Note: Edited to add that on November 21, I finally added some photos. Above are some scenes from Micah's first day of school. That's him "looking smart" in his uniform. I have come to find out that for the Kenyan sensibility, this uniform is rather casual and come next September, the kiddos will be sporting uniforms with a much more traditional British look.
Greetings All!!!
Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men...I HAD planned to post pictures from our Mara trip and then go back and add pictures to other previous updates. And I HAD thought that would be really doable and a really good record for us to have. BUT, between erratic internet connections and massive volume of work for Deron (who is my photo connection), the photos have not happened.
And, there has also been a dearth of any kind of posting whatsoever because, just for added fun and excitement, a lightning strike fried our router leaving us with only one computer with internet access. I am usually too busy with the boys (and recently leaks and water pressure and pump issues necessitating repair crew visits have been added to the mix) to get online during the day. And, due to the aforementioned massive volume of work for Deron, come night when kidlets are down, top priority goes to Deron tackling work stuff. Which means not much time for me to blog lately and I have missed it!
I miss posting because it really does feel like a connection to those who are so far away. So now, as Tiras naps, I am going to do a massive bullet catch-up post:
Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men...I HAD planned to post pictures from our Mara trip and then go back and add pictures to other previous updates. And I HAD thought that would be really doable and a really good record for us to have. BUT, between erratic internet connections and massive volume of work for Deron (who is my photo connection), the photos have not happened.
And, there has also been a dearth of any kind of posting whatsoever because, just for added fun and excitement, a lightning strike fried our router leaving us with only one computer with internet access. I am usually too busy with the boys (and recently leaks and water pressure and pump issues necessitating repair crew visits have been added to the mix) to get online during the day. And, due to the aforementioned massive volume of work for Deron, come night when kidlets are down, top priority goes to Deron tackling work stuff. Which means not much time for me to blog lately and I have missed it!
I miss posting because it really does feel like a connection to those who are so far away. So now, as Tiras naps, I am going to do a massive bullet catch-up post:
- Micah had a very good first day and has continued to have good days at his new school.
- The school is British and there are two "houses", called Tilapia and Perch. The whole house thing is just like Harry Potter--well, short of the sorting hat and the cool train and candies and photos that move and all that, but I was all kinds of grins when the two houses were introduced at the first assembly and only just barely managed to avoid blurting out loudly, "Like Harry Potter--how cool is that?!!!".
- One of their school rules states "Do look smart in your school uniform" and if I thought "grubby" was charming on the laundry detergent box, you can bet I thought that particular rule was delightful!
- The teachers, all being Kenyan, speak British English. Micah came home singing a new song for me and, while he still speaks conversationally with an American accent, he was happily singing the chorus just as it had been taught to him, "Peetah, Pattah, Raaaaindrawps". I am not sure if he even knows he is singing "Pitter Patter". It's pretty cute.
- Tiras is a fearless and physical little kiddo and keeping him in one piece is still a big part of my day. He is also a very jolly kiddo and has made a new friend who is only a few months older than he. She has siblings at school with Micah and Tiras and I have enjoyed having playdates with her and with her mom. Nice for Tiras to have a buddy his age and very nice for me to have another at home mom friend around during the days!
- Tiras is adding more and more words to his vocabulary and DEFINITELY comprehends a whole lot more of what we are saying than it seemed he used to grasp before. While "no" and "uh un" reign supreme as favorite words in his little lexicon, "shoe" is very imporant to him as well. (Perhaps because it usually means getting to go outside and run around? Or maybe he just has a little Carrie Bradshaw in him because sometimes he is happy just to sit on the sofa and have me place shoes on his feet. He seriously BEAMS over having his shoes put on!)
- He has recently added "gook" (book) and "gulk" (milk) to his vocabulary. I am happy to report that he is still saying "thike you" (thank you) as well. And every now and then, on rare occasion, we might once again hear "yes", one of his first words but one that was so utterly eclipsed by the joy of saying "no" that it is hard to believe he ever once answered yes to anything resembling a question, even when not addressed to him.
- We went away this past weekend with several other families and drove through the hills and passed fields of sugar cane. Once at our destination, Kwiesos House, there were many beautiful views to drink in and there was fun to be had such as horseback riding and swimming by a waterfall. I love all the chances Micah has to be adventurous here. It just seems like a great place to be a kid and it's exciting and wonderful to watch his delight as he fords a little stream, or navigates a steep hill on his own. One of my favorite memories was watching Micah running across the grounds with the other kids kicking a soccer ball. Their ages ranged from two and a half to almost eight and they were having so much fun together. Smiling faces and the full and sincere laughs of kiddos at play are among the most wonderful things to behold and to hear, I think. It was simple and outdoor fun and I love that Micah has so much of that here.
- Here is a link to the brochure for this wonderful retreat!http://www.homalime.com/Kwiesos_House_Brochure.pdf
- In other news, Deron rang in a new decade this month. I rang in my 40th with a six week old baby last year and this year Deron rang in his 40th on a new continent. Pretty wonderful ways to kick off our 40s! We are thankful indeed!
- Speaking of aging and time and such, I just saw in the comments that my friend since kindergarten, Julie, has a daughter who attended a middle school dance!!! Julie and I were attending OUR first middle school (although back then it was called "junior high" and grades 7 and 8) dance seconds ago, weren't we?! And though I suppose I realize that that was indeed ages ago, at the same time, it is so close in memory. Blows me away sometimes as our kids hit these milestones!!!
- After the Mara, we had occasion to stop in Nairobi and stayed at Tribe again and it is just so gorgeous there! AND, we went to the shopping center next store and visited Dorman's Coffee. I had a Masala Mocha and I am STILL dreaming of another cup and just looking for an excuse to trek to Nairobi again!!! The ginger with the chocolate and mocha is sooooo yummy!!! I am thinking of emailing Pe.et's Coffee to suggest they add it to their line-up because it seems like something they would appreciate and handle really well!
- As for the Mara, I don't think I can do the experience justice with just words. If you are Face.book friends with either Deron or me, Deron posted an album with lots of great captions and you can access that album on either one of our profile pages. You can also email me for a link to the album if you don't have a FB account and want to check them out.
- Sorry for the lack of edit that is going to this post. If it reads like a breathless burst of chatter, well, it's cuz I am frantically typing before heading out to pick up Micah and part of me wants to get the memories down before I lose any more detail than I have already lost by being so sporadic in my updates. (Not because I think you all are at the edge of your seats enthralled by my every word, but because I think it will be a nice family memory to have for us years down the road when we are no longer in Kenya and the small details might othewise get lost forever. And I want to remember. I want to remember Kenya and I want to remember the boys at this stage.)
Happy September to all! Autumn has ALWAYS been my favorite season and it's about to hit with all its crisp, football filled, gold, crimson, and orange hued awesomeness soon! Enjoy!!!
