The Campbell Clan Blog

Chicken (Pox) Run

2012-01-28T18:49:00.000+02:00

Sweet Cheeks showed me a bug bite on her leg before school, and I thought, "Strange. What bug could possibly bite her this time of year?" and then I went about my merry way getting 5 kids out the door, as I was teaching morning Pre-K that day, complete with my son who thinks all of the school day should be about playing with the car bin in the classroom.

After her half-day, piano lesson, and lunch, she said, "Look! A BUNCH of bugs bit me." I didn't even have to look. I knew even before seeing that she would go down in history as one of those valiant few who braved the chicken pox vaccination, but still got the pox!

If you could only have seen the joyous look on her face. And then the multitude of questions. Do I get to take medicine? Why do I take a bath in oatmeal? Do I get to eat the oatmeal in the bath? Will you count them again? Do pajamas give you chicken pox? Oh, she was proud. Very, very proud. No one at our house has ever had chicken pox, only the shot. As we were packing up our contagious little posse to go home, she kept thinking of more people who might want to know she had chicken pox. Have we shown the secretary? Have we shown Miss M (principal)? Have we shown Miss "Newcumber" (Newcomer), the librarian?

In the photo, we are on our walk home, trudging through the ice with anxious anticipation of a day at home to play and watch movies. Hurray for Chicken Pox! (and hurray for my first cousins who gave it to me when I was little...I appreciate you more than you can know right now!)

Snow Day!

2012-01-27T12:33:00.000+02:00

We have had SO many days that we thought Papa would call SNOW DAY/NO SCHOOL. But if nothing else in Turkey is efficient, their snow plows are! Every other day it has snowed, they've plowed, we've headed out to school...until Wednesday! Turkish schools are out for their winter holiday, so the plows took a break. Papa called it off, all cheered! And what a better way to begin the snow day than with some Quaker Instant Oatmeal. This is a treat for us, we can't buy it here. My friend Karyn dropped off a few bags of groceries from cleaning out her pantry, and all of us on staff chose an item. I got the oatmeal for the kids. Why save it? We used it the very next day on our snow day.

And as always, the middle girls were out the door as soon as they could go.

They gathered with other school friends to build a snow tunnel for their sled run.

These kids vary in age from first grade all the way up to eighth grade. I like that it doesn't matter here, they all play together.

And the final task of the day was to build this giant ice fort.

We woke this morning a lightly dusted street. But right after the school buses began their routes, we got pelted. It hasn't let up all day. Today would have been a snow day, too. But we have that basketball tournament....for some reason, we can make to school when we have a basketball tournament that day!

Kiddie Phone, It's For You!

2012-01-24T20:08:00.000+02:00

We have 3 phones in our house. We have our Vonage phone, so we can call our loved ones back home. We have our cell phones (we love! because we are all on a plan so we can call each other free!). And we have the Kiddie Phone (as CC calls it). Once we got on this cell plan with all of our staff, it basically made our landline unnecessary. Anyone who would call us is pretty much on our plan. But we kept the landline just to have it in case it is ever needed/for emergencies/etc. As our girls have grown, they've given out that number. Now the ONLY people who call our landline are kids. Everytime it rings, CC yells, "Kiddie phone! It's for you!" and it makes me laugh every time. He and I never answer that phone. It's never for us. It's only ever kids, or a Turkish telemarketer, or the man in charge of tapping our phone who has accidentally gotten his wires crossed (literally) and allowed me to momentarily eavesdrop on him! (True.)

Tonight it started snowing. Again. I don't think we've had 2 straight days without snow in weeks! As soon as the Kiddie Phone rang tonight and I looked out and saw it was snowing, I said to Miss Middler, "It's for you. It's _________ (school friend) calling to see if we are having a snow day!" (They all know that her dad will be the one to decide). I was in the background whispering, "Tell her to check the school website by 7AM. That's how she will find out if it is a snow day!" So Miss Middler politely turned to the phone receiver and said, "Please call this phone by 7AM to see if it is a snow day!" So glad we could help.

Speaking of Boots

2012-01-23T21:28:00.000+02:00

Sweet Cheeks has been wearing the same snow boots (size 9) for a couple of years now. I kept on thinking that she MUST be outgrowing them soon. Then it occurred to me that her older sister, Twinkle Toes, (in the white sweater above) wore them when she was 3! Sweet Cheeks is 6.5 years old! But everytime I asked, SC just smiled and said they fit her fine. Indeed, once she got them on, she never complained about how they felt. But it took her forever to get them on. I was teaching at school one afternoon and noticed her tugging and tugging to get her boots on while all the other kids were lined up to go home. I thought, "I have to get her to at least try on the next size up boots." (I will say this, though, she does have the smallest and widest feet in the house for her age. When she was born, her feet looked like surgical gloves blown up...tiny, but puffy!)

And so, I brought down the blue ones (size 11) that have been passed down from so many girls. Her face lit up and she said, "WOW! These are so easy to get on! They feel so good, Mama! I love my new boots!"

And that night, I was sort of smiling, thinking about how ridiculous it was that I let her wear those same boots for far too long. And I began thinking about the "old boots" I still want to wear when it is time for me to wear "new boots." My old boots would be things like....thinking if I lived in America everything would be easier. Another old boot for me could be having a little baby in my home, a little plump Campbell to have on my hip whenever I go out. Another old boot might even be wanting to stay in my 30's. My new boots? Accepting life here and being grateful God has called me to it. Enjoying having a pre-teen down to a pre-schooler even with no baby in the house. Embracing the corner I'm about to turn called being a 40-something. It seems like it's boot-switching time in my life. I'm finishing my last year at home as a stay-at-home mom. It will be the first time I will be working full time as a teacher in 13 years. There are no more babies and I'll admit, I miss that, but I have such wonderful companions in my growing children. My old boots may be comfortable. There may be a part of them I don't want to give up. But God has given me some new boots to wear. And I'm guessing since He picked them out, they'll fit me better now.

2 Boots and 1 Sock for Sale

2012-01-23T10:08:00.000+02:00

These are Big Ben's snow boots. He's needed them this year. It has snowed almost daily for the last two weeks. He pitched a big ol' fit the other day and didn't want to wear these boots. He told me his toe hurt. I figured they must be getting tight. How can his foot be the same size as his 6.5 year old sister?! I started putting him in his little hiking boots. Then Sunday morning, we needed to walk to church again because the van was iced in. I had nearly given/sold these boots and thought I'd try one more time to see if they fit. Again, he said his big toe hurt. CC dug in and found a SOCK stuffed in there. Um. Right. They fit now.

Miss Middler's Birthday!

2012-01-23T09:35:00.000+02:00

Miss Middler had a wonderful turning 10 birthday! I baked a giant chocolate chip cookie and dropped it off with CC to cut and share with her classmates. (Evidently we've never filled him in on the "Take a cookie to the sisters, too." memo. They came home and wondered where their cookie was! We laughed and said, "Hmmm, Papa cut it and gave it out. He must not have known we always give the sisters some too!") Above is Miss Middler with her darling teacher from Alabama.

Her cake was total chocolate. I didn't have really anything to decorate it with, so I ended up putting gumballs on it that Grandma had send back with us. It made it festive and fun!

Big Ben always raises his hand and yells, "Me!" or "I do!" when anything is asked. I am not even sure what he was answering here. Miss Middler got lots of goodies...Apples to Apples Jr, Shrinky Dinks, a whiteboard, a new purse and headband (which she wore the very next day to school).

On Saturday we took three of her friends to the mall. They are from America, Kosovo, and South Korean. All are sweet!

We paid for them to play in a giant jungle gym.

Happy birthday, sweet daughter!

Ideas for Change/Looking for Feedback

2012-01-19T09:02:00.000+02:00

I didn't really make "New Year's Resolutions" on January 1. In fact, it was when I finished doing all the laundry from our trip, restocking the house with groceries, and getting the kids back into the swing of going to school that I began to think about anything that needed to be changed, perhaps about January 10. I decided as so many of us do, to take better care of me. This is 40 years after 1972, I'm hitting the big one soon. So, one of my resolves was to take better care of myself. A dermatology check up, maybe an eye exam...just to be sure all is ok. I also want to exercise more (and with a friend if possible), eat healthier, read through my Bible in a year. (I started that one in late November to give myself cushion.) I want to be more kind/patient/fun with my husband and children. I want to remember to send birthday cards to my nieces and nephews. Oh, and there's painting the house, finishing my college course and becoming re-certified in the state of Tennessee. There's getting all the school curriculum ordering in better order to pass that baton off before I start teaching in August. So many things. I've started to make these thing happen, just little baby steps. I called the dermatologist to make an appointment. I've exercised quite a bit (ohhh, I'm sore). I've mailed the January cards. I just got my grade back from my college course, A plus! So now I'd love your advice on one change I want to make (which is small). I have read that potato chips are about the most unhealthy thing one can eat (why they are so good). In my kids' lunches every day, I pack a main dish (a sandwich or a wrap or sometimes something we ate the night before for dinner), a fruit, a sweet, and a salty. Most days I send them potato chips for the salty, mainly because it's easiest and our options here are limited. I'd like to change that. I'm not sure I'll ever bring myself (or have the time, or I should say make the time) to bake homemade veggie chips. Maybe I'd be willing to try if you told me how. So, what suggestions do you have for something to replace them? Something salty or savory, not sweet. I could certainly send pretzels a couple of times a week. Trail mix? Any ideas? What changes are you hoping to make this year?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2012-01-18T13:34:00.000+02:00

Today is not only my daughter's birthday (see post below), it's my mom's also. I'll never forget that day 10 years ago. My first two kids were born a week early. I suspected #3 would be the same. In fact, we decided if the baby was a girl and happen to be born early enough to have a December birthday, we'd name her Noelle. But she didn't come. Not even by her due date! One day later, I had my scheduled visit to the doctor. Dr. Tan checked me and admitted he was nervous, "Time for baby to be born, lah. Go over to hospital. Call Ross." (in a very Singaporean accent). I did that. As the nurse was handing me my gown, I suddenly realized this baby would be born on my mom's birthday, I burst into tears. Tears of joy. The nurse tried to comfort me and tell me not to be scared. I said, "I'm not scared, I'm happy. He or she waited a day late to be born on Grandma's birthday!" And three hours later, there she was. (She's always been the quick one!) Esther could not have picked a better birthday to share or a better role model to watch than my mom. She is the definition of a godly wife and mother to me. Just last night, CC was telling the kids why he first decided to ask me out. Evidently, when asked in Sunday School who I most admire, I answered, "My mom. I've never heard her speak ill of my dad." CC thought, "That's one lucky guy that marries that girl." Happy birthday, Mom, I love you!

Happy 10th Birthday, Esther!

2012-01-18T09:50:00.000+02:00

For about 2 months of the year, we cross right over into the one-number-apart birthdays. I have a 10, 11, and 12 year old all at once. Oh how I remember those days when they were 1, 2, and 3! I hit my 30th birthday when my third daughter was 2 weeks old, my husband was out of the country, and I had 2 toddlers still in diapers. How can it be that I am about to hit my 40th and that newborn is 10?! I see them growing older, and I just stay in a state of shock at how fast it has gone. But for some reason, this one hit me even harder. How can this little babe that I just brought to Turkey as an 18 month old possibly be 10? She woke this morning to find it snowing on her birthday, which thrilled her! There is a new wife of one of our staff members with the exact same birthday, so this morning Esther walked to her house and took her some flowers, from one birthday girl to another. I'm just about to run over a giant chocolate chip cookie to school. Her Papa is going to take it in and light a candle and serve it to her class. Tonight we'll have tacos and a Hershey's Sour Cream Chocolate Cake. Though she is having a few friends for a party this weekend, she wanted to have just a family birthday tonight. It will be a special day for a special girl! Happy birthday to the most beautiful baby I ever saw with cherry red lips and big blue eyes, who only wanted to play with trains/cars/trucks, and who has grown into a beautiful young girl!

How Not To Be A Lazy Mama

2012-01-17T13:49:00.000+02:00

I confess with just one child at home now and being the sole entertainment for him until "the sisters" (as he calls them) get home after school, I am lazy some days. My friend Erin once told me that her mother said, "Show me a kid that won't take his afternoon nap, I'll show you a lazy mother." I've thought of that many times. Some days I let him watch too many videos. I dabble with the watercolor paints with him, for a few minutes, but soon get back to things I need done. But truthfully, I only have a half year with him at home with me full time. I do want to make the most of it, spend time with him, not waste it. I want those lazy mama days to be few and far between. So today I wondered how we might spend the day without being able to go to the park (which is buried in snow). Then I thought of how much he seems to be enjoying playing in the snow with his sisters. So, we bundled up. We both got an ice scraper. We scraped the windows of cars all down our street. He could not have been happier and made sure I knew which were "his" sections. I hope it will bless them to find their car has already been dug out. Many of those neighbors have certainly blessed me...I remember once a neighbor spotted one of my kids in a face off with a street dog. He put her in his car and drove her to school for me. Another one leans out her first story window and hands my kids a fistful of candy every time she sees them.

