Afiyet Olsun!

This phrase is used when a dish is served to you by a Turkish cook. There really isn't an English translation, but it is kind of like "Bon Appetit". Our neighbors brought us over fish tonight for supper. I really like fish and would make it several times a month in the states.....but I always bought it from Fareway cooked, cleaned, and you never saw the head!



I have to say it is a little creepy to see the eyes and teeth of this fish as you are eating it!

I would really like to learn how to cook fish here, but I'm a little hesitant, because I really might get grossed out having to clean the fish prior to cooking. All in all, we enjoyed our supper and I was especially thankful, because it meant no cooking for me tonight!

Mother's Day

We enjoyed a nice Mother's Day. It was a beautiful day. We went for a walk and enjoyed some ice cream. Asher got his very own mini ice cream cone complements of the ice cream man.


A family friend recently sent me some flower seeds in the mail! So Reed got me some flower boxes for Mother's Day. I spent the afternoon carefully planting my seeds. I haven't planted flowers starting from the seed before, except with my second graders when I taught school. So I really hope something grows and the climate here is right. If all goes well, I should have some zinnias, marigolds, and a few sunflowers by mid summer.

Wedding Party

Here are a few pictures of a recent wedding celebration that went on outside our apartment this last weekend. A typical wedding party can last at least three days. From Friday through Sunday there was very loud music, dancing, and women dressed in their traditional dresses of their culture.

In this picture you can see all of the fancy, traditional dresses. It is common to see everyone dancing around in a circle with their arms intertwined.

It was fun to watch, but by Day 3 we were ready for some peace and quiet!

Our Little Reader

Right now Asher loves to "read". He sits with his books and jabbers away as he turns the pages.


His new word as of late is "bird". He likes to look in all his books and point out a bird if he sees one.

Hopefully, his love for books will continue!

Playing "Outdoors"

Asher loves to be outside. It takes some extra effort to get outdoors with him now that we live in an apartment. But for Asher, going outside is as simple as letting him play on our balcony. He loves to just walk around out there and look through the railing.



Today was cold and rainy, but Asher really wanted to go out. Reed was gracious enough to sit out there with him for a few minutes so he could get his "outdoor" fix today.

A Beautiful Day for the Park

It was a sunny, warm day today. We took Asher to the park with our friends. This is probably the best park in our city. It isn't close to our house at all, so this was actually the first time we had taken Asher here. He is a little timid to try new things, but loved going down the slide today with Dad.



Enjoying the swings

More slides!

Special Delivery

We had a special delivery today! Three boxes arrived for us. What a treat. Asher is sporting his new hat and shoes from Nana. He kept the hat and shoes on all afternoon despite a hot head and sweaty feet.


I enjoyed looking through my maternity clothes my mom sent that were stored at her place and getting a few new things as well. I had my own little fashion show for awhile as I tried things on....praying they would fit. This baby boy is growing at a much more rapid pace than Asher seemed to. So I was thankful that I can still fit into everthing!


Much of the stuff on the table were treats, magazines, books for Asher, and other little fun things that you don't find here. They were all from the March Madness Crew. Every year for the past several years we would go to Minneapolis and meet up with the same family and friends on the weekend where there are the most b-ball games on during March Madness. The men all watch games for 2 days and the ladies have done various things including eating out, shopping, movies, pedicures, etc. Needless to say, I missed being there, but was so blessed to feel a part of it from afar.


My mom stuffed in a little cow for Asher that says "Iowa" on it. He looks at it and says "moo"!

Thanks Mom, Karen, Heather, and the March Madness group! We felt very blessed by you all!

Our Little Linus

Do you see a resemblance?

My friend's mom knitted Asher a blanket before he was born. I loved it, because of the colors and it was so soft. That blanket has become one of Asher's greatest comforts. It doesn't come out of his crib very often or he may just become more like Linus than we are wanting, but it is sweet to watch him hug it and drag it all over the house on occasion. It's going to be very rough if someday I ever forget this blanket on an overnight trip.

He is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed! Happy Easter from our family to yours!

Easter Eggs

On Friday, Reed was gracious enough to dye Easter eggs with me. It was a special treat for me, because it reminds me of home and we've done it together the last several years. Asher did not join us for the festivities (he was asleep). I think next year he will be at a better age for it. I was imagining food coloring stains all over him this year and it didn't seem worth it.

Reed put his artistic skills to work and was quite focused on his egg art!

Here are the finished eggs:

Asher was quite shocked to see the colored eggs! I was able to get a few pictures of him holding the basket before he got his little hands in.

It didn't last too long before his curiosity got the best of him. Needless to say, the eggs had to be put away quickly after this otherwise they would have been tossed like a ball.