The View From Here:

New School, Old Friends

2010-09-02T01:14:00.016-04:00

It's that time of year again: chalkdust (OK, in our case dry-erase marker dust, but that doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?), backpacks, desks, and notebooks. Many of our back-t0-school rituals are different here. No trips to Wal-Mart. No new clothes. No "Meet the Teacher Night" (or as John calls it, Meet the Creature --- quoting from when HE was the creature!).

Our back-to-school time this year was characterized by the hard labor of trying to move into a new building covered in dust (some floors we mopped 4 times and they STILL looked dusty!); reunions with friends not seen, in some cases, in 15 months; and a last minute frantic search for "inside shoes"....here we don't wear street shoes indoors, so all the kids are expected to bring their own pair of slippers/flipflops to keep at school. I must admit that I was so intent on getting the library ready for the first day of school that I neglected this oh-so-important back-to-school item and John had to do it (which I'm sure brought much amusement to our shop ladies!).

Though many of our rituals are different, many are the same. Getting everything ready the night before: backpack, lunch box, clothes, and water bottles. Waking up way earlier than necessary because the butterflies beat out the alarm. Our traditional send off prayer: Help them to be good listeners, good learners and good friends....These things don't change dependent on our location.

There is one new aspect to our schooling this year that we've never experienced before: walking to school. When we lived here before, Sophie first had a 35 minute taxi ride to school and then, once we got our car, a twenty minute car ride at the school's second location. Then last year in Canada, the girls waited for the school bus each morning and rode about 15 minutes to school. This year we are only a five minute walk to school...as the crow flies it would be much shorter but because of some dead-end streets we need to make a "U" to get to the school. Still, a five minute walk is hard to beat! We thought we'd show some pictures from our walk:

Click to enlarge

This is my favorite part of the walk and so it get's its own picture. It is a reminder to me of His provision for us in big and little ways. The school, its teachers, and its new building are evidence of His provision in a big way. As we walk to school, for some strange reason, one of the roads we have to cross has giant pipes (for gas and water) running through them...the are about 3 feet high and getting over them with all our gear is a task...that is it was until we discovered these little stairs right in front of the street we need to turn onto. This makes our trip even easier!

Every morning the school has a teacher posted at the door to greet the children. This first day, our greeter was Sophie's teacher, Miss Melissa, who is back for her third year with us. Sophie is in for a great year with this gifted and kind teacher.

Side view of school

Annie's teacher has been with us for four years, and also taught Sophie 1st grade. Miss Barbara is another wonderful teacher and a good friend. Next to Annie, is her sweet friend, Isabel. They call themselves "BBs", short for "best buds".

Sophie is giving me the smile that says: "I'm in fourth grade, don't you think this photo-shoot thing is getting a bit stale?" She puts up with me!

First day assembly in the library, led by our great principal.

The view from my 3rd floor library balcony.

The after lunch line-up for Sophie.

Annie's class doing a crazy face picture.

We made the short walk home and talked about our day and decided it was great! After relaxing with a short show and popcorn time after supper, the girls were off early to bed to do it all again the next day....

...while Benjamin fed his zoo of stuffed animals their daily popcorn rations!

ADORATION ISN'T JUST FOR "WISE"MEN

2009-11-21T13:04:00.011-05:00

Yes, I am already in the midst of Christmas decorations and plans....I admit
this is a weakness, no will power when it comes to waiting. My best excuse is
that with the decorations up, it gives me all that much more time to enjoy
watching my kids enjoy it. They never get tired of the lit tree, the mysterious
packages underneath, and the nativity that gives purpose to it all.

Which brings me to the best gift any of my kids has ever received. My sister-in-law, Heather, has a gift for giving just the right thing (see last Christmas' post when the kids spent hours threading shoelaces through dinosaurs, still trying to figure out the allure of that one). When Sophie was getting ready for her first Christmas--eight years ago, unbelievable--Heather and Chris (though I don't know that he necessarily knew they were giving this...feel free to comment and defend yourself, Chris) sent us the Fisher Price Little People Nativity set.

I must admit, at first I was less than taken with this gift. It's musical, in that battery-operated kind of way that most of us parents learn to dread. Aside: Am I the only parent out there guilty of saying to her kids "Sorry the batteries must be dead," when I secretly removed them or replaced them with dead batteries just so I wouldn't have to hear that song/noise/voice ONE MORE TIME?

To add injury to insult, the song this little treasure plays is "Away in a Manger". Not my favorite Christmas Carol, which is a running joke between John and I. Its the simple line, "The little Lord Jesus, no crying he made". I mean, come on! I am TOTALLY on board with the fact that Jesus, God-man, was sinless. This is a foundational part of my theology and my theology is a foundational part of who I am and what I do. HOWEVER, crying--especially the way newborns do it--is a form of communication, not sin. Of course He cried when He was hungry or needed changed. And so, my dislike of the song. Unfortunately, my kids love it and when the girls start to sing it they catch my eye and say, "I know, I know, He really did cry. Mo---oom, its just a song." Obviously, I have not yet passed on the theology as a foundation for living stuff yet. New Years Resolution.

Anyway, back to the gift. This little nativity set has really grown on me over the years. Even as I hear its tinny version of Away in a Manger, a smile comes to my face. The memories of Christmas past flood back, Sophie's obsession with getting everybody in just the right place, Annie's obsession with Mary, and now Benjamin. At three, this is his first year to really begin to understand why we as a family celebrate and anticipate Christmas.
I must admit, when I gave it to him last week, I had high hopes that this would
be the beginning of a new understanding of Jesus for him. These hopes came
crashing down when he started calling the wisemen "ladies"--and afterall, they
do look pretty feminine with their long robes and glitzy crowns. He also began
adding his other Little People to the mix...Construction workers, Animals from
Noah's Ark, poodles, and even a beanie baby frog began joining the mix. My inner theologian began to cringe. Was this treating something sacred so lightly?

Then I began to look at it as children do, and my theology came back into sync.
Who better to worship at the feet of Jesus than construction workers and
poodles? Jesus didn't come just for those 2,000 years ago, nor did He come only
for those "wise" enough. He came for the every man, He came for Ben.

TIME TO HIT THE ICE...AS A PART OF SCHOOL?

2009-11-10T14:09:00.000-05:00

One of the many joys of Canadian life is that for a small fee, and the price of some skating gear, the lower grades of the school troop off to hit the ice once a week during November, December, and January. What fun! Its also great exercise as they walk to and from the rink (30 minutes each way) and skate in between.

Sophie started off with a little contraption to give her support, but quickly moved on to "solo" flights.

Annie showing off Benjamin to all her buddies.

John, his dad, and Benjamin came to give moral support. Grandpa Cook is seen here helping kids get their skates tied.

POTTY TRAINING IS HARD WORK

2009-11-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

TRICK OR TREAT TIME

2009-10-31T14:38:00.000-04:00

Nancy Drew

Bride

Fireman ("I realdy scary guy")

With pumpkin, Patrick.

WE LOVE AUTUMN!

2009-10-30T13:48:00.007-04:00

Fall has always been my favorite season, and I must admit I have missed getting to enjoy its North American flavor the past few years. Here are some of the memories we made this fall. Hope yours was as fun as ours!

Sophie enjoying the tons of leaves in our yard.

The girls had been looking forward to crunching through the leaves for ages. We are staying on a HUGE property. One of the perks of this place is that the lawn care is sourced out. This also meant that not a lot of leaves were being allowed to fall before they were mowed up! I took to raking the leaves to the base of a couple of trees and "saving" them up for the girls!

Well worth it!

Annie spent October searching for the most beautiful leaf.

Here, holding one of the main contenders.

Enjoying a provincial park on a Sunday afternoon.

(This is the caption you think this picture should have. For the real story behind this "best laid plans gone bad" afternoon, give me a call! Annie at least enjoyed it!)

One of many gorgeous sunsets over the pond in our yard.

A visit from my sister, Anne, and niece, Mary-Michal, was the perfect highlight of our fall!
(Hint, hint: Come again!)

Thanksgiving! We do it in October up here!

The family shot that only took 200+ attempts to get all five of us looking in the same general direction without pained looks on our faces! Thank goodness for digital!

We'll end up with a few of the unfortunate misshots:

This one is just wrong in a lot of ways...

Ben, contemplating a dive in the pond.

Yes, Benjamin is picking his nose. Classic.

BENJAMIN TURNS THREE

2009-10-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe our "last cradle", as they say in our home away from home, is turning three! What a treat to get to celebrate it here in Canada.

Benjamin's new favorite thing to say:

"Ithreeyearold"

It sounds like one word when he says it, but it means "I'm three years old".

Love him!

TIME TO DRESS UP!

2009-10-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

Why is dressing up so fun? Here our kids show how much fun it is.

Grandma and Grandpa Cook brought over lots of their costumes from their days in South America. Endless amount of fun dressing up as village girls, cowboys, bullfighters, and anything else the mind can imagine!

Benjamin wearing an old Halloween costume. We discovered that we didn't have many masculine costumes and Benjamin, not wanting to be left out, got into the act in quite a "pink" way (see below). Needless to say, a quick trip to the dollar store equipped us with a fireman's hat, a construction hat and other more gender specific items (not politically correct, but then, when am I?)

Ben getting in touch with his girly-side. He sure looks a lot like Sophie at this age!

All suited up for outdoor fun. How did I ever survive childhood without all this gear.

Surely its a miracle.

The thrift store has been a great place to find dress up stuff. Annie's main goal in life is to be a wife and a mom (and maybe a hairstylist) so this bride costume (circa 1988) was

right up her alley.

MILESTONES

2009-09-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

The girls first day of school was unique for us as a family and full of firsts:

Annie, who has never attended school before, would be skipping Kindergarten and going into Grade 1 (Canadian for "First Grade")....The joys of a December birthday in Canada.
Sophie and Annie would be attending a public school...
...a school where we didn't know their teachers...
...we didn't know their classmates...
...and we didn't know the other parents;
a school 5 times the size of the one they attend overseas.
They would be riding the school bus.

I must admit, as a mother, I was a bit petrified for them. I know you are thinking, "You take your kids to live in a 3rd world country most people can't pronounce, nestled in an area known to be a political tinderbox, and you can't send your kids to a small, suburban public school?" Exactly. Most of you reading this are MUCH braver than me!

I came to realize that this wasn't a question of whether the school was safe, the teachers, competent, or the other kids "nice". It was a question of whether or not I was trusting God with my kids. Could I let them go and trust Him to not only go with them but before them? It has become a lesson for us as a family to trust in the words from Deuteronomy 31:6&8:

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

What a great God we serve who not only goes with us, but he goes BEFORE us, preparing the way. You know what else? The girls haven't just survived; they are THRIVING. Yes, they are being stretched in new and challenging ways, and yes, the year has only begun. But the biggest lesson has been learned, and not just by the girls, but by their mom, too. God is enough.

A CANADIAN SUMMER

2009-08-31T15:37:00.000-04:00

Folks in Southern Ontario called this the Summer That Wasn't. But for us coming from summer
heat that usually stays in the 90's, we thoroughly enjoyed the mild summer temperatures. Having lived in an apartment in the downtown core of our city for the last five years, the girls found new wonders every day in the great outdoors. We are renting a home outside of town, settled on lots of land. The girls have discovered the freedom that most of us who grew up a generation ago in small towns take for granted. Benjamin, too, has adapted to his environment well. He had never walked barefoot in the grass, and wasn't sure of that situation. He quickly adapted, however, and came and announced to me one day, "Mommy, I love DIRT!"

Our summer was busy, full of things like visitors, daycamp, a trip to Alberta, a Cook Family reunion, and multiple trips to Wal-Mart...the girls have yet to figure out their parents' fascination with the latter...."There, AGAIN?!"

Sophie and Annie in their favorite climbing tree in our backyard.

A Familiar Face: Sophie's teacher from Caspian, Miss Courtney, came for a visit! Needless to say she was a popular guest!

Annie's new best friend,
one of our barn cats.

More Cousins! This time discovered at the Cook Family Reunion.

