A week ago at dinner -
Erin: Theo you need to eat your carrots if you are going to have anything else to eat.
Ten minutes pass. No carrots are eaten.
Erin: Theo you need to eat your carrots if you are going to have anything else to eat.
Jack: Come on Theo. You like orange.
Theo: I don't like orange. I like white.
Jack: We could put some flour on it and then it would be white.
Theo: Okay.
Erin: You want me to put flour on the carrots?
Theo: Yes.
Erin gets the flour out and covers the carrots in white all-purpose flour.
Theo quickly eats his carrots.
Theo: I like floured carrots.
Oh the logic of a three-year-old.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
Ramadan and Ice Lollies
While we were in Turkey, Ramadan was going on. Ramadan lasting 29 or 30 days, is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. Given that Ramadan fell in August this year means there was a lot of fasting going on given the summer daylight hours. It must be a lot easier to keep to Ramadan rules when Ramadan falls in December and it gets dark at 4:30!
Our friends live in a very conservative part of the city with many practicing Muslims. Out of respect for this tradition, our friends will not eat in public in their neighbourhood during this time, which might make dining out difficult. Our friends, however, have developed a really good relationship with the local kebab place down the street, and this restaurant sets up a table for them in the back garden (which is really just a private personal garden) during this time. We went twice while we were there and had a great time. The food was delicious. There is lots of space for the kids to run around. We aren't offending anyone. It is a big win all around. On our last night eating there we celebrated by getting the kids ice lollies. This was a big hit:
Our friends live in a very conservative part of the city with many practicing Muslims. Out of respect for this tradition, our friends will not eat in public in their neighbourhood during this time, which might make dining out difficult. Our friends, however, have developed a really good relationship with the local kebab place down the street, and this restaurant sets up a table for them in the back garden (which is really just a private personal garden) during this time. We went twice while we were there and had a great time. The food was delicious. There is lots of space for the kids to run around. We aren't offending anyone. It is a big win all around. On our last night eating there we celebrated by getting the kids ice lollies. This was a big hit:
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Beginning Hebrew through Jack's Eyes
We had two old university friends staying with us this past week. There was a mini-crisis at one point which meant that I needed to take them somewhere. This was unplanned and given that there were two of them and four of us (three kids and me)and a five seater car, we had a problem.
The quickest way for us to solve the problem was for Charles to take Jack to his lecture and let him sit in the back row for the first 20 minutes while I ran our friends to where they needed to be.
Apparently, he sat in the back of the class and read a book quietly. Charles said he was excellent and many of the students were excited to see him (he is kind of a socialite of the College campus).
When I collected Jack, I asked him if Dad was a good teacher and whether he learned anything. He said, 'No. I didn't think it was that interesting, but Dad did say a few things that made people laugh so that was kind of interesting.' This is Jack's opinion of beginning Hebrew, maybe we should wait a few years to enroll him! :)
The quickest way for us to solve the problem was for Charles to take Jack to his lecture and let him sit in the back row for the first 20 minutes while I ran our friends to where they needed to be.
Apparently, he sat in the back of the class and read a book quietly. Charles said he was excellent and many of the students were excited to see him (he is kind of a socialite of the College campus).
When I collected Jack, I asked him if Dad was a good teacher and whether he learned anything. He said, 'No. I didn't think it was that interesting, but Dad did say a few things that made people laugh so that was kind of interesting.' This is Jack's opinion of beginning Hebrew, maybe we should wait a few years to enroll him! :)
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Walking Addie
So in the last few days Addie has made great strides as a walker. Here is some of the proof:
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Turkey Part 4 - Sand People
While at the beach we decided to build sand people. It escapes me whose idea this was, but here the memories for the record! It is striking how similar Theo and Jack look with just their faces showing.
Theo buried
Jack buried
Erin beginning to be buried (whose idea was this?)
And the finished Erin
Theo buried
Jack buried
Erin beginning to be buried (whose idea was this?)
And the finished Erin
Turkey Part 3 - Beach Days
While in Turkey we rented a car for three days. Two of those days we ventured to the Black Sea and found the most amazing beach. In fact, this beach was found by some friends of our friends by using GoogleEarth and then driving to try to find the spot. It was well worth the find. It was an absolutely stunning beach that we had to ourselves!
Here are some pictures from those two days:
Charles and Theo enjoying the waves
Addie and hat
Theo, Joshua, and Jadon
Addie enjoying the beach
Jack showing his love of the beach
Charles and the boys
Here are some pictures from those two days:
Charles and Theo enjoying the waves
Addie and hat
Theo, Joshua, and Jadon
Addie enjoying the beach
Jack showing his love of the beach
Charles and the boys
Addie using Joshua as a pillow 
Addie and Jeremy 
Monday, 5 September 2011
Peace and Quiet
We were watching our neighbour's kids today - which meant there were six kids under the age of six in the house. The morning went strikingly well. However, there was one moment that was really worth recording.
