A few thoughts

Well, it's way to late for this mama to be awake, but I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30 tonight and when Marvin woke me up to go to our bedroom I couldn't sleep. So after tossing and turning I decided I need to get up and write down all the thoughts going through my head, hopefully it will help me sleep. Here goes nothing.....

Living in a different country changed my outlook on things. Sometimes I find myself being overly critical of the country I am from and sometimes I am overwhelmingly thankful. I have never been so thankful for the freedom we have as Americans since living in a place where that wasn't a part of life. I think back on the generations who have given their lives just so we can have freedom. Most of us as Americans don't understand what that word means let alone appreciate those who continue to fight for it. I am thankful that I don't have to show my id at every city I travel to, I can cross state borders without any checkpoints and heavy military presence. These are just a few freedoms that come to my mind right now. I want to thank those who have served our country or are currently serving our country for defending things we all take for granted.

Now there are some things that also really bug me. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't see a news story reporting on the increases of gasoline prices. Finally I think us American are starting to examine our lives but I think we feel entitled to this "American Dream". We want a house, 2 cars, a dog, kids and we don't want to pay too much for anything. The other day the president was pushing to start more drilling here in our own country for oil. You would think that lessening our dependency on foreign oil would be a good thing, but there were several criticisms to this plan. One of these was from those who don't want to see our coast lines become cluttered with oil rigs, they desire to preserve the beauty of our country. Now there isn't anything wrong with this essentially. To be quite honest I am sure I wouldn't want to look out my window and see a big oil rig, but I think it is very interesting that we as American would rather just have these things out of sight, we would rather clutter another country's shoreline and complain about how we can't afford gas. I have no idea if this is the solution, but attitudes like these shed a little light into why the world hates our country.

Okay on to a new subject, worship. Several things have been rolling around in my brain recently about this subject. I have been thinking a lot about a comment my father-in-law made that church isn't about entertaining us. I think he hit that point right on. I got to thinking about how my heart connects during worship and the songs that resonate with my heart usually aren't hymns, there are a few that touch my heart very deeply but in general it's the new stuff that really allows me to enter into Father's court. Now I was thinking about this and how worship has changed over the years. I think it is impossible to ignore this fact but at the same time I think we at times emphasize it too much and many times use it for our own entertainment. There is definitely a fine line. I saw an add on TV for a church that advertised that it was a lot of fun because the music was great, church should be more than a show. My heart is encouraged by the body and worshiping together and yes it is fun, but as I saw that ad I was convicted to challenge my heart to worship the King and not the experience.

Well it looks like my brain is getting tired. So it's off to bed. Hopefully I will be rested enough when my hungry little boy makes me get out of bed in the morning. Goodnight.

Fun Filled Father's Day

We had a great weekend filled with lots of family time. It seems like we are always going somewhere, but it was fun to hang out together as a family. The weather was beautiful Saturday and we enjoyed some time at the park playing Frisbee with some new friends. Calvin did great hanging out with new people while Marvin and I played. He does great around new people, stranger anxiety hasn't hit yet, but he still likes to know where we are. It helps when we are within eye shot. The rest of the day was filled with relaxing in the backyard and running a few errands. We really needed a Saturday like that.

Sunday we had a good time visiting to friends after church and then grabbed lunch with our old teammates. Our boys are only 2 months apart and it is getting more and more fun watching them together. Marvin even got to enjoy the US Open on TV and we ended the day playing a new game Calvin and I got him for Father's Day. Here are a few picture of our weekend.

A Sleepy Boy with his Daddy.

One of his few moments of rest during the day. I went to Target and left a sleepy boy with Marvin and when I got back this is what I found. I love this picture, unfortunately when Marvin moved him to his bed he woke up and didn't go back to sleep until bedtime. I even tried to lay down with him, but he just wiggled the whole time and then finally rolled over and when I opened my eyes I had a beaming boy 3 inches from my face staring at me. I couldn't control my laughter and decided it was time to give up on naptime.

Calvin's yummy fishing pole. I picked this up at a garage sale and it has become his favorite water toy.

I was so pumped to pick this swing up from Craigslist, its a great place to dry off after swimming.

My Big Guy

Calvin is now 8 months old and has become quite a sweet little man. He loves people so much, particularly kids. This morning we had an appointment to get our car looked at by the insurance company, we received some hail damage a couple weeks ago. While we were waiting there was another family in the waiting area with small kids. Calvin just adored this little 19 month old. If she would leave the little play area he would just watch her until she came back. He had a good time while we waited. It turns out we had quite a bit of damage, the adjuster told me that it was some of the larger dings he had seen. Yikes, it's times like these we are glad we have full coverage.
I was so pumped to find that swimming things were on sale at Dillons on Saturday so I picked up a baby pool and we tested it out today. Calvin had a good time playing with his spoon and yogurt containers in the water. I am glad to have a day where we can play in the sun. It gives us a few new things to do. YEAH for summer!

Our niece loves to watch Calvin on the computer, so I thought it was time to add a new video of Calvin. I took this today as he headed towards the empty roll of wrapping paper, who says you need expensive toys, this kept him busy for 20 minutes. As you can see from the video this is his new mode of getting from point a to point b. We have worked on getting off his belly but usually this doesn't work more than a couple of minutes because Mr. squirmy loves to roll over. I am sure it won't be long before he figures out a faster way to get somewhere.

A Fun Weekend

We are all exhausted, but we had such a fun weekend. My cousin got married this weekend at my grandparent's farm. It was a beautiful ceremony held in a place that has so many memories for several generations of our family.

My grandfather was raised in the same house he now lives in and I was thinking of how much history our family has in that house. It was where my great-grandparents raised 6 children and where they all grew into adults. It was where my mother grew up and a place this city girl always love to visit. Grandpa would always let us "drive" the tractors and allowed us to be apart of our family's history. I love that I can now take Calvin there and I hope that he too will have memories of grandpa's farm.

I think I have taken these special places for granted sometimes. In my mind I think that they will always be there. My paternal grandparents house is one of these places too. I have so many memories there too. It's this tiny little house but it is bursting full of memories. After my grandfather died my grandmother was unable to return home and part of my heart is grieving the loss of that special place. I told Marvin that I have eaten so many cookies around that table and I will never walk in to be met by my grandpa who always looks surprised when we came to visit, even if he knew we were coming. Even though it is hard that it will never be the same I am thankful for the memories and how they bring a smile to my face. Praise the Lord for Family!

Here are a few pictures of the wedding:

My Cousins (the groom and his sisters)

Calvin got to meet a few great great aunts & uncles.

It was a beautiful wedding and we are so thankful that we were able to be there for such a special day.

My grandpa (seated) with his brothers, sister and their wives. (My grandma is standing on the far right)

We also were able to catch a dear friend of mine from high school on her way through Kansas. It is aways fun to catch up with her and also comforting that regardless of how much time we have spent away from each other we can just pick right back up where we left off. Her kids are so fun, I wish we lived closer to them, but are grateful for the times when we have the opportunity to see them.

A few more pictures

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.