How Did That Happen?

I decided it was time to update the blog a little.  The picture at the top was over two years old so I added our newest family picture.  I kind of hated the thought of removing that old picture completely, so I decided I'd put it here along with some other pictures (old and new).  It amazes me to see how much these guys have grown!

the old

the new

age 9 and in need of a haircut

age 6

age 7

If I recall correctly, we had a hard time keeping this guy still for the pictures 2 years ago - some things haven't changed.

the pout

This is his, "How could you possibly get mad at me?" face.

 

Bethany Kids Christmas Party

On Friday we had the privilege of hosting the Bethany Kids at Kijabe Hospital staff members in our home for a Christmas luncheon.  I was unsure about what to serve so Erik and I decided to do a "Christmas Around the World" theme and serve a little bit of everything.  We had lasagna, enchiladas, cashew chicken, spring rolls, sweet and sour meatballs and Kenyan favorites such as chapatis and beef stew.   I was a little nervous that our Kenyan guests would only eat the Kenyan food and would not try the food from other countries, but I was pleasantly surprised that they did eat the other foods.  I'm sure some ate them just to be polite, but many seemed to actually enjoy the enchiladas and lasagna.

We had 60-70 guests and it was a wonderful time.  There was singing, a gift exchange and true to Kenyan tradition, several people gave speeches.  It was a pleasure for me to be able to meet many of Erik's coworkers that I previously only knew by name.  We are so thankful for these people and the way they minister to the sick children and we are blessed to come alongside them in their service.

One of the highlights for me was watching these three men try the desserts.  We served apple pie, Texas Sheet Cake and ice cream.  They were a little hesitant to try the ice cream and the apple pie so they decided they would all try it at the same time.  The ice cream was too sweet (I can't blame them - I'm not a big fan of the ice cream in Kenya either), but the apple pie got good reviews!

My Boys and their Toys

According to my husband, the excitement of the safari is capturing the perfect picture.  I actually choose to sit next to the driver and just look at the animals without the worry of having to take the perfect picture - less stress that way. 

Erik got a new camera for an early Christmas present so in preparation for safari, he was reading up on all the tips and tricks for his new toy.  We also took a couple of our less expensive cameras so the boys could take pictures like their daddy (our daughter preferred just looking - that's my girl.)  Since we just turned the kids loose with the cameras, we got some interesting pictures.

the back of the seat in the safari vehicle

 

 

 

part of the safari vehicle window - I just love the composition of this one.

Luckily, we did get some good ones - even from the kids.  Some of the animals made it pretty easy for them.  This lion decided to approach our vehicle on one side, crossed the road right in front of us and then stood on the other side of the vehicle and posed for a while.  He put on a great show for us and here are some of the pics we got.

Our 9 year old took this one

our 7 year old took this one - We may need to work on holding the camera straight, but this is a good start.

Our 3 year old was screaming because he didn't have a camera and I didn't want him to scare the lion away so I desperately handed him my phone.  Pretty impressive, huh??

 

 

Here is Erik's.

Safari Pictures

Here are a few of the thousands of pictures that Erik took while we were on safari last week.

Elephant

Cape Buffalo

An elephant at the end of the rainbow - Who needs a pot of gold??

Cheetah

Lilac Breasted Roller

Giraffe

Superb Starling

Gazelle

Gold crested cranes

King of the jungle - no zoom lens needed for this guy - he was about 10 feet away from us.

the illusive leaopard

None of the rhinos seemed to want to have their pictures taken

zebra

An Overdue Update

I've been absent from the blog for far too long so I need to give you a quick update.

• Erik's parents have been visiting us for a few weeks and we've loved having them here.  We went on a safari and have had a great time showing them around.  (pictures still to come)
• There is a doctor's strike in Kenya which means that all government employed doctors have not reported to work for a week and a half.  Actually, they called off the strike last night, but then began striking again this afternoon.  Basically, what this means is that no doctors are staffing public hospitals and patients that go there typically see medical students or nobody at all.  Kijabe Hospital is getting many patients that would normally go to the government hospitals.  Please pray for our doctors as they care for an increased number of patients and as they share the hope of Christ with patients that wouldn't come here otherwise. 
• On Friday, we will be hosting a Christmas luncheon at our home for the Bethany Kids staff and nurses.  We're expecting 40-50 people and I'm the caterer!  I have lots of cooking to do over the next few days, but I'm looking forward to being able to get to know all the people that Erik works with every day.