New Toys

We wanted to thank our dear teammates who gave us such a great gift when we came back to the States. Here are a couple of things we bought! Thank you so much, it has been nice to be able to get a few things on our wish list! You guys Rock and we miss you SO MUCH!

Botanical Gardens

Spring is offically here. The weather has been goreous lately and we even experienced our first Kansas thunderstorm yesterday (we really missed those)! Sunday we headed to the Wichita Botanical Gardens to check out the Tulips in bloom. It was a goregous day and the flowers were beautiful. Marvin of course was in his element and enjoyed seeing several new varieties. Calvin enjoyed the stroller ride, but really didn't seem to notice the flowers. It was fun to get out and do something as a family.

Calvin's 1st bedroom....finally

It's pretty crazy but Calvin is 6 months old now and this is his first room. No more bunking with Mom and Dad wherever we are staying for the week! It has been awesome and Calvin has slept much better without us in the room. We can actually talk above a whisper in our bedroom.


Calvin loves his pacifier, but he usually only gets it if he is tired or about to go down for a nap. When I took this picture he saw it in his crib and reached right over and grabbed it like a pro. He definitely knows what it is for. The other morning I wasn't quite awake and I was laying down beside him and he kept trying to put it in my mouth. I thought it was sweet that he was trying to share!

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law had a crib that we borrowed along with a changing table. It has been a complete blessing not having to hunt one down. I have hit a few garage sales and found some great deals. I even found this crib toy, just like someone gave to us for our shower. Unfortunately the original turtle crib toy is still in Nineveh, but I was so excited to see someone had one for sale. It's the little things that really touch my heart. It is crazy to see how Father has provided for us. I think all that I have left to find for his room is a changing pad for the top of the changing table. I am torn whether to buy something that we have to leave behind, or order one through IKEA that would be easier to pack.

Calvin is sitting up pretty well right now, yesterday he sat up for about 5 minutes with no topples. He still isn't to the point where he doesn't topple over so until then I'll stay close by.

It's funny because I still have my first CD player. I got it when I was in 7th grade along with a Mariah Carey CD and Boys 2 Men CD. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world and I just have to laugh at it now. The thing is Massive, but it still works so Calvin inherited it, it takes up almost the entire shelf of his changing table. But it plays nap time music. Speaking of music I decided I really enjoy the Baby Einstein toys, not because they make your child smarter, because they don't, but because the music that they include isn't annoying. Hooray for classical music!

I found these little wooden animals at Hobby Lobby and thought they were cute and went with the Zoo theme of his room so I bought them not knowing what I would do with them. The other day I had the idea to make a mobile with them, all I needed was a hoop, ribbon and a glue gun. There was already a hook above his changing table and I though it would give my little squirmer something to look at. Calvin loves it and has helped make diaper changing a little easier. YEAH!

Yum!

6 Months old Already

Calvin is has been a part of this world 6 months and has added so much to our lives. He seems to love to wake up chatting up a storm ready to go in the morning. I am thankful that he is okay in his crib for a few minutes before I can get my eyes to stay open to get him. He is starting to sleep better, but after a few nights of only waking up at 11:00 that streak ended last night. I am praying that this night feedings come to an end soon, as I haven't slept through the night since probably May of last year. Pregnancy has a way of helping you get used to this. I am ready to get some more sleep.

Calvin went to the doctor and seems to be in the 25th percentile in everything. He is 16 lb. 5 oz. right now and getting bigger everyday. He is slowly getting more hair, but it is very light so most people can't tell he has any.

He loves to laugh and started laughing if you laugh and smile at him. I absolutely love it. We has been rolling over everywhere now. But he tends to roll away from the toy he is trying to get to. This has been a little frustrating for him, but he will get the hang of it.
He never stops moving. He loved the table at the doctor's office because they had paper on the table and every time he moved it made a sound. His doctor even commented about how much he moved.

Calvin started to eat Rice cereal like Saturday and gobbled it all up. He loves food and loves spoons. He will try to grab the spoon almost every time we give him a spoonful of cereal, so it makes meal time interesting. We are going to try some sweet potatoes and avocados this week. I can't wait to see what his reaction will be.

