Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Age : Five Months Quotes : Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim , generally translated “In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate,” carries a broader meaning of whatever we do, we do it because of and for God. One commentary on the phrase notes, “To say bismillah is to humbly offer one's self as a vehicle for the glory and majesty of The One.” Most often we heard women mumbling this under their breath as they pick up our son, lay him down, or basically do anything regarding the baby. Height : 63.5 cm (almost 25 inches) Weight : 6.2 kilos (about 13 ½ pounds) Eating : We have just slowly started to introduce solids. The verdict: he’s not a fan of plain yogurt (a staple in Turkish cuisine)— yet . He loves bananas. And everything else is somewhere in between. Sleeping : To date he has slept through the night three times. But normally, he wakes up once or twice which is not so bad. Skills : Grabbing dangly toys; Fart noises with his mouth (a skill every boy needs); Playing with his

Kariye Müzesi Chora Church Museum Away from the tourist center, near the old city walls stands a small church called Chora. Chora means “in the country” because it originally stood outside Constantinople’s city walls. In the 14th century this humble place of worship was transformed into a gallery of Byzantine mosaics depicting scenes from the Scriptures. Whitewashed by Ottoman Turks in the 16th century, the mosaics went into hiding until the 1940’s when Chora Church was turned into a museum. Chora Church has become one of our favorite places to take visitors, if they have time to see something a little off the usual tourist path. The Byzantine mosaics are said to be some of the best examples. However, our favorite piece is a fresco situated in funerary chamber attached to the right side of the building. This dramatic painting called the Anastasis, or The Resurrection, depicts a superhero Jesus—what Rick Steve’s called a “Biblical Rambo”—breaking down the gates of hell and binding Sata

Allah Korusun May God Protect On the back of nearly every taxi and bus is a little sticker that says Allah Korusun, “May God Protect.” Perhaps this explains why taxi and bus chauffeurs are the most maniacal drivers on the road—they are “covered” by this little prayer. Not that the average driver doesn’t seem a little crazy to us…but we are realizing that we’re just coming from a different set of “road rules.” As we continue learning how to navigate not just the streets, but also the culture of İ stanbul, we ponder: 1. How much should we go by the saying, when in Rome do what the Romans do ? 2. How can we tell when a rule is strict versus when it is more like a guideline? 3. If we adapt too much to the ‘rules of the road’ here, will we forget the rules back home—and cause an accident?

“Parking” The modern day Nasrettin Hoca has been looking for a parking place for twenty minutes already. He turns around, he waits, he drives a bit further, but finds nothing. He has an important business meeting and he's going to be late, but nothing, no parking space. Filled with despair he raises his eyes up to the sky and says: "My God, if you get me a parking space in five minutes, I promise to you that I'll eat halal (kosher) food for the rest of my life..." And suddenly - O miracle! – right next to him a car drives away leaving an ideal parking spot. So Nasrettin Hoca turns his eyes to the sky and says: "God, stop searching, I found one!" Adapted from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Sufism/Nasrudin

Age : Four Months Quotes : “Oh”, “gu”, and “ah-ngh” are some of Lincoln’s favorite things to say nowadays. We love this babbling stage! Height : 60.5 cm (almost 24 inches) Weight : 6.1 kilos (about 13 ½ pounds) Eating : Breast milk every couple hours. Sometime in the next few weeks we get to start solids, starting with rice cereal. Sleeping : Lincoln can sleep up to five hours at night (and we don’t have to wake him up to eat anymore). During the day he often resists naps because he doesn’t want to miss out on anything! Skills : Sitting up, while his lower back is supported by a pillow; bringing things to his mouth; true laughter. No slideshow this month, but doesn’t Lincoln look hilariously cute in his Easter suit?