Revisiting Christmas 2013

I know it’s July, but I wanted to document our Christmas this past year.

We did a little traveling right before Christmas.  It was a sweet gift to be able to see some dear friends, who happened to be a few hours from us.  We were so thankful our schedules worked out to see each other.

 

We drove through some crazy weather that trip.  Ice on our way to see the S Family, the lots of snow after catching up with the W family.  The boys enjoyed both.  :)  Unfortunately we left Wichita when we were experiencing some warmer weather and I forgot everyone's hats and gloves.  I'm thankful for all the hats and gloves we were able to borrow for the boys to enjoy the white stuff.

The boys helped Grandpa cut down their Christmas tree.

Then we were able to see a lot of Marvin’s extended family at his grandmother’s house.  It was fun to catch up in real life.  I am so thankful we can stay connected via facebook, because his family is pretty fun.

 

We were able to spend Christmas this year with both sides of our family.  Something that hasn’t happened in 5 years.  I think that just made it extra special.

 

We were able to spend Christmas morning at my parents’ house. 

We read the Christmas story, ate some yummy cinnamon rolls and watched the boys open way too many gifts. 

Their excitement was fun and they were literally bouncing off the walls with excitement.

 

This year our gifts to them were physically small, games for their leap pad devices, because we couldn’t pass up the awesome deal for a leapster for Micah so he has something to do while his brother is playing on his leap pad.  So I am eating my words publicly because we actually bought our child a video game.  Let me tell you it has been a blessing traveling with those things.
 

 

My brother and sister were there and it was fun to see what my sister made this year, she’s pretty awesome.  I wish I had a picture of what she made us, they were special places close to our heart.  I still love them Natalie.

 

We traveled north to see Marvin’s family around lunch time.  All his brothers were there.  We hadn’t seen his brother Carl in 4 years, I am so thankful we got to see his sweet smile and excitement over Christmas.  It’s always one of my favorite parts of Christmas with his family.

 

I just took in the fun of being with his family, his brothers teasing each other, cards around the table, while the little ones played. 

 

Lots of fun and of course Marvin’s mom always finds the perfect something for everyone. 

 

The holidays we get to spend with our family are pretty special.  We are so thankful for the memories of Christmas 2013.
 

Tulips

It's been a long time since I last posted anything, but here's to catching up this blog.  :)

While we were in Istanbul this winter/spring we ventured out to a park famous for it’s tulips.  It was still winter when we found the park, but it was still beautiful, we had lunch at a little sandwich stand along the water before we made our way to the park and even saw a few dolphins out for a little family swim.

While we were there we talked about how fun it would be if we were in Istanbul one year when the tulips were blooming, but didn't expect to still be there this year. So when the tulips started blooming we had to go back.

We were so glad we did.  It was stunning.

 

 

And of course the boys remembered the awesome playgrounds, so they tolerated all the tulip gazing.

 

Thankfully the boys were a little too young for this one. That thing is a little too high for my comfort.

 

Ten Things

ONE

 

Well we’ve finally semi recovered from a cold bug that hit our house.  I had forgotten how miserable colds make babies.  Of course since it was respiratory stuff I was a bit nervous, which lead to less sleep on my part making sure Judah was okay.  There are still 4 lingering coughs but I’m thankful the miserable part is over.

 TWO

Marvin and I are training for a 10K this summer.  I’m excited, I only have 4 more weeks left in my C210K program I’m using.  I felt like the 5K marker was a huge milestone postpartum, I can’t imagine how good it’s going to feel to run a 10K.  I’m thankful that there is plenty of time between now and then so I can improve on my speed, now I’m just focused on jogging without stopping.  I’m one slow jogger, but I’m okay with that.

 THREE

Calvin has his first wiggly tooth.  There is something about him hitting this milestone that makes me a little sad that he’s growing up.  But I’m so excited for him at the same time.  Crazy how that happens.  So for the time being I’m enjoying a full set of teeth.

FOUR

 

At dinner the other night we were talking about Easter and Calvin mentioned something about the Easter Bunny.  His only reference to the Easter bunny is the movie the Guardians.  I then said, “Do you know that some people think that the Easter Bunny is real?”  He looked at me and said, “What???!!!  Why would they think that?” 

 FIVE

We should have our passports back tomorrow/today/Thursday depending on when you read this, hopefully with visas in them.  You have no idea how ready I am to have an answer.

