California dreaming

It is hard to know how to put our brief trip to California into words.  I think the trip can best be summed up as: Life at the Pool!  The hotel where we stayed has this great pool and hot tub that the kids basically lived in the entire time we were there.  And since we were almost always the only ones at the pool it was nice to pretend it was our pool and that hanging by the pool was normal activity for us.

The good news is that Kyalo loved the pool!  He didn't always like the cold shock at first, but then he was quite content to be in the pool for an hour or more.  Once he even fell asleep in Grandma's arms in the pool. Not a bad way to live!  (No pictures of that as I was busy relaxing in the hot tub. Also not a bad way to live).

our little surfer boy

But of course, the sweet thing about being back in California was being with family, and introducing Kyalo to his many cousins.  They all seem to love him.  Campion, 7, even made him a little gift.  And Caroline, 4, couldn't get enough of him.  She was his entertainment for the trip.  He's going to be bummed once he figures out he's going back to Kenya to just mama and papa.

So, here are some pictures from the pool:

 Abby {almost} 12!

 Adam {today is his birthday! Happy Birthday!)

Caroline, 4

 Jack, 9 (Kyalo's wearing Campion's gift here)

 Noelle. Could she be any more gorgeous?

Vivienne, 1 1/2. Keeping her safe.

Campion

 Gma and Kyalo

Gpa, Kyalo, Caroline

We had perfect weather for so much time at the pool.  It was hard to leave.

More updates about our time West to come.  Irene extended our time there by a couple of days, which was great, but now I'm scrambling to get everything done before leaving next Tuesday.  So, I'm off to the post office and then to the grocery store to stock up on cheese and chocolate chips.

a recap

We've been in the States eight days and it has been a whirlwind -- as it always is.  Somehow, even though I'm on vacation, I haven't had a chance to blog.  Must be something to do with all the relaxing I'm doing!  I love being home, it refreshes my spirit. Sometimes I haven't even noticed how in need I am of a good dose of Essex.  Things move slower here in Essex, and it always feels the same when I come back, and that's a good thing.

So, since we've been home we've: met lots of new people (Kyalo, anyway), eaten a lot of ice cream, been to a Sox game, had lunch with friends, visited Target (and we'll visit again!), eaten more ears of corn than can be counted, had our first summer swim, and played with new toys and gadgets.

Most of the pictures from the Sox game are on my mom's camera and we can't find the camera cord for it so you'll have to make due with these photos snapped early in the morning on game day.  The hat is too big, so it stayed home so as not to get lost (but, I'm actually not sure where it is at the moment. Lot of good that did me!).

Going to the Sox game with a four month old was an adventure. Our seats -- right over the Sox bullpen -- were directly in the sun.  I spent a lot of time inside eating ice cream and escaping the sun, and trying to keep my cool Kenyan baby happy.  And then the Sox had the nerve to lose.  Jerks.

One of the things my mom was able to borrow from friends is a Bumbo.  They're all the rage, and we're happy to be trendy! 

Kyalo scoffs at the latest trends:

So, the jury's still out on the whole Bumbo Phenom. But we'll keep trying.  I think these (blurry) pictures are hilarious, though, so I couldn't resist sharing.

More important than things, though, is the people we came to see.  Grandpa is just as important as Grandma! And Kyalo's had lots of good bonding time with Gpa.

So far it has been a great trip, and tomorrow night we head to California to see my brother and his family.  Kyalo is excited to meet his five cousins and meet his Aunt Noelle and Uncle Adam.  I hope I'll have the camera with us more regularly to get more pics of Kyalo's "firsts".  Brace yourself. . .

johnny jump-up

Kyalo and I have been home a few days now...adjusting to our jet lag, summer, family, and life without Papa around.  Thankfully, the plane rides went very smoothly -- Kyalo slept pretty much the whole first flight! -- and I landed with my sanity (mostly) still in tact.  We traveled through the Amsterdam airport for the first time and that was a vast improvement over Heathrow.  The one downside was that the entertainment system on the second flight (Delta) was down for the entire plane, so it made that 7-something hour flight a little brutal.  Good thing I had Kyalo to distract and entertain me.

Being home has been great!  Kyalo is the center of attention (maybe I could have stayed in Kenya?), and we've been busy.  My mom borrowed a bunch of baby things from neighbors and friends to help keep the little man occupied.  By far his favorite is the Johnny Jump up which enables him to bounce around and take little steps.

Observe:

 {happiness}

The best thing about this is that he's quite content in it for 20-30 minutes sometimes!  I'd get one for Kenya, except that I don't think any of our doorways have the molding to hang it from. Maybe that could be a home improvement project.

The other great thing about being home is all the new arms to hold the babe.  Here he is with Jacquie, a former co-worker of my mom's.  He seems especially sweet to me when he sleeps.  And that's not just because he's quiet!

