End of Summer

As I see friends posting on FB all the back to school stuff, we are gearing up for our end of summer.  It has gone by much faster than I thought it would.  I just thought with three kids at home while pregnant would mean the slowest summer EVER.  But I was wrong.  It went by way too fast and I"m pretty sad about it.  I'm sure it had something to do with Bea being here.  She has been a miracle and I am so sad that we only have one more week with her.  She told the kiddos she would happily come and babysit once in awhile.  But now that she is a newlywed, she is leaving the nanny world and getting a real job (her words).

Tomorrow we are finally going on our summer vacation.  We had originally planned to go in July and go to Izmir.  But once the girls were asked to go to Gymnastics Camp, we had to alter our plans.  I would have been totally fine with just sending Jocy.  She did really well with her first overnight trip this past spring.  But when their coach asked if Elly could go, we needed to figure something out.  She has only ever stayed away from us with family.  She knows Ms. Yana very well.  And Ms. Yana knows how to handle Elly's moodiness, so I hope everything will be fine.  But we decided it would be best if we vacationed near camp.  So tomorrow we are off to Çanakkale for 5 days.  We wanted to stay a few days with the girls and then a few more to make sure they get settled in.  I'm looking forward to visiting Troy and Gallipoli.  I've always loved History in school and its been amazing seeing things I studied in school.  On Thursday we are heading South to Ayvalik for some beach time and to visit Lesbos, Greece.  We had planned on staying on Lesbos, but we got a little nervous waiting on our Residents Permits.  Now we will just spend a day there and add another stamp to my passport!  And I'm dying for a Greek Salad and some pork!  LOL.  Have you noticed our trips have a lot to do with eating. :)

We will head back to Istanbul on Sunday and the girls will come back on the bus Tuesday.  Then it will be whirlwind of getting ready for back to school on the 10th.  I'm good with the girls heading back to school, but totally freaked out with Nate going.  I really have no idea what I'm going to do with all my time for a few weeks.  Oh what... find a new cleaning lady.  That has been harder than I thought.  Most of the recs I'm getting are for Live ins.  I just  want someone two or three days a week.  At least with the kids gone during the day, it will be easier to keep the house clean until my parents get here.  But I'm really hoping I find someone soon!

And for a sad note, my Grandpa Hoffman was buried yesterday.  I wish I could have been there.  Hopefully, I will get to video chat with my Grandma soon.  One perk of being so far away, its easy to ignore stuff going on back in the States.

Loss

Yesterday I was supposed to video chat with my parents. We were going to go thru some baby clothes bin and look at what I had bought already. But as soon as I picked up, I got the dreaded, "We have news".   And I knew right away something was wrong.

 Recently, I was just talking about how lucky I am to still have 3 living grandparents. My kids have 4 great grandparents (was 5 when Jocy was born). I haven't seen my Grandpa and ma Hoffman for quite a while. When Grandpa first got really sick, we were told that no one was allowed to visit. Of course, it seems I'm the only one that listened. They still haven't met Nate. My other Grandma lives in Louisville, so I see her every time I go home.

 When we accepted the job in Turkey, I knew that a lot can happen in the three years. I have two grandparents that are 90 and one has been pretty sick on and off for a few years. Truthfully, its been pretty amazing how long he has held on. Until yesterday, around 10 am my time, Grandpa Hoffman passed away. He's in a much better place now. He has been unable to walk for quite a while because of his Diabetes. And for a man that loved playing golf, it was a very hard thing. He was the only Grandpa I have had for over 20 years. My Grandpa Fletcher passed away from lung cancer when I was in 2nd grade (I think).

 Grandpa Hoffman had a boat for as long as I can remember. We swim in Nolan Lake and then Doe Valley every summer. We spent every Christmas Eve with them. I have 8 cousins, so we made plenty of memories at their house. I spent most of yesterday being numb. I would love to just jump on a plane and head to Florida. But at 33 weeks pregnant, its not an option. I worry about how Grandma is doing. How do you cope with being married for 70 years to being alone? I have no idea how my dad is feeling. I can't think of many time I have seen my dad emotional. It's not quite something you deal with over video chat. Last night, I traded notes with some of my cousins. It seems we are all in the same boat. We really shouldn't be shocked by it.

