our awesome state-side vacation

we're back from a wonderful month in the states.  it's always incredible after such a trip to think back on how much we did, how many people we saw, and yet, here we are back into our daily routine as if we were never there.  luckily, we've got lots of memories & pictures to prove it!

how you kill time when your flight is delayed

we're sooo pleased to say that emre has become a much better traveler in the past year.  he actually slept on the flights, and sat in his seat.  having him open new toys that i had wrapped helped - as did not getting out of our seats, so he wasn't aware the option existed.  

it also helped that we were upgraded to business for the long flight.  blueberries, anyone?

we spent the first week in jersey city, where sarah & jeff live.  my parents met us for the weekend, as did ben's brother, and ben's dad (he came from turkey for some routine check ups).  sarah's mother in law, lynn, was also in town to attend sarah's baby shower.  so, it was a pretty busy time!  but fun - lots of fun.

strolling the boardwalk in jersey city -  manhattan skyline (with the new freedom tower) in the background

we got the chance to celebrate baby stephens, who is due to join us in october.  it was so much fun celebrating baby & also seeing a lot of friends & family i hadn't seen in a while.  

ladies lunching at the baby shower

mama-to-be opening her presents

we even made it into manhattan for an afternoon.  sarah and i had the not-so-fun adventure of navigating the subway with a stroller.  turns out they are terribly unaccessible!  but we still made it to the lower eastside for a visit with verna.  

first time on the subway!  not that he cared.

after spending the first week in jersey we headed north to mom & dad's house.  it was so relaxing being home, with a big back yard (and pool!) and nearby park to play in.  they fed us amazing meals each night and supplied emre with tons of toys to keep him busy.  he especially loved being able to run free - and we loved having so many options for expending his never-ending energy.

at the park with mama (his name for grandma) & baba (his name for grandpa)

blowin' some serious bubbles

totally obsessed with the hose from day one.  dad's plants are well watered.

in preparation for emre's arrival, his grandmother acquired the neighbor's sandbox.  she then bought every sand toy ever made.  emre was in heaven!

not enjoying himself or anything, not even a little bit.

it was awesome being able to chill while emre played in his sandbox.  we really need a backyard.

we made the most of our first week home...

daddy, why are you so weird?

did i mention my sister is 8 months pregnant?  check out that belly!

grandma also bought a his-size deck chair for emre, which he loved.

maxin' and relaxin' in style with snacks

annnd grandma bought him approximately 5000 toys.  this fisher price car shoot was a big hit, both for him and for ben.

balkaya boys, buildin' stuff.

we ate several times at green shutters, the best summer spot in town.  emre loved the outdoor eating experience!

he's disocovered the magic of straws.

in the muggy weather the backyard pool = heaven

uncle serdar, being the fabulous role model that he is

the following week was spent in albany, working.  it was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with emre's gosende grands, who were amazing hosts to us for three of the five nights we spent there.  

grandpa bob took us for a ride in the jag

ridin' in style with mommy

'we put her in shows, and she wins every time' - grandpa bob re: his '67 jag

what a beauty!

grandma marybeth spoiled emre with lots of walks to the 'abba' (car) and plenty of corn on the cob.

no, they didn't plan it

while we worked, emre had his first daycare experience.  we really lucked out with his teacher, miss ivy, who emre fell in love with on day one.  it was clear she adored him right back!

with his beloved miss ivy

mr. grumps at daycare

we took the long way back to auburn, with stops in delhi  - where we saw jan & ritchie (but took no pictures) - and binghamton, where we saw a bunch of friends.  it was so nice to see some folks we hadn't seen in over a year, and spend some time catching up (including ben's old poker buddies, who i unfortunately did not take any pictures with).

lunch with maria & joe on their beautiful patio in conklin... emre loved picking the apples from their tree & tomatoes & cucumber from their garden.  the cucumber made for a nice snack!

coloring with aunt laura - we had a wonderful dinner with laua & holly at the lost dog

playing with mia & peter, who made fantastic babysitters while we brunched with their mom kim, ben's mba advisor & dear friend.  emre loved visiting all of the animals on their farm.

back in auburn, we settled in for two awesome weeks of complete relaxation.  during those two weeks fazil can came for a visit, and he and ben headed to boston for fazil's graduation.  we also got to visit with mom's cousin lynn and johanna.  so many great visits!

balkaya boys, buildin' stuff II.

turns out the box was better than the car...

...for everyone.

watching the 'amma!' (truck) with baba - a special treat for emre.  the guys were so nice, they waved to emre as they passed by.

naked bebeh, after a swim

got his first fistful taste of kraft mac & cheese.  loved it.

carrie prepared an unbelievable brunch when we visited her & jeff on the farm.

emre loved meeting the horses...

...but he loved doing the barn chores even more.

there's no place like grandma & baba's!

i even loved the rain - we rarely get any here in ankara

except when poor dad was stuck in it!

don't worry, there was no actual beer in the bottle - ben had poured it all into emre's sippy cup.

cheers!

it was awesome, and slightly heartbreaking, to experience life with a 1.5 year old in america.  there are so many opportunities for kids there, so much potential for outdoor play & fun.  when we visited the neighborhood park, we usually found other children playing there, and we'd get the chance to meet some of the neighbors and chat.  surrounding the park are giant fields, with a basketball court & baseball diamond, and emre loved to just run... and we could let him!  it was great.

emre couldn't get over having so much space to roam.  neither could his mother.

swinging with baba

doing his rounds in the backyard with baba.  he especially loved watering the plants with the watering can.  he also ate all of the cherry tomatoes from dad's plant!

we were really sad to leave, of course.  but we spent our last two nights in jersey city, so that we could visit one last time with sarah and jeff, which was really nice.

stopped at a mexican restaurant on our way down - turns out he loves salsa.

licking the bowl clean

he also looooves chatting on the phone

stopped at a mall on the way down to let him run - all of the storekeepers loved him & supplied him with shopping bags (kid's got good tastes - tiffany & louis vuitton were among his stops)

handsome lil' shopper

back in nyc for one last afternoon, we visited a park near auntie verna's house for some play time.

'

he's loving the choo choo trains these days

one last stop at my beloved target.  oh, target.  i miss you.

our flights back were uneventful, and i'm happy to report we all slept on the 3 hour flight from munich to ankara.  the week was incredibly long & exhausting, with ben gone to istanbul on our second day back to attend a conference.  work was also quite busy here, so we've both been taking turns catching up on our sleep this weekend, and slowly adjusting to life back in ankara.  the sweet memories of our time at home will surely help us keep our chins up!

the little executive in his lounge.