poolside vacation

Last week we were in California, to see Adam & Noelle and their six kids.  The trip there was pretty awful - Kyalo did not sleep much, and spent most of the flight climbing all over me.  I was totally worn out by the time we got there, and ready for some pretty chill time by the pool.  Which doesn't really happen when you have to keep an eye out for the 16 month old.  Still, I was able to rest and recover, thanks, mostly to Dexter and his willingness to give me breaks.

I was in California last year, but without Dexter who had to stay behind in Kenya. It was great to be there with him this time, especially since the only other time he'd been in California it was "June Gloom" the entire time we were there and we spent our days on the beach bundled up.  This year, California weather came through, and we spent most of the time at the pool.  There were many talks and plans about "field trips" to wineries or museums, but then I think we realized that seven kids might make that a little challenging, so we stuck close to the pool.  No one complained.

We also had a friend of Noelle's come to their house to take family photos. . .the whole point was to get a big group shot of the whole family, but my mom & I were talking today and we realize we didn't even do that! Whoops!!! Next year . . .

Kyalo adored being with his big cousins who were such good playmates for him. Caroline is non-stop activity and kept him thoroughly entertained.  And Abby became his first official babysitter, staying with him (and the others) so the six adults could go for dinner.

Kyalo is still a huge fan of pushing things, and pushing  people is way more fun than anything.  He spent a lot of time pushing his cousins around in this cart.

 Jack and Vivienne

 Vera - the newest member, 6 1/2 months

 Abby & Kyalo

 cousins!!

 Vivienne

Jack

I didn't get a shot of Adam and Noelle, either.  The photographer had her own camera so these photos were the ones I could catch on the side. Maybe in a few weeks I can post some of hers.

The rooms we had at the hotel had a little patio, and Dexter, Kyalo & I were standing outside one day. I thought the light was nice and snapped some photos...

 I love this photo a lot.  Kyalo's always pointing at something.

It was another whirl-wind trip, filled with lots of good meals (hello, Lobster flown in from MA!, and Adam's home made, home ground hamburgers), good conversations, and lots of laughter. 

I can't wait til we're all together again!

beach day

Our vacation has been long and relaxed. . .with travel to places including MA, NH, CA, MA, back down to NJ, and then today, back up to MA.  To be honest, it is kind of tiring! But we've enjoyed lots of time with family, and seeing (my) old friends.

One of those friends is a dear, dear friend from college. She now lives in London so we don't see each other too much these days.  She married a British-Nigerian (? is that right? African-British? British-African?) man, and has an 18 month old son.  It turned out that we were on the east coast at the same time, and worked hard to get together - to see each other, of course, but mostly to meet each others' sons :).  We went to a small beach in New Hampshire (a beautiful ride along the ocean wasn't too shabby) and had a great, but far too-short time. Kyalo certainly was sad to leave the beach!  I was sad to leave Jenn.  There's only so much meaningful conversation you can have when collecting buckets of water for the big hole the boys are digging.

 sandy feet!

and sandy mouth. guess someone needed to sample the sand

Kyalo & Xavier are at that stage where they really play around each other more than anything, so these pictures are definite gems.

And cutie Xavier in all his glory. . .

We did manage to get a shot of the four of us (thanks to Dexter who was along for the ride, too!).

Xavier (18 months) Jenn, Jenna, Kyalo (16 months)

August 6, 2012

It was so good to see Jenn again, to to meet her son.  It is also so great to have friends with children because they just get the ups and downs and exhaustion that come with motherhood!  I wish Jenn wasn't across the pond.  I think you've lived there long enough, come on home!

vacation!!

We are on vacation!!  After the last 4-5 months (packing, goodbyes, moving, hellos, settling, school, adjustments, etc) it feels good to not be so go-go-go all the time.  Dexter finished up the first part of his program at the end of July, and after a few days relaxing in Belleville (and hanging pictures and unpacking another suitcase - that only took four months) we headed to Massachusetts.

Here's the thing.  When I think vacation, I think relaxing on the porch with a good book and an ice tea.  Somehow, throwing a 16 month into the mix throws that off - especially when we're at Grandma's house and there are so many fun things to pull down off shelves, and so many things that can get him into trouble.  Needless to say, I haven't powered through the books I've checked out from the library.  Dexter's idea of vacation apparently includes sanding and staining the railing of my parent's front porch in 90* temps.

vacation?  really?

(getting the house ready for a wedding there on the 18th!)

He was working hard, and Grandma took Kyalo for a walk, so I seized the moment and sat on the porch and read magazines and relaxed.  That was a real treat.

We also spent a few hours one day at the little pond at Gordon to escape the heat.  Kyalo loves the beach and the water.  I love taking him to places where I grew up going, and I love running into friends there, too!

