October 2013

It's crazy it is already November.  This year seems to be flying by!  Last year we were stateside and up in the midst of cool weather, pumpkin patches, Starbucks for pumpkin spice latte's, grandparents houses for meals, Elisha having a thanksgiving program at school, weekends at the Uranch (you know I had to throw that in), and me being pregnant as ever.  It's good to look back on but thankful to be where we are this year.  We go through moments of missing friends and family but thankful for the ones we have here.  There's so much less seasonal activities here although we do stay very busy.  It's been good to have a simple holiday season and to be aware of all we are thankful for here.  There's ways we've been able to make it feel the season of fall, although the scenery here is nothing like it would be in the U.S.  We had a little fall festival party here at our house with some of our missionary friends and have made pumpkin bread and our own version of pumpkin spice latte's in attempt to make it feel like November.  We thought it was about to be dry season here when the sun is out more and rains have stopped but that hasn't quite happened yet.  So when it rains and the hot African sun hides behind the clouds, it feels for a moment like fall weather.  Soon enough though our roads will be full of dust, the bushes will be covered brown due to the dust and the sun will be out all day.  Our December here is more like summer weather, which Bud and I love.  Thanks to pinterest, I've been able to put little things around the house to decorate for this season and find activities to do with the kids.  Yesterday I found some online children's books to read to the kids so we learned about the Pilgrims and Indians.  We then spent the afternoon at the Kitale museum.  We took our girls from our girls home to town to eat and then the museum.  A huge treat for them!  At the museum, there's a part where they have different grass and mud huts built to show how different tribes build their homes differently around Kenya.  Elisha asked at one point if that's how the Indians lived.  Haha.  A five year old trying understand being from two cultures and separating two different parts of the world is always fun to listen to.  Although there are some similarities to him of tribes that live in very rural areas...  eating maize, hunting with bows and arrows, wearing loin cloths, having to live off the land to survive...  Ok how did I get off on this.  

Its been a quick month with a lot of good and some hard.  Like having to deal with conflicts that I did not sign up for when I moved here!  But conflicts are part of relationship.  And the Kingdom of God consist of relationships.  Jesus wants relationship with us and for us to have with one another.  And it is HARD sometimes.  But wow, what a blessing they are when you are in it for the long haul and continually look to Jesus for the wisdom and unity.  I could go on and on here.  But above all, this past month I have seen the goodness and mercy of the Lord follow us and go before us.  Like this past week we went to meet with our precious widows that I call family.  Oh and how it made me miss having Christy here!  But it was such an incredible time of seeing heaven invade earth.  This will have to be a whole entire blog post.  Some incredible testimonies of Jesus' healing power at work.  Oh how He just pours out his love over them.  I left more in love with Jesus and seeing His Kingdom here on earth.  

So I've been trying to post an update on here for quite awhile and keep trying to get the right pictures and it hasn't happened but figured I'd just post what I have.  So in no order, here's a good amount of pictures from the month of October.  

Claire playing with Blessing at Mattaw

Elisha and Ezra 

 Ryan (who's in Sprouts Baby House).  I can't believe how big and healthy he's gotten after just three months.  Will definitely get a baby house update on here soon.  

Naomi out at Mattaw.  (one of our two British visitors here)

My baby boy looking way to big.  (Had to throw on some fall clothes one day)

Johnny with Johnny (our other British visitor)

And I realized I posted about our half marathon race but never shared about he safari we took a few days before the race.  It was a great safari with some friends and our little family.  (Just missing Caleb!)

We loved the elephants!  Sat right in the middle of a huge herd and one little baby elephant did a little dance for us.  One of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Lioness dragging away her wildabeest.  Please take note of him sticking out his tongue. 

Momma cheetah with her three babies

All the girls that went on safari.  (we just missed Anna!  she was holding down the fort back in Kitale)

Meredith, Ashley, Maurine, myself and Lisa. 

Lisa and Ashley came for a week and blessed our baby home with loads of goodies and supplies needed.  They were here back in July when we brought in the four babes.  It was a huge blessing for them to come back to check on babies and bring supplies.  So glad the timing worked out for them to come on safari with us!

Giraffe.  For those of you that need a new profile picture.

And Mrs. Lisa came with surprises for the kids so they just HAD to wear them on safari.  That was quite a site for other tourist to see them in our safari vehicles!

Hoping to get some updates on here about our babies and widows very soon!

Happy Fall y'all!