Our travels took us to Calgary, Alberta to go through re-entry seminars and other work related activities. The kids got their own re-entry camp and had a great time and made good friends with other TCKs.

Watching "channels" in Uncle Charlie's basement bathroom.

Annie, always model-pose ready!

Good times with the Tim Cooks (cousin Katy here with Sophie) in Edmonton.

The West Edmonton Mall, what an experience!

Back to Ontario

Sometimes "the Summer that wasn't" got a little chilly....yes, these are long-sleeves in August!

Tio Walter and BA are always a source of fun for the kids!

What would summer be like without a yard sale? We took the chance to get rid of stuff (long-overdue) and the kids sold lemonade...I should say, Annie sold lemonade. The other two had no patience for it!

Those of you reading this from our home away from home may wonder if Benjamin has finally gotten his hair cut! The ongoing battle between mother (pro-cut) and father (anti-cut) found a happy conclusion for all. Here is a happy customer.

NO TIME FOR JETLAG!

2009-07-08T15:12:00.000-04:00

We left for our year back in North America in June. We opted to land in Atlanta and get visit in with Beth's side of the family in Atlanta before transitioning north (via Beth's hometown, St. Albans, WV) to the Toronto, Ontario area.
Here are some memories of that time as we began to get accustomed to our new environment!

Here, Sophie grabs some shuteye with her new mask courtesy of Air France.

Benjamin and adjusting to cousins and pool (the cousin part was easier than the pool part).

Storytime with Uncle Chris...always fun!

Sometimes God gives us bonds so strong that it feels like we've never been apart...Sophie and Annie with Aunt Anne.

Outside St. Albans High School. The building may be new, but the smell is the same! The cousins, overcome with the emotion of those hallowed halls clung to Chris for support (actually this is some strange form of West Virginian greeting).

Whenever all the "Boggess" cousins are together we do this group picture, here on the gymnasium floor at SAHS....We were given a great tour of the new building even though it was the first week of July and school was long out of session!

Are you getting the idea that we took lots of cousin pictures?

Anne, Chris, and Beth outside their childhood home. The gracious owner of 2612 saw us moping about outside and took pity on us by giving us the grand tour.

Another cousins picture, but this time with second cousins. Our kids loved finding out about all the family they had!

Sometimes family is by blood and sometimes God gives it to you along the way. Pictured here are good friends of ours from our home away from home. They were home in Ohio for the birth of baby Ethan, and so Sophie & Abby, Annie & Sophie, and Benjamin & Lydia got a mini-reunion at a Bob Evans in Ohio.

Dear Patient Readers:

2009-01-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

You will hopefully notice the new format. I am intrepid to my own detriment at times when I enter into the techie world....and so all my fun little sidebars are lost forever. Maybe I'll get around to creating new ones, but in the meantime, dig back into the archives as I am finally getting caught up on all my back blogging. Its been a busy season for us, as no doubt it has been for you.

Three birthday parties for one girl...
A sick mom and a bad haircut...
School programs and lambies...
An extrordinary wedding...
...and lots of just everyday life with the Cooks.

Hopefully, January will give you time to sit back and relax. We would be honored if you spend a few of those precious minutes with us!

*cute picture of kids intended to pull at heartstrings*

Annie's 5th Birthday Party.

2009-01-05T11:35:00.000-05:00

It seems like Annie's been waiting her entire life to turn 5. Why five? Five marks the year when our kids get to start having friends over for a birthday party and Annie is our social butterfly...you put the pieces together!

With a birthday on December 28th, we decided it might be best to wait until January to have her actual party (next year we may wait until February! We were still post-holiday near comatose). Four great buddies showed up to help her celebrate. Since she is the oldest of her little group of pals, this was a momentous occasion.

The theme was Princesses and Princes, which fits if you know Annie. She is of the opinion that tiaras should be everyday apparel.

Hope the pictures give you a slight idea of how much fun we had!

The Birthday princess and her cake (3rd cake for this month...long explanation)

Sweet friend, Annalise, patiently waiting for the cake.

I don't know who was more excited, Annie to receive the gifts or her friends to give them.

Annie and one of her "oldest" friends, Sophie. They've been friends for 4/5's of Annie's life : )

Isabel doing a "funky monkey dance". Hullabaloo, anyone?

Benjamin trying on some of Annie's newly received "bling"

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Annie's already planning her 6th birthday party. She was excited to think about spending it in North America with aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. However, ever socially minded, she tapped her chinned and queried, "Who will my friends be?"

A New Look For Benjamin (accidentally)

2008-12-29T12:05:00.000-05:00

Before we start, how 'bout I give you the moral of the story:

MORAL: Never, and I mean NEVER, put hair clippers in the hands of a physically sick and exhausted mother. Results could be detrimental to child's welfare or at very least, appearance.

Thankfully, our story has a relatively happy ending. But Benjamin won't be going out without a snug hat on for a while.

OK, so I have cut Ben's hair with clippers before. I had a quick tutoring session with my friend (Holly, my own poor results are no reflection on your wonderful clipping skills) and had cut Ben's hair a couple of times on my own. The results were never satisfactory and me being the typical egotistical human being that I am, I blamed it on the clippers. See they were hand-me-downs and they came to me with only 2 of the original 8 settings. I figured the friend who gave them to me (Norah, this is no reflection on the value of your hand-me-downs, for which I daily am grateful!) only needed those two settings and got rid of the rest. But I'm getting bogged down in details. To the point, when I cut his hair before, I could never get it quite short enough. Blame put to clippers and moved on.

Then came the sleep-deprived, 8-days-into-a-bad-virus day. Why did I choose this day? I guess I felt like I needed some control over something in my world and I figured the length of Benjamin's hair was a good place to start. Bad idea.

So the good news of the story is that the clippers actually do cut short. REALLY short. The bad news is that I found this out by leaving a bald spot (off center, of course) on the back of Ben's head. Then what do I do? Try to fix it. Really bad idea.

In tears, (did I mention I was sleep-deprived?) I turn to my husband for help. He volunteers, quite cheerfully I might add, to take him to a barber and get the job finished up...tomorrow. To which I reply, I can't take him out tonight like this! *sniff, sniff*. After nine years of marriage, no one can say he doesn't know how to react to my tears: Him, Did I say tomorrow? I'll do it today.

He ends up taking him to his own barber, who asks "Who in the world did this?!" *shame*

He fits in quite well here, where ultra short hair is the preference. So all's well that ends well.

BEFORE

AFTER

Our little "Mini-Marine"

Happy Birthday, Annie! Five Random Things To Know About Our Five-Year-Old.

2008-12-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

1. Annie is not a morning person.

She really did want to be excited, as it was her birthday. But it took a while...

2. Annie is a girly-girl

Aunt Anne filled a purse with all kinds of goodies---grown-up sunglasses, a wallet, notepad, lip gloss, etc.--and sent it to Annie. They have more in common than a name. Anne couldn't have picked out better if she actually lived inside Annie's brain. Scary thought!

3. Annie Collects "Treasures"

Annie is all about a treasure. That's a nice way of saying she's a pack rat. A shiny bit of gum wrapper, a pretty tag cut off an item of clothing are precious to her. I asked her what her favorite birthday gift was and she immediately began rummaging through her new purse. I was sure it was the mini-Samantha doll we'd given her. No way! It was a little tag that came off her "High School Musical" bracelets that had a minuscule picture of the cast of the movie on it! I showed her how to insert it in the ID slot in her new wallet so her treasure will be preserved forever.

4. It's all about the outfit.

It would be unfair to say that she gets this from her Aunt Anne, too, because it would make Anne look shallow and Anne is anything but shallow. Again, entire outfit picked out by her aunt and the glee on Annie's face should show her approval. Its a shame it didn't last...(see #5)

5. Lack of Sleep and too much icing-licking are dangerous chemistry in the back of a vehicle.

The picture may not seem to match up to the title, but I didn't really take the time to take a picture of Annie vomiting into my hands in the very back seat of our SUV on the way to home group that night. Out late at a wedding the night before and then licking the leftover icing added up to trouble on the side of the road on our way to friends' house. Did I mention we had four other people BESIDES our family in the car? Nice for them, huh? The subtle clue in the picture is that Annie had to borrow a shirt when we got to the Newhofs' house...Thankfully, it matched her skirt and tiara. It's all about the outfit.

A Wedding

2008-12-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure a cultural anthropologist would say that the only way to get to know a culture is by living like the people on a daily basis.

I agree *collective sigh of relief*. I would also add (from my quite limited experience) that you get a glimpse of the best of a culture in how it celebrates a wedding.

Here is a glimpse into a wedding to which we were privileged to be invited. Not our first wedding here, but our first with our girls (which turned out to be a treat). We also had recently landed guests from Canada with us (the hospitality here knows no limits) and it was amazing to try to look at all of this through their fresh eyes.

Musicians to the Bride's house.

The groom and his family actually go to the bride's home to collect her and take her to the wedding palace. While at her home there is dancing, blessing, and the ubiquitous tea.

Ceremony and Reception are combined at a place called a Wedding Palace.

Ring-bearers and Flower girls are non-existent here. However, the bride and groom said they wanted a Western flavor to their wedding and asked about our traditions. They ended up asking our girls to carry the rings down the aisle. They gave us the rings attached to the pillow about an hour before the time came to walk down the aisle. Needless to say, I was a little bit nervous with the responsibility! However, all came out beautifully and the girls were amazing!

Everybody troops up to the stage and gets their pictures taken with the Happy Couple.

Most brides here don't smile because they aren't supposed to be happy to leave their own families. Thankfully, this bride appeared really joyful...good for her! Random point: Annie, Sophie and I all had to borrow clothes to wear for this event and I didn't wear my glasses all night. Our appearances reflected on our respect and joy. Interesting?

An insane amount of food.

The food was waiting for us when we arrived and continued pouring out all evening long.

An insane amount of noise.

This was pretty hard for the girls to get used to. At one point Sophie asked for a pen and began journalling on a napkin (see below) about the noise level. I guess it was unforgettable. They soon got used to it...scary thought. Someone said to me that they think that most people have hearing loss here because of all the weddings they attend and the noise level...and I thought the people yelling at each other out my window were angry. Maybe they just needed hearing aides.

Dancing Queen.

The bride really was quite regal appearing, from her dress to her expression to the grace with which she moved. Annie and Sophie danced away the evening with little inhibition, which was enjoyed by all. Above, Annie joins a group of women in dancing circles around the bride. Annie's new dream? To be a bride, of course!

A Flaming Cake, Of Course!

I don't really have any explanation for this, but it was timed impeccably. We were just starting to get dozy from all the food consumption when the lights dimmed and out came a beautifully clad young woman bearing, of all things, a flaming cake. There was also a male dancer with her and together they danced and held this flaming object...and we lived to tell the tale. After that, we had little difficulty staying awake!

Well documented.

OK, one camera man would be normal. Three? Unbelievable. They roamed the room capturing every moment of the wedding (they even ride to the wedding in front of the car carrying the bride and groom...they are often in station wagons with the backs flipped up so they can get an unobstructed view of the wedding journey). I liked they way this guy balanced the camera on his head for a better view. There were also about 5 large flat screen TVs mounted on the walls with live feed. We, as novelty foreigners, made the screen almost as much as the bride and groom!

Indoor Fireworks?

I'm not sure about the safety of this, either. Regardless, it was pretty stunning!

An Unforgettable Evening.

I think this picture of Sophie is one of my favorites. Strange but true. Why? I guess because I had underestimated these girls of mine. I thought they would be a little fussy and grumpy and overly shy. They surprised me. They danced. They ate (OK, mostly bread, but that's typical!). They made friends and spoke to strangers. They were ALL THERE.

I blinked my eyes and they grew up on me.

Christmas

2008-12-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not looking for sympathy or anything. But I don't think I've ever been sick on Christmas before. Sick before Christmas. Don't-want-to-get-out-of-bed sick. So if these recollections seem a bit on the thin side or sketchy, you'll forgive me. If you want details, ask John!

Sophie still loves red. This year she requested a Bible cover, in her favorite color. How did I ever find gifts before Amazon.com?

