Moving day!

Thought I'd sneak in one more post before we don't have the internet anymore. What am I going to do without the internet for a week?!?! I'm sure it will be good for me!

I'm getting a little sad now that our apartment is empty and I'm thinking about all the memories we've had here! We are moving about a half hour away, and although it really isn't that far, it sure does seem like it. For the past 4.5 years everything I needed and all my friends were literally right around the corner. And now it will be different. Sniff sniff. I know we will still visit our friends and they will come and see us (and we will make new friends too). And I know God has led us to this place, for this season in our lives and we are excited about it. Just lots of bittersweet feelings at the moment.

Okay, enough being sappy, here is a picture of my kiddos "helping" to pack (sorry for the blurry cellphone pictures).

And here was our dinner last night that our sweet friends made us. Looks yummy, huh? I'm SO going to miss Turkish food while we're in the States.

Have a great weekend! Next time I post, we'll be in America. Eeeek!!!

Well, it has been a very busy month around these parts :)

Joel was traveling 3 out of the last 4 weekends, we are packing up our apartment and moving to a new one, AND we are leaving for the States in just 9 days!!!

Watching the rain from the balcony

We officially move on Friday, but we have slowly been emptying out our apartment throughout the last month and putting things in our new place. Our current apartment is pretty much bare at the moment. We have one couch and we're all sleeping on mattresses on the floor. I'm thankful we don't have a lot of stuff, it makes moving so much easier! And the kids are having a blast playing soccer inside with all the empty space!

Peek-a-boo!

It's such a weird feeling going back to America. It has been 4.5 years since we lived there and it definitely doesn't feel like home anymore, but Turkey doesn't completely feel like home yet either. We kind of feel like we don't quite fit in anywhere! But that is okay with me, and even though it's hard to feel so out of place anywhere I go, it's a constant reminder that this world is not my home and that I'm a citizen of heaven!

Watching out the window for daddy to come home

We are really looking forward to spending time with our families. Isaiah has not even met all of his grandparents yet. I can't wait for my kids to experience a little bit of what my childhood was like growing up on a farm! It will be so good for them - a HUGE change from city life, that's for sure!

 Picking mulberries at the park

The kids are wrapping up their last week of Turkish school and I'm so proud of how confident and brave they were this year. They've all received good grades and made friends and I've seen their Turkish improve so much - especially Vienna. She started kindergarten only knowing a handful of words and now she speaks so well! She even has the confidence to run up to new kids at the park and invite them to play a game with her. Of course, with learning Turkish comes the Turkish attitude that kids talk with here, but I guess I'll take what I can get :)

DADDY'S HOME - hands down their favorite time of day!

This will be my last post until we're in the good ol' US of A since we don't have internet hooked up at our new place yet. If you think about it, we'd love prayers for our looooong flight with 4 kids and this pregnant mama! The good thing is that Turks LOVE kids and are so understanding, so I don't think we'll get any mean looks from people if Isaiah cries, in fact, I'm pretty much positive the moment he makes a sound he will be offered candy! Anyway, prayers are much appreciated! THANK YOU!

Cousins (Ermiyas is finally home- WOOHOO!)

Children's Day 2013

April 23rd is Children's Day in Turkey and it is a HUGE deal here! The kids had been practicing their dances since pretty much the beginning of the school year and oh my goodness were they ever adorable! Colson and Vienna are in the same kindergarten class and Yohanis is in first grade, but somehow they all ended up with red and white outfits. So cute! 

So proud of my kiddos!! Enjoy the pictures and videos :)