 It's been quite a while since we have all been together for Christmas. My grandparents stopped traveling a few years ago. I have been to one family Christmas in 8 years. I was pregnant with Nate. We have all been busy with our own lives.  All the older ones have kids of their own now.  The memories I have.... we are our parents age and our kids are the age we were.  It's crazy!  Now, I really have no idea what half my relatives are up too. I have one cousin I see every time I am home and trade notes with. But it's nothing like the summers of running around my Grandparents house thinking they would be around forever.

 I am going to do a much better job keeping up with the grandmas I have left. I'm going to push my parents into video chats with them. My kids are so lucky to have them. I only had one and she passed when I was in 5th grade. And even then, I really didn't know her. Not like my kids know Grandma Fletcher.

 My cousin posted this on Facebook yesterday and I thought it was a good ending to my post for today. I really didn't want to post anything on FB. It still weirds me out to see his name under family on my FB page…..

 August 19th, 2012 at 3:40 am we lost a very special person, Frank Thomas Hoffman, Father, Grandpa and Great Grandpa at the age of 90. He left 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 13 great grand children, with 2 more on the way. We love you Grandpa! We know you are watching over all of us from heaven. Please keep my family in your prayers at this time.

32 Weeks

Well 32 weeks and 2 Day per What to Expect. I can't believe its almost here. I will admit that I am so DONE. But at the same time I'm not ready. Because when she comes, it means that summer break is over and all three of my kiddos are off at school. I'm still a little torn about Nate going off to school. He's such a good kid and I've loved having him home the last year. And what am I going to do for three weeks all alone?  I'm still stressing over the whole bus thing. But if I have to go buy another carseat and install the thing myself, I will. We just had so much communication problems with our coordinator last year. And if Nate got stuck on the bus until 6:30pm like Elly did last year, I would totally freak ( and yes I did for Elly too). Since Nate knows how to use my iPhone, maybe I'll just get him one. LOL So anyways, here's my baby update….

 Week: 32 

Baby B: She is the size of a large jicama weighing about 3 3/4 lbs. and measuring about 16.5 inches from head to heels. She is developing fat now and her skin is no longer clear. It is becoming very soft and smooth. If she has any, the hair on her head is growing and even has some color. She is now pretty much a full-formed baby that just needs to fatten up - along with some other essential things.

Nausea: A bit here and there but mostly its just car sickness.

 Swelling: Not a whole lot. Even when I'm on my feet most of the day the swelling is minimal. I've had maybe a handful of day that I could see the swelling but the pool helps a ton!

 Cravings: Hmm… not really craving anything specific. Definitely fruit or anything juicy…. been wanting LOTs of water.

 Aversions: motion… I get car sick like no tomorrow. And sometimes if I turn myself too fast. It's kind of sad.  Heat is still bothering me but I think the HOT weather is over. Yea!

 Bump: I finally popped. Definitely looking HUGE. Little girl is extremely active. I freaked my Sister in law and her boyfriend out a few times last week. Even Joel gets a laugh watching her move. 

Looking forward to: Vacation! And Joel being off for two weeks. Missing the most: Being able to sleep or getting comfortable

 Pregnancy milestone hurdle: Getting ready for her arrival


 

Happy Birthday

to me!  Today is my 34th birthday.  I’m not afraid to admit that I’m in my 30s!  But I have a pretty awesome life.  Living abroad, traveling to new places, 3 (almost 4) beautiful, smart, and healthy kiddos and a marriage to my best friend that is stronger than ever.

Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t have remembered if Bea hadn’t wished me a Happy Birthday yesterday.  With Jocy’s birthday 3 days before mine, it kind of gets put on the back burner.  I don’t mind because kids birthdays are much more fun.   I didn’t ask for much today but a nice mellow day.  So far, I have gotten to sleep in and have leftover cake for breakfast!  I was going to make pancakes but I forgot we are out of eggs.  All I really want today is no chores (Bea cleaned and did laundry yesterday YEA!)  and Papa John’s for dinner! 