Tastey Toes

I was able to snap a picture of the first time he rolled over from his back to his stomach!

Calvin was having trouble sleeping when we first moved him and so this was our naptime solution one day. Aparently washing dishes puts a baby right to sleep.

Things that have rocked my world and things that haven't

We moved into our house 2 weeks ago and have almost unpacked all of our boxes!!! It feels so nice to have a home. After a couple of days of moving in our suitcases were empty and it has been nice not having to reach to the floor every time we needed something. We have been so loved by the fellowships next door. They brought us dinner when we moved in and several times that first week. It was such blessing to not have to cook that first week we moved. We forgot about a few things we had and were excited to flip through some old photo albums. We found our wedding album and we were so young when we got married. It's hard to believe that about 6 years ago I was in the midst of wedding planning. Time sure flies

Marvin was out of town this week and it was so good to see him yesterday. About 5:00 everyday Calvin and I wait for Marvin to get home. We had to find something else to do this week. Thankfully he has a 3 day weekend, so we get to enjoy him while he is home an extra day.

Since we have been back there have been a few things that have rocked my world. Most of them you probably never really think about, but they have encouraged my heart and provided some joy so here they go:

Cooking spray! I went to the grocery store for the first time after we moved to stock our kitchen and was thrilled to see cooking spray. It completely forgot about this marvelous invention. I have to tell you, I love not having to go through the mess of greasing a pan.

Aluminum Foil! It is so strong here and I even bought the keep stuff.

The Radio! It has added some diversity to my ears. I never knew how much I listened to the same play lists on our ipod until I started listening to the radio. A touch of a button will yield a new genre of songs. I love it.

Passport Free Travel! We can go somewhere and I don't have to be aware of where I put my passport.

CRUSHED ICE! Need I say more, we have now entered the world of ice in drinks. Honestly drinks are a little too cold for me sometimes but I love crushed ice, yum.

Calling friends and family on the same time zone! We no longer have to wake up before the sun rises or stay up late to call our family. Instead we have to wait until we have free minutes, ha!

Kansas! Many people underestimate our little state. It really is stunningly beautiful in the spring. If you have ever seen a sunset on the Flint Hills you can't disagree with me.

A Car! It makes shopping for groceries so much more convenient, however in a way I do miss public transportation. I went to Dillions yesterday and they even carried my groceries out to my car, I had forgotten about that service.

Garage Sales! Yesterday was my first day of going to garage sales and found some great toys for Calvin at great prices. I can't wait see what we can find at garage sales.

Washers & Dryers! I can wash and dry a load of laundry in the time it took me to wash one load. European washers do a much better job though, but I am thankful to get more done in less time.

Things I am not too excited about:
Produce. I miss the market, but we just heard about a farmer's market here in Wichita that is open every Saturday. I don't get why we wrap everything in plastic. I bought zucchini the other day and it they were individually wrapped in plastic wrap. Also all the organic stuff out there is kind of funny. I have a feeling people might be going over the top on this.

Car Seats. I am thankful that Calvin is safe in the car, but they are a PAIN, especially if you have to switch vehicles a lot. Plus we have a small car and in order to fit Calvin's car seat into our car we have to have the front seat pushed all the way up and the seat straight up. It is rather uncomfortable riding in the front seat, and honestly I prefer the back seat on long trips. Plus when Calvin is awake I can attempt to entertain him while he is restrained, something he isn't thrilled about. It will be nice when we can move his car seat to being forward facing but we have another 6 months to go before we can even think about it.

Electric stoves. I am thankful we have a stove, but miss a gas stove. It takes forever just to boil water, so I slowly getting used to a new way to cook.

Flip Flops! I love that I can already wear flip flops and nobody asks me if my feet are cold. Last year it was seriously 80 degrees and so I broke out my sandals and I had a million people comment on my feet, they were so worried that I would catch something. Especially those who knew I was pregnant.