After scraping the cars, we made a sled run and went sledding. I don't feel so lazy today. In fact, he is sound asleep in my bed as I type. I think it worked.

Resting His Eyes

2012-01-17T03:43:00.000+02:00

I guess learning about Jesus, eating about six cookies from the hospitality table, and walking to and from church in the snow did him in. This is how I found him.

Sunday Morning Snow

2012-01-16T13:44:00.001+02:00

We woke up Sunday morning to a big snow! Thankfully, we are close enough to walk to our little church (which is amazing considering there are only 2 English speaking churches in our city). After our Sunday morning at-home Turkish breakfast, we put on coats, gloves, hats, boots and headed out the door.

I was so thankful to find a coat for Firstborn on Saturday. The winter clearance has begun, so it was 1/2 off. Then you take 1/2 of that to convert it to US dollars. I found this beautiful hooded wool coat for US$30.

Speaking of good prices, this down winter coat was $5 at Old Navy many years ago. She is now the 3rd daughter to wear it, so does that make it about $1.67 per kid? Not bad! (The funny thing is that even though I bought it years ago when we moved here, which makes it about 7 years old...Sweet Cheeks has a friend in her class with the exact same coat. Her mom and I laughed about it...this little girl is the recipient of a hand-me-down from a much older sister, too! Smart thinking, mom!)

Big Ben has never really loved the snow until this year. He is happy to tromp around in it and let his sisters carry his sled back up the hill for him!

This girl and her sidekick (below) would stay out in the snow for 5 hours if I let them.

This sweet girl has always loved the snow since she moved to this climate at 18 months old. Incidentally, she only has 2 more days to be a single digit in age!

On our walk back, Twinkle Toes helped her brother. He liked falling in the snow and letting her help him back up.

And then there's the two older folks in the family! We were thankful to break up our walk back up the hill after church with a quick stop for lunch. Turkish pide, Kiremitte Tavuk, and Tavuk Sis fueled us to make it home. It also didn't hurt that the restaurant owner provided us Kunefe for dessert and insisted we stay to drink Turkish coffee and tea. We love our neighborhood!

Road Trip: Faces and Final Day

2012-01-13T14:32:00.000+02:00

Our last full day there it rained non-stop. We were so thankful for so many pretty days to be outside. On that day, a gal showed up at the hotel who was in charge of the "Kids Club" (entertaining the kids there). We noticed she had face paint, so the girls went down and picked a design. I could have predicted what they would pick: Twinkle Toes in some fancy floral design, Miss Middler in something scary, Sweet Cheeks as a cute animal. Later on, Firstborn went down and had her face painted, too.

It was a wonderful trip, and we thank the Lord for making it possible for us to escape our city and responsibilities once in awhile. This was our hotel, backed right up to a beautiful mountain.

So long, Antalya! We'll be back one day!

Road Trip: Swimming

2012-01-12T20:38:00.002+02:00

I haven't blogged all week! I guess getting back into the swing of school and trying to put some final touches on my college course (for Tennessee state re-certification) has kept me busy. But I must finish, look at my handsome boy!!! He was smart. He got in the pool just long enough to realize how very unpleasant it is to swim in a cold pool in December. After that, he just pranced around the pool and watched his sisters, but he insisted on wearing his goggles.

Sweet Cheeks did a little swimming, but mostly sat wrapped in a big towel cozy and happy.

These girls had a high tolerance for cold! They registered shock when they jumped in, but that was the end of the complaints. They swam like little fish, thanks to Mrs. Trish and our summer swim lessons.

After a time, I convinced them we needed to go somewhere warmer...the Turkish hamam!!! Ahhhh! It's nearly impossible to get a picture in there because it is so steamy hot. It was so fun. We basically had the whole hamam to ourselves. I just stretched out on the hot marble slab and let my children pour varying degrees of hot water over me. Fun for them. Wonderful for me. The way it works is that you basically run your hot water into a marble basin, then scoop it out to bath yourself. Big Ben and Sweet Cheeks discovered the basins to be just the right size to climb into.

The edges are blurry due to the steam-factor, but I think this is pretty enough to be in the hotel ad!

Road Trip: Ancient City (Part III)

2012-01-04T20:54:00.000+02:00

We finished hiking around, pet one last little goat, made our way back to our van. Then we wound back through the town and got on the highway. I turned back around to look at that mountain (the one that was supposed to have a church on top of it) one last time. I noticed a light brown path winding all the way up and mentioned it to CC. Of course, he hollered, "Anybody up for hiking up that mountain with me and finding that church?!" He had two takers. I really, really wanted to try to find it, but I knew there was no way the Turks would make it up that mountain without injury, meltdown, tears, all of the above. They were already tired, and it was so steep. But the middle girls took their Papa up on the offer.

The path was clear and easy to follow, but it was very winding because of the height of the mountain. Firstborn and I sat in the van speculating why they would build a church up there. Closer to God? More glory for Him? Safer? We kept seeing three little dots...white, pink, and brown (their shirts). We also saw many, many mountain goats hopping from rock to rock, right around our trio. Believe it or not, Turkcell came through for us and we had cell phone contact. I reported to him that we had a little group of Turkish boys surrounding our van who had clearly not seen a foreigner in a very long time, if ever. CC reported that they were giving up. They were at the top, hadn't found it, and there was another steep bluff hidden from our view which had no path. And then, just as they began to head back, they found the remains of a building structure, in the shape of a cross. And they found 2 baptisimal basins.

They found it! And boy did those girls sleep well (and eat alot!) that night! I would like to think that those early believers know that in spite of earthquakes and invasions, their little church (and The Church) remains. Amen!

Road Trip: Ancient City (part II)

2012-01-04T10:31:00.000+02:00

After seeing the theater, we walked across the street and found more ruins. It was basically a little tomato-growing and sheep-herding village built upon an ancient town.

No exploration here would be complete without the appearance of some sheep and goats. Firstborn made friends with one goat that the shepherdess had tied up to keep from wandering.

We saw a very rudimentary sign in Turkish that showed there had been two churches found amid the ruins. That's, of course, what we wanted to find. The problem was that one of them was somewhere on top of the huge mountain behind us. The other was across a big stream. I stayed back with the Turks and let CC take the older girls to try to cross it. CC has much longer legs than Miss Middler. He told her to jump, she tackled the jump with gusto, and promptly fell in the water and temporarily lost her shoe. She waited until he came back from exploring and hopped on his back. He rolled up his pants and carried her across. Here she is navigating which stone to jump to make her way back across.

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I enjoy spotting crosses spread throughout this beautiful country. Here Twinkle Toes and I found one on a big old stone. She's pointing to the center, do you see it?

And this is perhaps my all-time favorite photo from 2011. As we left, two little old village ladies entered to help with the flock of sheep. We talked for a bit (boy, their Turkish sounds different than you hear in the city!). They asked me the question that I get almost daily, especially in a place like this. "Are all of these children yours?" I replied, "Yes, I have 4 girls, and the last is a little boy." Then they of course bless me and tell me they want Allah to protect them. I had a thought after we talked and they began to walk away. I told Sweet Cheeks to run and give them a hug and kiss and ask if we could take their picture. She's a sure bet, she'll always do it. And what happens so often to reward her bravery, the little auntie dug down inside her pants to find an inner pocket with candy in it. I love this photo. May God bless this beautiful village!

Road Trip: An Ancient City (Part I)

2012-01-02T21:36:00.000+02:00

We, the Campbell clan, really never tire of finding old cities and tromping around on the ruins. To some it may just be "old rocks," but it's fun to us. I think for me the biggest thrill lies in the fact that each of these cities housed people who were just a few generations away, or maybe even the same, from the time my Lord lived on Earth. That's amazing. I also love to see the old churches. We thought about trying to find Corydella , the city we searched for last year but never found. We've since named it "The Lost City." To ease the frustration of not finding it, we've convinced ourselves it is currently submerged under water somewhere. Instead, we found a place called Limyra. Its history dates to the 5th century BC and onwards. Just a few turns off the beaten path, amid a village (the occupants of which rarely see foreigners) and a mountainside of greenhouses, we stumbled upon this theater. It had connecting archways and tunnels. The massive stones which made the seating for the theater even still had notches where they were once connected by some type of metal. The town was known for its rich, abundant soil. The soil must still be rich, the tomaotes in those greenhouses were beautiful.

No entrance fee. No one to care if the kids climb to the top or jump from stone to stone.

Someone recently asked for a family photo, so we took this one. I of course panicked as CC ran to his place, not quite quickly enough. But I somehow managed a smile in this one.

I took far too many pictures this day to limit this post to just one. I'll continue tomorrow. But first, let me wish my dear dad a VERY happy birthday!

Road Trip: Olympic Challenge

2012-01-02T15:27:00.000+02:00

We decided to alternate the days between short day trips to see surrounding sites and staying back at our hotel. On this day, we stayed at the hotel and went to their regulation-size soccer field. It was beautiful, as you can see, surrounded by mountains. There were two competing professional soccer teams staying at the hotel, as well. They evidently had their matches early in the morning, then came into the dining hall in cleats.

We had a great time kicking Big Ben's new football, playing Ultimate Frisbee (CC and I were on a team together. We did allow our children to score one point on us, but otherwise beat them soundly), and Frisbee Golf.

It was so much fun. It's good to set aside time to play, don't you think?

And of course, what soccer field or hotel in Turkey would be complete without some sheep or goats showing up near it?

Road Trip: Waterfall

2012-01-01T20:55:00.000+02:00

On our second day, we decided to drive to the Dudan Selale (waterfall) we'd heard about, but never seen.

It was a public park, not really the intriguing exploration of ancient cities we like so much, but a fun-for-a-day alternative. The waterfall was very pretty and loud. We could also walk into a cave behind the waterfall and see it from behind.

There was clearly some type of candy involved here.

Road Trip: Rocky Beach

2011-12-30T21:09:00.000+02:00

Our first day, we took the kids to swim in the hotel pool. It's an act of love, trust me. Turks believe making the pool warm will breed bacteria. Everytime we take them swimming, I have to remind myself someday I'll look back on this and laugh. It is so.very.cold. I get in, splash, laugh, hold my little boy who doesn't know how to swim. And just as soon as everyone has noted that Mom did indeed swim with them, I curl up in a towel on the side and begin the yearly thaw. We also walked across the street to the beach. Miss Middler picked me this flower and took my picture.

The beaches in Southern Turkey are mostly rocky with some coarse sand. I do love the rugged beauty of it. You can turn and see craggy mountains all around. It's gorgeous. The Mediterranean Sea is also cold. It's about 60 degrees out, so you can imagine the temperature of the sea water. But my girls dive right in. I tell myself there has to be some health benefit to this...perhaps so shocking their immune systems that it will ward off colds for months? I know we look odd.

After all, we do live .....here....

I never ever dreamed Big Ben would have any interest in getting in the water. He doesn't like to be cold or wet or both at the same time. But as soon as we got down to the water, he literally took ALL his clothes off and headed for the ocean. My eyes flew open, I told him we are NOT European, we are AMERICANS. I finally managed to get some underwear on him. And off he went again. My photo of this is so adorably cute, but alas, it's a public blog. He will thank me one day for not posting a picture of him in Scooby Doo hand-me-down underwear. He didn't stay in the water long, but I was impressed with my little Polar Bear Swimmer.

As for me, I happily stretched out and enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine, the smell of the ocean, and the laughter of my children.

Road Trip: A Snowy Drive

2011-12-30T12:17:00.000+02:00

On the day we celebrated Christmas (Christmas Eve), I woke early to put the breakfast in the oven and light the tree and candles before the kids woke up. I was so happy to look out the window and see that God had sent us snow. It really wasn't even cold the day before...just mild and rainy. It was like a little Christmas gift from God to us! The next day, Christmas Day, we loaded up our things, shut down the house, kissed the kitty goodbye, and left for a week out of our city. We have discovered that getting away from school and our home city periodically seems to help us survive here better. If we lived in America, we'd be visiting family. But this helps ease the blow of being so far from home. This is a view of the mountain surrounding our neighborhood.

We headed South, but saw much much more snow on our drive down than we got in Ankara. We climbed in elevation and saw some beautiful snow-covered mountains. Thankfully, our roads were all clear.

We got to Antalya just after the sunset. Just in time to wear our new pajamas from Mimi that night!

And then the next day the girls all wore their new jackets from Grandma. The temps drop quite a bit during the latter part of the day, the jackets came in handy all week.

And we certainly didn't miss dinner that first night. Most hotels down here are a set price for the room and 3 full meals per day. My kids love the idea of going to a buffet and getting whatever they want, as much as they want. I am certain we get our money's worth!

And Finally....Christmas!