 SIX

We attempted doing some touring with the boys but, it did not go well.  Let’s just say we had to find a bathroom and the closest one was in a bar, and we ended up taking an emergency taxi ride home with a certain little person sitting on the changing pad.  Those things never come in the most convenient moments. 

SEVEN 

This little heartbleed bug is a pain if you live overseas....... especially if all your cards are getting canceled and replaced to be safe.  Now combine that with the fact we have no idea where we are going to be living and where to send them means it might be interesting getting cash.

EIGHT

 

Calvin must be hitting a growth spurt because his stomach is a bottomless pit lately.  I’m afraid of what the teen years will hold.

NINE

 

I saw this article about hipsters today and had to laugh…….especially as one looking into American hipster culture from a distance.  My Pinterest boards have been flooded with all things kale, to kimchi, to brewing your own kombuca and I’m still trying to figure out why people are obsessed with the stuff. My favorite is #18.

TEN

We tried this little remedy for hiccups and it’s crazy but it works.  I am so glad to find something easy because Calvin gets so frustrated when he gets hiccups.  Who knew it was as easy as pulling on someone’s ears while they are drinking water.

Imagination

We were thankful to have stayed in a few guest flats in Istanbul that cater to families, which means there were items we might need for kids like toys, cribs, high chairs, etc.

 

When we moved to this apartment I was thankful to find a clean place, with the basics: a decent kitchen (meaning it had an oven), a washing machine, and a crib for Judah.

 

What we were lacking were toys.  When we left Nineveh we told the boys they could only bring two things.  They each choose a power ranger costume then Calvin brought his Bakugan’s and Cards and Micah choose his rescue bots.  And last minute we let them bring their dinosaur cars that they love so much, but that is all the toys we have with us.  It all fits in one of their carry on bags.  Since we don’t know the future we haven’t wanted to accumulate anything in case we have a 10 more bags that we have to get somewhere else.

So I was a little nervous moving to place without any toys and wondered how they’d do, but oh my goodness their imagination has been taking over their play.  They’ve created restaurants, stores, ninjas, lots of super hero play.  It’s been wonderful.

 

Out the mouths of Babes

I posted this on fb and Instagram, but in case you missed it…..I came into the living room and discovered that this little monkey wrote all over his face.  He just looked at me and told me, “Mommy my face is trapped.”  I couldn’t contain my laughter looking at him.

 

The other day the boys were playing “building”, it’s their new game where they build things with blankets and pillows.  This day they were building a house, but Calvin had to go to the bathroom so he told Micah, “Our house doesn’t have a bathroom inside so I have to use the toilet outside.”

I think we’ve been in Central Asia too long because this is normal to him.

 

Sunday while we were on the metro  Calvin was talking about freckles and asking if he had any yet (we read Freckle Juice last year and he’s been waiting for freckles ever since).  I told him that he had one, then Micah raised up his shirt and pointed to the two freckles he has on his chest.  Which I kindly told him were no freckles and to put his shirt back down.



Calvin saw one of my gray hairs the other day :( and said, "Mama what's that?"  To which I replied, "Just a gray hair."  Then he said, " Oh mama it's just like in Frozen, it's sooooooo beautiful."

Thank you little man, thank you.

Soup Strainer

Marvin’s always wanted to grow a beard, since before we were married.  Somehow he decided this winter would be the winter for it.

He was quick to remind me that I signed up for the beard when we got married.  I never once thought that thing was soft, unless you consider a pokey bristle brush soft.  Sorry babe.

But here’s a picture of his beard the day before it was shaved off.  He tried the goat-tee look for an evening and it was much better than the full beard in my opinion.

 

One other change in Marvin in this picture is that he had Lasik eye surgery in February and is so thankful for the fact that he can now see without glasses.  Technology is amazing!

The Islands {Prince's Islands}

We’ve done most of the tourist stuff in Istanbul, but one place we had never been was Prince’s Islands.  Our week days were full with school and a project Marvin was helping with but we had our weekends free, so one beautiful Saturday our family and tons of others from Istanbul boarded a ferry and headed out to the Islands.  It was good to get out of town for a bit, escape the noise of the city and the Island was so quaint.

There are horse drawn carriages everywhere, since they do not allow very many vehicles on the Islands. 

 

We planned on renting bikes but we couldn’t find any small enough for Calvin so we walked, and walked, and walked to the park and finally enjoyed our picnic lunch we brought.

 

 

On the way home we sat outside and almost froze before making it to back to Istanbul, it's long boat ride.  I am glad Judah and the boys were warm enough, but I am glad we made our way inside at the first stop in Istanbul.