So while it isn't exactly what I'd envisioned in terms of vacation, we're really able to rest and relax - Dexter most importantly.  Why can't life be more like vacation all the time? :)

16 months

Last week, Kyalo clocked 16 months. I've been so wrapped up in the Olympics and vacationing that I haven't had a chance to blog.  We head tomorrow to California to see Adam and his family, so now's the moment!  It'll be short and sweet.  (Or, at least, relatively short and sweet. . .)

This was a pretty low-key month for us, after that initial travel at the beginning of July. Dexter was finishing up his school, and Kyalo and I were trying to survive the ridiculous heat.  There were a lot of days of buckets of ice in the backyard.  The month also included. . .

 frozen blackberries!

best eaten without a shirt

fresh New Jersey corn

someone couldn't wait to cook it

Early morning in the house:

 July 25

looking like Grandma here!

Dexter wrapped up school on the 27th, and we quickly headed to Mass for our first true vacation since being in the US. We definitely need it! I think Kyalo loves being back in Mass.

 August 3, 2012

See? Happy to be in Mass!

grace

Dexter and I have been working on financial aid applications in the last couple of weeks, trying to see just how much money we can eek out of the loan process. It has been grueling, tiring, stressful work.  I spent a long time working out a bare-bones budget with no frills attached (no eating out, gifts, extravagant shopping, and on), and even still, what we get from loans will be well under this estimate.  I have to admit when I think about it, and do the math, I get stressed out and begin to panic slightly.  I vow things like, "rice + beans 4eva" and plot various ways to save money.  Then I do a 180 and rush out to the grocery store and buy things that I probably shouldn't, but that, at that moment, I just need.

Right now, I do not know exactly what the next few months or even couple of years will look like.  But I have been seeing so many signs of God's Grace and for us these past few months, that I can't help but think it will turn out okay.

Here are but a few glimpses of God's grace:

-- monthly mystery gift cards arriving in the mail - two to Trader Joe's, one to a local diner so we could have a morning breakfast out!
-- two very unexpected and very generous monetary gifts from friends which (of course) came at exactly the right time.  Plus we were able to get an air-conditioner (and a good night of sleep!) for our room and some small rugs for the house.
-- Our gas & electric bill having a random credit on it which means we didn't have to pay last month, and might not pay this month.  I mean...what?!
-- a huge box of hand-me-down clothes for Kyalo (including an awesome winter coat!) from my Aunt Ellen
-- Immeasurable support from my parents - so much so that perhaps that deserves its own blog post! :)

These little glimpses of grace offer me encouragement and reassurance that we weren't totally crazy to come to the US for school.  I know some people might wonder. . . In the long run we'll see the benefits, but these two years will tight.

I'm not complaining - please don't think that! In fact, when I look at the above list, I am truly awed and humbled by the community around us that is supporting us in such interesting and tangible ways.  I look forward to {some day!!!} being able to pay the love forward.

In the mean time...what do YOU do to save money? Do you have any good recipes (or food websites) that are cheap and easy?  I'd be happy for any kind of tip you can send my way.

overdue

This video is LONG overdue. I had some serious technical difficulties posting it at the appropriate time -- Kyalo's birthday.

The Kenyan version of "Happy Birthday" is so awesome and unique, I knew I had to get it on video...especially since we wouldn't be in Kenya for Kyalo's birthday (sob).  It took a couple of tries (mostly because the first time, my camera ran out of memory about 1 second in) to get this video.   I suppose I could have saved posting it til Kyalo's 2nd birthday, but it is too great not to share, esp since I got it on the blog, finally!

We played it a LOT for Kyalo around his birthday, and hope to every year.  I love these guys -- my Bible Study group and their (many! wow.) kids who were willing to put up with me and sing this song for Kyalo multiple times a month before his birthday.

My friend Francis is the leader of the song, you'll see him in the back somewhere. 

Tell me you don't love it. . .

rice bucket

Considering how much fun Kyalo had on the beach in Ocean City, my mom thought it would be a great idea to get Kyalo a rice bucket that he could play with. She envisioned him happily pouring the rice from one container to another, letting it fall through his hands, etc, for many hours of uninterrupted fun. 

Not exactly.

I will say this, though.  The rice bucket DID provide good entertainment for Kyalo three ways:  playing with it & dumping it on the floor, then spreading the rice further out on the floor, and then watching me clean it all up.

 do you see the rice everywhere?

Sigh.

I even moved the party to our back yard, but that just resulted in him dumping the rice on the ground and then picking up handfuls of rice and dirt and eating it.  Yuck.

We're sticking with cleaner (and cooler!) activities like playing with ice cubes for now.