You know how dinner tastes especially good when you have to wait longer to eat it? I don't know, but I think maybe that's why this break felt so amazing. I (Jill) over committed a bit last term, plus I was set back because of the lovely amoeba in my intestines. Let me tell you, when break finally got here... it was glorious!!
The first part was special because we had our first visitors from home AND it was their first visit to Africa, so it was doubly exciting to have my parents come. They spent 3 weeks with us in our new home, the last two weeks of school (so they could actually see what we do here) and then the first week of vac (so we could leave and do something fun together).
 |
| Reunited after almost a year apart. |
 |
| Showing Grandma the fresh produce in our shamba (Swahili for garden). |
 |
| It was better than Christmas with all the goodies they brought us from the States!! |
 |
| They were lucky enough to attend Titchie Skating Party their first night...there's no time for jet lag here! |
 |
| It's too bad you can't see the roller blades Tyler was skating around in that were 3 sizes too big for him. |
 |
| Walking down to the dukas to buy some produce and eat some Kenyan fare at Mama Chiku's. |
 |
| My dad is a Massai chief wanna-be :) |
-be:)
 |
| My mom embraced the culture as well :) |
 |
| Michael and mom enjoying chai at our daily staff chai meeting. |
 |
| We got to celebrate mom's birthday with her. |
 |
| This was our lovely luncheon at the Tea Farm we visited. |
 |
| Playing hide and seek tag in the gardens. |
 |
| Grandma got to come along on Noah's field trip to the Giraffe Center... |
 |
| ...and the Elephant Orphanage. |
 |
| Check out this monkey hangin' in the tree! |
 |
| Lots of exciting new experiences! |
After school got out, we got to go on safari with my parents to the Massai Mara... the experience of a lifetime!
 |
| T'was the season of the wildebeast migration. |
 |
| Here they are crossing the Mara river to go back to greener grass in Tanzania... apparently this crossing is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world! |
 |
| A wildebeast chasing 2 warthogs across the Savanna. |
 |
| We actually got to see these two lions mating... not something you see everyday! |
 |
| Cheetah. fastest animal on land. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him run. |
 |
| Apparently, it has become a tradition to take a ballet photo in every place they visit. |
 |
| We had the privilege of visiting a Massai village near our safari camp. |
 |
| My dad was thrilled to get his picture with the chief! |
 |
| They invited us to join in their dancing :) |
 |
| Has my dad ever had more fun in his life?! :) |
 |
| Our "bush breakfast" was a highlight for me. We had 2 guards watching for dangerous wild animals while we ate. |
 |
| Back at the camp for our delicious meals. |
 |
| Cooling off after driving around in the hot sun all afternoon. |
 |
| That is actually a Stoney (ginger soda) Grandpa's drinking, not a beer! :) |
 |
| After all the excitement with Grandma and Grandpa, we took some time to catch our breath and made a list of things we wanted to do as a family over the rest of the summer. |
 |
| This is our friends' cabin they rent out for super cheap to fellow RVA workers. It was by far our best discovery of the summer!! Only about an hour away, secluded, beautiful, the perfect getaway! |
 |
| So we came for 2 nights without the kids to celebrate our 10 year Anniversary. |
 |
| We hiked and enjoyed God's beauty. |
 |
| Besides that we spend most of our time reading in hammocks. It was glorious!! |
We had the privilege of borrowing our friends car for a month while they were in the States... boy, was that a treat!! We drove 13 hours to the coast and spent a few days there with two other RVA families.
 |
| So much fun to be had in the Indian Ocean! |
 |
| catching sand crabs |
 |
| fishing |
 |
| Swimming in a pool is a rare luxury out here! |
 |
| Time with friends |
 |
| Snorkeling and finding treasures in the tide pools. |
 |
| Playing in the sand. |
 |
| Watching movies. |
 |
| Getting to know our co-workers on a different level. |
 |
| Sibling bonding (in quick sand). |
 |
| Much needed R & R for the mamas. |
 |
| Exploring the mysteries of God's Creation. |
We decided to take advantage of our little discovery earlier in the summer and came back to our friend's cabin 2 more times!! One time with the girls...
 |
| A perfect overnight...we ate, shared our hearts, cried, prayed, played games, walked, slept in, and laughed till we cried, |
 |
| Noah turned eight! |
And another with the family to celebrate Noah's birthday and enjoy some special time with the kids before school starts up again.
Phew! It was a packed summer and one of the most fun we've ever had! We do not take God's gifts lightly. We are so thankful for this time to rest and rejuvenate between school years, for the visit from family, and for the use of our friends car, which we used to get off campus as much as possible while we could!! :) We are thankful for the RVA school year schedule, which has time built in to slow down, catch our breath, explore this new country we call home, connect as a family, dig into God's Word, evaluate, reflect, plan, and prepare for each new term. He is so good and faithful to us. I can honestly say we had no idea how much God had in store for us when He called us out here! We serve Him with full and grateful hearts!