Lastly here a few things I have had to adjust to:
Seeing people go out wearing "house clothes" (athletic pants and t-shirts). People only wear these things if they are around their house or in an athletic setting. The first time I saw someone I thought, oh my goodness they are wearing their pajamas out of the house and I was a little embarrassed for them. (Although I did see someone wearing pajamas.)

Writing Checks. We haven't had to do it for a couple of years because we lived in a cash society. I was nice not having to carry a huge wad of cash when we bought our car.

Wearing shoes inside people's homes. We went to a small group to have dinner and I was so uncomfortable the whole time because I had my shoes on, but everyone else did so I though we would really stick out if we went without them.

Pictures from A Crazy Month of Traveling

Calvin was bright eyed and alert this morning. His eyes appear to remain blue, but also have a bit of green and brown in them, he gets that from his daddy. He is so close to rolling over and is sitting up for about 20-30 seconds without toppling over. Our little man is certainly growing up, it has been so fun to watch him figure a few things out lately.

Marvin started working last week and since we couldn't move into our house until Saturday we stayed with some friends. They have a 12 month old and they thoughtfully put their swing in our room and it was nice to be able to put Calvin in it while I got dressed or while I packed up again. He was fussing one night and the swing worked wonders as he fell right asleep a few seconds after I got him going.

Calvin also got to try out a Johnny Jump Up while we stayed at our friends house. He loved it, but once he got tired he let me know he was done. I ordered a little play thing and hopefully he will enjoy it as he can jump in it too. I am hoping it will keep him occupied while I get things unpacked this next week.

We snapped a couple of pictures of the S boys before we left Minnesota

Calvin did well during our visit and napped well in the car during our tour of the Twin Cities. Calvin loves his Uncle John.

It snowed Easter weekend and everything was so beautiful with the new fallen snow.

Calvin with his awesome cousin who we have done alot of praying for lately, he was in a farming accident a week ago. The Lord protected him from too much harm, but has some recovery to do. We can't wait to see this young man smiling once again.

It has been so much fun for both of our parents to get to know our little guy. Calvin just lights up when his grandma starts talking to him. I love it.

All the Cousins posing for a picture.

Our niece just loves baby Calvin. He has gotten used to her holding him, but occasionally he isn't thrilled.

We move into our house on SATURDAY and all three of us are just pumped to get settled somewhere and to put our suitcases in a closet for a while. All of this traveling has been hard on all three of us, we are ready to get into a good routine in the next couple of weeks. There are so many more friends we would love to see and hope to catch you very soon.

We're Back

We made it back to America about 2 weeks ago and have enjoyed hitting the family circuit. We were able to spend some good time with Marvin's family last week and are currently spending time with my side of the family. Marvin even got to take in one of his nephew's ball games and we enjoyed getting to know our neices.

Certain things were a bit shocking to us, as we have gotten used to life overseas. Here are a few things we have experienced in our readjustment:

• Our first experience going to the grocery store we could actually tell what the cashier said without having to completly concentrate or look at the numbers on the cash register. Beautiful!
• Car Seats. We are getting a little faster at this little task but it takes so much time to get in and out of a vehicle here with Calvin. Sometimes it is almost easier to walk!
• Driving. For me this is weird because I haven't driven since October of 2005! I am a little rusty but I think it is coming back.
• All the packaged foods. It's crazy going to the grocery store and seeing everything pre-packaged even the veggies.
• Talking about anything on the telephone
• Accomplishing lots of things in one day. Yesterday we bought a car (see the picture below) and I was able to to test drive it, we filled out all the paperwork, and got insurance within 2 hours! Amazing!
• How cheap baby things are here. We can now actually afford to buy something in the baby section besides diapers.

Honestly it hasn't been as weird as we thought. We had Istanbul as our little mini America to help prepare us for life here once again. For that we are grateful, but we will miss certain things about Istanbul and Nineveh.

Several things are starting to come together. We have found housing in Wichita and yesterday we bought a car. Now the only thing that is left is a job for Marvin. He is going back to Wichita tomorrow to pursue a few more leads. We know he will provide the right job, we just can't wait to see what that might be.

Here are a few pictures. Unfortunately I left the card that had all the pictures of Marvin's family at his parents house so I'll post a few more later.

