passing time with puzzles

When I lived in Glen Rock with the Pazan's - the kids' elementary school would have a family puzzle day competition each year.  Families or groups of four would enter, and each would be given a 500 piece puzzle - the first family to finish the puzzle was the winner.  The kid's mom would divvy up the tasks - one organizing the edges, others organizing the colors, etc.  It was a serious business.  

Before Teoman was born, we took up this puzzle business as well.  It's kind of addicting.  When my maternity leave was just starting, we got a 3000 piece puzzle picture of Venice.  Baba said we could finish it in two days - but it soon became apparent that it would take a lot longer - and about 30 days later, we did complete the puzzle, glued the face of it, and framed it.  We also upped our puzzle game by buying a puzzle mat to roll up the puzzle when needed (because we lost our dinner table to the puzzle), and puzzle trays to divide and organize the pieces when putting it together.  

We also didn't buy a 3000 piece puzzle again. 

So when my maternity leave for Tuana began, Tolga pulled out the puzzles again.  He had a 1000 piece classic car puzzle from America that we finished and framed.  Gokhan but a 500 piece puzzle of a sailboat that was mostly blue sky.  We finished that and then Tolga pulled out another puzzle we had up in the cabinets - one of Ortakoy where he and I had lunch when we met in Istanbul back in 2006 - our first date I suppose.  All of these puzzles have proven to hard for Baba and Anne - between their eyes and continually forcing pieces into the wrong places - they have quickly resigned themselves to managing and supporting/cheering on.

For Teoman's birthday we got him a puzzle too.  A 100 piece puzzle of superheroes.  He actually picked it out.  He was mostly impressed with the picture and spent a lot of time studying the superheroes and asking questions about their powers and bad guys.  It was quite some time before he even showed interest in doing the puzzle.  

But today, Baba decided to work on the puzzle.  His mind is slipping, so it is always good to see him take up a challenge, but even this puzzle with it's big pieces proved a challenge for Baba.   The puzzle was put together by him, but many of the pieces were misplaced.  So here is the scene below:

Teoman and Dede arguing about where the puzzle pieces should go.  Dede telling Tomris and Teoman to stop wrecking the puzzle.  

Tomris is crying.  This time because she had climbed up onto the chair and scraped her back not the table.  A few moments before it was because she couldn't put a puzzle piece in place, and few moments later it's because Babanne won't give her the baby.

Anne is holding Tuana - very happily bouncing her and "neh-neh-neh" nehing her to sleep.  

This shot kind of sums up the chaos in any given moment.