 

5 suitcases

I was starting to get a little “homesick” a few weeks ago.  By homesick I mean I just wanted a place to call home and the started to feel sorry for our poor boys not even having a home and then Micah told me out of the blue, “Mommy we have 3 houses.” 

It’s all about the way you look at things. 

To him we lived in 3 apartments this year, 4 now.  He doesn’t know that they weren’t home and to me I’m thankful that they have been home to him as he’s our child who has the hardest time with the moves.

 

But I’ll be honest, this transient living is tough.  Since we left Nineveh the end of January we’ve been living out of 5 suitcases, and that includes school books, a few toys, cloth diapers, etc.  It’s simple and I am thankful for that, because I don’t have to stand long at the closest deciding what to wear each day, I only have a few choices, I have 3 pairs of shoes one of which are winter boots and it’s too warm for those anymore so it’s either flats or tennis shoes.

I am thankful I threw a few random things in our suitcases when we left in January, like our bumbo chair, it’s now Judah’s chair where we can feed him.  I brought my immersion blender, I can make baby food.  I threw in some washcloths, I’ve been so thankful for those things in this apartment.  They’ve been useful for actual washcloths and for pot holders. 

 When this last move became a reality I was able to stop by IKEA and pick up some measuring spoons and a measuring cup, so I can somewhat accurately cook.

But mostly I’m ready to call someplace home.  This waiting on documents seems never ending and I’m ready to get back to place where I have friends, a place where meeting new people isn’t hard, a place where I can communicate.  I’m ready to rent a place and make it into a home.  I’m ready to decorate, to invite people over for dinner or playdates.  Who knows if that will happen but I’m ready to know a little more of our future.

Being in this living state has given us a greater understanding of refugees.  Many of them were wealthy, had good jobs, owned homes.  I’ve met several professors, doctors, teachers, young professionals, but they fled to escape the war surrounding them.  I am so thankful that that has not been our case, but it’s given us a better understanding for their state of mind.  Living in limbo is tough, I can’t imagine what it’s like for those who have no other options but to flee and who are unable to work due to their refugee status. 

So for that I am grateful, it’s helped me know how to pray for the millions of displaced people around the world.

And I’m learning to be content with my 5 suitcases.

The Mediterranean Sea

We were so thankful to be able to go to a conference where many of our friends were at before returning to Nineveh.

However I didn’t expect the emotions I would be faced with when we got there.  It was held at the same hotel as a conference 2 years ago.  It was in this place where we finally announced we were expecting Seth.

The last time I stepped foot on that beach Seth was in my womb.  It was both comforting and difficult at the same time.

We had not seen many of our the friends at this conference since losing Seth, and many of them also had experienced much sorrow and loss during the past two years.  Those hugs were pretty sweet.  The Lord really used that time to encourage us and to bring some healing to our hearts.

What I love is that we have been able to take all of our boys, even Seth to the Mediterranean sea.  What a gift it is to have that connection with all my boys.  It’s one I am extremely thankful for.

 

 

 

injustice

Marvin and I had the opportunity to stop by the cemetery without the boys on our way to Tennessee while we were in the states.  It was dusk and getting dark, and we needed to get on the road and make half of our trip that night, but our route took us past where Seth is buried and I just wanted to be close to the only earthly connection we have with him.

I have these moments that well up inside me from time to time when I wish that visiting our child's grave just wasn’t a part of our life.  That day was one of them, I wished that we didn’t have to drive down dusty country roads and stand by his place of rest.  I love Seth just as much as my living boys but on these days, all my heart wants is to love him through kisses and hugs and wrestling with him and tickles.  Standing in a quiet cemetery that evening with only the cicadas buzzing left me in a heap of tears and just felt like wanting to press an undo button and erasing that aspect of my life.  I wanted to rewrite my story, one where I have four living children instead of three.

Sometimes I don’t like the story the Lord is writing.

This fall as we met a lot of new people, I was forced to answer my least favorite question over and over and over (How many kids do you have?).  It wore on me after a while and I came to the point of just wanting to scream over the injustice of it all.

But then I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me of my attitude.    Through tears I felt this question stirring in my heart..................

“What is the greater injustice, losing Seth or that God's son lost his life for me, for the sins of the world?”

So I’ve been begging God that in those moments when I wish he wrote a different story in my life, that he'd change my heart into one of acceptance and joy.

Because his stories always end well and are better than anything I could ever pen.