I’m Back……

What a crazy, whirlwind week this has been.  We had a house full of visitors and loved every minute.  Even though I’m 31 weeks pregnant, I still some how manage to keep up.
My sister in law finally got to come for a visit.  I’m very lucky and have a SIL that I love to spend time with.  She’s such an amazing help and we laugh and drink and just be silly.  This trip we finally got to meet the infamous boyfriend.  We’ve been hearing a bit about him for two years but have never gotten the chance to meet.  Another couple was supposed to come with them but the girl’s BF had to work so she brought her dad with her.
They arrive Sunday morning at 5:40am.  Thankfully, our driver and Joel headed to the airport to get them while I slept in.  First stop was Sutas for a tradition Turkish Breakfast on the Bosphorus.  Perfect start to a vacation in Istanbul.  I had asked them in advanced what they wanted to do but didn’t get a lot of response.  So I only planned three days.  I was hoping I could at least keep up with that!!  Sunday, I figured would be a down day.  For the most part, it was mellow.  Three of them decided to go for a walk around our neighborhood, while we worked on dinner.  They got a nice little surprise, one of our neighbors had a garage full of sheep they were prepping to butcher… in their garage.  That night we broke in our new grill.
Monday, Joel had taken off work and we all planned a day at Topkapi Palace.  It was one place we hadn’t been yet and were very excited to go.  Even the kids wanted to go.  So we loaded up our borrowed Transit and headed down to Sultanahmet.  We quickly discovered that August is NOT the best time to tour Istanbul.  It was freakin HOT!!!  We managed a whooping 1 1/2 in the Palace.  I spent most of the time sitting in the shade.  I just figured that I could come back anytime I wanted (preferably in the fall), so I will just try not getting heat stroke!
 

After we left the Palace, we met up with Murat our driver, who we instructed to find a nice place for lunch.  We had never eating in that area before.  All the old Ottoman building are just beautiful.  Murat did a great job and found us a place with great service!  It was amusing that they had Mexican on the menu next to Turkish.  And yes, I got burritos!  LOL.  They were pretty good.  We had a lovely lunch.  A boat tour was on the list next, but the kids were done and I was too.  We dropped the rest of the gang with Joel off at the Ortakoy pier and me and kiddos headed home.  I was told it was a lovely cruise and the breeze was just perfect.  That night we broke out the new Wii and enjoyed our fav past time, Mario Brothers.  It’s been a tradition with Rachelle and I, drinks and Super Mario Brothers 2 on the Original Nintendo.  Yes, we still have one that works great!

Tuesday, I had to take the day off!  Rachelle and Justin stayed home while Russ and Annie headed out on their own.  I loved that they were being adventurous!  Even using the Metro system!  We decided to let the kiddos have a go at the Wii.  It was a great time!  After a few rounds of Barbie Horse Riding, we broke out Just Dance 3.  Elly and Jocy were so fun.  Justin kicked our butts! LOL.  Even I got out there and swung the belly around.  There is a pic on FB to prove it.
So that is a quick look at my week.  I still haven’t really gotten a break yet!  I’m hoping at least on my birthday to get some down time.  I will fill you in on the rest of our adventures later this week.

LiveJournal Tags: Istanbul

Happy 1 year Anniversary!

I can NOT believe that a year ago today, we arrived in Istanbul. Really? Its been a year? I guess time flies when you're having fun!

 It has been a busy and crazy year. Living in a hotel for almost three months, being without our stuff for that long, is more stressful than you'd think. Then, we had to do a marathon house hunt with the kiddos in tow the first week. House hunting with just Joel and I had been stressful enough. At least this time, we already knew where we wanted to live. The kids started school while we were at the Hilton. Their first day it took them 3 1/2 hours to get home on the bus.

 Setting up the house was another thing all together. We still haven't quite finished that. In the US, rentals usually come with appliances, blinds, closets, and light fixtures! We had to get all of that! Plus buying all new electrical items. Forget about finding an alarm clock here! LOL. But now a year later, it feels like home. We still have a few windows that need curtains, and a little painting to do, but nothing urgent. We have cars (and already getting new ones), internet, cable, even employees! What change a year can bring!

 The best thing is that we have our support system. That was my biggest worry. I had the same worries when we moved to KC. At least then we had the Marowelli's. But we quickly found a big group of friends that I now consider family. But moving to another country is a whole other story. Yes, there is a large group of expats in Istanbul. But its such a large city, that we are spread out all over. And at 3 different International School. But Joel has formed some good friendships at work and I have found a great group of moms at school and thru gymnastics. Next school year, I will volunteering at school and hoping to extend that group. The downside to being an Expat, is that people are always coming and going. Jocy has already lost one good friend at the beginning of summer and just found out that another will soon be returning to the States soon. But from the number coming into the school next year, I'm sure she'll make more. And of course, it wouldn't have been so easy without our driver, Murat and his family. I am truly grateful every single day for them. And now we have Bea working for us part time, it makes this pregnancy so much easier.

 I hope the next two years continue to be exciting and as smooth as the last!!!