Phillip and Rebecca Mefford

Age : Eight Months Quotes : Şakır şakır …rattled the coffee beans within the little plastic maraca that the barista constructed for Umut. It’s not unusual for even strangers to go out of their way to show a little love to little ones. This is a culture which adores children. We like that. And Lincoln Umut had an awesome time playing the maraca! Weight : almost 7 kilos (about 15+ pounds) Eating : He’s eating great! He’ll eat plain yogurt just plain now, although we still mix it with banana most of the time. And he’s not as picky anymore about his food being super-pureed. Sleeping : About the same as last month, which is great for both baby and mom and dad. Skills : Lincoln is a superb scoot-crawler; better at sitting up and playing with toys for longer periods of time; and we try coloring every once in awhile, although he usually just wants to put the jumbo-crayons in his mouth. Coffee Bean Maraca

Miniatürk Miniature Turkey At the beginning of the summer we received a very special guest in the mail! Coming all the way from Maplewood Heights Elementary School in Maple Valley, Washington a world traveler named Flat Stanley came to discover Turkey. The story, written by Jeff Brown, is about a boy named Stanley Lambchop who gets accidentally flattened by a bulletin board. He discovers that the advantage of being paper-thin is that he can travel via envelope! School teachers are utilizing this whimsical story to teach children about different countries, and we had the privilege of being part of it. Of course we would have loved to take Flat Stanley across the whole country, but limited by time and logistics, we settled for Miniatürk, a park that hosts miniatures of Turkey’s most famous destinations including, but not limited to, Cappadocia, Mardin, Nemrut Mountain, and the sites of Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmet like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Amongst a host of Turkish children ou

Maşallah May God Preserve from Evil Stickered to the backs of buses, posted over entrances of buildings, and poised to follow every compliment to an adorable baby, the term maşallah encompasses admiration, gratitude to God, and a jinx against evil spirits. Now that we have our own adorable baby, we think about safety a lot more, and ponder: 1. What tangible actions can we take to guard our family against injury, illness, and people with bad intentions? 2. What do we believe about protection by and from entities in the spiritual realm? How do these compare with the majority and/or folk beliefs here? 3. How do we keep in tension the fact that we can take steps to safeguard our family and yet must also trust God for the many things we can’t control (and thank Him for that!)? Lincoln's dedication.

Auntie Ayşe’s Cookbook Patlıcan Karnıyarık Stuffed Eggplant Description : A personal favorite, patlıcan karnıyarık is eggplant stuffed with minced meat. Knowing how to cook eggplant right is something Americans can definitely learn from Turkish cuisine! This entrée is best served with pilav, Turkish rice. Ingredients : 175 gr. ground meat ½ - 1 Cup olive oil ½ kg. (generally 4-6) long, thin eggplants 3-4 tomatoes, peeled and diced 3-4 green peppers, cut in long strips 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic ½ a bunch of parsley 2 tsp. tomato paste Salt & Pepper, to taste Water Directions : Fill a medium sized saucepan ½ full of olive oil and heat. Place the eggplants in the pan, occasionally rotate them with tongs until they are tender. Once the eggplants are very tender dry them on a paper towel, empty saucepan of excess oil, and replace the eggplants in the pan. Meanwhile, in a separate pan sauté diced onions in oil, slowly adding the meat. Once the meat is browned add tomatoes, tomato p

Age : Seven Months Quotes : “I’m always the one to discover the first tooth!” Auntie Ayşe exclaimed after sneaking Lincoln Umut a spoonful of jam. Then verified by the excited kitchen full of Turkish aunties, one little bottom tooth has poked through. We heard that in Turkish tradition when the first tooth comes in the baby’s mom cooks wheat with a little bit of onions and salt and passes it out the friends and neighbors. The neighbors return their platters with a gift for the baby. How does that sound compare to the tooth fairy? Height / Weight : Our big little guy doesn’t need to go to the doctor ever month anymore, so we don’t have his height and weight this month. He seems taller and heavier to us! Eating : Generally he gets yogurt and banana for breakfast, a jar of veggies, a jar of fruit, and finally an evening meal of oatmeal. Somewhere with the veggies or time-tested fruit we add in a new food item. Sleeping : Lincoln sleeps up to seven hours straight at night pretty consistent