2011-12-29T21:11:00.000+02:00

And finally....we made it to Christmas! The Campbell traditions were carried on this year. We began the morning with CC on his guitar, playing "Away in a Manger" to wake the youngest Campbell, something we've done since we just had 1 baby. The youngest Campbell complied by sleeping in late, after a big night of staying up late to party. Then we opened stockings, stuffed to the max and waiting in front of the fireplace.

We then spent some time praising God for this wonderful reason to celebrate, then began our Christmas brunch with a birthday cake for Jesus. Three candles represent the Trinity. We all sing, we all blow them out. Big Ben asked if God was getting presents. I told him the amazing thing is that on His own birthday, He gives the present: Himself.

We received some wonderful gifts from our family back home. It brings such love and warmth to us, it's well worth the luggage space to bring it back in the summer.

My kids aren't perfect. But I can say that every Christmas and birthday, they impress me. They are so thankful for everything they receive. I pray that contentment and thankfulness stays in their hearts. This year I was impressed at how happy they were in receiving their Dollar Tree gifts from siblings. Due to the complexity of shopping in Turkey sometimes and the fact that none of them actually 'need' anything, we suggested they pick up gifts in the summer for each other from the Dollar Tree. They were thrilled to see what their sisters and brother picked out for them.

It was a fun day of surprises. These electric car tracks from the 70's are still alive and well in Turkeyl!

CC got me some winter snow boots and a new calendar. I got him his annual tradition of a bag of yummy trail mix from Walmart, as well as a t-shirt that says, "Papa's Pit Crew" with the names of all the kids on it. Hope ya'll had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Countdown: Christmas Eve Eve Party

2011-12-28T15:25:00.000+02:00

Our tradition in Turkey has always been to host a big party on December 23rd for any staff and staff kids who are staying in country for the holiday. We had such a great time with the 4 families and 2 singles who joined us. Here's the kids' table.

Big Ben had a big time roughhousing with all the boys at the party.

I made 2 big lasagnas, and the guests brought the sides. Our yearly tradition is to play "The Name Game." Each person thinks of a name, fictional or real, but not their own. Everyone else has to remember the list of names and try to figure out who is who. It's fun, especially because adults and kids can all play. Miss Middler won third place with Andrew Johnson. Twinkle Toes won first place with Michael Card.

Then we all watch a Christmas movie. The kids get to stay up til the end, turning in late that night, anxiously awaiting our family Christmas celebration the next morning.

Christmas Countdown: Shopping?

2011-12-27T21:03:00.000+02:00

CC decided to load all the kids up in the car and take them Christmas shopping for me. They were so excited. Everyone got dressed quickly, loaded up purses, whispered secrets. I was given several hours all to myself, it was heavenly! I had CC drop me at a mall, and I did last minute stocking stuffers and treated myself to lunch out. I really hardly knew what to do with myself. I found myself commenting in Turkish to other shoppers about clothing or prices.I think I told 6 different Turks that I have 5 children. I even called a friend to say, "This is so weird! I'm all alone!" and had a good laugh. I was SO curious about the kids' day with their dad, that I sent a camera with Twinkle Toes and said, "Get me some pictures of all the fun things you do and see!" I was envisioning some shots taken in front of a big lit-up Christmas tree at a mall. Or maybe in a clothing store. THIS is what turned up on the camera!!

Where exactly did you take them shopping, CC? Comments, anyone?

Christmas Countdown: Family Christmas Meal

2011-12-26T17:16:00.000+02:00

We had several parties and events leading up to Christmas, as we try to recreate many family get-togethers with our 'family' here. But there was one night that we had nothing to do and would all be home. I decided to fix a fun meal and try all new recipes. Above was bruschetta...mushroom and cheese; pesto, apple, and cheese; and cream cheese with dried cranberries. It was so easy and yummy, I plan to make it again.

I also made new crab dip and a salad with mushrooms, brussels sprouts, and tomatoes.

Christmas Countdown: Cousins' Christmas Party

2011-12-24T15:11:00.000+02:00

This was our 9th year to have a Cousins' Christmas Party. My sweet friend who has been here with me since Day 1 invites my kids over each year to "pretend" to be cousins with her kids. Now her kids, as you can see, are grown. They are both back from college, but still blessed us with time with them. They always make a craft, eat goodies, and play. And this year... Big Ben got to go! (The rule is you have to be 3 and potty trained!)

Christmas Countdown: Rewards

2011-12-23T10:21:00.000+02:00

Awhile back, I made a chore chart for each of the girls. I told them that when they got to 150 checkmarks for all of the things I expect them to do each morning and night, I'd reward them. They all filled it up quickly. I told them we'd do the rewards over Christmas break when they are out of school, and I can give them more individual time. I gave them several choices: a day at the hamam (Turkish bath house), ice skating, an afternoon in Kizilay (downtown), an afternoon in Ulus (old town), a Starbucks drink and time to walk around a mall. Wouldn't you know they all 4 chose different things?! So, I've been busy! Twinkle Toes wanted to try a hamam for the first time. Of course, I can't take pictures, but it was oh, so wonderful. I was oh, so glad she chose it! We also took a couple of the new teachers. For about US13, we got scrubbed from head to toe (no dead skin cells in sight after that!), were soaped up and massaged on a hot, marble slab, given a fresh squeezed orange juice, and given time in a sauna and a steam room with eucalyptus. It's the closest I'll ever get to a spa day over here, and I love it! I also love the pampering from all the little old Turkish ladies there. I must move on! Come see me, I'll take you!

The next reward day was Sweet Cheeks' day. She chose a hot chocolate and mall time. We sipped a drink, while she sat on the big, comfy chair at Starbucks. Then we walked through a toy store, not to buy, but to browse. It was fun! And added bonus for us was that this toy store routinely plays English kids' music, though they do not necessarily know what the songs say. Guess what we heard? This Little Light of Mine! (Remember the rocks and trees will even cry out to praise Him?) I have to believe the timing of that was a special gift from God to us.

After the New Year begins, I'll treat Miss Middler to ice skating with Mom (Yikes!) and Firstborn to an afternoon in Kizilay. (No doubt, in craft stores!) It's hard to have special times alone with each kid when you have 5, but I'm thankful this Christmas season allowed it!

Christmas Countdown: How things have changed in Turkey

2011-12-22T16:18:00.000+02:00

This is our 9th Christmas to live in Turkey. When we first moved here, so many things were different than they are now. We were just laughing with some friends the other night who have been here as long as we have, about the "old airport." I'll never forget flying straight from Singapore (which won "Airport of the Year" almost yearly...with its hanging bougainvillea and water fountains) to the Ankara airport. It was so basic and so old, I turned to CC upon our arrival and said, "What happened? Are we in Mexico?" But there's a new airport now, and as beautiful as it is, there are times I miss the old. Another big change is that when we moved here, there was NO Christmas anywhere. We had to buy our Christmas tree at the end of December, as the Turks use it to celebrate New Year's Day. (I secretly suspect they all want to celebrate Christmas, but just can't bring themselves to admit it!) But year after year, we have seen more and more trees shining through apartment windows early in December, more and more decorations at malls, more and more Santas selling lottery tickets. And then the other day, CC looked out our window and saw this... a Santa trying to crawl into an apartment balcony! Hang on, Santa, it's been windy this week! And this year, I decided rather than wishing Turks a "Happy New Year!," I am saying, "Happy Christmas!" (in Turkish) in hopes they'll want to know more about why we celebrate.

Christmas Countdown: A Christmas Carol

2011-12-19T20:55:00.000+02:00

Firstborn's English class presented Dickens' A Christmas Carol. She was the Ghost of Christmas Present, and had to come up with her own costume. I thought she did a great job and was an adorable little ghost.

Well done, 7th grade!

Christmas Countdown: Ice Skating

2011-12-18T22:08:00.000+02:00

I had the joy this week of going on an ice skating field trip with Sweet Cheeks. You remember her name used to be Perma-Baby? She lived up to her name. She did NOT want to let go of the railing, even with me...skating champ of the 70's...ice skating backwards while holding both her hands.

I kept encouraging her, and she kept begging for me to hold her. I turned around, and then she just let go. I will never forget the proud look on her face! I did it, Mom!

And our precious student Lin, recently diagnosed with cancer, went with us and stood on the sidelines, watching her classmates skate. And then I got an idea. I asked the ice rink "helper" if he would take her for a spin. He was more than happy to do it. I think there were more than a couple of us with a tear to wipe away.

Here are the Oasis 1st and 2nd grade classes, doing a "silly pose." I do believe that is my daughter down front licking imaginary snowflakes!

I loved going, and it didn't hurt a bit that there was a Starbucks right next to the rink. I'm just sayin'....

Christmas Countdown: Recitals and Goodbyes

2011-12-17T16:50:00.000+02:00

This has been an eventful week for the Campbell Clan. Tuesday was our Christmas piano recital. Twinkle Toes, Miss Middler, and Sweet Cheeks all did a great job on their songs. I felt like I was running them through some sort of factory machine...Get home from school. Eat. Quick. Wash your hair. Dry your hair. Get on a fancy Christmas dress. Fix your hair. Get your piano book. Out the door.

Here's Sweet Cheeks getting set up on the bench encased in her dress poof.

She just missed the last note, but recovered. Worried she might be upset, I leaned up and said, "Honey, you did GREAT! Don't worry." She replied, "Oh, I know!!" No self esteem issues there.

Twinkle Toes and Miss Middler sang a duet of Holly, Jolly Christmas. They made up all the motions, complete with giving each other a kiss on the cheek under mistletoe. It was so cute!

And then Wednesday, we had a combined clogging and ballet recital at the school. This was Sweet Cheeks' first time to perform. And oh were they ever cute! Our third grade teacher's mom came to visit, complete with 23 homemade little tutus for the girls packed in her suitcase. Now, that's spreading Christmas cheer!

I was told there was no need to buy them ballet shoes, they'd just use socks. Evidently those in socks were told to put on some little house shoes to keep the dirt in the cafeteria off their socks. It never occurred to me that Sweet Cheeks would choose these! (Nothing like a good pair of 4 times handed down house shoes to wear to your first ever recital.)

In addition to the fun recitals, we've had some sad days too. Firstborn is losing two very dear friends this time of year, Danielle (Jeannie's daughter) and Seong Ah, who is moving back to Korea. When I glanced back the other night at the piano recital, I saw them holding hands. Whether they were holding hands to warm Seong Ah's hands before her performance or not, I thought it was a bit symbolic. Maybe if I hold your hand, you won't leave? These are hard times for my girls. There have been lots of tears.

And then the biggest shock of all is that Twinkle Toes' best friend since Kindergarten found out they were being transferred to Istanbul before the New Year. Through this friendship, my daughter's faith in what God can do has increased. And Twinkle realized, even at her young age, that she'd found a true friend, one that is happy for you when you get a part in the play and she doesn't. One that doesn't tell your secrets when she promises not to. This family has become special to us for many many reasons. I'll go and have brunch and coffee with her mom, my good friend, one last time on Monday. I guess I never dreamed I'd one day have an Iranian friend who would leave such a hole in my heart when she leaves.

God is in control. Please pray for my girls who say goodbye this week.

Christmas Countdown: Staff Party

2011-12-15T16:28:00.000+02:00

One of our favorite times of the year is Christmas because we get to have the whole staff over for a party! We've grown a little since our first year, when we had 8 on staff. (CC in the back middle looks like he's growing some wings this Christmas!) Amazingly, CC is able to set up the den and bring in balcony chairs so that everyone in this group has a seat! We always eat a great potluck meal, listen to the Biblical Christmas story, sing carols, and then have a gift exchange game.

Here is the youngest attendee, just 2 1/2 months old. I waited about 4 seconds for them to get her out of her blanket bundles and in the door before I got my hands on her. Turns out she doesn't mind listening to English, I got lots of grins!

Christmas Countdown: Concerts

2011-12-15T04:51:00.000+02:00

We have had 2 concerts in the last week. The first was a school-wide Christmas concert. The little Turks dutifully came and watched their sisters perform.

There's nothing cuter than a 4th grader, in my opinion!

I have a feeling she knew I was taking her picture.

Firstborn cut a deal with her little brother. If he would wear his tie, he could come to school and see her saxophone. (She hasn't brought it home to practice, she's afraid Mrs. Grumpy downstairs will start banging. Poor girl!)

And, I'll shamefully admit, I had not heard her play until that night. She has music class daily, so she gets all her practicing in at school. She has a great music teacher. She was given a small part to play alone in the piece and she ROCKED!!! Way to go, girls, I was proud of all of you! (And even you, little Turks, for sitting still!)