Calvin got to meet his namesake!

Big Calvin meet Little Calvin!

Just Chillin' before bed with Uncle Kenneth

Calvin is thanking Uncle Aaron for driving us to E town.

Meeting Great Grandma T:

My grandma insists that we are having another baby right away because Calvin is starting to teethe a little early. This is news to us!

Munching on Grandpa's fingers, yum

Napping with Grandma

A Happy Boy- Pre Cold.

Calvin has been fighting a cold this week. Thankfully his nose is starting to dry up and it has been a couple fever free days. Now we just have to get rid of that nasty little cough.

Our new set of wheels!
'99 Toyota Corolla

Goodbye Acibadem House Shoes among many other things

Well since we have lived the last few months in a state of transition one thing I have missed has been my house shoes. We live in the land where people take their shoes off when entering a homes. (Once you begin this custom you will never go back after realizing how disgusting it is to wear your shoes indoors, but I have digressed). I had been reluctant to buy new house shoes, since I had comfy ones waiting for me back in Nineveh. There is something about buying house shoes that makes a place seem permanent and I mentally didn’t want to cross the bridge yet. So I have been wearing other peoples’ house shoes and also sporting these paper thin slippers I got at the hospital when Calvin was born.

After digesting our devastating news I looked down at my feet and thought of my house shoes I will never wear. There are just certain items that are comforting and my house shoes and robe are two such items. I was talking about my house shoes with a colleague and later she blessed me by buying me a new pair of house shoes. You have no idea how much this one little gesture has touched my heart. We really do work with some of the greatest people in the world.

With all of the craziness of our life right now it has lead me to ponder what is home. When we thought we were receiving visas I was excited to head “home”; to go back to the place that was familiar, where I could understand a few things, a place where my friends live, where a few comforts like my house shoes remain. It got me thinking about how we all long for a home. What a day it will be when we can finally celebrate our eternal home. Until then we are just nomads, but some of us move a little more often than others.

We will head back to the states next week with one bag of clothes for Marvin and me. As I was hanging up our wet laundry last night I counted and I have been wearing the same 6 shirts for the last 6 months. Some people could never fathom a wash and wear lifestyle, but it certainly has made things much easier. I was looking forward to having a little diversity in my wardrobe once we returned to Nineveh, but that will have to wait. We still aren’t certain how we will get some of our things from Nineveh since we are returning to the states before our stuff makes it out of the country. At times I think all of this is one big headache, but I know everything will work out.
As we were going through a list of things left behind, it is crazy how little you need to truly function on. But it will be a little sad if we don’t see some of it again.

Right now we are trying to prepare our hearts to return to America. We know that some things will be a nice change of pace and other things will take us a little time to get used to again. It’s crazy to think how 2 years has changed us, we have become accustomed to grocery shopping every day, taking public transportation everywhere, speaking another language, and having only a few friends who spoke English. It will be very weird going back to a place where we can order with ease at a restaurant. We haven’t driven a car in over 2 years and Wal-Mart is totally going to overwhelm us.

We are eager to see lots of dear family and friends who have walked along side of us the last couple of years. We are eager for everyone to give Calvin a big squeeze. We hope to try to see many of you during the next couple of months, but please bear with us as we literally adjust to a if in America once again. We love you guys and can’t wait to see you. Here are some of our latest pictures.

Just Chillin' after getting dressed one morning. I think we have lived overseas too long, because my first thought when looking at this picture is "his toes must be freezing, somebody get some socks on that boy."

Calvin loves his new toy that some dear friends gave us. It has be nice for him to have something to hold his toys up for him. We have been able to do a few things while he plays on his own, PTL.

there's my sweet boy

We think Calvin looks a little like his Uncle Kenneth, although everyone we meet here thinks he looks like Marvin. What do you think?

Marvin can't wait for the day when Calvin jumps on him to wrestle.

So until that day comes Marvin will have to settle with this.

Train to Greece...again

1st train trip

2nd Train trip, he has grown so much!