About two hours after they arrived I decided to take a roll call. I could find everyone but Addie. 'Where's Addie?' I asked everyone. No one answered. All of the older five kids were downstairs playing in the main sitting room.
From process of elimination, I went upstairs to find her. The room to her door was closed. I pushed it opened to find her lying on her back with her thumb in her mouth, her meme(blanket) pulled close. It was obvious that she needed a break from the chaos downstairs. I just found it incredibly cute (and mature) that she had closed her door in the process. The little lady just needed some privacy and a place to chill! With two older brothers as crazy as she has, I don't blame her!
About two hours after they arrived I decided to take a roll call. I could find everyone but Addie. 'Where's Addie?' I asked everyone. No one answered. All of the older five kids were downstairs playing in the main sitting room.
From process of elimination, I went upstairs to find her. The room to her door was closed. I pushed it opened to find her lying on her back with her thumb in her mouth, her meme(blanket) pulled close. It was obvious that she needed a break from the chaos downstairs. I just found it incredibly cute (and mature) that she had closed her door in the process. The little lady just needed some privacy and a place to chill! With two older brothers as crazy as she has, I don't blame her!
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Brothers!
Jack came up to me today and started doing some weird dance and making an even weirder noise in my face as he did it. I quickly told him, 'Jack I am not in the mood for that.'
Jack did not even leave the room before Theo came running up yelling, 'Jack, I'm in the mood for that. I am. I really am.'
And this, my friends, is what little brothers are for!
Jack did not even leave the room before Theo came running up yelling, 'Jack, I'm in the mood for that. I am. I really am.'
And this, my friends, is what little brothers are for!
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Superstars - Turkey Part 2
One of the first things you must understand when visiting Turkey is how much Turks LOVE children. Turkish people have a real affection for children, and babies for sure. After eleven days in Turkey with three fair skin, blue-eyed, blond kids, we have seen Turkish people at their best.
It is not uncommon at all for random Turkish women and men to come up to you and grab your child's cheek in an affectionate way. Nor is it uncommon for them to lovingly mess up their hair, ask to take their picture, or blow kisses (or actually attempt kisses!). Here are some of our favourite paparazzi memories:
When we were at the beach, a lady and her husband passed us while walking along the beach. They spotted Addie and were immediately drawn to her. They came over to pinch her, talk to her, etc. I went right next to Addie to try to reassure her that it was okay. I then instructed Addie to say 'bye bye' trying to get Addie to interact but also send a message that Addie was getting freaked out and it was best that they continue their walk. The lady completely ignored, or more charitably, didn't understand, my attempts and proceeded to pick Addie up. Armando was laughing and actually got this moment on camera:
Just for the record, this was not the only time this type of interaction happened. In fact, it happens to Jen and Armando's kids enough that Armando has now gotten fairly bold at politely telling people, 'Please don't. He doesn't like it' -- especially with their middle child who hates it.
This is where personality comes in. For anyone who knows Jack, it will come as no surprise that he loved the attention. One afternoon Jen and I gave Charles and Armando the chance to go out on their own exploring, and we took the kids back to the house for rests. This meant that she and I transported six kids from Europe to Asia (doesn't that sound so impressive??? - it is accurate!).
Two of the kids were in backpacks and four were on foot. Our trip included tram, boat, and a lengthy hike up a mini-mountain to their house. We contemplated taking a taxi up the mountain instead of walking it with the kids, but after our first taxi ride (see previous post), we opted for telling the kids that M&Ms awaited all who made it up the mountain without whining. (For the record, it worked. Theo, whom we were most worried about, led the pack!).
During the tram leg of the journey, we were crammed onto a metro-type train in the centre of Istanbul. Many people tried to help and offered Jen and me seats. I don't know what was most surprising: the lady who offered Jack a seat ON HER LAP or the fact that Jack happily took it. She then put her arms around his waist and held him the rest of the way. It was hilarious to see Jack being held by some random fifty year-old Turkish women on the train. One stop before where we were suppose to get off, I told Jack that he needed to tell the lady he was getting off. He turned and said, 'I get off here.'. The lady, who clearly didn't speak any English, happily squeezed him, ruffled his hair and blew a kiss good-bye.
There were also the fifteen year-old boys who were very 'into' our kids. We met them at the neighbourhood playground. They came up and wanted to hold Addie. After Charles took Addie home for a bath, they quickly moved to Jack and the other boys. Jack was really entertaining them with his 'two Turkish words' (hello and thank you, for the record). They kept picking him up and twirling him around. They had a little English and kept calling him 'Jack Daniels'. He told them he was 'Jack Anderson', but I am not sure their English was good enough to understand that. It is amazing how even Turkish teenage boys have so much time for random kids and babies. It was constant though - these instances were not isolated.