I love the one in the middle.  Jacquie's mom is Ghanaian and her dad American.  In these pictures I think Kyalo looks like he could be her son. :)

But of course, the most important person we came to see is Grandma!

It has been a happy reunion.

Today Kyalo went to his first Sox game. Priorities.  More on that later.  And next week, we head to California to meet the cousins.  This is a short, but jam-packed trip.  At four months, Kyalo is already a little world-traveler. Not bad for someone whose name means journey!

all fall down

Looming over our house was a very imposing, and very dead, Jacaranda tree.  Jacarandas are beautiful when they're alive and in full bloom. Their purple blossoms are really quite something to behold.  Even though Dexter tells me they create quite the mess with the sap, I am rather sad that our tree was dead beyond resurrection.

Because of its proximity to our house -- and the car -- we decided something needed to be done.  So down it came!  

So, we talked to the powers that be and hired some guys to come chop it down.  This included one man with a chain saw, and one man with a panga (machete)  and a few guys to pull the branches down with rope.  I had no idea that it would be so labor intensive! But, the tree's branches were quite big and our house and a neighbor's house were dangerously close to their reach.  It was an all day affair.

We asked Daniel to come in special to help out. It was nice to have a familiar face on the team bringing the tree down. 

Watching the action was actually quite frightening for me since heights are not my friend!

And then, finally, it was down!

We now have a very significant supply of wood to keep us warm during the cool Kijabe nights.  See that pile of nicely chopped and stacked wood?  We have Daniel to thank for that. Off we went to a wedding and we returned to that.  There's still plenty to chop, too! At least he doesn't have to worry about running out of things to do. . .

Now, a question. I've just discovered PicNik for photo editing. I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but I had fun doing it.  The question is this...is it worth it to keep going?  Do you like what I've done?  Leave me a comment and let me know. (*shameless plug to get people to comment* :) )

family photos

On Friday, we went to a wedding in Nairobi.  We don't get an opportunity to dress up all that much -- Dexter wears scrubs to work every day, and I'm usually in "house clothes" (clothes I don't mind getting spit up on) all week.  It felt fancy to put on a skirt!

And since we arrived for the 10:00 AM wedding 30 minutes late, which turned out to be an hour and a half early (ah, Kenya...) I took the opportunity to snap some photos of us all cleaned up.  Plus, Grandma has demanded a family photo with a smiling Kyalo.  I think these should satisfy her for a few days. . .

{Papa and Kyalo}

{Mama & Kyalo}

 {does he look like he means it?}

{we clean up pretty good, huh?}

Kyalo is very expressive and I love when I can capture a particularly precious shot.  He is non-stop movement, too, so it is difficult to get one in focus!  These photos here are the best of the crop.  

Now, Grandma, are you happy?

a big day

Today, our chunky monkey was weighed. . .

7.2 kgs! {15.87 lbs}

and measured...except that he measured in 3 cms less than where he was in June, so call me crazy, but I didn't think that was right.  They did it again, and came out the same as it was in June (60 cms, 23.6 inches).  I didn't want to push it, but my mama's instinct tells me that something is still a little off. 

In addition to the rather puzzling time at the doctor's, Kyalo officially became an American citizen today, and has the passport to prove it!

{the newest American}

The passport came just in time as we travel on Saturday to the US. Phew!  Say a prayer for us as we make the journey alone. I'm especially praying and hoping for sympathetic seat-mates who don't mind a baby nearby.

four months

Today Kyalo turns four months!

Why, that's certainly something to smile about.

Kyalo will get weighed (and we'll hope) measured on Monday.  He was 6.5 kgs {14.33 pounds} on July 11. My guess is that he's 7.5 - 8 kgs (around 17.5 pounds) now. He's one heavy dude! We are grateful for his continued good health and good growth.  He brings us so much joy. 

And now, for a few more photos:

sitting pretty in the rocking chair

 fingers are yummy

pondering life's great mysteries

 afternoon reading with papa

He always looks a little puzzled or perplexed to me in his photos.  Makes me wonder what's going on in his mind.  

It has been a wonderful four months!

smiles

I've mentioned before that Kyalo smiles all the time, but rarely for the camera.  Today, we got some smiles on camera!  He has this great chair that he has a love-hate relationship with.  It can give me anywhere from 5-20 minutes to get things done, like a sink full of dishes, dinner prep, or in today's case, hanging a load of laundry.  I bundled him up against the cold and brought the chair outside with me, and then worked as quick as possible. He was looking so cute, I had to snap a few shots, and was rewarded with some good smiles!

{bundled up}

 {smirk}

It is good I have these photos of him looking so cute while he smiles...I need the reminder as he was screaming his head off about ten minutes later! Phew.