Our Amazing Kiddos!

So to be honest, nothing great has been going on lately. I wish there were more going on as far as fun trips and exciting adventures, but so far, none of that! We are struggling to find trips that are affordable for all of us to go on. We would love to go some places, but with 3 young kids, it makes it a little bit more challenging. We WILL go!!! We are saving up for some really fun things coming up next year, but this year we are going to try to go on a few little trips. Im looking forward to what fun adventures our near future holds. So, until then I am posting random pictures of the kids to show how awesome they are! They are such great kids and we are so blessed for that. I realize everyday how much they are growing and it kills me! I want them to grow up for some obvious reasons, but it's also sad to know that they will never be this young again!

July 2010

So it appears that I am a little behind on my blog entries. So, Im cutting my losses and starting from this month. Nothing great has really happened in the past couple months anyways. The kids are doing great and growing up way too fast. I started a job about 3 months ago and am enjoying the time out of the house. I work Mon-Fri from 7:30-1:00 at the education center here on base. Joe works a lot of long hours, but gets 3 day weekends every week. It's nice to have that extra day to get away if we need to. Both Joe and I are in school for the summer semester leaving very little "extra" time....whatever that is! We are getting by, but don't think we will put ourselves through this again! Joe is going to take a break after this summer and I will only enroll in 1 course at a time from now on! I used to be able to do 3 or 4 at a time, but extra kids do make a difference! I think I only had Lauren when I would do that! Slowly but surely we will get there!

Our 4th (Really the 3rd) of July Get-A-Way

Karatas

We made it! (It's only a 40 min. drive)

The view coming in

What a beautiful view

Nolan conked out on the way to the beach

Lauren brought her friend Abby

Enjoying the perfect weather

Owen and Daddy

We stopped by a yummy restaurant on the way back

 

Independence Day 2010

Ooooo....ahhhh!

They got really dirty that night!

Nolan and Lauren have been sleeping together lately. I think it's so sweet!

Easter 2010

This year our Easter was downplayed a bit! Since we didn't have our household goods yet, we didn't have easter baskets, eggs to hide the candy in, or anything for that matter! None of that was available at our BX either! Our BX is lame! But, we still managed to figure something out to keep it fun for the kids!

Lauren enjoying her Rice Krispies bird nest

This was part of our FHE activity. Joe and I made up a game last second that turned out to be pretty funny! We took this bowl of m&ms and had everyone take a turn at taking one out without looking. The person that could find the "black" m&m was the winner! But, um...there were no black m&ms! A few min. before the game was over when I could see the m&ms were almost out I took one of mine that I hadn't eaten yet and colored it black with a dry erase marker we had setting out. Lauren ended up getting the last one (that was planned!). She loves being the winner! We don't always let her win, but this time she did!

Lauren and her bestie Lauren! She came over on Easter and had an Easter Egg Hunt with us!

Owen wanted to eat that so bad!

Our messy Nolan!

Lauren and Nolan both got their faces painted at the squadron Easter Egg Hunt.

The First Man to Ever Set Foot on the Moon

This isn't a great picture, but we were aways back so this is the best one we got! I could have gotten one from the net, but thought one that we actually took would be more cool!

I know this was awhile back, but I still wanted to write a bit about it. A few months ago we had the opportunity to meet Neil Armstrong and several other Aeronautical Legends. Most of them are "old" men, but they had some really interesting stories to tell; stories that aren't in the history books. I really hadn't heard of most of the men there, but I just thought it was so cool to be able to say that I saw Neil Armstrong in person. I never dreamed I would live here in Turkey and certainly never thought I would meet a legend such as the first man to walk on the moon! I am so grateful for all the amazing opportunities we are getting out here!

Owen Baby- 7 Months Old

Yep, they even have a McDonalds here!

Just crawling around!

Sink Bath!

Owen is still my perfect little baby. He is almost always happy. Every time we go out anywhere we stop traffic...especially here in Turkey! They love babies! Some even want to hold him and take pictures! So far Owen has mastered the military crawl and is occasionally crawling with his knees. He is always filthy when he is crawling because our floors are all tile! It's nearly impossible to keep tile clean! He is sitting up on his own and doing it very well. He has 2 bottom teeth. He has his first runny nose right now. He hates it when I wipe it! Today he fell asleep at dinner with a pancake in his mouth! He's so precious!

709 McConnell Lane

This is a picture of our old house at Whiteman. Our old neighbor took it and sent it to us. I was not expecting to see this when I opened the file. It brought immediate tears to my eyes. This is my home that is being demolished! We made some really great memories in that home. We had 5 Christmas' in that house. We brought each one of our babies home from the hospital in that house. It was our first house together. It may not be the prettiest, but we loved it. We will miss it, but realize we have to make every place we are our "new" home.

No Training Wheels!

This year we didn't really do much for St. Patty's Day. I did make sure all my kids and myself were wearing green, but that was about it. Some big things did happen on that day though. My little Lauren learned to ride her bike with no training wheels. She has been riding her bike with her other friends that no longer need training wheels. She just came to me and asked me to take them off. I was surprised! My neighbor and I helped her for about 15 minutes and off she went! She was more than ready. Now, only days later she is doing tricks and turns like she's been doing it for years! She scares me, but eventually she will fall and learn to be more careful. I hate watching my kids learn things that hard way. Im still so proud of my baby girl! Go Lauren!