One of the other funny paparazzi memories would have to be at the Blue Mosque - which is one of the most touristy areas of Istanbul. We were standing there all talking in an open park-ish area. Charles was somewhat distracted with Theo or Addie, when he looked up and saw Jack standing in the way of what appeared to be a Turkish family taking a family photo. Charles quickly yelled, 'Jack! Jack! Get out of the way. You're in their picture.' Jack quickly answered, 'No, Dad. They want me in it.' And sure enough he was right! These people had pulled Jack over, motioning him to be in the picture. Somewhere in some family scrapbook there is a Turkish family with a cute little borrowed blond boy in their family photo.
For eleven days it was fun, and even refreshing - especially how this attention is in stark contrast to how kids are treated in England. I am sure it would get 'not so fun' if it happened all the time. I would hate to see how big our kids' heads would be if they constantly got this much attention. But for this holiday, they truly had a glimpse of stardom and soaked up every minute of it.
It is not uncommon at all for random Turkish women and men to come up to you and grab your child's cheek in an affectionate way. Nor is it uncommon for them to lovingly mess up their hair, ask to take their picture, or blow kisses (or actually attempt kisses!). Here are some of our favourite paparazzi memories:
When we were at the beach, a lady and her husband passed us while walking along the beach. They spotted Addie and were immediately drawn to her. They came over to pinch her, talk to her, etc. I went right next to Addie to try to reassure her that it was okay. I then instructed Addie to say 'bye bye' trying to get Addie to interact but also send a message that Addie was getting freaked out and it was best that they continue their walk. The lady completely ignored, or more charitably, didn't understand, my attempts and proceeded to pick Addie up. Armando was laughing and actually got this moment on camera:
Just for the record, this was not the only time this type of interaction happened. In fact, it happens to Jen and Armando's kids enough that Armando has now gotten fairly bold at politely telling people, 'Please don't. He doesn't like it' -- especially with their middle child who hates it.
This is where personality comes in. For anyone who knows Jack, it will come as no surprise that he loved the attention. One afternoon Jen and I gave Charles and Armando the chance to go out on their own exploring, and we took the kids back to the house for rests. This meant that she and I transported six kids from Europe to Asia (doesn't that sound so impressive??? - it is accurate!).
Two of the kids were in backpacks and four were on foot. Our trip included tram, boat, and a lengthy hike up a mini-mountain to their house. We contemplated taking a taxi up the mountain instead of walking it with the kids, but after our first taxi ride (see previous post), we opted for telling the kids that M&Ms awaited all who made it up the mountain without whining. (For the record, it worked. Theo, whom we were most worried about, led the pack!).
During the tram leg of the journey, we were crammed onto a metro-type train in the centre of Istanbul. Many people tried to help and offered Jen and me seats. I don't know what was most surprising: the lady who offered Jack a seat ON HER LAP or the fact that Jack happily took it. She then put her arms around his waist and held him the rest of the way. It was hilarious to see Jack being held by some random fifty year-old Turkish women on the train. One stop before where we were suppose to get off, I told Jack that he needed to tell the lady he was getting off. He turned and said, 'I get off here.'. The lady, who clearly didn't speak any English, happily squeezed him, ruffled his hair and blew a kiss good-bye.
There were also the fifteen year-old boys who were very 'into' our kids. We met them at the neighbourhood playground. They came up and wanted to hold Addie. After Charles took Addie home for a bath, they quickly moved to Jack and the other boys. Jack was really entertaining them with his 'two Turkish words' (hello and thank you, for the record). They kept picking him up and twirling him around. They had a little English and kept calling him 'Jack Daniels'. He told them he was 'Jack Anderson', but I am not sure their English was good enough to understand that. It is amazing how even Turkish teenage boys have so much time for random kids and babies. It was constant though - these instances were not isolated.
One of the other funny paparazzi memories would have to be at the Blue Mosque - which is one of the most touristy areas of Istanbul. We were standing there all talking in an open park-ish area. Charles was somewhat distracted with Theo or Addie, when he looked up and saw Jack standing in the way of what appeared to be a Turkish family taking a family photo. Charles quickly yelled, 'Jack! Jack! Get out of the way. You're in their picture.' Jack quickly answered, 'No, Dad. They want me in it.' And sure enough he was right! These people had pulled Jack over, motioning him to be in the picture. Somewhere in some family scrapbook there is a Turkish family with a cute little borrowed blond boy in their family photo.
For eleven days it was fun, and even refreshing - especially how this attention is in stark contrast to how kids are treated in England. I am sure it would get 'not so fun' if it happened all the time. I would hate to see how big our kids' heads would be if they constantly got this much attention. But for this holiday, they truly had a glimpse of stardom and soaked up every minute of it.
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