a rewarding gift. It’s not always easy and pretty, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We celebrated a day early because we had plans on Sunday. We went to Turkish breakfast at my favorite restaurant near our house and spent the day relaxing around the neighborhood. On Mother’s Day the kids made me this sweet card, Nathan gave me flowers, and gifted me a massage that I look forward to using soon.

The boys and Nathan went to a birthday party, and Eliza and I enjoyed playing at nearby park and an ice cream date. That evening we ordered food and played some games. 

And after a rainy afternoon, we were left with this beautiful double rainbow. 

Lots of happy spring celebrations!

Visit with friends from Jordan

Our friends Cassandra (her husband had to stay behind) and her twins Sean and Ava from Jordan, who now live in Moldova, came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. They arrived in Jordan a year after us and left just a few weeks before we did. We decided to surprise the boys with their visit, and they were surprised. The kids talk periodically online, but when they saw each other in person, they picked up right where they left off a couple years ago, as if no time had passed. The first night we met them at their hotel and walked to dinner and to a nearby park.

The next day, we went to the old city to roam and see the castle. 

Great views of the city from the top and the weather was perfect.

Cassandra and I. She is a very sweet friend and it was nice to see each other and catch up.

We wandered the old city and looked at shops, then ate lunch at a nice outdoor restaurant, that I didn’t get any pictures of.

That afternoon, we went back to our house to let the kids play outside. Everything is in bloom, it’s so pretty!

The next day, the kids came over and we took them to play laser tag. Even Eliza got in on the fun, but she came out early because she said she didn’t know what to do, haha.

The weekend they were visiting was National Children’s Day, which is a big holiday in Turkey. They love children and celebrate them big, especially on this day. Throughout town there were large Turkish flags, pictures of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Turkey, and celebrations in various parts of the city.

Our neighborhood had festivities during the day and a performance at night. Downtown, they had a big ceremony for the children to perform songs and dances, that the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends. We didn’t attend any festivities, but everyone enjoyed the strong Turkish nationalism on display everywhere we went.

The last time Cassandra saw Eliza, she was about 18 months old, and she has gotten quite big since then :). Eliza enjoyed lots of cuddles with Cassandra and playing with the big kids.

They were staying at the hotel we stayed in this past December for the plumbing renovation, so the kids were happy to go back to the hotel and enjoyed showing their friends the nearby parks.

 It was a quick but fun visit, a nice reunion for the kids, and fun to spend time with Cassandra. We are thankful they were able to come visit and for these types of friendships when living abroad.