Our documents are making their way to us right now!!!! We can't wait to get them so we can apply for our visas and get home!!! Unfortunately our Turkish visas might expire before we leave the country, so rather than chancing it we had to make a quick trip to Greece again.
We had a pretty full week. Marvin spent all day long in class and I had fun visiting with a friend staying with us during the day. We both weren't looking forward to the long train ride again especially since Calvin is getting bigger now, but it went pretty well. It was a trip we didn't want to make, but it went better than we expected. We had our own car all the way to Greece and Calvin had a good time looking out the window, looking at his books and one of his toys seen in this picture kept him occupied for hours!!! We are so thankful he is starting to become interested in toys.

Once we got to the border we took a bus to the closest city, where we stayed the night. Calvin was such a trooper and slept the entire bus ride. Buses just lull him to sleep, the combination between the sound and vibration is just the right combination to sleep well. We were able to stay at the same place we stayed the last time so that was pretty easy.

The next morning Marvin went to the station to buy our return tickets and they told him there was only train which left at 1 am going to Istanbul. We went back and asked again, this time asking if there were any buses going to the border city and they said there weren't any buses going to the city we needed but we could possibly take a taxi from a city 15 kilometers away from the border city where we could catch a train to Istanbul, but we had to go to a different place to get tickets for that bus. Once we got to this other office the lady gave us the impression that it wasn't a good idea. So we decided just to take the overnight train.

We grabbed some lunch and then Marvin went back to the train station to buy our tickets and the guy looked at him and said, "Where's your wife, there is a bus that is leaving for the border city in 15 minutes." Marvin ran back to the hotel (it was only about 100 meters away) and told me to hurry because the bus leaving in 15 minutes. I was in the middle of feeding Calvin and he was pretty mad that we had to put lunch on pause, but he calmed down and we headed out the door, onto a bus and out of town in a whirlwind. Whew! This is much harder to do with a baby but we are thankful for such a great kid. He has sure put up with a lot. Since the bus left an hour later than we originally expected we didn't have to wait at the border very long so that was a blessing.

The train back to Istanbul was pretty full and we had to share a compartment for a few hours with this sweet older Turkish couple. When they came in they were worried about Calvin because he wasn't wearing a hat, so they asked the conductor to turn up the heat. It was sweltering for a while, Calvin was even sweating, poor thing. Eventually they were so hot they asked the conductor to turn it down! Marvin and I were thankful we were sitting by the window and at least could press our body next the the side which was a little cooler or else we would have roasted. Once we got to Istanbul we caught the last ferry of the evening, grabbed a taxi home and plopped Calvin in bed. PTL he slept until 8:00 this morning, I guess it was a long trip for him too.

We haven't unpacked since we got back from our meetings because we will be moving again on Wednesday. I think we have perfected this nomadic suitcase life. We hope to find out today where we will be staying. We hope we can stay at a place with a kitchen and washing machine, if not we will roll with the punches. Marvin and I are both ready to get home. It is funny how much I am looking forward to wearing my own house shoes and my robe. We were able to use the language we are studying with a couple of people we met in Greece. It was a beautiful thing being able to communicate. We can't wait see our friends and be back home, hopefully this will be very soon.

Calvin had to wear his train outfit for his train trip and he also got the chance to wear his new hat.

Thumbs up if you like Greece.

Time by the Sea

We had a good time seeing a few friends we hadn't seen in a while at our meeting the beginning of this month. Calvin got to meet all of his aunts and uncles and when he was awake he always had someone around to entertain him. We quickly found out that he didn't enjoy the dining room too much, as it was a bit overstimulating. So meals took a little longer for us since we had to switch off. Thankfully there were several times when friends would take him so it gave us time to eat at the same time.

The bad part about these meetings is that people come from all over the world and bring lots of different types of germs with them, so all three of us came down with something. Calvin had his first fever, but PTL it quickly broke. We all three still have a bit of our colds lingering, but they keep getting better everyday. Calvin will certainly be happy when I don't have to use the nasal aspirator quite as much.

Here are a few pictures:

How Sweet

Calvin has started to giggle. It seriously is the sweetest thing!

He also has found his thumb a few times. Maybe this might help him sleep a little longer.