Annie loves HSM. I thought this microphone and Gabriella doll would be perfect for her. It was a hit, however I didn't know it only sang ONE song. Over and over. I was dreaming the words, "I've gotta say whats on my mind....I've got to move on and be who I am..."

Sophie's imitation of a dinosaur while Benjamin tries to figure out what in the world she's doing.

Stuffing face with stocking stuffers. Ben doesn't get the concept of Pez yet. He just stuffed the whole pack in his mouth. Thanks Aunt Anne!

Why do little boys turn everything into guns? He never sees guns. We do not personally own a gun (toy or real, not even a water pistol). Yet he picks up the drill from his toy tool kit and begins shooting us....all the while wearing one of my Christmas gifts. When I tried to take it off him he firmly and belligerantly said. NO. MY THIS.

Group Fun Hit of the Day: The Boggess cousins sent some fun dinosaur threading things which all three kids must have spent at least an hour and a half solid playing with. Who knew?!

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus with friends on Christmas Night.

What Begins with "P"? Parachute, Preschool, & Party

2008-12-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Annie was born 10 days early? True. Her due date was January 7th. Quite a respectable birthdate, January 7th. Plenty far enough away from Christmas...in a month when little else is taking place. The planner in me thought I had a great month lined up to have a baby. Then God stepped in and gave her to me 10 days early (for which, at the time, I remember being REALLY grateful). Born on two cousins' birthdays (shout out to Jeremy and Elliot), no less. So I won't complain....but....

I think we parents of those born between December 21st and 31st tend to go a bit overboard on birthdays trying to make up for the fact that its so close to Christmas. Either that or it gets so consumed by the season that its lost altogether. I think next year we'll have a celebration in, say, February, and call it an "Annie's birthdate if Mommy had planned better" party. But then again, if I had "planned better", a different month would have meant a different girl and I am glad I planned so poorly!

All this is lead up to explain why there are so many pictures this month (and next) of Annie in front of cake. This was the first of several celebrations for Annie's birthday. It got way out of control. But somehow thats appropriate.

Parachute fun is a highlight at preschool. Annie and buddies under the 'chute. Remember the game (Highlawn friends? Where is Mrs. Davis, anyway?)... "anyone wearing red under the parachute!" Too much fun.

This was a new one. One thing I definitely remember about Highlawn's camo parachute is that under no circumstances was anyone allowed ON TOP of the parachute. However, this seems to be commonplace at here. Annie went in as a caterpillar and was released as a butterfly...loving every minute!

No explanation for this picture except that Annalise is too cute for words.

She blew out her candle so quick that this is all the shot I got!

Look at the glee on their faces. They are in awe. Annie's teachers got her a make-your-own-pen set. *ohhhhh* *ahhhhh* The envy of all her preschool friends; isn't that exactly the feeling we want to be breeding at a preschool named "Grace"?

Come On, Ring Those Bells!

2008-12-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. 3rd and 4th grade boys become wise men, dad's robe becomes a shepherd's garb, anything white qualifies as angel-wear, and kindergartners become a heart-breakingly sweet/distracted/waving/giggling menagerie of barn animals. Yes, its time for the school Christmas program.

This was so well done. School programs like this always make me glad I'm not a teacher! They are a lot of work!

Sophie's roll this year was unique. She was selected as one of the slumber party bunch. These girls from all over the world (Finland, Norway, India, Malaysia, Brazil, Korea, Canada, and the U.S.) sat down on stage and talked about unique traditions in their country that take place this time of year....Sophie got quite a giggle when she mentioned that Boxing Day we go shopping (I don't think I've ever shopped on Boxing Day in my life...since I've spent all of about 3 Boxing Days in Canada, anyway!). She's definitely got her dad's stage presence *read: bordering on ham*

Here is Sophie sporting her new haircut and new glasses.

The under 5 gang got into the action by dancing to Joy to the World. Very Joyful.

Ben trying to get Sophie's attention on stage. Where WERE his parents?!

No. Sophie doesn't take Lambie with her everywhere like she used, too. Strictly a prop for the "sleepover". But sniffing its ribbon was totally unscripted. Old habits die hard.

Ben had the best time of all. We had to tear him away at the end of the evening. Not a pretty sight, as those of you who are parents of 2 year old boys know!

Random Moments of Everyday Life

2008-12-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

It seems like my children are growing before my eyes. Here are some moments that are slipping by...

Somehow this seems like such a big boy thing to do, laying on his stomach and watching TV. When did I get a big boy? Last time I checked, he was still a baby. No Fair.

Yes, she really is as sweet as she looks.

Sophie taking a bow.

Thankful Preschoolers

2008-11-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a brief glimpse into Annie's Thanksgiving Program at Grace Preschool:

Cheerful pilgrims. From all I've read about the pilgrims, not much to be cheerful about. But we'll forgive the interpretation.

Fainting-with-hunger pilgrims (still looking a little cheerful, though).

Native Americans to the rescue.

Waiting to say grace and a bit ticked off that no one else is! How's that for gratitude?! Sniffing a little legalism here.

Good Day, Great Friends

2008-11-27T15:37:00.001-05:00

Celebrating major holidays overseas can be challenging. For one thing life goes on around you as always. I'll never forget our first Christmas morning here, opening gifts and being startled by the sound of the garbage truck out our window! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It represents so many wonderful memories of family and childhood. This year was a special treat to get to spend it with some good friends who treasure the day as much as we do, and who went the extra mile to make it special for all of us!

The kids.

What are you all standing around for? Bring on the grub!

Not sure what this get up was about, but Sophie is always theatrical!

Toddler Logic: When you don't know what something is, put it in your mouth to find out.

Innocence

2008-10-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

Romans 16:19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

What is innocence and how do you explain it to a 7 year old?

Romans 16:19 is one of Sophie's memory verses this month and she was trying to understand this concept. Only an hour later the following conversation took place....

Sophie looks over at me and says, "Mom, I know the 'S' word, BUT I don't use it."

Me (flabbergasted), "Who told you about the 'S' word?!"

"Ellie, but she doesn't use it either."

"Sophie, I am so sad right now. Its like that little innocent part of you that didn't know that word is now gone because you know it. I wish I could protect you from all the bad words out there." Seriously, I am almost tearing up.

Then Annie pipes in, "I know the 'S' word, too."

Me (even more flabbergasted), "WHO told YOU?!"

(Of course and why didn't I see this coming?) "Sophie."

Eyes wide and staring at Sophie in disbelief, I say to Annie, "Come whisper it in my ear."

Sophie looks like she is laying on a bed of nails with increasingly heavy weights being placed on her chest as Annie makes her way across the room. She knows she's done more than lost a piece of her own innocence, she has now helped Annie lose a small piece of her own. She also knows this probably means more tangible trouble in her world.

Annie leans close, sweet 4 year-old smile on her face and whispers, "Stupid."

Me, incredulously, "Sophie, what is the word? .... Say it!"

Eyes full of fear, she says, "Stupid."

Internal sigh of relief, and then classic mom line, "Now just don't let me hear you say that to anyone else...especially Benjamin."

Small piece of innocence found, right where we left it. Thanks, Lord.

Happy Birthday, Ben!

2008-10-14T04:53:00.000-04:00

OK, This is a blog for those diehard Cook Family fans out there. Why? Well, I mean, how interesting is a two year old's birthday unless he is a two year old you love and adore? Here is Benjamin's big day. A moment of silence as I mourn the loss of his babyhood. One thing for sure, he's a baby no more!

Girls, its HIS birthday, thus HIS present!

My sister said I made a mistake buying Ben musical intruments for his birthday. The only mistake was letting Annie near the Triangle. Its hidden now. I'll have nightmares about it for weeks!

Ben is talking more and more. His favorite word of the week is car (see below):

Cah-argh! (think a pirate saying "argh!")....no you aren't mistaken; it is a helicopter

Cah-argh! ....train this time....

Cah-argh! ....and....train again.

Annie on the Tambourine...Triangle having been hidden.

Yes, blue is her color, even in icing!

Fire! New toy!

First born female sister taking over when baby brother can't figure out he's supposed to blow these things out.

I don't like this HAT!

I do it, BY-MY-SELF!

Maybe this end will work better....

I give up. I didn't really like it anyway!

Annie: Can I have his?

Still loves to clean up after himself. Ask me again in about 12 years!

Canadian Thanksgiving (Yeah, we DO have our own!)

2008-10-13T04:26:00.000-04:00

Our own traditional holidays take on a new meaning when we live in a different culture, and we tend to make the most of them. This, in combination with a bunch of new holidays from this culture, makes celebrations here a big deal!

You may remember last year some kind folks hosted a big Canadian Thanksgiving bash and over 50 people turned up. This year we can count at least 24 of those from last year who have left the country, so we weren't sure what the turn out would be.

The gathering: minus Beth (taking the picture) and a few late-comers

This year, though there were less of us, we had just as good a time as last year. We even took extra time to play games and get to know each other better. It also meant a lot to the girls, who are a little unsure about returning to Canada next year....yet another affirmation that Canadians are OK after all!

Sophie with "bear of a dog" Myrrh (like what the wisemen brought baby Jesus) who is as gentle as a lamb.

Ben LOVED Myrrh and followed him around all evening. Here they are, seeing eye-to-eye.

Almost Two, and Too Cute!

2008-10-13T02:43:00.000-04:00

Benjamin turns 2 tomorrow and it is hard to remember where the time has gone. So on this last day of his "babyhood", I thought I'd give us all a glimpse of those sweet early days and some more recent shots that look a lot more like "2" than "baby" : )

THEN

Less than 24 hours old and sharing a hospital bed with me at the time of this shot.

Is there such a thing as "too much love"?

Favorite place to be...in someone's arms!

NOW

Hanging out and watching Mary Tyler Moore.

Into stuff, as usual.

"Mom, will you please stop following me around with that camera? I'm BUSY!" One shoe off, one shoe on, my son (Benjamin) John. Note: the new backpack (Thanks Aunt Anne)...now we are hoping he'll quit carrying around the girls pink purses...probably not!

Coming Attractions...

2008-10-09T01:57:00.000-04:00

Coming Soon...

Updated picture and sidebar information on the Tremendous Threesome.

Subscribe now for the latest updates! Don't wait!

Why do I feel like I should be wearing a polyester suit and loud tie and telling you that if you subscribe now, I throw in an extra blog entry now at no additional cost?

(More manipulation...Crying babies always pull at the heartstrings....This one has nothing to do with this post)

I have just realized that I have one, sole subscriber to this blog. Thank you, Shauna! This is pretty sad, because although I am really grateful to Shauna for subscribing, I haven't even SEEN her since my days at Liberty (which we'll just say was a LONG time ago)! Where are the rest of you?! I mean, at least my parents and siblings would be subscribing, one thinks. Come guys. I need the moral boost right now...SUBSCRIBE (transitioning back into polyester suit guy)...

...Its really easy and I've even added a link in the sidebar for you to facilitate your subscribing.

That's me, helpful polyester suit guy.

Eating Bananas in the Window at 5 AM and other random Benjamin Moments

2008-09-22T01:10:00.000-04:00

Life with our almost 2 year old and only boy is never boring and is speeding by way too quickly. Here is the latest photo updates on Benjamin.

Benjamin in Prayer. Quite pleased last week when Benjamin woke from his nap and began to eat lunch that HE reminded ME to pray before he ate!

The infamous "Eating Bananas in the Window at 5 AM" photo. This happens on a regular basis. If it weren't so cute it would make his sleep deprived parents weep. At least he sleeps through the night, right?

Getting no-nos and Getting the arm caught, literally, in the cookie jar! (All the more irrate because mom is taking a picture instead of helping him get his arm out.)

Benjamin with buddy Elijah. We've waited for a year and a half for these two to become buddies and now that they are really clicking, Elijah is moving away! The life of a third-culture kid.

A familiar face. For those of you who've followed our time here, you may remember seeing a picture or two of this young lady. She is Gunay, our kids surrogate single aunt (for those of you who have ever been "the single aunt" or had your kids spoiled by an unmarried aunt, you know what this means) and the kids adore her. She came in the door not long ago and Benjamin ran to the bathroom and got the plastic stool almost as tall as himself and carried it in front of her. He then proceded to climb the stool so he could give her a hug and a kiss. A little Romeo already.