Christmas Countdown: Goodbyes

2011-12-14T12:35:00.002+02:00

One of the very hardest parts of our lives here are the goodbyes. They happen year after year with people we love. Naturally, some of those goodbyes come at Christmastime and the end of a semester. One hard goodbye is to my friend Jeannie. Her husband has been serving in the Middle East inthe US military. In an effort to be a little closer to him when he gets leave, they moved their family here after speaking to our organization director and finding out that there is a school here. They have come to mean so much to us. I'll never forget meeting them at church one week, finding out why they were visiting, taking them to lunch, and realizing at that moment how very special our connection would. She is from Memphis, my hometown. The lawyer who helped her adopt her children is Kevin Weaver, who was (long ago!) our junior high Sunday School teacher. Her oldest daughter China became one of our favorite babysitters. Her girls are the same age as our girls. I was more than happy to let those friendships bud, as they are such godly young ladies. Her youngest adopted son Josiah was such a darling little guy when they arrived, I remember thinking it was a little sad I would never have a little boy. (Little did I know!) But it is time for them to go. I opened my house for a drop-in brunch for friends to come and say goodbye. If I look sad in the picture above, it's because I am! I'll miss you, Jeannie!

Christmas Countdown: Favorite Book

2011-12-10T07:29:00.000+02:00

My favorite Christmas book, of course, is the Bible. It's the time of year when many of our students get to hear the true Christmas story for the first time. We also hear it together as a staff, at our annual party, read by one of our leaving teachers.

Besides the Bible, my favorite Christmas book, by far, is The Bird's Christmas Carol. When I was a little girl, I used to love to go down into our Indiana basement and immerse myself in the many books it contained. My grandaddy had built ceiling to floor bookshelves on one wall. In them contained all kinds of treasures for a little girl who always had her nose in a book. Some of the books were very, very old, from my great Aunt Helen. Hardbound with elaborate pictures and vocabulary from a time far gone, I thought I was in heaven. There was Beautiful Old Joe, and Five Little Peppers. They were from a time when authors concerned themselves far more with good writing than happy, unrealistic endings. And so, I found my favorite The Bird's Christmas Carol, an original from the late 1800's and fell in love. I laughed and cried, I wondered at the words I'd never heard before.

When I went to college and began my studies to be a teacher, I was assigned to write a children's literature unit around a book. It wasn't hard to develop vocabulary lists and simile searches from this book. Such rich writing, such beautiful symbolism. I wrote the unit at a third grade level. Since it is a Christmas book, I wove into it a study of Christmas around the world. How could I have known I'd be teaching third grade in an international setting, with students who have never even heard of what Christmas really means?

The book can be quite hard, and so I've waited to read it to my own girls til they could really appreciate it. This is the year. CC checked out a copy from our library for me, and I began. The problem is that it is so dear to me, I have a hard time reading it aloud without choking up at certain parts. I know what's going to happen. It's a sad book. With the development of each character, I begin to wonder again what is going to happen to their hearts in the end. I apologized to Twinkle Toes and Miss Middler the other night, "I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to read this without crying a little. I love this book so." Twinkle Toes said, "Mama, it's ok when you cry, it makes the book all the better."

Do you have a favorite Christmas book or story? If so, what is it and why?

Christmas Countdown: Cookies

2011-12-08T21:46:00.000+02:00

I thought I'd run a short series leading up to Christmas, and let us toss around some Christmas ideas. Tonight, I made my Christmas cookie shopping list. I'm planning to try a couple of different things this year, but for the Campbells it can't be Christmas without this cookie:

It's called Holiday Melting Moment. Literally, the cocoa melts in your mouth when you eat it. The peppermint topping is perfect with it. Something that is very fun to me about making this cookie is that we can not get candy canes in Turkey, nor even Starlight peppermints. So, each year, it's a sort of challenge to see if we'll somehow get some. One year my girls came home from school with some candy canes given to them from US base access friends. I pulled out my stash, and we began trading...."I'll give you 10 Hershey's kisses from my stash for 1 candy cane..." just so I could make the topping to these cookies. My sweet sis-in-law's heart broke when I laughingly described the trading we had done, and she offered to mail me some. But we declined. It's a bit of a game to see how we're going to swing it each year. I do have a stash this year as my mom sent me back with candy she'd purchased all year for the kids for the next year's holidays.

Here's the recipe for this cookie.

Betty Crocker Holiday Melting Moments

So, what is your favorite cookie to make for Christmas and why?

Merry Christmas from the Campbell Clankids

2011-12-08T09:05:00.000+02:00

Buttermilk Pancakes....Like Gold!

2011-12-07T13:25:00.000+02:00

My friend B and I headed out to the mall the other day. I needed to return something and get some groceries for the week. I also offered her a coffee at Starbucks in exchange for a tutorial on updating curriculum guides. (Someone, a-hem, has sort of zoned out at staff meetings during those instructions, not realizing that, next year, she might need that information.) We also wandered into a store with unable-to-be-bought-here American products. I am firmly convinced that everything in this store is from the black market. I decided to find the most outlandishly priced item and take a photo for you. It had to be the buttermilk pancake mix.

Here's the price.

That's about US$50. I'll just stick to adding my own baking powder, salt, and buttermilk to my own flour, thank you very much.

My New Gift

2011-12-06T13:29:00.000+02:00

We don't drink the water here. A few people do, but we've been told kidney stones and problems of that nature are more likely due to the minerals in the big holding tanks. After two kidney stones, I'm not taking my chances! So, we order big 19 liter bottles of water. Until last week, we had a little hand-push pump to dispense the water. But CC bought me a water dispenser. I love it! It dispenses both cold and hot water. I hardly know what to do when making my cup of coffee in the morning. The water is already hot and ready to brew in my little French press!

When the water man comes, Big Ben takes over. He rolls the big water bottles to the kitchen for me. Today the water man said, "Where's your little helper?" Around the corner he came!

Handprint Tree Skirt

2011-12-05T19:55:00.000+02:00

Christmas is just around the corner! We usually decorate soon after Thanksgiving, since we host the Staff Christmas party in the early part of December. Decorating means that it is time to memorialize another year with little hands on my tree skirt. It looks like I only have 1-2 more years of space in my tree skirt.

I like this picture for the little 'hidden pictures' I see. Do you see my Turkish teapot in here? Do you see how Big Ben generally likes his hair? (messy) Do you see the message some little Campbell Clanskid spelled out on the fridge?

Romanian Embassy Dinner

2011-12-02T09:54:00.001+02:00

Last night we were asked to attend a dinner in recognition of Romania's National Day. It is such an honor to have so many precious students from so many nations at our school. I taught a Romanian boy last year, who I just adored. He was all boy. Every jacket he wore to school was a canvas army coat. Every toy he picked from the prize box was some sort of car/truck/boat. In those afternoons of teaching him, it was a sweet reminder of my little "all-boy boy" at home napping. This year, I teach another Romanian student, a girl. I realized last night after talking to her mom, she is a cookie-cutter copy of her mom, a beautiful Romanian woman. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed seeing many of our school parents. (Small disclaimer: my coat is NOT real fur! CC was given a gift card by some of our Korean families last year for a department store. He used it towards my Christmas present, this faux fur coat. Though it's not the real thing....it sure is nice and snuggly warm. An added bonus when I wear it, is that my children pet me like I am a giant jackrabbit.)

Christmas Fair

2011-11-30T08:26:00.000+02:00

Saturday was our Annual Christmas Fair, the culmination of a year's worth of crafting and planning. My friend Karyn was in charge, she's the 3rd from the left. Pictured above is the morning work crew.

And here below are the early shoppers! (We did let them come inside the school to wait prior to opening the Fair. It was just so cold outside!)

My job was (and always is) primarily to organize people. I am not really that crafty, but I can create sign up sheets for workers, smile and greet, and make sure stations are filled. I finally sat down for a much needed rest and lunch break.

And here was my favorite little shopper. Isn't she a doll? I bet the Turks pinch those cheeks!

We had all kinds of fun activities, like a Secret Room for little shoppers to buy a gift for parents. KIDZ ONLY the sign said! We also had a craft corner where kids could pay a small fee to make a craft. And perhaps the biggest draw of all was Santa himself who appeared with his two elves for some photo shoots. I have been a very good girl, I told him!

Fun Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T09:03:00.000+02:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! We had such a great time with our "family" here. I made my pecan pies (a rare treat here) early, so I posted the above sign for my kids.

Here's the crowd that gathered at our house.

It didn't take Sweet Cheeks long at all to find the laps of a couple of sweet girls.

Big Ben perhaps had the most fun of all. He really liked the big tall guy who played with him all night...swords, guns, etc. Big Ben got so wound up, he started doing a hula dance. I have no idea where he learned it.

The long and short of it...(had to say that, Bo is 6' 5" or so!)

And after much eating, we settled into a game of Clue: Secrets and Spies. Miss Scarlet never even got on the board, but we had a great time!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2011-11-24T11:30:00.000+02:00

I'll give you a break from Istanbul and voice some thoughts and feelings I've had over the last few days. We were married in 1996 and had Thanksgiving in America as 1-week newlyweds. By the next year, we were gone, and we've never been "home" for Thanksgiving since. The first year in Singapore, I wondered what we would do for Thanksgiving. I thought maybe I could try to pull the meal off by myself, invite some folks over. And then a precious Indonesian/Chinese-American mom (named Esther) (of one of my students) invited CC and me to the Singapore American Club. That was a ritzy place that required an expensive membership. We'd never land a meal there without an invite from someone with a very nice overseas "package."

And so we went. In front of us was a buffet with better foods and more selections than I'd ever seen in my life, all classic American Thanksgiving foods with a gourmet twist. I could never have imagined what the Lord had in store for me that first year. And the real kick is that Esther reminded me from the first time I met her of an Asian version of my mom.

Each year since, we've opened our home for staff members who might like to come into a real "home" and be family for the day. It's been a blessing to us every year. God has always made it special. And yet, as these holidays creep up on me, even after 14 years, I still get homesick sometimes. Logically, I know I am the Mama now. And it's my job to create the traditions and memories for my own children, and I do that. But it doesn't take away the part of me that misses home. Sometimes I wonder if I am even missing childhood at the same time.

My sweet friend J blessed me with some dark Karo syrup and B gave me the pecans her mom just brought in the luggage when she visited. Pecan pie is, oh so easy, with all the right stuff ready to go in it. But as I made it, I couldn't help but think about when I was a little girl and my dad would take us to Hall's Diner on Sunday nights for a meal. He used to let me choose any piece of pie to order after the meal. I always chose pecan, it was my favorite. And I remember my dad enjoying me always choosing the same kind of pie. My girls had never had it until last Thanksgiving. They liked it! Their memories and experiences are so very different from mine, but I pray they are as good as mine were.

And after much prayer and discussion with my husband, I've decided this past week to take the third grade teaching position for next year. Big Ben will start school in the Fall (I'm hoping his maturity will catch up with his 35lb frame!), and so I decided I'm ready to go back to teaching. It's been 13 years since I've taught full-time. Overwhelming, yes. But I feel like that is the ministry for which God has equipped me. One thing that made the whole decision a lot easier is thinking of my mom. She was a working mom back in the 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond. She worked so that we could attend a Christian school. Knowing that she was able to give her heart to her students each day, but still come home at night and love us so well, makes me think I'll be ok too.

And so, this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for many things, but today I voice my thankfulness to my parents.

Istanbul Instances: Favorite Pictures

2011-11-24T02:36:00.000+02:00

I had fun with my Picasa program on these two pictures, turning them black-and-white, then only lifting the color for one part.

I love this picture of Firstborn.

Conservative family having lunch.

My darlings.

Istanbul Instances: Topkapi

2011-11-23T21:09:00.000+02:00

We were all tired after the boat ride, but wanted to do one last thing before heading out the next day. We took the kids to see the Sultan's palace, called Topkapi. We were not allowed to take photos inside, but we got to see the immense collection of jewels (girls loved) and swords (boy loved). We even got to go inside the bed chamber for the Sultan himself, from the 1800's. No one was in the room except the security guard and our family. After such a long day of boat rides and walking, Big Ben just slipped right under the rope and kicked back on the Sultan's bed. (Horrified is an understatement.) Thankfully, he obeyed quickly when, with bugged-out eyes and mouths on the floor, we said, "COME. NOW." Looking back, it is a little funny. Big comfy king bed. Tired little boy. It makes perfect sense.

I wanted to take a family picture with the sea behind us. For some reason, one of our little Turks decided to pretend she was a hot air balloon when the man clicked it.

This was outside the sultan's bedroom and was taken right before the awful toddler-in-the-sultan's-bed incident. Sigh.

And so our vacation came to an end. It was a whirlwind, and we did and saw a lot in three days. It was not relaxing in the slightest (well, except when we fed the kids grilled cheese sandwiches, put them to bed, left Firstborn in charge, and went out for that nice quiet Indian dinner!) but it was well worth the effort to go. I believe the kids learned much. And I hope things like this make their history books come alive.

I have one more post of our trip tomorrow, but couldn't end this one without showing you the Ottoman style bed the kids slept in. They reminded me of tootsie rolls!

Istanbul Instances: Fish Sandwiches

2011-11-23T08:36:00.000+02:00

When we finished our boat tour, we stopped at the harbor and ate a fish sandwich like everyone else we could see for miles around.

