Packages Galore!

This has been a crazy week even without all the packages we received! We went to the European side of Istanbul to spend the night with some friends who we don't get to see that often because we live so far away from each other. We attended a meeting. Shannon had business meetings all. day. long. yesterday. Today was gorgeous and I hauled Lane out to the grocery stores with me to stock up on things like milk, cheese (we splurged on mozzarella for pizza tonight...over $4 for less than 1/2 pound...yikes!), cereal, toothbrushes and dental floss (floss was $3.65. Is it just me or is that crazy expensive for floss?), and of course the regular things like bananas. And in the midst of all the craziness, FIVE packages came for us!

On Wednesday we received two packages.


From our good friends Greg and Diana. Di made me an apron (blue fabric), Lane a pillowcase dress and legwarmers (aka: BabyLegs), and they sent us a couple of movies and a book of toddler activities.


From Shannon's mom and stepdad: magazines featuring Auburn and a t-shirt for Shannon.

Then yesterday we received three more packages! One contained birthday cards for me and Lane (quite late, but fun nonetheless!).


Birthday cards from Aunt Teresa and Uncle Tommy.

And the other packages contained Valentine's Day gifts from Shannon's dad's side of the family.


From Shannon's brother Christopher, his wife Shannon, and Lane's cousin Alexandra. A new dress, a book/dvd/cd combo, a valentine, and a bag.


Lane loves the bag.


From Lane's great-grandmother (Shannon's stepmom's mom), Meme, and her hubby Charlie: a valentine, a new outfit, and new socks.


Stuff for us from Shannon's dad and stepmom: more Auburn stuff in the news and a Valentine's card (with money deposited into our checking account for a DATE!).


And stuff for Lane for Valentine's Day: touch 'n feel first word cards, a valentine, and stickers.


Lane loves the cards too. She's been feeling them and practicing putting them back into their boxes all day long!

So a great big THANKS to everyone who sent us stuff! What unexpected funness! (and yes I just made up a word. I don't care.) We appreciate everything and it will all get used/worn/watched/played with/spent! Thanks for showing us the love in practical and fun ways!

A Bit of This and a Bit of That

*Our vacation is over. So sad.

*A couple of weeks ago I saw a man carrying a REFRIGERATOR on his back. No joke. And he was probably at least 50 or 60 years old.

*Shannon bought Lane this vest the other day for 5 lira:


Hilarious, no?

*I finished Shepherding a Child's Heart (finally)! Any suggestions on a good (Christian) parenting book for those with small children?

*My daughter is so smart. Last night as we were going to bed she dropped her fish (the one Aunt Rachel sent). I said, "Lane, go get fish," and she did. Also, when Shannon put up her blocks the other day (before she was finished, apparently), she cried/whined, pointed and the blocks, and went, "Uh!" Caught in the act, daddy, caught in the act.

*It's Valentine's Day! We don't really celebrate V-Day around here, but I did make heart-shaped pancakes for Lane and myself this morning, and I made these for Shannon:


Nothin' says love like Auburn-shaped pancakes!

*Last night I planned our menu for the next four weeks. (Go me. And I'm going to attempt Eggplant Parmesan for the first time. Go me again.) Next up is the grocery list.

*We're considering buying Lane a new car seat. We don't use a car seat on a regular basis, but the bottom line is that we'll need one at some point when we return to the U.S. We'd like to have one for airplane travel. And it'd be nice to have one for those few times that we are actually in a car. We're planning on keeping Lane rear-facing until she outgrows the weight limit (35-40 pounds, I think, for most of them). Any suggestions on good car seats? Or ones to avoid?

*I wrote 117 blog posts last year. Wow.

*Winter here is weird. It doesn't feel like winter. At all. But it's still too chilly to spend much time outside. I can't wait for warmer weather so we can go to the park or just stay outside for a long time.


Lane, wishing to go outside.

*Shannon's mom and stepdad are coming to visit in April/May! We are SO excited!

*Lane is fully recovered from her sickness. We went back to the doctor last week for her first MMR shot and she didn't even cry. She had also gained 1/4 of a pound since her appointment the week before. And her appetite is back in full force!

