Time with Eliza

 This past week was the Eid al-Adha holiday, and a week with Eliza! It was special to be able to spend time with her individually and together, while the boys were at camp. We both worked a little throughout the week, but for the most part enjoyed time at home. The mornings when Nathan was home with her, they put the boys on the camp bus, then went to a restaurant close to our house for a breakfast date.

Nathan also took her to the book store. The have a nice kid’s section and Eliza likes to sit in the tunnel and flip through the pages of books.

Another day we went to Lake Emyir, near our house. We rented bikes and rode around the lake, and made a stop for breakfast along the way.

It was a very hot week, with temperatures in the high 90’s, which is unusual for here. So what better thing to do in the afternoon before the brothers come home from camp, than to eat ice cream!

It was a treat for us to have this special time with Eliza :).

Caleb's party

Caleb had a few friends over to celebrate the weekend after his birthday. He wanted dominos pepperoni pizza and a Pokémon cake.

We have an amazing bakery down the street from our home. You can send them a picture of what you want, and they make it!

Enjoying pizza with his friends.

Caleb does not like a lot of attention, but he was a good sport when everyone sang him happy birthday :).

After pizza and cake, the kids played twister, had a big Nerf battle, played legos, and Nintendo switch.

This is Caleb’s new friend from camp, Dominic. He also lives in our neighborhood and they have become good friends this summer. They worked diligently to build a lego set he got for his birthday.

The finished product, San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, next to his Tokyo set. He was very proud of putting a 16+ lego set together!

He also received a 3D puzzle, which was a race car, that he and Benjamin built together.

Caleb reported a very fun day! We are so glad that he has made some nice friends this summer and that they could celebrate his birthday together. 

 

Caleb is double digits!!

It is hard to believe our first born is now ten, and how much has happened between the time he was born and now. Caleb has been so excited for his upcoming birthday and we had a fun day celebrating him! Caleb has matured a lot this past year and continues to be inquisitive about the world around him. He loves fantasy and spooky movies, video games, reading, especially comic books, playing outside, building with legos, and Pokémon. Caleb is adventurous and willing to try new things. He loves being with this siblings, and he equally enjoys time alone to recharge. Caleb is a loyal friend, does not like conflict, and he compromises easily with others (sometimes too easily). He is a very good big brother and we love watching the way he interacts with his siblings and watching their relationships grow. He and Benjamin have a very strong friendship and they play together all the time. Caleb and Eliza have a sweet relationship and we love seeing how he is attentive to her and how she looks up to him.

Caleb had camp on his birthday, and they surprised him with a cake at the end of the day, then we celebrated when he and Benjamin got home. Caleb’s favorite color is pink,  so that was the theme for the day!

He asked for sucuk, a Turkish sausage for dinner. Kadem is an excellent Turkish food cook, and she made him his favorite meal. She also joined us for dinner and cupcakes. 

Caleb requested Pokémon cupcakes, that we ordered from our favorite local bakery.

Firework candles for the win!

Afterwards, he opened gifts. The kids were so excited for his birthday, and they each picked out a Pokémon gift for Caleb.

Eliza kept telling Caleb happy birthday throughout the day, it was really sweet.

Caleb loved his gifts from everyone. Afterwards we watched a spooky movie together and ended the night. It was the perfect way to celebrate Caleb, and this weekend he will have a few friends over for a play date and pizza and cake.

Caleb Nathan, we are so proud of the young man you are becoming and we love you very much. Happy 10th birthday!

Nisantasi Pazar and Turkuaz

 Nathan and I had the day of together on Friday and decided to explore a market and handicraft store close to our home. Nisantasi Pazar is a local market that sells pretty much everything, from clothes, shoes, home made foods, kitchenware, home goods, purses, toys, electronics, party supplies, you name it, they have it! It’s a two-story market with outdoor and indoor sections. Here is some of the pretty fruit at an outside stand.

Walking the isles on the main floor.

I am not a knitter, but if I was, I would appreciate the nice yarn selection.

More fresh produce on the lower level. Everything was so colorful.

Nuts and spices.

Turkish pastries and sweets. We bought a couple borek, which is a flaky pastry stuffed with potato or cheese, and a pastry with apple filling.

Lots of olives!

And of course, a large pickle station.

Afterwards, we walked down the street and ate at a restaurant called Adana Sofrasi. We got an Adana kebap (lamb) and a beef kepap. They had kunefah on the menu, which is one of my favorite desserts from Jordan that I had not eaten since we left, so we ordered that for dessert.

Next, we went to a handicraft store down the road that was recommended to us by a co-worker. They had beautiful ceramic tiles, plates, vases, tea sets, paintings, and various custom made items. The owner was so nice, and took the time to share information about the items in the store, and explain some of the different prominent Turkish designs that are seen on the ceramics. 

These wooden tea trays were so pretty, and you can choose the tile for the middle.

He also does custom framing, so we may go back in the future to get some pictures framed.

In 2008, he said he made 100 each of these American Embassy plates. 

Upstairs he sold carpets.

He had pretty Turkish carpets. They were more durable and the patterns were more tribal looking, than some of the more finer woven carpets we have seen. They were unique and very nice!

We had fun day exploring a new places in town and browsing different things.

That evening we had our team over for dinner to wish one of our co-workers farewell. It was nice to gather with everyone outside of work, and the kids love having visitors, and equally enjoyed it. 

We have been enjoying beautiful warm, but not too hot days, and cool mornings and evening. The lavender, lilies, and roses are in full bloom in the neighborhood!

Happy Saturday!

Visitors!

We had our first visitors this past weekend! Victoria and Brett, our good friends from Jordan who now live in Istanbul, drove to Ankara to spend time with our family. It had been about a year and a half since we saw them, and it was so much fun to spend time with them! They arrived around lunchtime on Saturday and we spent the afternoon at home catching up and playing with the kids. Our kids adore them and were so happy to see them too.  That evening the four of us went to dinner at a Turkish restaurant and the food was delicious.

Somehow we had room for dessert, which was a baklava slice with Turkish ice cream...it was quite the presentation.

On Sunday, we went to Ulus, the old part of the city, to visit the Ankara Castle and walk around the shop area. It’s a cute part of town with narrow roads and cobblestone streets. In July, Turkey finally lifted the Sunday lockdowns, and this was the first Sunday since mid-November, that we could be out and about and stores are open!

They love cats!

It’s a small castle, but you get a nice view of the city from the top.

Victoria is a dear friend and I am so thankful we met in Jordan a few years ago! 

Afterwards, we walked though some streets then ate lunch at a nice outdoor restaurant we went to last time we came.

More good food was eaten...it’s a theme in Turkey!

The kids got cotton candy and I took them home, and Nathan, Brett, and Victoria stayed a while longer to walk around.

That afternoon we celebrated Brett and Victoria’s upcoming wedding. They were supposed to have their wedding in the U.S. last July, but....COVID. But in two weeks it is happening! They are such a sweet couple, and we are so happy they found each other in Jordan.

Eliza loves Victoria and especially loved all the spoiling she received this weekend:)

The boys had a lot of fun with them this weekend. Victoria spent a lot of time with our family in Jordan, and it has been really neat for her to watch them grow so much over the years. It’s like good friends, they pick up right where they left off. 

On Monday, the four of us went to Turkish breakfast then they headed back to Istanbul. Breakfast was delicious....this was not even all of the food, our table was completely full by the time it all came out.

It was so much fun to spend the time together, and it was so nice of them to come visit right before they left for their wedding just a few days after visiting us!