Below you can see that they cook it right on a raft in the water. The raft rocks with the waves, but the guys just keep grilling and cranking out the sandwiches.

The sandwich was simple, but tasted good. Just thick bread with grilled fish and some lettuce and onion and salt.

To finish it off, I bought us a Turkish dessert to share. They remind me of funnel cakes.

When they are fully fried, they are coated in a sweet syrup. Mmmm.

Istanbul Instances: Scenes

2011-11-22T13:31:00.000+02:00

These are all pictures I took while on our two hour boat ride. I enjoyed using the panorama setting on my camera. Above is a picture of the Sultan's palace.

Below are pictures of the castle I mentioned yesterday. It was built by an Ottoman Sultan in 1451. Built with slave labor, it was finished in 4 months. I read that many years ago, one Venetian boat refused to stop when commanded to halt by the fortress commander, and all surviving crewman were impaled as a warning to others. I was prepared to make sure our Captain understood the rules if necessary.

This palace was built in 1874.

And then we passed many modern homes, which I enjoyed looking at as well....I was wondering where these properties might be on a game of Monopoly...near Boardwalk, I suspect.

By this time, Big Ben had curled up in my lap for a nap, so Sweet Cheeks and I played a game of "Pick your favorite house." This was hers.

This little island in the Sea was called Maiden's Tower. It was originally built in 408BC! It was restored and renovated by both the Byzantine emperor in 1110AD and then by the Ottoman Turks in 1509 and 1763.

Istanbul Instances: Riding

2011-11-21T11:57:00.000+02:00

As I mentioned yesterday, our boat ride was fun. Since it was two hours long and very cold, I got to snuggle up to each of my kids at some point.

Istanbul Instances: Friends

2011-11-20T20:54:00.000+02:00

While in Istanbul, we ran into three other school families, as well as a staff couple, all using the little holiday to see the great city that spans Asia and Europe. One thing which was high on our list of to-do's was to let the kids take a boat tour of the Bosphorus. On this little two hour tour, one can see so many of the highlights of the city. In addition to that, even our three-year-old son would appreciate a boat ride! We boarded the boat and discovered two Korean families from our school on our same boat. We warmly greeted each other, then found some seats. But soon, they came and asked us to take photos with them. After we waited 45 minutes to start our tour, the boat cranked up, then made an awful sound and died. The captain herded us to his buddy's boat. We sat down and saved our Korean friends some seats with us. Then, they insisted we have Turkish tea together. I appreciate our Korean families so much. Their high degree of respect for teachers and administrators and warmth toward us is very touching. And besides all that, the Korean teens pulled out their I-touch's and taught Big Ben and Sweet Cheeks how to play all the games on them.

I did manage to pull them away from the I-touch as we sailed past a castle built before Christopher Columbus sailed to the new land.

Istanbul Instances: Underground Cisterns

2011-11-18T03:29:00.000+02:00

After touring the Hagia Sophia, we walked across the street to the Underground Cisterns. Built in the 6th century by Justinian, it is the largest surviving cistern from the Byzantine times.

What I find interesting is that it wasn't really discovered until around 1545. There was 'rumor' that people could access water through the basements of their homes, even fishing from them. Then the cistern, capable of holding 100,000 tons of water, was uncovered. At that point, they began throwing garbage and corpses there (a mental picture I can't seem to shake!) The columns are beautiful, and perhaps the weirdest is this upside down view of Medusa. They're not 100% sure why she is upside down, but perhaps due to superstition and her gaze at them!

Another Medusa is sideways.

Firstborn had already seen it, so to save money I just took in the two middle girls, complete with our printed-off-the-internet-at-home school id's, which worked to give them discounted entrance! How can I not let my children see a 6th century cistern that we'd been walking on top of all day?! I love this place. It is dimly lit, with little drips of water every so often on your head. It was a location used in the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia With Love.

15

2011-11-16T20:49:00.000+02:00

Happy 15th anniversary! 5 babies, 4 jobs, 3 countries, 2 people, 1 lasting marriage. I love you! Thank you for picking me.

Istanbul Instances: Hagia Sophia

2011-11-15T20:29:00.000+02:00

After we made our way back to Sultanahmet, (the old city) we went to the Hagia Sophia. Built in 537AD and considered the crowning piece of Byzantine architecture, this building has withstood many challenges. It has survived earthquakes and invasions. Though originally built as a church, when the Ottomans Turks conquered Constantinople, it became a mosque. Since the 1930's it has been a museum.
CC taught us a little about it before we went inside.(That's a tomb behind him. Can you spot the cross?)

The beauty inside is indescribable. The dome is supported entirely by flying buttresses on the outside. Therefore, you see a totally unobstructed view of the dome and all the 1500 year old paintings. It's large enough on the inside to house the Statue of Liberty.

This is perhaps my all-time favorite picture.

I took this picture lying down on the ground and looking straight up.The angels all have six wings.

As you can see below, the Hagia Sophia is not remarkable on the outside. Because all of its support is anchored there, its beauty is only shown inside. The many mosques surrounding it are just the opposite. They are gorgeous on the outside, but much less remarkable on the inside, as the pillars to support them obstruct the view. I find the entire situation to be very symbolic and interesting. The Hagia Sophia will always be my favorite landmark in this great city of Istanbul. Built to honor God, withstanding all outside forces that threatened to destroy it, and showing a beauty far surpassing the others (but only on the inside), it speaks volumes in its silence.

Istanbul Instances: Sunday Afternoon

2011-11-14T13:14:00.000+02:00

After church, we headed back through the streets. Big Ben wanted to hold Sweet Cheeks' hand.
Who wouldn't?

I love this picture. I increased the color intensity on it to make the reds redder and the blues bluer.

Sigh.

Firstborn has saved babysitting money and stopped to see what she might want to buy.

And like a dutiful little man, Big Ben sat and waited.

We saw all kinds of people. CC and I estimated that among the conversations we overheard, only about 1/2 were in Turkish. Istanbul is very international.

We took the kids back across the Galata Bridge. Big ferry boats came underneath. Big Ben waved to all the sea captains. They seemed to appreciate a little 3-year-old boy appreciating their job. They smiled, waved, and blew their big horns back at him. I also enjoyed watching Twinkle Toes enjoy her new birthday camera.

Istanbul Instances: Sunday Morning Church

2011-11-12T23:45:00.000+02:00

We didn't sleep that great Saturday night. Everyone heard everyone else all night. But we went downstairs to eat the simple Turkish breakfast provided, then got ready to hit the town.

The guys studied a map to make our plan.

Though our hotel was old and on a back street, the kids woke up and opened curtains to find this beautiful view right outside.

They enjoyed the view and watching boats more than the cartoons on the tv. I don't believe they'd ever seen a cruise ship before (we saw plenty in Singapore, but I'm not sure they remembered it.). The idea of a floating hotel was intriguing to them.

We begged CC to let us ride a tram.

After our tram ride, we began walking the old cobblestone streets. In days long ago, homes that were wealthy would build a water source on the outside of their gate for the common folks to use. (You're going to see this sweater on me in every picture. I never warmed up enough to take it off!)

We walked straight uphill, but didn't mind it because we were passing such interesting houses and buildings.

Here's another picture I played around with. This is of Galata Tower, meaning Christ Tower. It was built in medieval times, in the year 1348.

CC suggested that we try to find the Dutch Embassy, where we could attend a church service. Walking, tram riding, and more walking landed us there. The Dutch have allowed believers to worship there for over 150 years.

This picture below was taken by me, but hardly explains the beauty this was to me. When you live in a place where so few believers live, meeting with other like-minded people holds a deep value. To be in a chapel built so long ago, with its old brick and rock walls, real wooden pews, big pipes for an organ behind, and especially to know that Christians are still meeting there....was a breath of fresh air for me spiritually. Everyone was so warm and friendly. If you go to church in this country, it is because you want to, not because there are social expectations. The music at Union Church of Istanbul was a mix of contemporary and very traditional. A long-haired man (who looked very much to me like a young Lionel Richie) played the drums. And yet, we read in unison the Apostle's Creed and sang, "Just As I Am." Communion was passed...grape juice around the outside of the tray, wine in the middle. It just struck me that the people had learned the meaning of unity. We all need each other, so we find a way to work around differences to the glory of God. This was just a perspective from an outsider. I appreciated it.

Just in front of me, a little Asian couple sat. We greeted each other and they told me they were from Singapore. I explained that my three older girls were born in Singapore, and we shared a hug. It's times like that that I know God is speaking to me. It was as if he said, "I have people all over. I have enough people who love Me that I can send them to this big city from that tiny island." It was also, if I can somehow put this in words, like for just a split second I was able to step back from my life and see it all at once in God's hand. He's known me all of my days...childhood, early married, the Singapore years, the new babies, the Turkey years. I am certain He arranged my seating that day just as a gentle reminder to me that He has all of my life in His hand, and though the days stretch on for me, none of them are lost to Him. The music was beautiful, the message was timely. May God be praised! (This was my favorite event of the trip.)

Istanbul Instances: Spice Bazaar

2011-11-11T22:24:00.000+02:00

In our 8 years here, we've never taken a family trip to Istanbul, just 6 hours away by car. CC has been there a couple of times for conferences and as a team member to accredit another school. We have even taken Firstborn there for a weekend once, when CC went to a conference, so she and I tagged along. But we really wanted our kids to see Istanbul when they could appreciate the significance and history. We finally decided, "Hey, Big Ben is out of diapers, let's go!" At least our older three girls would be old enough to remember this experience. This past week was a 4 day holiday set aside for Muslims in this country to sacrifice animals. Our school was closed as it is a public holiday. School let out Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning we set out. CC made great time on the highway. But getting into the heart of the city reminded the two of us why we say, "Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live there." Bless you, Istanbul folks. We used a map book that Firstborn (also known as Templeton the Scavenger) had snagged from a freebie table at some point. I'd look up a street we were on, then CC would say, "We're three streets past that now, WHERE are we?!" He has an excellent sense of direction. I have no shame in rolling my window down and saying, in Turkish, "Big brother, what street is this?" And so we finally found our hotel. We settled in, then hit the streets knowing we had very limited time and much to see.

In the picture above, Twinkle Toes is standing in front of the train used as inspiration for Agatha Christie's mystery novel Murder on the Orient Express and the movie based on it. We turned directly behind us and saw the window at which she sat as she wrote.

We decided not to take a stroller. In some places, especially the cobblestone streets, it is worse to have one. So, CC agreed to carry Big Ben. At 3 years old, he weighs what our first grader weighs. Bless him.

I researched and found that the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar would be closed the entire holiday, so we had a little window on Saturday night to see it. The Spice Bazaar has a little sampling of all the goods you see at the Grand, but was closer for little feet to walk to, so we opted for that.

It was a challenge to keep all 7 of us together. We planted one cell phone on Firstborn, just in case we lost any kids. We were asked many times about our 5 children. I'll never tire of answering those questions. Yes, they are all mine. No, we weren't waiting for a boy, he was a surprise. No, they don't make my life difficult, they are a gift from God.

We didn't spend much. We let the kids get a few postcards from Istanbul. We got a little mousepad that looks like a Turkish rug. But it was nice to actually live in the country and know what things cost. Speaking a few words of Turkish demonstrated to the shop keepers that we weren't the prey they wanted.

The night was cold. We hadn't had lunch. Everyone was so hungry. So we stopped at a little side street and had Iskender, a meal consisting of dimpled bread, covered with thinly sliced lamb, topped with a tomato sauce and thick yogurt. It's every bit as good as it sounds, especially when you are very hungry and cold.

After dinner, we headed back to our room. On the way home, I took this picture on one of Istanbul's old streets. I have had fun playing around with the pictures to give them different effects.This reminds me of Gotham City (Can you tell I have a son these days?)

Costumes and Candy

2011-11-11T12:25:00.001+02:00

We recognize that sometimes it's hard to be a staff kid. You live in a bubble. Your teachers are your parents' best friends and teammates, so everything you do, they find out about it. So, over the years we've tried to come up with a few little perks, just to let all our staff kids (up to about 16 now!) know that we appreciate the sacrifices they make, too. One of those perks is letting them dress up in costumes on October 31 and go to willing teachers' houses for candy. This year Miss Middler was Toadette, from Mario Party. The inspiration for this costume was the pillow my sweet friend Kim gave her so long ago. She plopped it on her head one night and we all said, "You look like Toadette!" The "braids" were achieved with her own pink tights and balls borrowed from her little brother.

Firstborn debated about dressing up, but when our 10th grade staff kid said, "She'd better dress up! We're trick-or-treating, too!" she decided to do it. I think she is the cutest Smurfette I've ever seen. A quick trip to the pazaar for 2 lira blue tights and a 1 lira white pillow case, some homemade face paint, and she was all set!