He does a great job of looking sweet and innocent all the while plotting his next move. We love him!

Back to School Days

2008-09-14T03:33:00.000-04:00

Back to school time world wide.

Here are some pictures of the girls' first days of school. Sophie started at the end of August and Annie's preschool began about two weeks later. Needless to say, Benjamin says, "Shoes, On, Bye-Bye" the whole time they are gone!

Annie escorting Sophie up the hill to her school, thus beginning the first day of Second Grade (or Grade Two, for you Canadians).

Happy Days Are Here Again. Sophie is still at that wonderful age when the beginning of a new school year is a highly anticipated event.

Annie and Benjamin with a friend, hanging out in the school yard while the moms and dads pray inside to dedicate the new school year.

Sophie wearing some new duds...a dress is a rare sight for this tomboy!

Annie, waiting for her school to start, practices writing her name "without Sophie's help"

Sophie is awarded with a Student of the Week award in recognition of her Summer Reading Challenge efforts (87 books, and over 1000 pages) and her helpfulness in the classroom.

Sophie and schoolmates singing during weekly Assembly.

Annie disembarking for her first day of school.

Annie with her beloved teacher, Miss Kamala.

Potato-head Fashion Diva

2008-09-12T01:23:00.000-04:00

Annie's only aspiration in life is to be a mom (I LOVE that!) and to her, being a mom means wearing lip gloss and earrings. Below her interpretation of "mom-ness".

...did you catch the fact that the earrings are from Mr. Potato Head? My sister-in-law, Heather, caught it right away. Add that to the tally of things that add up to being a mom --- recognizing random toy pieces separated from their counterparts. It should be game show. I would so totally win...maybe if Heather were my partner!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-09-08T00:53:00.000-04:00

Happy 4 year anniversary to us! Its hard to believe we've been here four years. When we left Canada four years ago to come here, we thought we would be back in Canada this fall. All the more reason why we decided to really celebrate this anniversary in style.

For the parents' celebration enjoyment we all went out to eat to the first restaurant we found here with American cuisine. French Fries, hamburgers, and Chicken tenders were on the menu and we had a great time. Funny to think the first time we ate there (when we visited here 5 1/2 years ago) we only had Sophie, then the next time we ate there we only had the two girls, and now celebrating we got to include Benjamin....It may not seem like a big deal to you guys, but for people who, in a sense, live as nomads, this kind of constancy is pretty great!

So going out to eat isn't the kids idea of celebrating (they'd rather have store-bought frozen chicken nuggets!), we took them to a play park known as "Koala Park" and no, we haven't moved to Australia. They had a super time and hopefully will remember this anniversary for a while to come!

The tremendous threesome enjoying some outside time (without the threat of being rundown by crazy drivers!)

Speaking of crazy drivers...Benjamin behind the wheel, watch out world!

Peek-a-boo, Annie! Perfect example of Annie's personality--live life with abandon and to the utmost!

Hug a tree? No, hug a Koala! Sophie is a real animal lover and couldn't resist giving this Koala statue a big hug.

Thanks for celebrating this anniversary with us! We couldn't thrive here without you!

Camping...sort of

2008-08-11T06:55:00.001-04:00

Finally the day arrived (after weeks of asking, how long?) for us to leave for a short break. We were longing to get out of the hot, dusty city and find some cool greenness. A five and half hour trip north (usually 2 1/2 hours, but they are redoing the roads...the WHOLE way) took us to the perfect spot. We aren't really campers, so these rustic cabins were probably as close as we'll ever get to the tent thing.

Close friends joined us and the kids and adults alike had a blast. Here's a peek into our time away:

The car is packed, everything is finally ready and ... delay. We can't find Spangle, the bear in Sophie's arms. After an intensive 10 minute search Spangle was found and off we went! Hooray!

I am not kidding. Family pictures are a sort of strange torture for us. Benjamin is our current problem child...he has decided he hates cameras.

Sophie in the river bed (like the one we had to cross to get to the campground)...notice the herd of cattle in the background?

Building a rock bridge in the river (one of many started and never finished)

See-sawing with Daddy

Roasting marshmellows (thanks to a package from Georgia that arrived just in time!)

Partners in Crime. The girls faithfully carried their walking sticks everywhere they went. It was the cutest thing!

John wrote the girls names (yes, there were two Sophies) on their sticks so they could keep track of them. We were sad to say good bye to these inanimate objects.

End of vacation and we still love each other (smile)

I won't tell you all the trouble this little dynamo got himself into during the time in the woods, but needless to say, he fell asleep about five minutes into our trip home.

Dear Patient Readers (and not-so-patient readers)

2008-08-11T01:04:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are still alive and well.

No, we haven't fallen into some deep dark hole, nor is our adopted country in a state of war and all communications lines have been cut for three plus months (although never say never in this part of the world).

No explanations or excuses, but if you want to catch up on our last three months, I'll back date some entries to bring you up to speed...all 5 of you who actually read this!

Coming soon...our pseudo-camping experience. This might be delayed because it is Olympics time, afterall, and we might have trouble tearing ourselves away from the Judo, which is the only thing we seem to find coverage of in our little corner of the world.

So What's The Big Deal About McDonalds?

2008-08-02T02:47:00.000-04:00

I certainly don't want to put McDonald's down in any way, but if we were living in the States or Canada it would definitely not be our first choice in fast food. I, personally, am a Chic-Fil-A / Wendy's kind of girl, while Sophie and John are really into Swiss Chalet (which sort of qualifies as Fast Food). Annie is pretty much into French Fries, so she hardly qualifies as a connoisseur, and sweet little Benjamin has no basis for comparison, coming here at all of three months of age.

Yes, this is all leading somewhere. Here, in the land of our adoption, which (again) I wouldn't want to dis in any way (see, here is me, avoiding all lawsuits), there is ONLY McDonalds. Yes, sad, but true. No Pizza Hut or KFC (I thought they were EVERYWHERE?!). No Burger King or Arbys. Most definitely no Chic-Fil-A or Zaxby's (those beloved Southern chains don't even make it north of the Mason Dixon very often).

So McDonalds has become the icon of North America in our midst. Nationals use it as the local hang out of choice, nursing a cup of tea or small french fries for hours so they can see and be seen. Ex-pats (ex-patriots, aka people not from here) go there for a taste of home and modern play ground equipment. There are four McDonalds in our city, but only one with superior playground equipment. We go there maybe 10 time a year, but the scads of other times we drive by the kids say, in unision, in their most apallingly annoying whiny voices (you know the voices), "Why can't we stop and play?" Already, by the very way in which they pose the question, they know the answer will be "NO"; and yet, they cannot help but ask, its an intrinsic reaction. Pavlov's dog has nothing on the Cook kids.

So when John's class wanted to have an end of class get-together and invite our kids, there really was only one logical choice...McDonalds by the soccer stadium. What unfolded provides some typical examples of life and interactions in this place we call home.

It all started out fine. Kids playing. Kids snacking on Muffins. Adults interacting in English. Really a classic example of what we do here and how we build relationships.

Next comes the gift giving and receiving thereof. This also (without fail) happens everytime we invite nationals to do something with us...they bring stuff for our kids. This is a lovely gesture, but it has taken some training on our part to get our kids to not be rude. Sophie, the blunt one, when we first came would say things like "I don't like that", "I already have one", or "I don't eat chocolate". She has since learned to accept things with a smile, a thank-you, and one would hope, a grateful heart. Annie is a bit easier. Usually the gifts for the girls are very frilly, flashy hair adornments. Nothing could suit her better. Thus she finds herself the official gift-receiving-Ambassador of the Cook Family. Her winning smile and intentionally coy ways always win them over.

Then comes the sad conclusion to our story. It really was a perfect storm. Class meets in the morning, so that is when this little shindig is to meet. Unfortunately that is Benjamin's routine naptime. You know during the old TV show Mission Impossible when after they had listened to their tape and received their instructions the voice would say, "This tape will self-destruct in 10 seconds", well Benjamin should have come with a similar recording saying "If this child doesn't nap at the appropriate time, he will cry, he will be inconsolable, and most likely, you (his parents) will be embarrassed." Witness above, a sweet student of John's (all she wants is a picture, for goodness sake) wrestling with our little cuddly boy.

All said the outing was a success. Benjamin later napped. Life returned to normal. And now we should be able to, in good conscience, ignore the apallingly annoying whiny voices (you know the voices), saying "Why can't we stop and play?" for at least another six weeks.

We Are Fam-i-ly...I've got all my brothers and sisters and me...

2008-07-26T01:43:00.000-04:00

OK, so those of you who know me at all, know how tight I am with my brother and sister. I have the coolest siblings ever, and much of who I am today has been the balanced influence of the both of them (they are pretty night and day, black and white different except in the things they value). I feel amazingly blessed to have gotten to be the baby in the Boggess family. (Can you tell I'm REALLY missing them?)

Those of you who know the Cook clan know they, too, are a pretty tight bunch (what other family do you know that rented a gym on Christmas day and had sports marathons, I ask you?!).

All this is to background to the fact that we really want to foster closeness among our kids. I am always pounding it into Sophie's head (when she is so frustrated with Annie that she'd like to kick her into the middle of next week), "There will always be new friends, but you only have ONE sister."

So here are some of our sweet sibling moments from this summer.

Tee-ball buddies (in their PJs?)

Matching gauchos

Ben, not to be left out...

Balcony PlayDough (am I the only mother who really loathes PlayDough? I make my kids play with it outside--which they love anyway--so the mess is easier to clean up!)

Annie, poor middle child that she is, complains "the brown-eyeds (aka Sophie and Ben) won't let me play with them" or "the brown-eyeds are having fun without me". Above a picture of Annie and Ben without the biggest brown-eyed. Its funny to me that Annie wishes she had brown eyes, when I love the fact that God gave me a blue-eyed child. We always want what we don't have : ).

Top Bunk bonding.

The 4th

2008-07-05T02:15:00.000-04:00

Last year we had a great time celebrating July 1st with a big crew of Canadians...all of whom have now left the country (!) permanently or temporarily as the case may be. So, this year, we were delighted be invited to celebrate July 4th with good friends.

Benjamin getting down to Lydia's level.

Four girls on the Fourth.

The Many Faces of Benjamin Cook

2008-06-30T02:42:00.000-04:00

Ok, So raising boys is definitely different, but we are enjoying it. To recount all of Benjamin's mischief these last months would take a book, not a simple blog entry. So we've made this slide show to capture it for you. Enjoy (especially you grandparents who figure we're only getting what we deserve!)

Fun with Food

2008-06-21T02:02:00.000-04:00

Benjamin, now a fledgling Toddler, is all about doing things himself. Witness the joy and mess of an independent eater (Cheered on by big sisters out of camera view).

Last Month of School

2008-06-12T01:09:00.000-04:00

The last month of school for the girls was a crazy one. For Sophie, the school actually packed up and moved the first week or two in May. The new building is much roomier and will enable our fledgling school to grow and welcome more students. The effort was pretty massive to get everything packed and moved while still holding classes, but all the parents pitched in and got the job done. The new building is wonderful. I, Beth, am especially fond of the library, as that is where I put in my required volunteer (isn't that a bit of an oxymoron?) time as a parent. For those of you who know me and my reading habits, I am sure this isn't a stretch to imagine how much I love the job!

Annie's school is moving, too. We just don't have a building. So this last week of school we packed up all the preschool things and stored them at Sophie's school. So lots of boxes in our lives this month and lots of transitions. The biggest of these transitions is the loss of lots of special families who have been a part of our lives since moving here and who are now moving on...back to the States, or to somewhere new. We have said good-bye to about seven families this Spring alone and we are feeling the loss of them already. It has been a challenge to explain it all to our kids when we are quite sure how to deal with it ourselves!