Travel hiccups

The trip back was pretty uneventful.  Judah was an excellent little traveler, slept a good portion of our long flight and he slept through every short flight.  Micah actually slept as well as Calvin and they both enjoyed the inflight entertainment.  PTL for that and their leap pad devices.

The only little hiccup was that our stroller didn’t make it to France or on to Turkey, but it eventually made its way to Antalya.  Marvin spoke to the people at the airport and arranged to pick it up when we flew out.  Little did we know that we would be pressed for time when we were to pick it up.

Our transportation was arranged for us based on who was flying back at certain times.  One of the people in our van to the airport, forgot  his computer, so the hotel called and our van turned around and went back to get it, we had already traveled about 15 minutes, so we added another 30 minutes on to our already pressed time schedule.  We had 1 hour and 20 minutes to get checked in and retrieve a stroller when the van left to begin with, now we had a whopping 50 minutes and a whole 20 minutes before people began boarding.

We knew the clock was ticking because getting through security with our boys and 5 bags is a show in itself.  So we just prayed we'd make our flight to Istanbul.

I made my appearance at the check in counter to prove I was flying that day, then explained I needed to get our stroller that was lost on an earlier flight.  In my haste and franticness I forgot all the paperwork to the retrieve the stroller, and I didn’t have my passport since Marvin was using it to check us in for our flight.

After talking to a sweet and very helpful lady in the lost baggage area, our stroller was nowhere to be seen.  I finally asked her if it would be anywhere else, and came to the point of accepting that I was never going to see our stroller again.  She then paused and told me to wait just a moment and went next door.

Where our stroller was sitting.  ALLEHULIA!!! I love the Turkish people, they are so helpful and go above and beyond to help guests in their country.

Remember the part about not having my passport, well I did have my driver’s liscence and they let me use that to verify that I was the owner.  I was carrying Judah in the sling and our stroller was in a bag which meant I had to carry it.  Seeing that it was going to be very difficult one of the guys said, I will help you and he carried it to Marvin outside of baggage claim.  We ran to security, where people knew a flight was waiting on us, and staff helped us get everything through security and helped us to our gate.  Even carried our stroller for us.  Amazing.

We’ve never cut it that close before.  We seriously didn’t think we were going to make that flight.

Other than that everything went smoothly, unless you count the giant Micah meltdown at Ataturk before our flight back to our country.  It was monumental but I guess we he needed to make up for the stellar trans-Atlantic flight.  :)

We did conclude that 5 bags, plus a car seat is probably our max flying with kids who can't pull their own bags.  It seriously makes us ponder what are the essential items we need to bring back.

Christmas Lights

One of the joys for our entire family was getting to see Christmas lights this past year.  I didn't realize how much I missed Christmas lights.  Marvin even put up a few on our house, even though we were barely there in December, but the boys loved the fact that we had lights.  In Calvin's mind you weren't ready for Christmas until you had something lit on your house.

One night we loaded up the boys, stopped by QT for some hot drinks and headed to our favorite neighborhood in Wichita to see the lights.

I love how they make homes look like real gingerbread houses.  They completely take me back to childhood and I love that the boys got to experience Christmas in America this year.  It will be fun to see what their memories are when they are all grown.  What things will they treasure as a regular part of the Christmas season.

 

Lifelong friends

My Christmas present this year I was able to go and visit one sweet friend in Washington state.  It had been almost 6 years since we last saw each other.

Our friendship was forged after a bus ride home our freshman year of high school, when we exchanged numbers on the back of a peanut butter m&m wrapper.  The Lord used her and another sweet friend to bring me to Him, another reason why our friendship is so special.

As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight, I had time to reflect on this gift the Lord had given me all those years ago.  What I love is that this girl knows my past, she’s seen how the Lord rescued me from my sin, she's been there through some major life events, and rejoiced through our weddings, the birth of our kids, job changes, moves, etc.  We've praised God together, cried together, mourned together, and done a lot of laughing in between.  It was a sweet gift to be able to spend some time with her and meet all her kids and see her normal.

Definitely a Christmas gift that I’ll treasure forever.  I wish we didn’t live so far away Sherry Lynn.

Random Caveat
Seattle has one of the coolest airports I've even been in.  Love that it had a nursing mom's room, a playground, a guy was flying a remote controlled balloon shark around the food court while they played the Jaws theme song in the background.  Then a bunch of Carolers came around singing Christmas songs one of them was riding a unicorn and reindeer were pulling a airport cart.  Perfectly quirky and it was the perfect way to say goodbye to Seattle.