Spidey was easy. He dresses up as this every day! Do you think the real Spidey has such nice blue eyes under there?

Sweet Cheeks decided on Rapunzel far before October 31st and she never wavered. Her oldest sister made her wig from yarn and old panty hose.

And Twinkle Toes was a girl pirate from head-to-toe with a costume we snagged at last year's rummage sale.

The staff was so sweet to bless our kids with treats. Our new teacher Mr. Knox dressed as a pirate to answer the door. He'd lost his eye in a bowl of noodles. Miss Middler (of course!) eagerly volunteered to dig for it. She found a boiled egg, which he promptly popped in his mouth! I asked Big Ben about it and he said, "Why dat' pirate wear he underwear?"

And of course, good ol' Miss Morton played her Old Lady part well. Powdered hair, a dark room lit with candles, and a creaky old lady voice entertained the little trick-or-treaters. She baked them all a special cake...a kitty litter cake!

Thanks for another fun year, all!

Cappuchino Sunday

2011-11-09T11:36:00.000+02:00

I have the joy of teaching the "Older Girls' SS class" at our church. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of every month, and on the 2nd and 4th Sundays we stay in for the sermon. But a few months of the year have 5 Sundays, so I proposed we make those Sundays "Cappuchino Sundays." We walked across to the bakery and bought something warm and soft to eat, then put our money in the machine that chugs out cappuchinos or hot chocolates or tea. And we shared what God has been teaching us or maybe a prayer request. It was a great way to spend that extra 5th Sunday!

The Last Lil' Punkin'

2011-11-08T23:32:00.001+02:00

It's time to retire the dress, but it's been awfully hard on Campbell Clansman. This little smocked pumpkin dress has been worn by four precious Campbell girls. Last Sunday, CC asked Sweet Cheeks to wear it one last time. The sleeves are a sort of 3/4 length now. And it's up to her knee. It's time to put it away.

But it is one of his favorites, so she wore it one last time.

Fall Carnival

2011-11-07T23:28:00.001+02:00

A highlight of our Fall is the Fall Carnival. It's so cheap and so fun and so safe! Here's Sweet Cheeks enjoying an apple with her friends from Ecuador and Kosovo.

My friend J took her around to the games that night so I could help sell tickets. J is officially an empty-nester now, so a little girl to hang with at a Fall Carnival is not all bad!

And we had the wonderful surprise of seeing Lin at the carnival. I have asked many of you to pray for her and the bone cancer in her leg. Please keep praying.

We let Twinkle Toes have a sleepover with her two dearest friends, Nilufer and Emily. The Fall Carnival was plenty of entertainment, I hardly heard a peep out of them after I put them to bed!

Twinkle Toes Turns Eleven Part II

2011-11-06T09:00:00.000+02:00

This year the sisters really got into the gift giving. She got a pair of sunglasses from Miss Middler.

Sweet Cheeks had no gift, so we scrambled for a box of stickers. After Twinkle opened them, SC just kept her eye on them until Twinkle finally said, "Would you like to have them?" SC jumped in the air and screamed, "Yes!" Then Sweet Cheeks said, "Well, you can have one, but I'll just hold it for you!"

She got a cute purse and headband from Grandma.

I love this picture because it is a true Annika smile. She got a charm bracelet and charms from her Fish cousins.

She got a great whiteboard from her Campbell grandparents, which she wants to hang in her room.

And her big final surprise was a digital camera from us. In this picture, she was saying, "Really, Mama?" I found a used one and saved it for several months to surprise her. Happy birthday!

Twinkle Toes Turns Eleven Part I

2011-11-05T08:59:00.003+02:00

Last Thursday Twinkle Toes turned 11! I made cookies decorated like pumpkins for her classmates. Here she is with her sweet teacher.

She shares the exact same birthday with a boy in her class.

We had our family party that night. She wanted tacos and a Hershey's double chocolate mint cake.

Happy birthday, Darling!!!

Earthquake Update

2011-11-04T23:15:00.000+02:00

You remember last week when I told you about this http://campbellclanblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/earthquake-idea.html idea for the Earthquake victims in Turkey. It was thrilling to watch it unfold so quickly, as we only had 2 days to get it done. The kids at school were overjoyed at the prospect of a dress down day and a no homework night. But to be honest, they attacked this plan with such gusto, it was obvious they were more interested in helping these people than in getting a reward. We had told them if 90% of each class brought in either a blanket, money, a food item, or a warm coat, that class would be rewarded. As a school, we hit nearly 200%! When I explained it to my girls, they ran upstairs to get some of their own money to buy blankets.
We headed over to our local store and they each picked out a blanket they wanted to send. Sweet Cheeks wanted to be sure a little girl or baby got her blanket. I told her to stick with the pinks and purples, and it was sure to happen.
The next day something amazing happened. I took the cash that was sent in from all the students and went over to the grocery store. I told them, as best I could, what we were doing and that I wanted to buy many of his warmest blankets. He said he could sell me 25. I bought them all with the agreement that he would deliver them to the school for me that afternoon. I still had several hundred lira to use, so my friend Kim and I filled our shopping cart with beans and lentils for soup. We tried to estimate, but it was a lot of beans! We finally decided to get the gal to total it, then adjust accordingly. It was within 1 lira of the exact amount we had! (It wasn't my math ability, it was God!) The clerk also wanted to be sure we sent Turkish tea to the people so we added that to our cart. The manager was so impressed that he sent four big boxes of extra blankets and warm clothing to go in our truck. It was deeply rewarding to do. We had a report on Sunday that the first day, 45 people came to the church in Van for soup. The second day, it was 450. The third day it was 790. May He use our small offering for His glory! We are so thankful to be His hands!

Pazaar Day

2011-11-03T21:18:00.000+02:00

One Sunday afternoon recently, I found myself completely alone. CC was out riding his bike. Some girls were playing at the park on a sunny afternoon. Firstborn was perfectly content to read her emails and stay at home with her little siblings while they napped. So, I headed out to the pazaar....no real agenda, but I enjoyed it.

I saw these ears of corn that looked very much like Indian corn. The man told me they were popcorn and how to shuck them together to pop the kernals off. I tried to explain that I planned to put them out as decoration for autumn. He shrugged, then showed me again how to get the kernals off.

He also had some lovely dried figs. mmmm.

I couldn't resist a photo of these. That's some BIG cabbage.

It's almost impossible to leave there without a couple of bags of fresh produce.

Last of the Fall Place Pictures

2011-10-31T09:47:00.000+02:00

Roommates.

Bookends.

Boys.

Girls.

Buddies.

Happy Fall!

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

2011-10-29T20:06:00.000+03:00

Next month, I will have been married for 15 years. Some days it feels like it was just yesterday. It's gone so fast 3 countries and 5 babies ago.

And other days it seems like we've always been married. I do know one thing...I waited for God's best for me. And I'm sure glad I did.

I tried to take our picture with my arm out...just slightly ego-centeredly.

And again.

That's a little better.

And that's WAY better.

Sibling Fun

2011-10-28T06:27:00.000+03:00

Firstborn thought I was getting a beautiful picutre of her, little did she know a swamp monster was behind her.

My 5 kids!

Some sister had this great idea...

The Singapore girls.

Brother Ben

2011-10-27T14:42:00.000+03:00

And then came YOU! You were my surprise a little later in life than I expected. You were the one that God "thought up" just when I had my family set and my teaching career ready to be launched once again. I would not trade that happy surprise for any amount of money. Our family has changed so much because of you. We used to just be a lot of girls! Now we have guns, tanks, balls. Everything has some sort of noise associated with it!

You have been good for us in every way. Through you, we saw that God keeps His promises. Through you, we saw that He grants good gifts in His timing and in His ways. Through you, we got the chance to see what a Campbell boy would be like. Through you, your sisters got to have a 'little brother' when they are old enough to remember having a baby, toddler, then preschooler in their home. We are trying not to spoil you. Your dad does better than the rest of us. But when you get in trouble, your sisters hide under the kitchen table because they can't stand to see it!

I am so thankful for these years at home with you. I love taking you to the park, amid all the auntie babysitters. I love how you belly laugh during our game of "toss the truck back up the slide and down again" over and over. I love how you cry when your sisters go to school without you. I love how you are ready for your snack exactly 15 minutes after breakfast. I love how you tell me if I have "whip tips" (lipstick) on, you'll have to kiss my cheek instead.

You've brought joy to so many people...your dad, me, your sisters, your extended family. We can't wait to see how God uses your life!May you grow to be a godly man who God uses in a might way, just like the might warrior Benaiah of old!

Earthquake Idea

2011-10-26T10:12:00.000+03:00

All day Monday I thought about the earthquake. I thought about stuff inside those buildings...little girls' dollies, a little boy's truck, pictures of weddings, memories. But more importantly, I thought of people. We are hearing that so many are outside in tents now. I began thinking about our camping night in our tent. It got down to 50, and I was cold. In spite of taking a Tylenol PM (so that I could actually doze off in a tent with my 5 children), I was up a good part of the night thinking about my boy and how he never stayed under his covers. I eventually pulled him in my sleeping bag and let my back be exposed to keep him warm. You know, I'm a mom. You moms get it.

But these folks are out sleeping in tents with temps down to 32 degrees at night. There's likely snow around. I just wanted to DO SOMETHING. What could I do, I wondered? I can teach. I can hold babies. I can cook. Then I got an idea that maybe a team of us could go out East and set up a tent and just cook soup and serve it to people.

Then I got word that people are not what they want (afterall, resources (food/water/housing/heat) are so limited right now). They want stuff to stay warm...blankets, coats, boots. We, as a school, had agreed to help and planned to send a note to all the school families to send in any extra winter gear so we could send it on to Van. Then I got an email late last night from our church specifying what to send and that our school could be a drop off place for things. There was a name and number at the bottom, so I called it. I got the usual Turkish message that basically says, "This person's phone is currently off. Try again later." About 10 minutes later, that man called me back. Now, maybe someone who lives here can clarify for me that perhaps there is a special feature on some phones that gives the person your number if their phone is off. But I plan to call this some sort of miracle. His phone was off, but he had my number to call me back? Never had that happen in 8 years...

So he and I talked, and he gave me the most recent need. Evidently the church out there wants to open its' doors and SERVE SOUP 3 times a day for 3 weeks to help those in need. He said, "We just don't know where we are going to get that food." I said, "We've got it covered." I may not be able to go serve soup, but I can get get the soup ingredients to them.

Now, what's a food drive without some sort of competition? So, I cooked up a plan late last night. It does help to be married to and snuggle in bed with the boss of the school. I can occasionally get last-minute-will-cause-a-little-stress ideas passed. Basically, we told the students today they could bring 1 coat, 1 blanket, 1 bag of lentils or beans for soup, or 5 lira on Thursday or Friday. If their grade level reached 90% participation, they would get a dress down day and a no homework night. I tried the idea out on my own kids this morning. The whole homework thing caused air-jumps and shrieks. They went and got their own money from savings. I think it will work.

So, we'll pile it all up, the local Turkish church will rent a truck and drive it out East. They'll set up a soup kitchen in the church. The folks out there will be fed. And they will step foot in a church for the first time in their lives. Please pray for the safety of those driving it there. It's well...East. (Iran border) And the roads are treacherous. And there will be snow and mountains.

But today I praise God for taking what I felt He put on my heart and giving me a way to help. May He be glorified.

My Firstborn

2011-10-26T04:38:00.000+03:00

I am so very proud of you. You were the first person to make me a mom, 12 1/2 years ago. I appreciate so many things about you. I appreciate that I can leave you in charge of four younger siblings and that you are able to handle something like that. I appreciate that you are responsible and organized. I appreciate your high moral standards on what you wear and what you watch. I love how you are thoughtful about little things like when we go on a trip and you make sure to pack fun car stuff for your little brother and sister.

The years since I first looked at you in my arms have flown by. It's hard for me to believe that we only have 6 more until you'll head off to college. I want to enjoy them with you fully.

I am so proud of the young woman you are becoming and so thankful for our good relationship. I've never parented a "tween" before, and I am sure I will make mistakes, but I am so glad you are the one I get to learn on! I love you, Firstborn!

Earthquake in Turkey

2011-10-24T13:36:00.000+03:00

There was a 7.2 earthquake in eastern Turkey yesterday. One of my sweet readers (Nancy from Ohio) asked me to let everyone know if we are ok. Yes, we are! Praise the Lord. We did not even feel tremors from it (although 6 years ago I did feel my first earthquake while living here....I was asleep on a couch that seemed to bounce about 2 feet away from the wall.)

Please do pray for the Turks in the region of Van. Evidently the death toll is growing. I read last night that they were trying to shovel the rubble off with their hands to rescue people.

We have not yet traveled out East, but would like to sometime. There is evidently a church from about 1000AD there. I wish I could go now and take love to these broken people.

