WE ARE HEEERRRREEE!!!

WE ARE HEEERRRREEE!!! We made it to Istanbul! It still doesn't seem real that we will be living here for the next two years. Let the adventures begin!!!

As you can see, I've decided to start blogging again after an 18-month hiatus. Facebook is a lot easier and faster and I don't think anyone is really going to read this, but if anything, it is a journal to remember this incredible adventure our family is on in Istanbul, Turkey.

We moved out of our house on May 6th and stayed in a hotel in Portland for a week as we tied up loose ends and sold our cars. Amelia thought the hotel was "California" (since the only other time we stayed in a hotel was in California). The week went by so fast! We were so busy getting ready to move, saying goodbye to friends and family, and caring for our sick little boy that before we knew it, it was time to leave!

We woke up at 3am to get ready and finish packing before our driver picked us up at 4am. Chase didn't open his eyes until he was already dressed, but then smiled and said "Hay-ee!" (his version of "hi"). Such a happy kid. I rubbed Amelia's head to get her to wake up and whispered that it was time to go on the airplane to Turkey. Here eye's popped open and the first words to come out of her mouth were, "Where's my crown?" (Her crown is a sparkly, pink headband that does not come off her head unless it happens to fall off while she is sleeping).

At the airport we checked 2 huge Britax car seats and 8 dufflebags of clothes, shoes, toys, diapers, and food you can't get in Turkey (powdered sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, peanut butter, syrup...). And still had 4 carryons and 4 personal items, full of snacks, coloring books, books, and DVD player/DVDs. Having all this stuff would have been fine if Amelia and Chase could have carried something, but Matt (the pack-mule) lugged 3 huge carryons, his Nike work bag and camera backpack, while I toted Chase in a front carrier, the diaper bag on my back, a purse overflowing with stuff I didn't need (like I'd have time to read books on the flight!), and an insulated bag with bottles and snacks - all while pushing Amelia in a stroller. We WAY overpacked and were in a total sweat going through terminals, narrow airplane aisles, and visa and passport control lines. But in the words of Dora the Explorer, "We did it!"

This is just our carry-on stuff...

As the flight took off, Amelia was giddy watching the airplane leave the ground and kept waiting to see turkey's out the window ("I don't see any turkeys!"). She was extremely happy during the 5-hour flight as she ate Pringles and skittles while watching movies and playing on her new Leapster - all starting at 6am. Chase loved watching movies, climbing in the seats and charming all the passengers around him.



After a brief stop in the JFK terminal, we boarded the plane to Istanbul. We were in the very last row of the airplane - did they do this on purpose knowing we had 2 children?? We waited and waited for our plane to take-off, but nothing happened. Rumors of fog delay went around, but we were finally told there was a mechanical issue and we may need to change planes and/or terminals! We were dying at the thought of lugging all our stuff off then plane, to another terminal, and onto another plane. Luckily, the issue was fixed and we were able to take off 2 1/2 hours after our scheduled departure.

The first couple of hours were great. Amelia and I had a blast making silly faces and playing rhyming games, while Chase played with a little girl in the seat next to us. After 3 hours, the kids started feeling the tiredness. Both kids struggled to get comfortable (and rightfully so), but soon fell asleep - Chase sprawled in Matt's lap and Amelia in mine. They slept on and off for most of the flight, but Matt and I hardly slept a wink. Economy class with 2 kids was a far cry from First Class with no kids as our previous flights had been :)
We arrived in Istanbul at noon local time, but 2am Portland time. Like zombies, we once again lugged our load through a mile of moving walk-ways and endless passport lines. Amelia was so exhausted and hot (you could feel the humidity), she slithered along on the dirty airport floor whining to take her clothes off. We finally made it through, got our bags, and loaded the Mercedes van waiting to pick us up. As the driver struggled to close the door with everything crammed in as tightly as possible, we realized we had forgotten the car seats. Matt had to go back into the airport, finagle his way back to the baggage claim to get them. All the while, we were sweating in the car, tired and thirsty and wanting to get "home."

We finally got to our temporary living complex - The Akmerkez Residence - where we will stay until we finalize our permanent housing and wait for our goods to arrive. It's a posh place - way too nice for us and our children, but we will happily stay here for a few weeks :) When Matt asked Amelia if she liked living in Turkey, she said, "Yeah, a little bit, but not too much."

I got the kids bathed (Chase pooped in the tub - par for the course) and did just enough bottle-washing and unpacking as necessary then went right to bed. Next thing I know, Matt is waking me up at 9:15pm - I had slept for 6 hours! I really needed it. Both kids were asleep and I asked Matt what they had had for dinner since there is very little food in the house. Matt said they had bread, jam, and fruit - which luckily the residence had provided in the refrigerator. Chase eating a packet of cream cheese with a spoon

After I had the same blah dinner and everyone else being asleep, I happily settled on the couch to check email and sit in this nice, quiet place to resume blogging. Within an hour, Amelia woke up at 11pm alert, in her ballet dress, and ready to play. Soon after, Chase awoke ready to do the same (sans the ballet dress). It is now 1am, both kids are playing and having snacks while Matt sleeps. I wonder when we'll get used to this time difference!! We'll try to get more on track tomorrow...

Anyway, both kids are now in my lap, so I must go. I will try to keep up on this blog to record our adventures and hopefully I'll have some readers to make it seem worth the effort :)

Goodbye family and friends in America and hello future friends in Istanbul! Gule gule!