*Looking at our next three months totally stresses me out. Totally.

*I have made some really yummy stuff lately! This soup is yummy and healthy. I also made banana pudding last night (not healthy, but definitely yummy). I keep forgetting how much I love some of my recipes! I need to make a "favorites" section over on our recipe blog.

*I realized the other day that I seriously need new socks and underwear. Must. go. shopping.

*I love this girl.


Oh, at the cuteness.

I've Been Found Out

After posting about Lane's birthday package from my sister, my mom left me a facebook message asking me why everyone else's packages get blog posts except for hers.

Umm, because I'm lazy and I know she'll still love me and send us packages anyways?

Well, that's not actually the answer. The answer is that her packages came right when we had company and were moving, and we had to pack stuff up to move, and all surfaces were so dirty/messy that I couldn't find a clean place to take a picture, and so on.

BUT. Lest anyone think that my momma doesn't love me (her fear), or my mom think that we don't love her or appreciate what she's sent us (my fear), I hereby present to you:


The goodies from my mom minus a couple of things that I used for Lane's birthday cake.

Mom sent us two packages that got here right around New Year's. They contained: two 2-pound bags of powdered sugar (here the sugar comes from beets and is a totally different texture than cane sugar and just not very good in frosting), candy melts (what I used to make the "1" on Lane's cake and all the polka dots, stripes, and letters for her name), nine different gel food colorings, vanilla and maple extracts, frosting tips, a white cake mix, pecans, marshmallows, a pair of shoes for Lane, a pair of white tights for Lane, Pert Plus (Shannon's favorite shampoo), my facial moisturizer (you can buy it here but it's nearly $20 compared to $10ish in the States), Karo syrup, a 2010 Baby's First Christmas ornament (just in case something happens to Lane's other one), and a set of Rudolph board books for Lane. Oh, and all the little ladybugs that were on Lane's cake, which my mom made.

Let me say that the only things that I asked her to send were vanilla/maple extract, a pair of white tights and shoes for Lane, the frosting tips, the ladybugs, and some red food coloring. All the other stuff was a surprise, and was what enabled me to make Lane such an awesome cake (if I do say so myself).


This cake would not have happened without the stuff my mom sent.

So, a big shout out to my mom and a big THANKS! for all the stuff! We appreciate it so much and are very grateful, even when I'm too lazy to give you your own blog post!

A Vacation Excursion

I mentioned before that we are taking vacation this week but not really going anywhere. It's been really, really nice. We have done a few things that haven't been the most relaxing (I worked on our taxes and Shannon worked on a brochure for work, as well as a long process of trying to figure out how our international health insurance works), but altogether it's been great. Movies and popcorn and naps and walks and lots of playing together and relaxing. Fun times.

Today we decided that since we're saving so much money by staying home for vacation that we should go and do something that we wouldn't normally do (at least not often). I was out last week and stumbled upon something I didn't know existed in Istanbul: a Ben & Jerry's. So out we went!


Using the stroller for maybe the 2nd time since we moved here. (In general the sidewalks here and public transportation are not stroller-friendly, but our new neighborhood has wider sidewalks than our old neighborhood.) Lane's chowing down on some apples and cheese.


Look at all that yummy goodness!


If it's not fun, why do it?


Love the chef timer. I think he's for timing the waffle iron.


Mmm. We got a large and shared: 3 flavors (Phish Food, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and Vanilla [so Lane could have a taste]). Shannon was WAY disappointed that 1/3 of our selection was vanilla, as he is officially a chocoholic! The cookie/cracker is Lane's.


Family photo op!

The only real bummer was that we had to sit outside and it wasn't exactly a warm day (maybe it was 45-50°), especially when you're eating ice cream! So we went to the Starbucks next door and got a Venti Chai Tea Latte (since Lane can't drink coffee it tends to be our drink of choice these days so that she can have a drink too) to help warm us up.


Lane getting a taste of vanilla ice cream for the first time. She wasn't sure what to think!


After we were finished with our ice cream we decided to let Lane wander around a bit. She is quite taken with motorized vehicles, always wanting to touch the tires. (Notice her carrying around the white plastic spoon from our ice cream?)