To cap off the end of the year in a fun way, most of the student body and their families loaded up and went to a local water park (about an hour away) and spent the day together. The girls had a wonderful time, see below:

The next day we got to enjoy the End-of-the-Year assembly for Sophie and her schoolmates. I can close my eyes and remember the excitement of the last day of school, the giddiness and freedom all wrapped up in those few short hours. Sophie's face captures it all:

At the end of the school year each child receives a "Character Award". This award can be for an area in which they show natural gifting, or an in area that they have shown great improvement. Sophie (receiving her certificate above with teacher, Miss Barbara, and fellow students) received the award for DILIGENCE.

Summer break is fun and hard at the same time. Above, Sophie is getting one last hug from a good buddy.

Tee Ball

2008-04-28T03:50:00.000-04:00

I must admit, I was a little skeptical when my husband scoured the stores (in December) before we left the last time, trying to find a tee for tee ball, bats and balls. I mean, we live in the center of a big city (read: no yard), the parks are meant to be works of art (read: don't walk in the grass, don't run, and certainly don't look like you are having too much fun), and houses with yards are typically out of our price range. But where there is a will there's a way, and my husband has the Cook gene that programs them to look at sports like most people look at, say, breathing. I mean, this is the family that for years rented out a gym on Christmas day and invited all their buddies for post-present, post-feast athletics...the time that in my family was usually reserved for, say, NAPS!

Below you will find some pictures of our beginning stages of Tee ball (Boggess/Linch relatives clapping because of the baseball theme, Cook relatives clapping for the connection to any athletic activity). Benjamin stole the ball off the tee too many times to count, Annie found posing for pictures and exploring the yard more interesting, but Sophie took to it like a duck to water.

The empty lot across from our apartment building (background) usually full of cars and boys.

Sophie the athlete...definitely from the Cook side....or possibly my side, if it is a recessive gene that skipped over me! Come to think of it, my brother and sister are much more athletic than me. Maybe I'm athletically challenged?

Reminds me of outdoor P.E. at Highlawn Elementary when I'd been picked off first during dodgeball. There are some of my genes coming through...

Sophie instructing the neighborhood boys on the finer points of Tee Ball. Pretty self-explanatory, to be sure, but keep in mind that this is the land of soccer and most of these boys have never held a bat before!

Peek-a-boo, Sophie!

"Do you like this piece of trash I found on the ground?" Or in Benjamin language, "Guck?"

Time out for Pout.

Definitely into the spectating side of things. (A kindred spirit, MM?)

Laundry line pose.

Action shot.

Into Everything

2008-04-26T03:35:00.000-04:00

OK, we all love him, but he sure is a rascal. Here is a bit of what he is getting into...

There is a reason we moved this dollhouse to a higher position....Note the balancing on one foot...

Books, books, and more books.

If you could smell his breath, you'd get a whiff of laundry detergent, and yet he refuses to eat mashed potatoes. Strange boy.

Again with the floral scents, this time deodorant.

Mom's curlers.

At 18 months he shows an amazing ability to get into anything and EVERYTHING. But he has an even better ability at worming his way into our hearts with his abundant hugs, and frequent smiles.

A momma's boy...

and Dad's little buddy...

Prehistoric Rock Drawings...an afternoon excursion

2008-04-19T12:02:00.000-04:00

Today John and I, along with some friends, spent a kid-free afternoon visiting a local sight of interest viewing ancient rock carvings. It was a fun afternoon of being out of the city and seeing some unique sights. I was more taken with the uncarved rock formations rather than the prime attraction of prehistoric carvings.

...where the deer and the antelope play

Warning: No feet allowed, but snakes welcome.

A Honey-comb rock.

A friendly shepherd along the way.

The "Wish Stone", young unmarried women are encouraged to climb through this hole to ensure that they will, in fact, one day marry. Any takers?

Raising A Reader

2008-04-10T08:21:00.000-04:00

For those of you poor souls who can claim me as a former roommate (Desha, Mindy, Josette, Crystal...to name a few), you know how much I love a rainy day, a cozy bed, and a great read.

Someone told us when Sophie was just a baby that the best way to raise a reader is to model reading...to actually read, not just to them, but as a model. Always one to "sacrifice" for a good cause, I willingly took this oh-so burdensome task on....

Poor Benjamin has no choice, if modelling is any determiner. Not only mom and dad love reading, but Sophie (pictured below) shows signs of putting her mom to shame in the reading category, and Annie, though not yet literate, is constantly "reading" aloud to her 'tend frens (pretend friends).

Ben has started scoping out the joint to find whoever is presently reading and sidling up beside them with his own collection of books (often perused upside down!). He reveals that while he does love a good book, he is also all boy and not opposed to some clowning around, too.

Connect Four, Anyone?

2008-03-28T08:15:00.000-04:00

A windy, rainy day made for some sister bonding in front of the fire.

Three Little Monkeys

2008-03-27T08:19:00.000-04:00

March Madness: its not all about basketball

2008-03-24T05:51:00.000-04:00

March 22nd. For most of you just another day on the calendar, but for those of you connected to the Boggess clan, you know it as Ronnie, Beth, Mary-Michal, and Sophie's birthdays....Crazy but true. This year Sophie and I's birthday found itself squeezed into a unique place on the calendar. I'm told that this won't happen again until somewhere around 2160 a.d., when I hope to no longer be celebrating birthdays, but this year March 22nd landed between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. As if this weren't enough, the major holiday in our part of the world, Novruz (a celebration of the new year as marked by the advent of Spring), lands on the 19th-21st.

In other words, holiday insanity.

We celebrated Novruz "officially" on the 20th with some great local friends. This consisted of stuffing ourselves beyond comfort, pressing on linguistically to communicate at a decent level, stuffing ourselves again beyond reason this time, and finally toddling home having been pressed by our hosts to just stay just a bit longer...our car couldn't have carried us home if we'd eaten one more piece of paxlava...but if we'd had one more cup of tea, perhaps we could have just floated home!

Good Friday found us coloring eggs, working through the Resurrection Eggs and talking about all that this day means to us. This was Annie's first year to really begin to grasp some of what the holiday is about. It was beautiful to have the girls interact about the Resurrection Eggs and to see the click of understanding glimmer in their eyes as they began to get an idea of what was done for us on the cross.

The big day came. John and I awoke to the patter of little footsteps in the living room, accompanied by the rustle of papers. We emerged from our bedroom, crusty-eyed, wild-haired, and still a bit muddle-headed (it was 7AM after all) to find Sophie dressed and signs placed strategically through out the room...where to put the presents and where to put ourselves. She had it all worked out. I love 7.

Ben in his assigned seat, eating a banana.

The birthday girl with her presents sent from 'round the world. (Note: "Precents" sign...again, I love 7).

Annie not quite clear on the fact that this day isn't all about her. (OK, so I love 4, too)

Sophie with her beloved "Kit" doll. Thanks, Georgia! (One more reason to love 7, the skinned elbows)

Realizing that the box held doll clothes hand-me-downs from Allie (thanks, Al, for giving me a reason to love 13). Thrilled would be an understatement.

Since it was my birthday, too, and since I had already baked and decorated a cake the week previous, John and the girls agreed to decorate the cake, if I would bake it and make the icing. I think Annie got more icing in her mouth than on the cake, but this picture is worth it.

We saved our cake for Easter Sunday lunch, when we had guests in after church. Note the icing on the cake...I ended up doing it after all, when Sophie exploded over her own "imperfect" attempt. Was I ever as hard on myself? Certainly not until I hit adulthood!

Sophie cracking us up, as usual.

The Cook family minus a sleeping Ben.

Sure, we may get to sleep in more when she hits junior high, but for now we are treasuring 7, even at 7 AM!

Tea Party

2008-03-20T05:36:00.000-04:00

Our sweet Sophie turned seven this March and we celebrated by having a birthday tea party (March 15th, a week before her birthday)...with REAL tea, of course! The girls were asked to come dressed as their favorite character from a book. Sophie dressed as "Kit" and Annie "Samantha" from the American Girl books. We had a Maid Marion, Mulan, Two Mollys, and various other memorable impersonations. Here are some memories of the day...

Mmmm...sugar!

The birthday girl and her adoring sister.

The theory goes that with each birthday year, you invite the number of guests that corresponds with the number of years! Yeah, right. In our close-knit community, the theme is "the more, the merrier" and us moms just hang on for the ride! For Sophie's party, 10 girls came her age, and one of Annie's friends joined us, as well.

Sister Love. By personality, Sophie is our more cautious, logical, and determined child, while Annie is more of our free-spirit, emotional, live-life-to-the-fullest child. I think Annie anticipated the party even more than Sophie, and relished every moment. Sophie, after the last guest had left, could only dwell on the fact that it was over for another year (while her mom, secretly rejoiced over this same fact!).

Ah Spring, Its Beginning to Smell A Lot Like Bonfires...

2008-03-19T07:16:00.000-04:00

Fire is a pretty big deal around here. We actually live in the place where it is believed that fire worship began. So it should be no surprise that the biggest holiday of the year here, the coming of Spring, would have fire elements involved.

The big holiday, March 20th, is preceded by several Tuesday evenings of bonfires...each one seemingly bringing the fire a bit closer to our house!

Last night, the last Tuesday, bonfires were everywhere...prime bonfire real estate being the middle of city streets (see below).

It turns out to be quite the social event, with most of the neighborhood coming out to join in the fun and toss in some of their rubbish. I don't think anyone here has read or even heard of An Inconvenient Truth, at least by the looks of things thrown on the fire. Another blow to the ozone...somehow seems a bit incongruent seeing as its a celebration of spring and all.

Once the blaze dies down a bit (and my heartrate returns to normal since no more sparks are flying into the trees and onto our balcony), the "fun" begins. The idea is that if you jump over the fire, it will cleanse you from any "sins" or evil spirits...a fresh start for a fresh year and all that.

And so the fire jumping begins. Oddly enough, it is mostly done by children. I would think the adults would have much more to burn off than the kids, but hey, it isn't my custom.

Boys Will Be Boys

2008-03-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's me again, Benjamin.

My mom and dad thought they were pretty good at this parenting gig...until I came along. They were forewarned "boys are different" and now they are finding out!

At first, things seemed little different. If anything, my mom worried that I would be too influenced by my big sisters and turn out to be a girly boy...given the toybox contents of barbies, babies, and all in 15 different shades of pink, she had reason to be concerned.

She should have saved her worrying.

The first thing I did when I saw a babydoll was to body slam it and sit on it....Much to her dismay, I tend to try to do this to real babies as well (most of which among my aquaintance also happen to be girls...oops).

Another thing I have a real passion for that neither of my sisters did (I'm told) is climbing. I love to scale the mountains of my home. The problem is, I don't quite know how to de-scale them, so to speak. Below is a prime example....

Scaling Mount Barbie Dream House

OK, I'm here, now what?!

This happened the same night that I threw several of Sophie and Annie's American Girl books into the fireplace -- while the fire was blazing! See, all that worrying for nothing, Mom! After all, boys will be boys!

Turkey - Termessos & Antalya

2008-02-27T07:11:00.000-05:00

From Istanbul, we took a quick flight south to Antalya, where we spent the bulk of our time.

Annie came down with a stomach flu, and Ben never quite adjusted to his new surroundings, but Sophie and I managed to have a couple of mother-daughter memory-making outings...much thanks to John (who isn't terribly into Roman ruins or rock collecting anyway).

Termessos

Though we spent most of our time in the coastal town of Antalya, situated on the Mediterranean Sea, we were able take an afternoon and visit some ancient ruins located in the Taurus Mountains to the northwest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termessos

I won't go into the history of the ruined site of Termessos. For those of you into history and its details, click on the link above. Words cannot describe the feeling walking this ancient stones evoked, but watching one's six-year old climbing stones put in place by Romans centuries ago, or climbing a pass once challenged by Alexander the Great and his army is a bit perspective giving....

A much needed bench after a long climb...muscles unused for sometime gave me reminders of the trip for a few days after!

Sophie climbing previously mentioned ruins. Again, "what a lucky six-year old you are!"

Sophie surprised us all, but showing herself to be quite an agile climber. She was almost too fearless in places, much to her afraid-of-heights-mother's dismay!

Peek-a-boo among the ruins.

No ferry to take off without us this time (see last post).

