Kurban bayram

My kids have learned this holiday.

They were up early, dressed and down stairs, kissed everybody's hand (after waking everyone up) and each came up with money.  Tomris asked if she could drink chocolate milk.  I said no, she said, "But it's bayram."  So I agreed.

I went down and fed the kids.  They were in such a strange mood.  Sometimes Tuana tolerates everybody changing her, sometimes she hands her clothes to her sister or brother - she is determined to do what they do, and go where they go.  Downstairs they were laughing and running around and it was hardly 8am.

Teoman wanted to know if we got a toy or just clothes for bayram, and I told him we planned and getting them shoes for school - and the pestering to leave began and never stopped.  But we still had breakfast to eat with the adults, cleanup, and we weren't even sure when the shops opened on bayram.  

We arrived at Söke mall at 11am and learned the shops didn't open until 2:30.  Teoman was not happy.  We drove to Akbut - a village on the sea, drank tea, and drove to another place to have lunch on a lake before returning to the mall.  I got sneakers, Teoman and Tomris got sneakers each (two sizes larger!) and indoor shoes.  I don't know if they do this in America - but indoor and outdoor shoes is a thing here.

At home Teoman wanted to go for a run to test his shoes out.  He didn't want character shoes this time - he wanted sport shoes.  He actually wanted a hiking boot - but we made him get the same version in a shoe form so he could run faster.  We ran to the beach and back - me running lightly, Teoman clomping heavily and unevenly.

In the end Tomris raced Teoman too.  The road is made up of pavers that are very uneven - and I had kept warning Teoman to be careful.  Tomris was wearing a dress - but had kept some pants on claiming she might fall and wanted to protect her knees.  (They both had their first skinned knees this summer - I think their first - and cried loudly and nonstop).  The raced to our gate and in the last moment of running and jumping Tomris tripped and banged her head against the open iron gate.  The gate gave way some, but it didn't stop her from earning an instant goose egg on her forehead.  It split slightly, but superficial as far as I could tell - just and intimidating bump.  Teoman came over to her and said, "whoa" and took a step back when he saw it.