We know it's summer when...

We hang in the trees like monkeys...

We blow out our birthday candles... (Lina's 2!)

And we climb the walls because we're bored at home...

Hope you are having a great summer, too!

Little Red Riding Hood(s)

What could be better than wearing mommy's scarves?

Couch stories

Time capsule

 

Sometimes I feel trapped in my own home video, like I'm peering at these photos of my children as if it were my childhood I was looking back on, not theirs. These four photos make me think 1980, not 2010. Maybe it's the tank tops, the tights, and the boots?  

View from here

I awoke one morning to the sound of my three-year old taking pictures, flipping on and off the flash on my Canon SX10IS, the camera I bought for work (yeah right), the one I don't share with anybody, not even Devrim who helped pay for it. This is the second time I must have left my 2nd favorite technological distraction in harm's way (the first being my computer, of course), followed by a Palm Pilot I use almost exclusively for Scrabble. Topi is adept though, if I may say so myself, at getting the camera to focus and not dropping it. Not dropping it while taking photos is a remarkable miracle considering he likes to drop things for fun (like Lina's toys) from high places to watch them break.

I'm not fond of Topi's portrait of me (hello, morning face even though it was like 8 at night), but other than that, I think I'm ready to let him start taking the annual family photo that I never get around to.

Winter frolics....

...at home in tank tops and corduroys. Topi made a caterpillar out of a green paper chain at school, also called 'tırtıl' in Turkish, which sounds exactly like 'turtle,' so I envision lots of confusing fun as we try to sort that one out.

Topi at the helm of my camera, catches Lina bleary-eyed in the morning w/our laundry basket somehow in her bed:

History repeating itself: Rose used to look over Tony's shoulder whenever he was opening his presents, and now Lina and Topi get to do the same! That's Topi ripping open Lina's Christmas present from Grammy and Mark Dede. He's just helping her, of course, and she doesn't mind.

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.