Antalya and the shore are peaking out between the mountains in the background.

Antalya

Antalya is a popular seaside resort in our part of the world. The stretch of beach beyond our hotel has the unique scenic bonus of being surrounded by mountains (seen above). The temperature was in the mid-60s (upper teens Celsius), which seemed quite tropical after our windy winter.

Walks on the beach seemed almost too delightful for words...combine that with the good company of a certain six-year old, and well, it was pure bliss...Sunshine, Sand, and Sophie.

Sophie shares her mom's love of beautiful rocks.

Treasures in the Sand.

So where was Ben while all this was going on? For those of you familiar with the life of an eighteen-month old, you know routine is everything. Vacations aren't necessarily full of routine, and so it took almost the whole time we were away for Ben to adjust to life at a resort....Though he did like the fact that the buffet always had french fries in copious amounts.

Moral of this Vacation Story:

Vacations are best for newlyweds and retirees...but don't let that stop you. If you do, you will no doubt miss out on treasures meant especially for you.

Istanbul

2008-02-22T06:04:00.000-05:00

Istanbul was Constantinople

Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople

Been a long time gone, Constantinople

Why did Constantinople get the works?

That's nobody's business but the Turks
"Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"
They Might Be Giants

Little did I know that when my older brother, Chris, introduced me to this band, and this song, oh about 20 years ago, that I would one day be wandering through the streets of old Istanbul with the same tune bouncing around in my brain. Instead of randomly bursting out into song (and finding myself in a Turkish Insane Asylum), I smiled to myself and let the music play on subliminally.

The song, though fun and catchy, gives little insight to this beautiful city...aside from its Byzantinian roots. So instead, allow me the pleasure of giving you a few glimpses into the fabulous day we spent wandering around this lovely city.

Those of you with young kids know that kid-friendly vacations do not usually involve sight-seeing among ancient streets and old mosques...you also probably know that, with short attention spans, etc., the quicker you get to the main event of the day, usually the better.

We went against all practical wisdom and decided to do the city tour of Istanbul, kids and all (the other option being one of us adults would have missed it). Sophie is at a great age defined by the phrase "knowledge is power". I prepped her before we left telling her that:

a.) it would be a lot of walking,

b.) it would take a long time to get there (1 hour by bus, 20 minutes by ferry, another 5-10 walking, and 5 on a tram, just to GET to where we were touring), and

c.) once we were there, we would be looking at old buildings and stuff. I also added:

d.) that we were going to an old and beautiful part of the world that most people only get to see in pictures or on TV...the "what-a-lucky-six-year-old-you-are" speech (revisited later in the vacation, but read on).

Amazingly enough, she seemed to by into this. And thankfully, like the Senate majority leader, she has the ability to sway her underlings (i.e. Annie), who in turn also think this is a grand adventure.

Here are some bits and pieces of our day of touring...enjoy vicariously, or if you've been there, relive the experience!

The ferry ride across the Bosphorus was beautiful, and one of the highlights of the day for the girls. My ferry ride highlight? The fact that, after a weary day sight-seeing, shopping, and walking my legs off, I could order a nice cup of hot tea for about 30 cents, and enjoy the return trip!

Benjamin enjoyed his ferry ride (and most of his sight-seeing adventure) by napping in his favorite spot...John's arms. Needless to say, John's arms were about to fall off by the time Ben awoke!

"Can I have a do over?" Being the main photographer in our family, I (Beth) am not often in pictures with the kids. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to snap a picture of me and the girls...so after about three attempts to get all of us smiling at the same time, we attempted to disembark off the ferry...only to find that it had taken off again! We were expecting that we had enough time, as they usually take on new passengers, as well! Fully expecting to have to make another round trip (40 minutes) and probably miss our connection with one of our hosts in the city (we were cell-phoneless), we were at a loss as to what to do....

Ferry Hopping....Thanks to the kindness of strangers, we were let off further up the docking area, and had to hop across three docked ferries (pictured, side by side) to get ashore. It also meant longer walk (poor John's arms!) and a lot of questioning looks as we walked through the shipyard where tourists are rarely seen! I'll think twice next time I attempt to get my picture taken with the kids! But, after all, All's well that ends well!

Across the Golden Horn...

Girls with Aya Sofya in background.

Aya Sofya

Sightseeing without shopping? Impossible! The Grand Bazaar was full of eye candy...fabulous colors, textures, faces, and smells...and I only spent a small fraction of what I wanted to!

Just the experience was a gift. John and one of our hosts took the kids back to play at home (our host family has a playground at their apartment building...what are the wonders of Istanbul's famous Grand Bazar compared to swings, slides, and beautiful green grass?!)

Rest for the weary. Sophie (our touch-me-not) was so tired she didn't even notice Annie's (our Snuggler) encroachment into her personal space. Needless to say they slept great that night!

Just reliving the day, now two weeks past, I am exhausted.

I'll save Antalya and Termessos for another day...soon!

On with Tradition

2008-02-05T05:53:00.000-05:00

I can remember when Sophie was a baby and we were living in my sister's basement apartment....I'd hear a soft tap at the door separating their home from ours, and then a sweet little face would peek in and ask if she could come visit "Sophie Grayce". That sweet little face, then 5, now almost 11, belonged to my niece, Mary Michal. I can still remember her, perched on the edge of a seat way-to-big for her little frame, opening her mouth (as we all do when feeding babies, as if the act itself is contagious) and feeding Soph a mixture of rice, sweet potato and apple. I also remember the delight of Sophie to have someone new taking on this (to her) mundane task...she never enjoyed eating like her younger siblings. It gave me a glimpse of the joy it would be to have more than one child (to this day, Sophie call Mary Mike her big-sister-cousin...they share the same birth date, as well). Then came Sophie feeding Annie...different apartment, different continent, hey, different side of the world...but the familiarity of the scene was as heart-warming as ever. Now, the tradition continues as Annie, no longer receiver of messy spoonfuls, but giver, takes on the mantle of nurturing the next one in line. This time same apartment, same kitchen, same high chair...only the players have changed. Continuity...

Not so much of a baby anymore...

2008-02-02T08:31:00.000-05:00

I know you folks haven't heard from me (Benjamin) in awhile....its because I have been busy WALKING (see below). When I slow down enough, I write and fill you in on more details.

Benjamin's first steps...06 JAN 08

Snow Days

2008-01-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

Those of you from "up north" may think Annie's expression captures YOUR feelings about lots of snow....

For the latest on our Winter Wonderland, read on!

OK, for those of you who are sick of snow, please forgive our fascination with its novelty. Here is some background. We returned to Canada for Benjamin's birth in the summer of '06. The WHOLE summer Sophie and Annie talked about the snow they would see in the colder months to come. We waited, and waited, and got only a few short-lived flurries and LOTS of rain. Of course, when we travelled to the States for a month it snowed in Toronto, but all melted by the time we returned to prepare for our departure back overseas. Its OK, we thought, we usually get at least one good snow each year back in our adopted city...winter 05-06 was no different....It snowed the week BEFORE we returned and, YOU GUESSED IT, melted before we landed!

All this background to say that when the snow finally came earlier this month, we welcomed it. This snow was unusually deep, at least 12 inches, and lasted two weeks! This made for beautiful winter cityscapes out our windows, but also kept us virtually housebound as there is no public snow/ice removal for the city streets. WHO WANTS TO DRIVE ON A TWO INCH THICK SHEET OF ICE?

For those of you who are already sick of the snow you've got, please forgive us! For those of you who have yet to see a single flake, drag yourself in front of an open freezer or fridge and enjoy these pictures vicariously!

Some of you may remember "the mosque out our window"....at times we couldn't quite make it out the snow was falling so thickly.

Not having a backyard, these sisters were content to play on the balcony.

Sophie didn't need the message on her hat to remind her to "smile", the novelty of the snow was enough!

Snow-angelling...a new verb for Webster?

Tear your eyes away from Annie a second and check out the street below. Better for sledding than driving (especially with the incline...use your imagination). John eventually went out and shovelled the street in front of our building himself. He made some new friends and gained some respect...always good for neighborhood relations!

A familiar winter sight with a twist...this is his ROOF our neighbor is shovelling! The weight of the snow must have been too much for this flat tarred roof. The snow also took out the power of several city blocks (ours included) for several hours on different occasions...Thankful for gas heat in the freezing temperatures!

Happy Birthday, Annie McCallum Cook!

2008-01-03T06:26:00.000-05:00

Our Annie is certainly an interesting little individual. One part mule, one part kitten, and one part fox...most of the time the kitten in her wins out. On December 28th, we celebrated Annie's fourth birthday. Amazing to think how quickly those years have passed.

As I put the finishing touches on her birthday cake, the girls' giggles drifted into the kitchen from the living room and I said to myself, four years ago today God gave Sophie her best friend. How grateful we are, in the midst of so many major transitions, that God gave them to each other!

Annie, 3 days, being cradled by Sophie, who at that point wasn't so sure that the big sister gig was going to be all it was cracked up to be.

Annie, always a unique individual, here displays her price-tag princess look.

A very proud-to-be four!

Sophie and Annie were joined by friends for a play date to celebrate Annie's big day!

An Old Time Christmas...Family and Friends 'Round the Tree

2007-12-27T05:50:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas Day here was probably similar to many of yours. We spent the day with people we loved, missed those who were far away, got more excited about the gifts we gave than the ones we received, and took it all in by remembering the little baby who came to earth to live and die for us.

The differences? The garbage men still picked up the trash, life outside our four walls went on as usual, no Christmas carols on the radio, no special Christmas programs on the TV, and (thankfully) no post-traumatic stress disorder from mall shopping. The last part may sound like a dream-come-true, but the trade off is spontaneously bursting into torrents of tears everytime the iPod shuffles to "I'll Be Home for Christmas" or "Old Time Christmas" (this one, by Randy Travis, really gets me. OK,

Christmas is over and I'm still getting misty just thinking about it.)

A picture IS worth a thousand words...this one, in brief, is saying, "Please, please, please tell me you didn't gem me a back-up generator for Christmas (read the box)!" The box contained a lovely baby doll sent by her aunt!

Benjamin opening presents with help from doting sisters. In reality, they barely let him put a finger on his toys before they took over and "showed" him how to play with them.

Sophie's face aglow at the thought of her own alarm clock...was I this mature at six? Doubtful.

Sophie and Annie's surprise at their new dollhouse! Shock and Awe : )

We finished our day with a lovely dinner spent with great friends and birthday cupcakes to celebrate Jesus' birth.

'Tis the Season

2007-12-24T05:23:00.000-05:00

Strangely enough, Christmas season seems to be hectic, no matter what side of the globe you are on, here are a few pictures of our warm-up to the big day, and good reminders from our kids what it is really all about.

A patient big sister, Sophie teaching Benjamin to walk...

Those of you with more than one child knows the pain of trying to get a decent picture of all three of them at the same time...this attempt was obviously not successful...nor were the other 100 attempts NOT SHOWN.

Our "angel" Sophie, in her school's Christmas program. She shows signs of her father's flare for the limelight...watch out world!

Annie enjoying decorating cookies (I think more icing went in her mouth than on the cookies!)

With all the "busyness" about the house, Benjamin found sometime for some monkey "business" of his own...Some children play with blocks, our boy likes longlife milk. Future architect or demolition engineer?

Festivity Fatigue Sets In: Benjamin falls asleep waiting for dinner to hit the table.

This was Annie's first Christmas where she really got into the Christmas story. So my scarves became her Mary costume, and the huge spot light atop a buidling 5 km away became her "shining star". Admittedly, it did take some convincing to keep Sophie from disillusioning her by telling her this is NOT Bethlehem, the spotlight is there to help protect the building at night not to lead wisemen bearing gifts to our doorstep...., but in the end we have all been inspired to take another look at the Christmas story through an almost-four-year-old's eyes and embrace the WONDER.

Mountain Retreat

2007-12-03T05:17:00.000-05:00

For the first time in way too long we were able to get away for a kid-free weekend...thanks to the generous babysitting of some dear friends. We headed northwest about 5 hours (not including the times we were lost, which we choose to describe as "a lot of learning going on".