On another note, we've just written a newsletter with more detail than I write on my blog. If anyone would like an emailed copy, please send me a note and I'll send you a copy. saracampbell@oasisis.org

Sweet Cheeks

2011-10-23T14:10:00.000+03:00

My little Sweet Cheeks, I am so happy God gave you to us! My first baby born in Turkey! You were so easy to take care of. What other two-year-old could sit for hours at the front desk of our school, munching goat cheese and olives with our Turkish receptionist and greeting people while Mama worked? You are loved by so many. This year you started first grade, and you are already reading so well. You are doing so well in your ballet class. We are so proud of you!

We were all so happy when you decided to give your heart to Jesus last year. I will never forget the change I saw in you that very day. You suddenly wanted to read your Bible with us like your older sisters and pray with us.

You will always be my baby, even though you have a baby brother. I can't wait to see what all God does with your life!

Twinkle Toes

2011-10-21T12:48:00.000+03:00

Dear Twinkle Toes,
I am so happy you are in our family. You are my joy through and through. You are about to turn 11 years old. It's so hard to believe that precious little girl is growing up. I am so proud of who you are becoming. You are sensitive to others and have such a tender spirit to the Lord. I could listen to you pray all day long! And how can I forget to thank you for the free head massages I get every night??

I believe with all my heart that the Lord is going to use you to share Him with others and to minister to those in need, just as He's already put on your heart to do. I am so thankful He gave you to us!

My Middle Girl

2011-10-20T08:29:00.000+03:00

To my sweet middle child, I am so glad that God gave me the happy surprise of YOU! I'll never forget as long as I live the first time I saw your beautiful face with the rosiest red lips I'd ever seen. A quick 3 hour delivery produced a round, pink, precious bundle on your grandmother's birthday. I wondered how I would manage with your sister not even 3 years old and another only 14 months old. And yet, God gave me the strength one day at a time (we ate a lot of meals at the hawker center back then, I quit cooking those years!). I gave you the back of the double stroller and let your sisters share the front with one leg hole each!

And now you are growing up. You have such a laid-back-get-along-with-everyone disposition; it draws others to you. Many times you hold your thoughts and feelings inside. I like that about you. I also love your fun spirit and the fact that you are not trying to grow up too fast, rather enjoying being a kid.

I am so proud of who you are becoming.
I am so glad you've given your heart to Jesus.
I am so glad you want your friends to know Him too.

I love you!

Day Out of the City: Cabbage Patch Kids

2011-10-19T10:14:00.000+03:00

We always enjoy seeing the enormous cabbage that grows out in this village. And nothing thrills me more than putting my Turks out there to show you how big that cabbage plant is!

He's a big boy and that's a big plant!

CC measured the leaves on them...some of them were 2 ft. across!

I never did get a Cabbage Patch doll when I was a kid. But I've got 2 now!

A Day Out of the City: Getting There

2011-10-18T20:12:00.000+03:00

It's really amazing to think about how we discovered what we call "The Fall Place." Several years ago (Sweet Cheeks was a baby then) we had some dear friends, the Fraziers, drive up from Izmir to see us. We were headed to a totally different place, but took a wrong turn. That's easy to do in a country where roads aren't always marked. We ended up at a beautiful pond with the most breathtaking fall colored trees. The most amazing part is that there are only two weekends a year where you can see this beauty. But we happened to find it on one of those weekends. Even more amazing is the fact that we are mostly surrounded here with evergreens. To see these colors on trees is not common here. It was like an invitation from the Lord to go out each year during the first half of October, enjoy His creation, and be together for some family time. We've done it every year since.

This is a little village at the foot of a mountain on our 1.5 hour drive there. People in this culture tend to "cluster." If someone enters a restaurant with just one family already there, he or she will sit at a table nearby. In my home country, we do the opposite. We give people space. This little village reminds me of that aspect of this culture. The houses are all right together. By law a mosque must be within walking distance of every person.

Don't I live in a beautiful place?

It is just a breath of fresh air for me to get out of the city. I am not really a city girl at heart. I took this couple's picture, with their burden-laden donkey, from behind. I wasn't sure how they'd respond if I took it from the front. As it turns out, I got big toothless grins from both of them when I waved as we drove by.

And perhaps these colors don't seem like much to you, but to us, it's a lot! We live in a desert climate, full of evergreens.

So to see these colors just takes our breath away!

Welcome, Fall!

Inga and Thelma

2011-10-18T14:01:00.000+03:00

One thing that distinguishes our school is that we teach character education very intentionally. Each month we introduce a new character quality, then the classroom teachers integrate that concept into their lessons. For the introduction of each quality, one teacher presents an assembly. This past month was my assembly presenting the quality, "Thoroughness."

For this, I decided to write a skit with two characters, Inga Incomplete and Thelma Thorough. I convinced my sidekick B to be Thelma. Thelma was the teacher who had it all together and taught Inga how to be thorough.

Inga was the student who was anything but thorough. Her heart and motives were right, she just didn't follow through on anything. Here she is tying her shoe, which she forgot to do that morning (along with fixing her hair and hooking her overalls).

Inga baked Miss Thorough a cake, but she forgot to put in the sugar. She let the audience taste-test her sugarless cake, which she noticed looked very much like a cow patty.

She also happened to be a country bumpkin to add to the humor. (The accent wasn't too hard for this Tennessee girl!) In the end, Inga learned that being more thorough in everything like homework, baking, dressing would make her day go better. Inga also learned that God, in His creative power, was thorough in all things, even when he made her. After learning all these things, Inga got the best news of all...that even when she is not thorough and makes mistakes, God still loves her.

Good news indeed!

Saturday Morning

2011-10-17T22:22:00.000+03:00

As you know, we always go out for Turkish breakfast on Saturday mornings. That and church on Sundays are the two things rarely missed by the Campbell Clan. This special breakfast, served to us by our dear Turkish friends, is officially called by the owner "The Ross Campbell breakfast" even to other patrons. I guess we've become famous for something!

While waiting, we learned how to tell right from left.

And we played some sort of number finger counting guessing game.

And we tried to be pleasant even though we were very hungry.

I also noticed that they had dried string after string of red peppers for the winter.

They were too pretty not to take a picture of them.

These will make some great stuffed Turkish peppers this winter. Come see me and we'll have some!

Symphony

2011-10-17T13:18:00.000+03:00

We were blessed with some free tickets to the symphony. This is a spot in Ankara we've never been. CC loves to go to the symphony and arrive early to hear them tuning up their instruments.

They did a fantastic job. The night was devoted to Korean Culture, so they had some special solos with traditional Korean instruments. They were all amazing. However, at one point, I leaned over and whispered to CC that one instrument, when played alone, sounded a little like when Big Ben tries to strum CC's guitar. You know when you are not supposed to laugh, it makes it all the harder to stop thinking about it. That's pretty much what happened to CC. He's recovered now.

This soloist also played a very old and traditional instrument. I thought her dress was beautiful, too.

And at the end, one talented Korean sang a traditional Turkish song, which thrilled the audience.

Borek

2011-10-16T20:14:00.000+03:00

Elmas Hanim will sometimes prepare a salad or cacik (cold yogurt and cucumer side dish) for us when she comes to keep Big Ben. Sometimes I buy ingredients and ask her to make us a main dish. This week I gave her yufka (which is like very very thin puff pastry), some fresh spinach, a potato, and some feta cheese. She added some egg and oil and milk, then turned it into this beautiful dish.

Mmmm! We all had a different favorite. Twinkle Toes of course picked potato. I ate the spinach. Firstborn wanted the cheese. They were all delicious.

Lil' Gardeners

2011-10-15T21:04:00.000+03:00

This is our apartment's yard (called a garden, or "bahce"). It's not much to speak of. The gardens around us have pretty green grass, but because we don't have a live-in caretaker in our building, it's not really tended very often. Many times I've wished I had a weed-eater to just take care of it myself.

But last weekend my two middle girls decided to tackle sprucing up our garden. They picked up trash, trimmed bushes, and planted seeds from fruit they had eaten. I was so touched by their act of love to our neighbors that I took them to buy some fall mums to put in planters on our balcony and a couple of small flowers for their bedroom. The garden does look better, thanks to these two cute gardeners.

Celebrating Fall

2011-10-15T07:58:00.000+03:00

Are you starting to get some fall weather? We are! Our leaves are changing, the wind is picking up, and the air is cooler. Someone blessed me awhile back with a package of caramel for apples. I decided this weekend was the perfect time to let everyone make a caramel apple.

There were 5 wrappers in the pack. 5 kids. Perfect!

And I first had them all smile at me, teeth showing, to signify that NO ONE currently has braces at our house. The perfect time to make (and eat) caramel apples!

Rock Field Trip

2011-10-13T20:49:00.000+03:00

I am certain Firstborn will blog about her recent field trip to see various types of rocks around our city. I'll let her explain all that she learned, but I did find some very interesting pictures on my camera from her day out....

Now, on to writing that rock report that's due....

How We Greet Teyze

2011-10-12T20:56:00.000+03:00

Big Ben loves his teyze (auntie) who comes over to watch him while I teach. He usually waits for her behind the door...like this.

And as a result of her dramatic reaction (usually pretending to fall down in fright, pain, or death), she receives this greeting every week.

Hazard Poster

2011-10-12T14:03:00.000+03:00

Firstborn was assigned to make a laboratory safety poster for her Science class. I thought it was so cute, I took a picture.

Notice the girl daydreaming about a boy, shocked when she drops her beaker, and reacting to a sore thumb.

Discovery

2011-10-11T22:33:00.000+03:00

CC discovered that I had discovered his photos and put one of them on my blog. He then proceeded to tell me I picked the photo that made him look like a goober. So, I am now posting the better picture. If you ask me, he looks yummy in both.

Love you, CC!

Really Good Leftovers

2011-10-11T13:42:00.000+03:00

The staff gave us a gift certificate to a very nice steakhouse called Butcha at the end of last school year. They were so generous...we had salad, meals, dessert. We realized we might not be able to spend it all, so we ordered an appetizer of smoked meats and cheeses, knowing it would keep well if we brought it home.

Last Sunday night, we put the kids to bed, then had dinner together with our leftover meat/cheese plate. I also threw in some triscuits (a gift from a friend...can't get those good crackers here) and iced coffees (from the leftover mug I made for breakfast before church and never had time to drink).

It was delicious and the company was even better.

My Mountain Biker

2011-10-10T12:42:00.000+03:00

I found this on my camera, and it clearly deserves to be on a well-read blog!

Full Moon

2011-10-05T09:21:00.000+03:00

Earlier this week, an unnamed sister offered to let Big Ben take a bath with her. He loves bathing with one of them so he has someone to play with. This unnamed sister reported to me later that Big Ben took a very tiny shark, stuck it between his buns, called out, "Wheeerrreee is it?" Then promptly turned around, mooned the hysterical sister, and said, "Dare it is!"

And I'd say that is most certainly a full moon.

Bangs?

2011-10-04T10:00:00.000+03:00

It's never happened before. I've had 4 girls and no one has ever cut their own hair that I can remember (Well, perhaps a snip off the bottom, but nothing too dramatic.) But this past week I noticed Sweet Cheeks' hair looked different. I asked, "Did something happen to your hair?" She BURST into tears and explained through sobs that she woke up with "ticky tack" in her hair, that I was still sleeping, so she just cut it out. Right in the front. And I must say here that we are not a 'bangs bunch.' None of us have bangs.

"But HONEY," I exclaimed, "Wake me UP! That's considered an emergency!" She cried more. I realized at that point that my don't-cut-your-own-hair talk was unnecessary. She already regretted it. So, I comforted her and suggested it just looked like baby hair growing out. (She is still a baby, after all.)

The next day I asked her if any of her friends noticed. She said, "Oh yes, Samire told me it looked lovely." Hmmm, maybe we should have the don't-cut-your-own-hair talk after all.

Welcome, IKEA

2011-10-03T09:41:00.001+03:00

In Singapore we had several IKEA stores, which is a Swedish home store. We used to love walking around IKEA and eating their famous meatballs in the cafeteria. It's something we missed when we moved here. I researched the meatballs and learned how to make them (they are held together with potatoes instead of the Turkish way: bulgur or the American way: rice). Istanbul has two of these stores, we kept wondering why they wouldn't just share one with us. Anytime we were in Istanbul, we'd make an IKEA run and load up on a few jars of the the lingonberry relish to go with our meatballs, Christmas wrapping paper, a little chalkboard for the kids.

And then one day we heard we were getting an IKEA in our city. We all said, "We'll believe when we see it." We started to see advertisements around town that they were hiring. They said June 2011 was the target opening date. And guess what! It happened, even in a city where well-meaning promises of events, stores, and political campaigns are sometimes forgotten. It was time for a visit!

Miss B not only teaches Sweet Cheeks, she is also a dear friend of mine. So, for her birthday, I gave her a coupon for a free ride to and dinner at IKEA. (It's far away...and gas is 10 dollars a gallon, so it was a better gift than it sounds!) While CC was in Japan, we made it a four-some of friends and had a wonderful time perusing the store. I wonder if anyone else was excited enough to have a picture made like us. The sweet Turkish gal who took it even said, "Say Chees!" (That's how she said it.)

