Kitchen pictures

My monthly (gasp!) photo round up. Lina devouring her yogurt:

And Topi and Mommy hanging out in the kitchen. I think this was while preparing brunch two weeks ago. If there is food, Topi and Lina follow. Ignore the messy counter!

Holes in the wall

Seeing the door to our balcony getting taken out a few weeks ago inspired some staring and pondering. My little guy is 3 years old as of Oct 20. Full of mischief and mayhem, no warning would have prepared me. He has now claimed my pillow as his, and won't fall asleep without it. Before I go to bed, I have to take it away from him and replace mine with his. In the morning, he comes to take it back from me. xoxo

The Halley's Comet of naps... four hours, once every 75 years

Garden Fresh

There's a little corn on the cob fanatic in our house, and who wouldn't be when the corn tastes so good this year? It's even straight from our garden. Topi and Lina's grandfather, Dursun Dede (Dede means Grandfather in Turkish) bought farmland last year and already we are reaping the benefits of living two blocks away from them so we can pick through the goods. So far we've gotten tomatoes, squash, eggplant, green beans, and green peppers. I brought back some seeds from the US so we can add some variety with mesculin greens, and pumpkins. 

Topi and Devrim go to the farmland nearly every weekend to water the plants and pick veggies. We have so many we started selling to the neighbors. Anybody want some veggies? 

Shhh..... Happy Father's Day

After walking to the bazaar this morning, sampling everything from olives to pears and walking home in the heat, Topi and Lina enjoyed their fruit and then took long naps. Shhh... Devrim and Lina are sleeping. Happy Father's Day!

Awoken

Lina's afternoon nap on June 15 was interrupted by her naughty big brother, Topi.

Apron Strings

A Delightful Sunday Afternoon

A gorgeous, blooming bush... anyone know its name?

In the pasture

Topi herding

Farm hand

Waiting at the gate

The weather has taken a very warm turn, here, and while we are enjoying it, we're bracing ourselves for humidity that won't quit and nights that may not cool down. We don't have an air conditioner, and while this may bother some, we love to open up the windows and night and seal in the cool air during the day. This past Sunday we ventured out in the heat to visit our friends Sevinc Hanim and Husseyin Bey at their farm. They have goats and chickens and cats and dogs and turkeys! I think the pictures tell a better story than words can!

An 'American' Turkey, according to Husseyin Bey

Lina petting the turkey

A Little Late

These photos are from March, and it is May 28th today. I had put them somewhere special on my computer and couldn't find them. Lina and Topi at the park on a sunny March day. This is the park right in front of our new apartment, and it is a convenient bribery tool when we need to get Topi out of the house. "Want go to the park?" "If you put on your shoes/jacket/stop throwing things at your sister we'll go to the park!" We can see it from our window and sometimes we watch other kids play and swing. Now the leaves have filled in densely on the trees, though, and we can't see it as well.

Cute, and helpful

The camera comes out again, every time they start acting this cute. We had such a rough month of April what with colds, fevers, tonsillitis, etc etc and somehow in between that all we had a little fun. Ahem, check out my clean kitchen floor, and it's not because Lina picked every little crumb of bread off of it. We actually vacuumed together, Topi and Lina trailing behind like the vacuum cleaner is their pet, taking turns patting it and trying to push it. The mysterious drip on Topi's chin is chocolate, of course, his reward for letting Lina touch the vacuum cleaner once in a while, too.

Lina in the kitchen

Just seconds before I took these pictures, Lina was standing up holding onto the dishwasher, watching Devrim clean the fish he made for dinner last night. Two seconds too late, she plopped on the floor once she noticed the camera. While I am used to dressing Lina in Topi's hand-me-down's, including a mix 'n match of girl and boy clothes, I realize now those boy-like stripes might be the reason I get asked frequently if Lina is a boy. Of course, everyone thought Topi was a girl, so what does it really matter? My favorite thing in the world these days is to watch her toss her head side to side whenever someone starts to sing or music is playing. She's got her own beat.

Flowers from Topi

Yesterday Topi can trudging in the door with dirty boots and a huge grin, clutching these lovely blossoms in his hand. I took them to put them in a glass of water, and he threw a fit, however, insisting they didn't need water. It took some distraction and explanation that flowers - water = no more flowers, but eventually he agreed.

We also have been enjoying the first spring-like days with sunshine, so it made me especially happy to top my kitchen table with a little bit of pink and purple.

Up on elbows - Topi the baby

This photo makes me miss Topi the baby so much. I mean, he still looks exactly the same, just bigger. But I can't believe that he is now 2.5 years old. I'm having a nostalgic day, I guess. Sometimes the best Sunday afternoon can make me that way.

Up on elbows

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Lina's first haircut

We went to a real salon where the ladies giggled over her curiosity and open-mouthed look. Not one tear, but it was sad to see her wavy (albeit sparsly) hair on the floor.

Detroit

More photos from our trip to Detroit to visit Barbara and Glen in December. We went to the Henry Ford museum, and braved the cold to do so. It was really fun to see my in-laws so comfortable everywhere we went! We stopped at Value Pizza, where Devrim had worked his way through school, feeding hundreds of hungry pizza fans. Devrim said it felt like he had never left... if only he felt that way in our kitchen!! Thanks, Barbara, for the photos.

Sitting up

This photo is a little dated, from December, but I couldn't resist how cute Lina looks sitting like a little grownup. We were visiting Barbara and Glen in Detroit, and Barbara had knitted the little pink dress for Lina. Thank you, Barbara!

Sunday Dusk

A gloomy, dull Sunday in January is interrupted by the bright red hat knitted by Great-Grandma Schueller, and our festively off-season pumpkin blanket draping Topi. Off to visit Babaanne (Grandma Deniz) so I can work, Topi and Devrim brave the gloom to walk the 2 blocks to her house, leaving me to my writing for Dilko, a cup of coffee, and a teeny bit of silence while Lina sleeps.