We spent the weekend in a mountain town known for its snow capped peaks, sweets, and humorous inhabitants. Here are some visuals that we hope will help you get a taste of what a lovely weekend we had...

Scenic shots from the road...

Mountain views...

Giant trees displayed on the backdrop of gorgeous mountains...

and fall foliage that was eye candy for us city dwellers!

Traffic Jams and other highway hazards...

Scenes from a mountain town...

Beautifully restored buildings...

and some wonderfully UNRESTORED alleyways...

An ancient king's palace...on the outside...

and inside...

some likewise ancient churches, one of which is believed to date back to the first century A.D. ...

and so many minarets we lost count...

Friends along the way...

Evidently the phrase, "Don't talk to strangers" transcends culture...these little ones fled from us as if we had suddenly sprouted horns!

These fellows were more than happy to talk to strangers, and insisted we take their picture.

These guys' friendly faces welcomed us when we strayed into a deserted courtyard.

Loaded Ladas and other oddities...

Let's play a guessing game...the one who guesses how many persimmons in this Lada gets to take the whole thing home!

Those dangerous "naked" lights!

Random Shots inspired by our "global nomad" friend (you know who you are and sorry there were no bugs!)...

In an ancient caravan saray...

rice warmers from the 14th century (Beth thought they were military helmets!)...

Samovars for our national drink, tea...

An intricate doorway into an ancient church...

Produce rather speaks for itself doesn't it?

Thanks for taking this little tour with us...come visit and we'll take you in person!

P.S. For those of you tenderhearts concerned about our dear kiddos, they didn't cry for us a bit, and were delighted we had returned. The best of both worlds!

A Preschool Thanksgiving Program

2007-11-28T05:16:00.000-05:00

No doubt you were beginning to think, as our Canadian relatives put it, we'd "fallen in". November was a really busy month...including a trip for John to Hungary for a conference, lots of holiday celebrations and preparations, and as any of you with young families know...a plethora of "stuff" that simply takes up masses of time, but in hindsight you can't recall where the time actually went...
we call this LIFE!

I was able to capture a few shots of Annie's Thanksgiving program at her preschool. A natural performer, and one who loves the spotlight, this was her time to shine and she had a real ball. We even let big sister Sophie skip school so she could check out Annie's school for the first time and get to see her do her stuff....

Boys...aren't they silly?

Sophie performs for the half time show.

Our little "Indian", bearing gifts for the "Pilgrims", also known as "the four-year olds"

Enjoying their own Thanksgiving feast...

For those of you out there who have expressed and interest in funny facial expressions, this one's for you!

Annie Reading "Purple Cat"

2007-11-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry, for those of you who are not Annie's grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other loving relative. But for those of you she counts among her biggest fans, here is a portion of her "reading" Brown Bear, Brown Bear. One of her oldest cousins (and you know who you are) read it in much the same way and so for those of you on the "Boggess" side, this may have special meaning. You may have to turn YOUR volume up, 'cause I couldn't get HERS any higher!

Birthday Boy...

2007-10-20T03:58:00.001-04:00

Hello folks, its me again, Benjamin. Notice anything different about me? You guessed it, I am a year older! If I had a dollar (Canadian or American at this point would do) for every time I hear, "Has it been a year already?" or "Where has the time gone?"...and that's just my mom saying it!...I could pay my way through university.

This being my first birthday and all, I didn't know quite what to expect. And, as things go, I probably will have no clue what to expect next year either...don't have an account at the long-term memory bank yet...at least not for birthdays. This one turned out to be pretty fun, but pretty low-key, which, I am learning, is how things go around here.

It began with the dynamic duo bursting into my room and greeting me only slightly more zealously than usual. If it is only up to them, I will probably turn out with a great sense of self-esteem. What can I say? They love me. Balance that out with all the Barbie doll, princess dress-up clothes exposure that I suffer at their hands, and I may just turn out fine after all.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, bursting in. So in they came all smiles and clapping and singing. Now there is one thing you need to know about me. Some people say that yawning is contagious. I don't find this true for me. Mom and Dad can be yawning away, at say 10 pm, and I don't feel the slightest need to yawn. However, I do find another action both spontaneous and contagious...clapping. What can I say, I can't pass up on an opportunity to clap. I've been this way for awhile. Most of those baby milestones I tend to be on the lower end of the curve. Mom says I'm laid back, others use the word "lazy". Neither is really true. I just know a good thing when I see it...and letting the dynamic duo do most of my work for me is a pretty good thing. However, when it came to clapping I started early and I haven't lost any of my enthusiasm for it. So in they come clapping, and I start clapping and it turned into a giant clap fast...great start to the day!

Dynamic Duo posing in front of their handiwork

After my standard breakfast of oatmeal and applesauce, it was time for the presents. Mom tried to fore go the usual first birthday ritual of the baby liking the wrapping paper more than the gifts by letting the dynamic duo decorate a big packing box (about 97.5% big one, and 2.5% little one in effort), so all I had to do was crawl in and collect my toys. It was good fun!

Dynamic Duo supervising my present opening. Note the green ball. I was completely freaked out by it, but now, a week later, am coming to terms with it. Another one of those scarred for life moments.

However, mom should have known that a baby's desire for tissue paper will not be ignored. While the dynamic duo were playing with my toys, I sneakily snuck into Mom and Dad's room and got in their trash can, where there just happened to be, you guessed it, tissue paper! It was all golden until Mom caught me. When will parents figure out the mixed signals they send when they say "No" and then run to get their cameras to capture ones misdeeds on film? The clincher is that they say "Smile" in the midst of all the evidence. Yeah, I'll never get tissue out of the trash can again. Sure.

The tissue paper trail.

The rest of the day was much like any other: eat, nap, play, repeat. That is until the evening. It turns out my birthday was on a Sunday. This is really super because Sunday nights are house church nights, and a bunch of fun people come to our house. This meant that they got to celebrate with us. We ate pizza (which I love) and cake (which I endured) and laughed a whole lot. It makes me wish I could turn one all over again. Oh yeah, since I have already forgotten this whole event, I will get to do it all over again...same song, second verse. Maybe mom will just reissue this blog this time next year. Lucky you.

Cake's not so bad, but I'll take lasagna over it any day of the week!

Haircuts, Harvest Party, and Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-10-08T04:48:00.000-04:00

For those of you Americans out there, we hope the title hasn't sent you rushing to the calendar wondering where you lost a month and a half of your life...this weekend we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Though being a bi-national family sometimes has its hassels, one of the perks is the extra holidays. This year we had the unique treat of gathering with about 50 others to give thanks, eat turkey, and "be" Canadian together. It was a treat, but I did miss the "good turnips" that are always apart of the Cook family Thanksgiving table...don't knock 'em until you've tried them!

But I'm getting ahead of myself, and out of sequence. Let me fill you in on the last few weeks. A recent lice outbreak at the school and preschool gave me the motivation I needed to get the girls' hair cut. Sophie got lucky, I at least took her to a beauty salon. It looked so easy (sorry, all of you trained, talented hair stylists out there) that I was sure I could do it myself...to Annie's hair. I started by hacking it off, and then proceded to become extremely sick to my stomach! What had I done? After a reassuring smile to Annie, I fled the bathroom to receive reality-check-advice from John ("It will grow. Its only hair.") and returned with re-enforcements in the person of a dear local friend who cleaned up my mess a bit and you can hardly tell the difference between the professional cut and the home-grown one...it doesn't hurt that Annie's curly hair covers some of the rough edges! You can see their new do's in the pictures below.

September 28th was Sophie's school's annual Harvest party. It was a gorgeous day (before it has always been in October, but this year the planners got smart and took advantage of the beautiful late September weather) full of games, costumes, treats, and a potluck meal of epic portions. Because of the diverse nationalities represented at our school, we got to part take of not only the standard North American fair associated with potlucks, but also dishes from Brazil, Korea, Norway, Ukraine, and India. What a treat! Because of the lice outbreak, we ended the night taking turns at bat against a giant egg-shaped pinata labelled "nit" (for those of you lucky enough to never have come in contact with a lice out break, "nits" are the eggs the lice stick to the hair shaft with their own personal brand of super glue). It was a fabulous night spent with wonderful friends, delicious food, and loads of fun.

Sophie and a buddy (dressed as a Hawaiian girl)...they decided Sophie could be her Hawaiian cat!

This dear friend gave Annie yet another reason to love Cinderella.

Naptime wasn't going to keep the rest of us from joining in the fun...we parked a sleeping Benjamin in a quiet corner.

For such a featherweight, Sophie proved quite adept at the crowd-favorite game, pillow-jousting.

An awake, but dazed Benjamin is questioning why this had to be the week he had to cut his one year molars!

A youngest-to-oldest policy meant that Annie got her swing in before the pinata broke....Should I say swings? It took awhile for her to actually make contact.

While Benjamin was busy cutting teeth, Sophie was wiggling away at her two top front teeth. Having already lost her bottom front teeth (and cut new ones) she is an old pro at this tooth-losing business.

Sophie displaying her lost tooth.

And now the Thanksgiving shots...

John and Annie, joined by our new friend, Esther, show off Annie's favorite Thanksgiving treat: Chocolate. OK, so its not as festive, but it is certainly TASTY!

Sophie and Annie, joined by a fellow Canadian and schoolmate. The look on Annie's face captures how she feels about being with the "big girls".

Ben's first Canadian Thanksgiving: he would have licked the plate clean if we'd have let him!

Thanks for taking the time to catch up on our news! Don't forget to drop us a line and let us know what is new in your world.

Coming soon: Benjamin turns ONE!

Benjamin: A baby's view of his summer and life in general

2007-09-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

OK, folks. It's my turn to share a bit about what its like to grow up overseas (not terribly traumatic) and be the baby brother to two older, high-powered sisters (terribly traumatic), here after referred to as the dynamic duo. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, the following may make my case a bit clearer...

Exhibit A: My mom outsources her work...

OK, I'll give you that they are cute. I'll also give you the fact that they are very crazy about me. But I ask you, can't a guy get a meal in without these two interfering! My mom, the picture taker, is always delighted when they offer for this duty. As I am quite the eater, I take what I can get, but under protest.

Exhibit B: I take matters into my own hands...

I suppose being last has its advantages. However, one of the definite downsides of being the littlest and not have any words other than Baaa (what am I, a sheep?) or Daaa (that'll get her...saying his name before hers!) is that it is sometimes difficult to make my needs known. I think my parents think it is character building to make me wait sometimes. But when a guy's hungry, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. On this day, I decided I could do as good a job as the dynamic duo and tried to feed myself. No one told me it might have been easier to start with cheerios rather than oatmeal.

Exhibit C: Character building

OK, I'll admit to being a bit on the lazy side. But tell me the truth, if you had two loving sisters and an abundance of other adults (even my parents, I might add) willing to lift you, sit you, pull you, and entertain you, you would be a bit lazy too. Our apartment rooms have this strange feature to them in that each one is on a slightly different level than the other...maybe varying a inch or two. For sometime this nasty little architectural element kept me adequately fenced in until one of the dynamic duo would come along and "rescue me". I admit to chanting in my brain, "please let it be the big one, please let it be the big one, please let it be the big one" ...Annie is certainly well-meaning, but has all the finesse and gentleness of a bulldozer. Anyway, eventually I conquered all of these doorways but one. This last frontier was a gold mine of baby thrills: computer consoles, clothespins, and, the mother lode: Sophie's leggos (more specifically her already-built leggo houses that my hands were just itching to, Godzilla-like, destroy.) As you will see pictured, I could get my legs swung up over the entry, but then I found myself stuck,...