Thanks for the fun night, gals!

Project

2011-09-30T09:34:00.000+03:00

Firstborn did her first-ever Secondary School project. This one was for her Bible class and traced the geneology from Creation to the Flood. She decided to do it in watercolor paints. I think it looks great!

She splattered paint on the title with a toothbrush for a cool effect.

Way to go, Firstborn! (Save those ideas...we have 4 coming up behind you!)

Hubs Gone

2011-09-29T13:46:00.000+03:00

Last week CC was gone to Japan for a short conference for our organization. He ended up stuck in China for an extra day because of a typhoon off the coast of Japan. He emailed to tell me that the airline had put him up in a hotel, which would be free of charge if he took a roommate. (!) He did! I emailed and said, "What if he is an ax murderer?!" CC emailed back, "He has no ax. Just a saw, and he's sawing logs all night long!" He was also fed three square meals of rice and cabbage while he was there. Needless to say, while he was gone, we missed him. And I suppose while eating only rice and cabbage, he missed us too.

My good friend T's husband was gone, too, so we arranged some time together to pass the single-mommy days quicker.

We had a playday at the park, complete with some little Turkish friends and some bubbles to pop.

We also had lunch together. (Isn't her handprint table wonderful?)

T made me my new all-time favorite Turkish salad...roka (not sure what this is in English but it is a very bitter, delicious lettuce), tomatoes, feta, green olives, walnuts, and nar esmesi (pomegranate dressing)!

Then later in the week, we brought our two families together for a meal of homemade pizza. Everyone has a buddy between her 5 and my 5.

Thanks for making our week a little easier with fellowship!

The Story Behind Big Ben

2011-09-27T22:08:00.000+03:00

You know, I don't believe I've ever shared this full story on my blog, but as I was drifting off to sleep one night this week, I decided it was time. Disclaimer: You may think we're weird. But when God does something supernatural in your life, sometimes it does not follow our logic and sometimes we just come across as odd. So, here goes.

When we left Singapore, it was with our 3 little girls. We settled in to Turkey and lived through a year of getting the school opened and seeing God work time and again. Along came Fall, I was teaching, and CC approached me and asked if I had thought about having more kids. It's almost funny to me that he asked. We'd never asked each other that question before, because both #1 and #3 were mild surprises. I had 3 under 3 at one point, so we never really discussed "more." Then he suggested we pray about it and talk again later.

Several days later, he approached me with an answer. He said something like, "We should have another." I asked, "Why?" He said, "Because God told me to have another one." Now, both of us have walked with the Lord since childhood, studying His Word, seeking His direction. And most of the time, that direction is from His Word. This time it wasn't. He said that as he prayed he felt a very distinct voice in his heart say, "Have another." He dared to ask Almighty, "Why, Lord?" and the answer was, "Because I am going to give you a son." Then, "Why, Lord?" and the answer was clear, "Because I have a Son." That was the end. He was blown away.

At that point, we proceeded to obey the Lord! :) (Obeying can be fun!) I was soon pregnant and we never asked the doctor (nor had we ever with any of our precious babes) whether it was a boy or girl. We knew it was a son. It was going to be perfect. 3 Queens and a Jack, all born in a different season. AND this boy would be the 4th Campbell. Levi Ross Campbell IV. I told only 3 people about CC's conversation with God.

And then on a Friday afternoon, I gave birth. To a baby girl.

Now, understand me here. Never, never, never in a million years did my husband have even a moment of disappointment when he saw our precious baby girl, Eva Kathleen. She melted him. He took her out of the room and said, "Let's get this straight. This is between God and me, not you and me. I love you and I always will." We didn't even have a name for her. I told him I always wanted to name a daughter after my Granny, and that I'd love to give her CC's sister's name as well. The names were beautiful together. And Eva was perfect in every way.

But the issue was that CC had, in his mind, missed the boat. His heavy heart was due to the fact that if he misunderstood God this time, he must have misunderstood Him so many other times before. We moved on, trusting in God's sovereignty and will, but always wondering about that day when he felt God spoke to him. And we of course needed Eva so desperately in our lives. How could we be Campbells without our chubby-cheeked little Turk. I never knew a babe could be so easy. I never knew a toddler could be so easy. And she was the Songul (Last Rose). She was the end of the babies.

And then one day, just before my 36th birthday and CC's 40th birthday, I discovered I was pregnant. We had prevented a future baby, content with our 4 little girls with no inclination to have a 5th. We were determined to show the culture around us that we loved exactly what God had given us, in spite of the suggestion we should abort so many girls in favor of a boy. We believed that was one testimony we could present to those who looked at our odd and big family. But I was pregnant. The range of emotions was almost indescribable. But I knew in my heart at that moment, this was the promised boy.

I waited nearly a week to tell my husband. Of course! It all made sense now. That's why I was falling asleep during Bible story time at 7:30PM. I can't say that I will ever know exactly how Mary must have felt, but I did get a little glimpse that week. Scared. Excited. Full of wonder. Confused. Alone. At one point, I said to myself, "For heaven's sake, Sara! You are a married woman." But it was all such a mystery to me. And then this deep deep peace began to reside in my heart as I realized that my great and mighty God wanted this to be His work alone. How much more glory He would get this way.

And so, at our birthday party, in front of many friends, I passed a card to my sweet birthday-boy husband with a note revealing my present...a new baby to come. He was speechless, he cried and smiled at the same time. And we both knew, it was the boy. (But I must say after we dropped everyone off, he said, "And HOW did THIS happen?!")

God even told us what to name him, but that's another post. Suffice to say with a name like Benaiah, he will be asked all of his life, "What does that mean?" And when he answers, "Son of the Lord" he and others will see God's glory.

My heart is full. Amen.

How We Celebrated Big Ben's 3rd!

2011-09-27T14:50:00.002+03:00

My big little guy turned 3 on Monday! I have another post in mind about how God gave him to us, but thought I'd just get these pictures posted today for all those grands and aunts and uncles and friends who love my kids! We celebrated on Sunday night with pizza and cake and ice cream. CC, as the director of the school, invites all new students for a pizza and Coke lunch in his office. So, basically, he eats pizza every day for 2 weeks! So we thought we'd get his week off to a good start with a pizza night! I had made this train cake, with an idea I got from my friend (and sis in law of my sis in law). See her blog here: Mandy
It seemed perfect, as I bought him a train set last summer to open for his birthday. No licorice for the train tracks, but hey, we do what we can over here in Turkey! As always, I bake the cake, get ready to serve it, and then am reminded by CC that birthday cake can't be served without ice cream. One Campbell girl popped up to run downstairs and buy some ice cream. (Apartment living can have its' advantages.)

After singing and cake, we headed to the den for presents. This gift was a favorite. Spidey on a four-wheeler. It can't get much better. CC noted that Spidey now wears a helmet. How safety conscious he has become.

B's Campbell grands also gave him a Spidey mask. I wondered if he might be afraid, but not Big Ben. I think we all know what he will be for Halloween. Or maybe CC will be Spidey...those of you who've read this blog for awhile will remember this post: Halloween

He received a sword and laser gun from his Fish cousins. The photo below was not posed. CC really did steal Big Ben's new toys.

Grandma got Big Ben some cute new long-sleeved t's and warm up pants. He liked them all so much, he wanted to change clothes multiple times during the day between his two new shirts.

Two of his sisters found this treasure in a trash dump, cleaned it up, and presented it to Big Ben for his birthday.

And his final gift was the new train set.

The next morning, on his actual birthday, we went to the school at 8AM and let the staff sing to Big Ben and his birthday buddy, Mr. Elliott. After Mr. E blew out the candle, B was upset that he didn't get to, so we re-lit it and let him have a turn. Happy 3rd birthday, Big Ben! We wouldn't have been complete Campbells without you! We love you!

Sweet Sue

2011-09-24T21:51:00.000+03:00

My sweet second cousin Sue went to heaven today. She was found in a diabetic coma last week and never woke from it. She was my mama's flower girl so many years ago.

Sue married young, and then gave birth to a precious baby girl, Erin, who was born with spinabifida. Erin never walked. She used to grin at all of us cousins when we came to visit. (Sue was told when she was born that Erin would only live a matter of days. She defied them and lived eight years.) When Erin was born, her own daddy decided he didn't need troubles like that and left without even looking back. But God sent Sue a man, Kelly, who loved her with his whole heart and took little Erin as his own.

I remember when my first daughter was born, and I gave her the name Mary Erin, after her two paternal grandmothers, Sue wrote me and told me she was so happy her little Erin had a namesake. That made me happy, too.

And it just occurred to me how happy she must be today to see her little Erin again today.

Campbells Camping: Part VII (S'mores and More)

2011-09-24T20:44:00.000+03:00

Perhaps the most anticipated event of our campout was the fire we were going to build. The kids collected brush, pine cones, twigs, and sticks all day. CC built us a great fire. We had a bag of charcoal starter in the van, but he didn't need it! I had been given a gift of some USA hotdogs, and I froze them to save them for this weekend. I think everyone ate at least 2!

And of course our side dish was s'mores. We made the Turkish version. Little biscuits (a mildly sweet cracker) for the graham crackers, thick chocolate bars for the Hershey's, miniature marshmallows that we squeezed together for the jumbo marshmallows. They were perfect!

And as the sun set the second night, it began to get much colder. We were thankful for the heat from our fire. There were several fire pits left behind, and we surmised they were from shepherds out tending their flocks at night. In this country, that is most likely correct. We had a wonderful weekend. On our drive home late Saturday night, we passed through a little town. It had a one lane road and no stop signs. It was tiny. But everyone in the town gathered for a wedding in a field. We stopped and watched for a bit. Then all the Campbellkids dozed off on the drive home, and CC got us home to our comfy beds. Thank you, God, for weekends that remind us of the world out there You created!

Campbells Camping Part VI (More Forced Family Fotos)

2011-09-23T14:07:00.000+03:00

One of my goals was to get a family photo of all 7 of us in front of the tent. I told Big Ben to smile at the blinking light. I think he did a pretty good job of it!

Anyone on staff can tell you how stressed I become at our staff photo sessions in August and at Christmas. Mr. P clicks the timer and then slowly strolls to position, all the while I am hissing, "HURRY! It's about to TAKE! Oh please, this is so stressful. RUN!" It's awful. I love and hate the timer feature all at the same time. Please look carefully at this photo below. Do you see the hand at the right of the picture? It's CC's. Can you tell I am saying, "You AREN'T going to MAKE it!" Look at Twinkle Toes' and Miss Middler's smiles. They knew their daddy wasn't going to make it, that it would stress me out, and they thought the whole thing was funny.

Much better.

Bomb, Babe, Ballerina

2011-09-22T21:33:00.000+03:00

I feel I must interrupt this series of Campbells Camping posts to comment on recent events in Ankara and in my life.

First, a car bomb was detonated in our city. It killed 3 people and injured/maimed many others. We learned about it before even the news stations did. Our school's caretaker was within a mile or so of it, and he called us. He, believing God intervened on his behalf, said, "Had I left one minute later, I would have been in it."

Amazingly, he was not even supposed to run that errand. Our Turkish Vice Principal was. She was expecting a baby and about 1 week until her due date when her water broke late at night. While in labor, she realized she had a paper that needed to be delivered urgently to the government on behalf of the school. She contacted our caretaker who ran the errand for her. So in reality, the delivery of her child prevented her from going. And that saved her life. And God spared the man who did go on her behalf.

I went to see her that very night. And I saw this...

( Very dangerous for me, a woman who is 'done' having kids.)

We have since learned that the police believe the prime suspect had breakfast and stored his car in our little neighborhood prior to his crime.

But life goes on. Sweet Cheeks begins her first-ever ballet class tomorrow. She asked me tonight if I could perhaps create a special ballet breakfast for her tomorrow morning. I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "Oh, maybe make my breakfast look like a ballerina and everyone else's just look normal."

Campbells Camping Part V (Adventure Girl)

2011-09-22T20:48:00.000+03:00

On almost every vacation in Turkey, CC wants to go on a hike. He's pushed the kids really hard in the past, and I've been very impressed by them. (from my station back in the hotel, watching over the sleeping infant.) They are troopers. Once we even took them up a rock cliff that Alexander the Great decided was too hard to climb with his troops! This weekend CC gave the kids a choice if they wanted to go or stay back. Only Miss Middler went. She's always up for an adventure.

And she made it to the top. We could see two little dots up there and flashed a mirror in the sun so they could see us.

Here's another panoramic view of our location. Do you see the little dots? They are homes.

Here's a closer one. We determined this must be just a little logging town. At night, none of these homes had electricity. My kids said, "Really?! That is SO cool." I think I'll remind them of that when our power goes out here at home, as it does weekly.