First day of school!

On September 15 the Turkish school year started. We had a fun summer, but the kids were (mostly) excited to go back to school, especially Vienna who couldn't wait to wear her "costume" (how she referred to her uniform. haha). 

We love our little village school and all the kids have great teachers who really care about their students and seeing them succeed! I'm so thankful that we've had such a good school experience for our kids so far. As foreigners at a Turkish school, learning in a language that is not their primary one can have its challenges, but everyday I'm amazed at how brave my kids are and how God is so faithful to take care of their every need! 

Yohanis is in 3rd grade, Colson is in 2nd, Vienna is in 1st and Isaiah and Brooks get to hang out at home with me.

LOVE these guys!

Chicago Turkish Festival

The pottery shop that Joel is working with in Turkey was invited to attend the Chicago Turkish Festival at the beginning of September. Joel and the two owners got to spend 5 days in Chicago - it was an amazing opportunity and so fun to see Turkish culture being celebrated in the US. Joel also got to hang out with his brothers who drove 9 hours from PA to visit. Such a special time!

The tent all set up and ready for the festival

Pottery lessons for kids

Joel and the owners of Den-ka pottery with a boy who made his first piece on the wheel

They do such beautiful work!

Can you tell who Joel's brothers are?! ;)

Traditional dancers

One of my favorite pictures.

I'm so glad Joel got to hang out with his brothers. It was so fun for him - we normally only see them every few years.

The Bible's Story

Okay, so I have to brag about my amazingly talented sister. She's a published author, you guys!! I'm so proud of her and all the hard work she's put into writing this Bible story that kids of all ages will enjoy. And I'm SO excited to tell you that it is FINALLY ready! So I want you to go and order your copy (or 2 or 20) today, right now!

Just click on this link to go to her website and order your book. My sister tells the story of the bible in such a beautiful, funny way that not only kids will enjoy, but adults as well! Plus, the illustrations are awesome!

From the wesbite:

The characters and events of the Bible come to life in this creative and contemporary Bible story book. Your children will understand and enjoy not just individual stories found in the Bible but the exciting theme woven throughout the whole Bible. From creation to the life of King Jesus, this book tells THE whole story.

So go on, what are you waiting for? Check it OUT!

Village wedding

Last month we attended the wedding of our good friend's sister in their village. We were invited for the whole weekend to celebrate all of the festivities (and there are many), but decided just to stay for one night and to leave our mischievous little two-and-a-half year old home with his aunt and uncle (best decision ever right there - it made the trip so much easier and dare I say even relaxing)!

Vienna with the bride

the newlyweds

The bride's family

Friends and family getting ready to greet the bride and groom

Where we danced all night. Okay, I didn't dance at all, but had fun watching until about 11:00pm. Joel got his groove on until the wee hours of the morning. He's much more fun than I am :)

Breakfast with friends the next morning

View of the village from our friend's balcony

Good friends who hosted us :)

Worn out baby!

Summer 2014 (in pictures)

The kids getting their report cards on the last day of school in June (better late than never, right?)

Our favorite place to go on the weekend

Father's Day camp out in the backyard. 5 boys. 2 daddies. Lots of laughter. Marshmellows roasted. Games of Uno and Spoons played. Not a great night of sleep, but well worth it!

Brooks' 6 month picture

Isaiah hiding in our tomato plants. We enjoyed lots of tomatoes from our garden this year.

The good thing about 100 degree days is that the sheets dry in about 20 minutes!

Friends gathering in our living room for church on Sunday morning.

Yohanis loved helping Joel make his new bed

The finished product. So special that it was something Yohanis and Joel made together!

This boy LOVES babies! He will make a great daddy someday.

The supermoon in July!

Colson finally lost his first tooth at 7 years old!

Not to be outdone by her big brother, Vienna decided to go ahead and lose her first tooth a few weeks later at 5 years old.

This kid and the sprinkler - it doesn't get much cuter!

Yohanis and the love he has for his baby brother is so precious! There have been many times when Yohanis has BEGGED me to rock Brooks to sleep.  These two together just melt my heart!

Isaiah could seriously throw rocks into the water all.day.long!

Eating one of our favorite treats - simit (Turkish bagel) - on the beach

Joel took the big boys with him to the pottery shop one day and they pretty much had the time of their lives getting so dirty!

I will miss these summer nights with a backyard full of kids and good friends

On the beach watching the sunset and the supermoon rise in August.

These guys were so excited when their sunflower finally opened!

Sweet, giggly, girlies having a "girls picnic"

Colson climbed into bed with Yohanis one night so they could read books by the nightlight and I found them like this when I checked on them later.

Do my eyes deceive me? 4 kids. Playing together. Without fighting. For a solid 30 minutes. Miracles do happen, people!

My sweet baby Brooks hanging out at his new favorite spot. When he isn't busy trying to knock the lamp over, pulling on electrical cords or chewing on shoes, he can be found at the front door watching his big brothers and sister play outside. He can't wait to join in on the fun!

The plus side of eating so much yogurt is that the empty containers make such fun hats

Date night with my one and only taking an evening stroll by the bay. Perfect!