Kid Update

This will be brief, but I can't forget to record things about the kids. They are changing in so many ways.

The kids are adjusting really great here. Lauren has several friends around her age that she likes to play with. One of them is our neighbor and her name is also Lauren! She is 6 years old, but the same size as my Lauren. She is in school most of the day so all day long Lauren asks, "is Lauren home yet?" Poor girl! This Aug. she is going to be in Kindergarten! She is ready!

Nolan is just Nolan! He is very active and wants to run outside all the time. We have a great fenced in back yard that I let him go in anytime he wants. But the problem is....no toys yet! So he doesn't stay out there long! He has so far learned how to open the windows and hang out of them! We have called housing about this because there is no lock for the window! Very Scary! He also has a friend next door. But they are 2 so sharing is an issue! Soon he will be older and will understand how to play better.

Owen is still just perfect! He is teething, but doesn't fuss much. He already have his 2 bottom teeth in. He is eating solids...or trying to! He is starting to crawl. For quite awhile he has been turning onto his tummy. He actually did that over Christmas. It is hard for him because our floors are tile. They are hard and dirty : ( We put blankets down for him but he finds his way off of them quickly. Soon we will have carpet and it will be better for him. He is just taking everything in. I love this age!

Update from Turkey

This is the mosque in downtown Adana. Each morning around 5am, there is a prayer call that wakes us up! Prayer call is 5 times a day and is heard for miles. We live about 7 miles from this mosque.

Another restaurant we ventured out to called ELEM. The language barrier made it very interesting, but we made it through and ate some really great food!

Fruit is a typical dessert and is usually given "on the house"

A portion of the huge kebap

On our date with the other adults from our branch

A server cutting out each individual portion

This kebap was huge!... about 15 ft. long!

anticipating what's next!

Driving on the autobahn. Most people live in apartments here.

An amphitheater we found on the side of the road as we were driving back from Kizkalesi

Kizkalezi

Owen loved the beach!

They will be great friends one day!

Okay I realize it has been forever since I've posted, but in my defense, I did just move halfway across the world! Now that we have internet and a house things are starting to settle down a bit. We are still patiently waiting for our household goods and car to get here. Hopefully only another month...X~fingers crossed ~X We have already made some really good friends. We have a nice branch for church too. There are about 40 members that attend right now. It's nice to be able to be all the way over here (in a country that is 99% Muslim) and still have a group of people to meet with that have my same beliefs.

We have been here about 3 weeks and have been able to go off base a few times. Right outside of base there is the "Ally" That's what everyone calls it. The ally is just a strip of stores and restaurants. From what I understand most Turks don't eat there. I guess it is in a way Americanized. I've seen Turks eating there so I'm not sure how much I believe that. I guess it's just not as authentic. But it is nice to go eating there because they do speak a little English.

There are so many things we want to do while we are here. One being to take the free language class available. We have books and stuff, but I think it will be much easier if we just have someone teach it to us instead of try to figure it out on our own. Really it would just be nice to learn some basic words, like thank you and bathroom! Last night we ventured off base a bit to a restaurant that was recommended to us by one of Joe's TNs (Turkish Nationals) at work. It was a really nice restaurant. The food was great! It was tough with the language barrier. There was one guy that knew a tiny bit of English so he helped us throughout the dinner. At one point he took me over to a computer and went on Google translate so we could understand each other. It was awkward, but fun! Im glad we did it! I know there will be more of those times. I can see how that night could have been a lot easier had we known how to pronounce some things and also knew some basic mannerisms. Another thing that is hard to learn is how to eat some of their food. They will bring out several dishes before your main meal comes. Most of it Im sure is for the main dish, but some of it you can eat by itself. I wanted to watch some of the other people in the restaurant eat so I wouldn't look dumb! At one point last night the waitress came over and showed me how to eat my Adana kebap! I was cutting the bread and he was telling/showing me to just pull it apart! We will learn these things, but in the meantime we will just look silly when we go out!

The base is small, but sill pretty nice. You can walk anywhere in 30 minutes. I enjoy walking actually. We just entered into a challenge put on by the HAWC (Health and Wellness Center) called The Biggest Loser. So I am needing to lose weight. My goal was to lose all my baby weight in 14 weeks. That is 30lbs. I have to lose it anyways so it's nice incentive for me to be in this.

Almost there

I just found this in my drafts. According to the date, this was written a 2 months ago today.

Just a few more weeks before we are supposed to leave. There are so many loose ends to clean up before we go. This is probably the most stress I have ever felt. The thought of traveling that far with 3 kids is probably one of the things stressing me out the most. I know it's going to be a huge headache. I keep telling myself one day at a time. I am starting to really grasp the full meaning of that statement. I can do it.

