Life on the Edge: A visit from Kenya, the first days

We hadn't even said goodbye to the cousins when we welcomed Dexter's parents from Kenya. Since this was their first trip on a plane and out of Kenya, we were all a bit anxious that all would go smoothly -- the layover in Amsterdam, customs in the US, and luggage arriving with them, etc. Never did we think the pick up would be the challenge. Thankfully, all the harrowing pieces did go smoothly, but Dexter ran around the airport a bit trying to find them - starting in the wrong terminal, parking what felt like miles away from the right one, and then not being able to find them! I even called the airline just to make sure they actually got on the plane in Amsterdam. After a few more laps, Dexter finally found them. Phew.

They started out their visit by meeting my brother's six kids and having a quick reconnect with my parents. After an impromptu dinner we were on our way, since Dexter had to work the next day.

The last time we had seen Dexter's parents was right before we left Kenya in 2012. Kyalo was 11 months:

To say we were over due for a visit is an understatement. To have them in our house in Maine was so special, and truly, a gift.

I don't think we were back in our house five minutes before Kyalo was playing (forcing?) baseball with his grandparents.

He will love them forever just for that!

The first days of their visit were pretty low-key because of Dexter working, and them recovering from jet lag. We spent a lot of time in the backyard, relaxing, playing baseball, and hanging out.

Kyalo had 6 weeks of T-Ball, so we got to take Buda & Shosho to a couple games. He was, of course, ecstatic to have them there. And I managed to capture this sweet, impromptu moment when we left:

This is one of my favorite moments from the whole trip.

Meanwhile, Dr Kim had long been on a hunt for a goat for us, and found it just in time for us to have a bit of a goat roast, Kenyan style, while Dexter's parents were here. So Dexter and his parents dashed off to Portland to pick up the goat.

twinsies!

It was a tad more goat than we were prepared for -- and there's still quite a bit in our freezer, so come on over if you have a hankering for some goat :) -- and Dexter was feeling a bit stressed about cooking it in a way that would be enjoyable for everyone. He found an interesting marinade for it which he opted to do in the oven, and was going to grill some ribs. 10 minutes before everyone was set to arrive, Dexter ran in in a panic: we were out of gas! Off he dashed to get more, and made it back just in time. Crisis averted!

Kyalo enjoyed helping his Shosho cut the sukuma wiki (kale or collard greens) for the party:

He does love to be a helper!

There was plenty of food, Dr Kim and his family and Aaron and Gayle and their kids, and Matthew and Angie all came. This was a nice, low-key way for everyone to meet the parents, without the pressure or stress of a restaurant. Plus, Kyalo & Lucas played baseball most of the night with Mac Kim who is 17. I say he's hired!

As usual, I didn't get too many pictures of the actual gathering. I should have tried for a group shot!

Buda, looking like royalty

It was an intense game, even if Kyalo was Shoeless Joe!

All in all, it was a wonderful evening, with good food, friends and conversation!

On that Sunday is when we had Malaikah dedicated and had lunch with my parents. Already, that seems ages ago! It was so special to me that all the grandparents could be a part of such a sweet time in Malaikah's life.

Monday the weather was lousy, and Kyalo was going to his school for the last day, so we dashed off to Target to do some shopping! Since we live an hour or so from the nearest Target it was just as much a treat for me as it was for Dexter's parents. It is probably a good thing we don't live to close.

The weather on Tuesday was also not that great, and I was afraid that plans would again be foiled. Instead, we decided to brave the darkening clouds and just hope they were more bark than bite. We headed to Portland to go to the Narrow Gauge Museum, which is a small (very small!) museum marking the history of the narrow gauge trains in Maine. Dexter's dad worked for Kenya Railways, so we thought he would enjoy it. And we knew Kyalo would like the short train ride, too. The cloudy weather meant we didn't have a great view of the ocean, but otherwise, it was a fun day!

Kyalo got to ring the bell!

love

I think she liked it.

After the museum we walked around for a bit and then got lunch. The rain didn't slow us down, and we got to show off a bit more of the state of Maine.