So, 13 lira (about $8.65) on ice cream and 5.50 lira (almost $4.00) and two 30-minute walks to and from Ben & Jerry's makes for a pretty cheap date, don't you think?


Goodbye, Ben & Jerry's! We'll hopefully see you again one day!

Birthday Package!

Today we got a package! This one is from my sister and her hubby and Lane's cousin, Maddox. It's Lane's birthday loot, albeit a bit late, but they were all in Mexico (rough life, I know) on Lane's birthday, so we're just getting it now. Look at all the fun stuff!


Socks in the next size up, cute shoes, more Angel Baby Bottom Balm, bath squirties, a coat hanger with Lane's name, and tarragon and nutmeg.

Lane's feet just continue to grow, so when Rachel asked me what she should get for Lane for her birthday, I suggested new socks and some more bath toys, since the only bath toys Lane had were the letter-link crabs they gave her for Christmas and of course the usual rubber duckie. And I just asked her to send me more Angel Baby Bottom Balm (since our first and only tub so far is nearly gone) and more nutmeg and tarragon (I usually end up using a mixture of cloves, allspice, and nutmeg in recipes instead of cinnamon since Lane is allergic to it, and I've been on a tarragon kick lately and had used up almost all of mine).

The shoes and the coat hanger (which I love) were fun surprises! Back in July when we were at my sister's and she was showing me Maddox's nursery, she showed me coat hangers that a friend had made for her. One had "Maddox" on it and one had "Brody": they were undecided as to which name they would choose for him until he was born, so her friend had made her one of each. I loved them and told her so, and look what we got! One for Lane. I'm so excited. (And, on a side note, if any of you also love the hanger and would like one made for you or someone else, let me know because I can get you in contact with the gal who makes them.)

So yay! for sisters who send awesome packages! Thanks so much, Rachel, Lucas, and Maddox! Lane has already been playing with the bath toys (out of the bath) today and loves them, and we're so grateful for the rest of the stuff! Packages are so fun!

February

Well, now that February is 1/4 of the way over, I figure that I should post these, huh? I also figure that you're all probably tired of reading the ones that I've decided to keep each month, like making our bed every day, or offering Shannon a back massage every night. But, these are for me, and I do better if I write them down. So, too bad. :-)

In relation to God:
1) Memorize Psalm 1:2. Review memory verses from the past 6 months.
2) Read my Bible daily in order to finish it by the end of this year.
3) Listen to 2 online sermons.
4) Make a monthly prayer calendar. Ha! I already got this one done. Yay!
5) Finish "Shepherding a Child's Heart."
6) Choose another book to begin reading when finished with "Shepherding a Child's Heart."

In relation to my family:
1) Have a date night without Lane.
2) Take Lane outside every day for at least 15-20 minutes unless it's raining or too cold..
3) Have an "at home" date night once per week after Lane is asleep.
4) Be in bed, lights out, by 10:30.

Personal goals:
1) Make our bed every day.
2) Get my pajama pants and tank top fixed.
3) Offer Shannon a back massage every night.
4) Try 2 new recipes.
5) By the end of the month, be getting out of bed by 6:30 consistently.
6) Start reading the owner's manual for our new camera.
7) Turn my computer off by 9:00.
8) Develop a general schedule (chores, class, studying, Bible time, computer time, etc).

All that being said, we're on vacation for the week. It's a staycation, as we're not going anywhere, but we're also not studying, not having class, not going to any meetings, and Shannon is going to be easing it up on the business front. We're going to watch movies and eat popcorn and read books, and possibly stay up later than 10:30. We may even go to Ben & Jerry's, since I stumbled upon one the other day. But most importantly we're just going to spend some time together as a family. And quite frankly, I'm excited.

So Cute

Sometimes she's just so cute that I think I'm going to cry...


"What's up there, Daddy?"


Getting into the spices.


Posing with daddy. Love those overalls.


Being chased by daddy.


Concentrating hard.


Yakking up a storm after eating (or picking at) spaghetti.


Playing in the sink after a very messy snack involving peanut butter.


Fascinated with the water.


Strike a pose. (Modeling one of the hats my mom made her, flipped around backwards since the bill still usually covers her eyes.)


So cute.