Christmas 2009

This year's Christmas was a bit interesting compared to most years. We drove to Indiana to be with all our family (my side). There were a few hiccups in the trip, but we still had a good time. We were able to see a lot of family we don't normally get to see when we go home. Uncle Greg and Aunt Shelly, my cousin Nikki and her family, Grandma Poor, Eric and Michelle and their new baby girl Arianna, and Cassidy and Anita and their family. It was fun to have all the newborn babies together. Arianna was born in July, then 5 weeks later in September Owen was born and then 6 weeks later in October Ava was born. They are all super adorable babies! It was fun to see my sister as a first time mom taking care of her baby. I am so glad I was able to be pregnant with her at least once. We have enjoyed sharing various stories before and after their births. We are also both learning in a very real way that there are many different parenting styles out there and neither one is labeled as either right nor wrong. It is okay to do things differently!

Just before we left for Indiana we gave the kids an early gift from us. Their Leapsters! That way they had something to do on the 8 hour trip there. They seemed to help distract them some, but 8 hours is a long time! They always do great in the car though so it wasn't too bad.

Even though Nolan is probably too young for one, I know he would have tried to steal Lauren's so in order to prevent a problem, he got one too!

Miss Lauren of course got the pink one!

Nolan was a pro at tearing the tissue paper. We should have just given him that for Christmas!

Mr. Nolan opening his Cars lego set from his Uncle Cassidy

Miss Lauren with her new cousin Ava

Shawna (the new mommy) and he baby Ava

They will be friends one day!

Owen and Ava

We enjoyed the snow once we got to Indiana and also on the drive home. We came home to an unshoveled driveway and a porch covered in snow! Since we got home we have been hermits! Playing lots of games and organizing for our big move coming up. New Years was just simple, but fun. We stayed home with just the family. Everyone but Owen stayed up until midnight. He decided to wake up and celebrate around 2am! Lucky me! The kids loved playing games and celebrating! They looked so cute with their little champaign glasses filled with sparkling white grape juice. It's so fun to be all grown up and have a family of my own. I love it!

All tangled up!

Lauren came to me last week almost in tears. She was so afraid we wouldn't be able to get it out! It took forever, but after about 20 min. viola! I have no clue how she got it so wrapped up! I'll bet she never does that again!

Owen is 3 months old!

Owen baby you are so perfect! You love to sleep! The couple hours you are awake during the day you are such a joy to be with. You grin like no other baby! The small dimple on your chin make you even more perfect! I know you are going to grow up just as fast as your brother and sister have and it make's me sad. You make life sweeter! I love you baby boy!

Busy!

For most people this is already a really busy time of the year. For us this year, I think the busyness has tripled! We have so much going on. Christmas, new baby, toddler, and an overseas move. It's stressful to move period, but add a few thousand miles extra and it's even more stressful! There is so much involved in moving overseas. In order to move we have to have 2 inspections on our house before we move out. Passport photos, passport application, medical clearance, dental clearance, immunizations, briefings, car inspections, research, etc. There are laws over in Turkey that we have to prepare for. For example, Joe has to buy a new helmet because Europe doesn't recognize DOT certified helmets, they only recognize ECE certified. Joe just purchased his helmet too, so that's more money we get to fork out! We have been trying to weed out all our extra things we no longer need or use to help simplify things. The houses overseas are smaller we've heard, leaving less room for storage. Also before you move to Turkey you have to put all your valuables on a form called a bayename. This is to ensure that you leave with the items that you came with....even if it's broken and no longer works. If you are missing any items that were originally on your bayename, you will be fined a large amount by the Turkish government. We heard of a person that was missing his VCR and was charged $2500 for not having it. They don't mess around over there! So, for that reason we are also weeding out things we aren't sure will work for the next 2 years. Things like our living room tv. We know we want to replace that anyways and it weighs a lot, taking up precious poundage. We have a weight limit of I believe 6000 pounds. That has to include Joe's motorcycle! Lots to do and about 6 more weeks to get it all done! Can we say CrAzY!

Nolan is a really good boy, but is the typical toddler that makes mess after mess. We have gates, but he now knows how to climb over and take them down. Anything in this house he feels if free realm!...I including my shoes in my closet! I found him wearing high heels the other day! Thank goodness Lauren is in school everyday. She goes 4 half days every week. She absolutely loves going! Owen is the most perfect baby!...Seriously he is! Hardly ever cries! I needed him right now! He is making my life so much easier than it could be! Soon we will be traveling to Indiana one last time to visit all the family for Christmas. I know it will be bittersweet. Two years is not that long, but it is when you consider that you won't be seeing your family for that long. We may make it home 1 time, but I'm not even sure of that. It's tough, but I guess that's the price you pay when you have a husband serving in the military. We will enjoy our time over there. I know it!

Let's take a vote!

There has been some discussion on which kid Owen takes more after. I am leaving the decision to you! These are all pictures of my kids when they were 2 months old. One set each of smiling, sleeping, and bath time. I think they all resemble each other nicely, but they are of course siblings so that's no big surprise! Let us know what you think!

Sleeping.....

Owen

Nolan

Lauren

Smiling....

Owen

Nolan

Lauren

Bath time......

Owen

Nolan

Lauren