ASIDE: I can't really crawl yet. At least not in a traditional sense. I am really more of a scooter. My mom calls me Apollo after Apollo Anton Ono...No I do not show promise as a future contestant on "Dancing with the Stars" (look at my gene pool...dancing isn't likely to be in my future with my rhythmically challenged parents), but my scooting style is reminiscent of the Olympian's speed skating style. I lean to the left and scoot, in a self-propelling, swinging motion not unlike a speed skater. In truth it could probably also be compared to the movement of the hunchback of Notre Dame. But Mom tends to look for the best in people. END OF ASIDE

...stuck with two capable adults and the dynamic duo staring right back at me. Did they move a muscle? Did they budge an inch (other than to grab the camera)? Then, the final blow, they all began to applaud and cheer, "you can do it!" What I think they don't quite get is I DON'T WANT TO DO IT! I WANT THEM TO DO IT! Sheesh. You would think that basic fact would be obvious. And so, broken by my limited communication abilities, I resorted to the "cry-your-guts-out-and-look-really-offended" ploy. As I recall it worked...The bigger half of the dynamic duo pulled me over the hump...but not before she put her lovely little red, blue, yellow, and green brick house up and out of reach. Foiled again. Those firstborns (see birth order book, mentioned below) are way too attentive to detail.

Exhibit D: Under the category of "Scarred for life".

Granted, in the picture I look happy enough At that point I don't think I was hungry, tired, or bored, so why wouldn't I be smiling? However, I know that these kinds of pictures are what every young man's nightmares are made of...being dressed up in girls' clothing. I mean, not just girls' clothing but PURPLE girls clothing strewn with horses and stars in a gown form...off the shoulder, at that. The shame of it. The blackmail potential of it. I'm sorry. I can't go on. You get the picture.

Exhibit E: Cave man

This happened when my mom and dad took a trip with our friends and I had to eat in places most people only dream (or have nightmares) about. In this particular picture, my stomach's demands were met in a roadside cave in the middle of nowhere. Did I eat it "all gone"? You betcha! All I can say about that trip is I am glad I am still in diapers...if this was the dining area, you don't want to even imagine, the, um, other...

Exhibit F: The myth about boys liking to get dirty

I'll admit to looking fairly happy in this picture. But let me give you a bit of context. I had been riding on hot dusty roads for about 4 hours, IN A CARSEAT (the injustice of it--I hadn't ridden in a car seat since I was like, 3 months old in Canada), without the dynamic duo (who were no doubt sitting comfortably somewhere in air conditioning, sipping apple juice, and watching MY Bob the Builder DVDs), and at this point I had just been freed from the above mentioned prison. Besides, (in spite of what the name "mud volcanoes" might make one think) this mud was cool. One point I would like to make, is that getting and being dirty really isn't that much fun when someone else (i.e. the adult in charge) encourages and even helps one at it. There is something untrustworthy about that. However, when one discovers a truly dirty, sticky mess of one's own (see Exhibit G), well, that is bliss.

Exhibit G: The human glue stick, also known as Benjamin's revenge

Now this picture may seem a bit of a mystery. And its purpose may seem a bit puzzling, where, after all is moi? This is part of the sweetness of revenge...Mom was so mad at this that she couldn't take a picture of me in the midst of it, somehow she thought that might only encourage me more! Instead she took a picture of my "tracks". Being the scooter (Apollo) that I am, and also being the door frame hurdler that I am (character building) I found some unattended (for all of about 10 seconds) glue that a handy man happened to leave unopened. In the time it could take you to say, "Elmer's Glue doesn't taste at all like my banana yogurt" I was in the room, had tipped the bottle over, proceeded to slather myself in it and then scooted my way along, in Apollo-the-Human-Glue-Stick fashion until being apprehended by three adults...2 minutes start to finish. Not bad for a scooter.

In Conclusion:

My mom has been reading this book on birth order ("The Birth Order Book: why you the way you are" clever title, huh?). Apparently us last-borns have this real need for either attention or revenge. From the above you can see, I am getting my share of both!

Unfortunately, she has also read in the above mentioned book that mothers tend to A.) spoil their only boys, and B.) over identify with their equal in birth order (Mom is the baby of her family, too) both of which can often result in spoiling. My mom being the equal opportunity parent that she is, I think I can see a change a-comin'...probably more character building!

Annie's turn: the journey to preschool

2007-09-08T00:34:00.000-04:00

Annie is now 3 1/2 and as we have previously described, our social butterfly. She has been begging to go to school with Sophie since Sophie began kindergarten last year. As a new preschool option became available here, we decided to send Annie 2 days a week, Wednesday and Friday. She was delighted and it seemed to her that the day would NEVER come when she, too, would get to venture out to school. She did have a couple of disillusionments when she found out A.) she wasn't going to school with Sophie and the other 6 year-olds (a.k.a. Annie's BEST friends...have we mentioned she thinks SHE is 6?) and B.) that Mommy and Ben weren't going with her either! She then informed me that she was going to be shy there. Due to a nasty GI bug she missed her first day (not the best way to start out the school year...infecting 20 other children and their families with a virus!)

...A funny aside for those who don't mind hearing about childhood illness...Annie is mid-hurl leaning over her bucket (time check: 3:30 AM) and Sophie is sitting beside her and says, "I feel so bad"...not "I feel so bad for you, Annie", not "I feel so bad (sick) myself", but simply, "I feel so bad for myself that Annie is sick." Ahhh, the egocentricity of a child...

OK, back to Annie and school. Below you will find some pictures that will help give you a glimpse of what is involved to simply get Annie to school in the mornings...and then you will see why we only do it two days a week!

Taxi Trip

8:00 - 8:30 AM

We are out the door by 8 AM to catch a ride with our regular taxi driver up the hill (about 7 minutes drive) to our friends' and teammates' apartment. When Sophie is going to school the other days of the week we leave her with the Douglas kids (Krystal & David) for the rest of the trip to school. We leave the Douglas place by 8:15 AM...The twist, this taxi, like about 99.5% of taxis here have no seat belts, let alone booster seats. Every trip to school (or anywhere) is a venture of faith!

8:30-8:50 AM

Once we arrive at the school , we get to fun of seeing Sophie off to her classroom. Annie gets to see all of her "best friends" and then we usually visit the kindergarten class, too. School hasn't started by this point and since it is such a small school (less than 60 students grades K-9) it has a real family atmosphere. Most of the kids and parents know Annie by name and greet her accordingly...unknowingly making her day.

8:50 - 9:00 AM

From here we await one of two different families depending on the day. These two gracious families, with vehicles of their own, have agreed to shuttle us on to the preschool along with their own second-born girls (the older two being students with Sophie), pictured below.

Out of the van and ready to go! (note Annie's choice of clothing: her "princess" dress...on her way to the ball, no doubt!)

9:00 - 9:10 AM

Once we arrive near enough to the preschool, we park and walk the last block or so to the school. As you will see below, the last stretch of the road is a bit hard on any vehicle...besides the little extra walk helps the girls burn off a bit of the bubbling over excitement. The school, like Sophie's, is actually a house located in a neighborhood. It has the advantage over our apartment of having a nice little yard to play in.

Ready to face another tough day at preschool...the three musketeers!

9:10 AM - 2:30 PM

Upon arrival at the school, the children are greeted by the rest of their buddies and their lovely teachers, who help them change into their indoor shoes and get them settled in the general play room, while they await the rest of the gang. The next 5 hours will be full of healthy snacks, singing, games, new concepts (ABCs 123s), lunch time followed by a rest and (knowing these kids) lots of giggling!

School, at last!

2:30 - 3:30 PM

I'll spare you the details of the return journey. If you just do everything in reverse, you'll get the general idea!

Coming Soon: Life from Benjamin's point of view

Goodbye Pool, Hello School!

2007-08-29T03:32:00.000-04:00

Annie's Poolside Teaparty

Our summer vacation this year was taken in bits and pieces, as we joined a local pool for the summer months instead of going away for a week. As you can see by these pictures, we had a great time. The girls went from aquaphobia (according to Wikipedia: the abnormal and persistent fear of water) in early June, to their fish-like state in these pictures. Sophie, especially, has taken to swimming like, forgive me, a duck to water. Annie, while not yet swimming has loved the freedom of running around, painting the cement with water and paintbrushes, and pouring us "tea" with her various pitchers. I began counting how many times she would say "Mommy, watch" in a given afternoon at the pool...I gave up somewhere after 25!

Fearless Sophie

Though we wouldn't have traded the relaxation and refreshment our pool days have brought to our summer, we are welcoming back the routine of school, and the cooler weather of the fall still to come. The anticipation has been building. For a few weeks new and returning teachers have been trickling into town and along with them old friends and classmates have returned from their "stateside" summers. It has been fun to watch and experience this building excitement and then to go with Sophie to school today and see her soaking it all in. She loves to learn and is looking forward to this new year of first grade (sorry Canadians, grade one!). Her class will have about 14 students, both first and second grades. Pictured are some of the girls in her class with Sophie as they relished their first day back together. Though it is hard to see our "baby" growing up, it is really a beautiful thing to see her growing, as her name means, in wisdom and grace (Prov. 4:7-9).

First Day of School Reunion (Sophie in Stripes)

As for the younger members of our crew, Annie is still trying to process why she can't go to school and be in Sophie's class (like the big "ghouls"...girls). She is our social butterfly, and while she tries to make do with only Benjamin, it doesn't quite satisfy her extroverted needs. Though she is a good talker and he a good listener (since he can't speak!), it still falls a bit short. Like her big sister before her, she is happy to supplement "friends" from her imagination to help meet some of her social needs. (Pictured Right: Annie, Baby Dear, and the invisible Hannah on the far right) ...in any given day we have Bible characters, Cinderella, Laura Ingalls, and Molly the American Girl sitting down to tea...with Larry and Bob thrown in for good measure!

Annie, Baby Dear, and the Invisible Hannah (right)

It is difficult for us grown-ups, as these little individuals are invisible, to keep this in mind. I think we squish and squash them on numerous occasions. Not too long ago, John had the two girls sitting in time out around our kitchen table as he discussed whatever transgression they had participated in....They solemnly listened to him, and he felt their silence was evidence of their repentant spirits. However, when he was finished and had paused to ask Annie if she had anything to say, she replied (deadpan), "Da, you're sittin' on my friends." Imaginative, yes. Repentant, not always. Needless to say, all of these shenanigans bring no end of entertainment and joy to Benjamin.

Who needs cartoons and Baby Einstein when you have big sisters like these?

What took us so long?

2007-08-25T04:33:00.000-04:00

After three years of cross-cultural living, we finally decided to start a family journal of sorts. Many of you may already receive our work letters, and we are grateful to be connected in that way. But since we all have work lives and family lives (you would think that is a no brainer, but not always in our type of work), we decided to start a strictly FAMILY site (that is, not limited to only our families, but rather only about our family!). So now there will be a place for you to catch up on pics (for our family of picture junkies...I confess to the addiction) and funny stories (for those of you who have "complained" our work letters aren't funny enough!).

Part of the delay has been, How to start? I began by reading a bunch of other blogs (mistake) and found myself a bit intimidated by all the bells and whistles that can be added. I fiddled with it, tweeked it, and then sat down to write...fingers frozen on the keyboard or writing latin-like gibberish in an attempt simply to fill space. Then my one niece (MM) sent me my other niece's (A) blogsite (you know you are old when people whose births you remember and who you babysat know more about technology than you...). Nothing fancy about her blog, no slide shows, links, ads, or weather reports, but there in the midst of all the ramblings, like a diamond in the midst of cubic zirconia shone her sparkling, beautiful, one-of-a-kind personality and it made me miss her and feel more connected with her at the same time. When it all comes down to it, that is what we hope this site does for you...makes you love us and miss us as much as we love and miss you.

So welcome and come often, just take us as we are...a bit random, a bit self-absorbed (as any family with little kids are...they are the cutest kids ever, after all!), and just everyday folks, much like many of you, who just happen to be walking their walk on the otherside of the world. Let the randomness begin:

Sophie's recent venture into the retail world (thanks to a large recycled box from our latest replacement: a new water heater tank) produced this amazing title (right) The Everything Store: A Great Place. I think there is a future in that title. Barbie's sold for about 10 cents, books for a little bit more...funny thing was, when you left you ended up leaving your purchased goods (unique method of restocking the shelves) but you didn't get your money back. I am not sure whether her future is in advertising or business, but either way she is off to a great start.

I am sure with next week's beginning of school, we will have a picture or two to add. Thanks for stopping by! Beth