Coming to the end of 2011

Happy New Year!

To celebrate the end of 2011, we took our children

back to the Solar Ice Rink for a family skate.

It was a fun day slipping and sliding!

H A P P Y

N E W Y E A R !!!!

Baby Joanne at Mel & Kerry's place

We hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve

Wherever you are this evening!

The Days of Christmas

"Wacka, wacka!"

Erica and Emma on the way to the Muppet Movie

Although Erica and I are working from home this week, we are enjoying some great time in the evenings with our children and friends. We have enjoyed learning new games and playing old ones (Our kids are even learning to play Tiddly Winks for the first time). Nothing says reliving our childhood though, like going to the Muppet Show. We had a fun family date to the movies this week to see the latest Muppet movie. If you haven't seen it, it is a fantastic walk through memory lane for anyone who grew up watching Kermit and the variety show cast of Muppets and special guests each week. Although our children haven't grown up with the Muppets, or Sesame Street, the colourful characters are infectiously loveable.

Ava and TK ready for the Muppets

Visiting with our friend Kami

It has also been a great week of catching up with friends. Over the coming weekend, we will be meeting the Morgan family, our new team-mates who are arriving on New Year's Day from Canada. Please keep Wayne, Maureen and the children in your prayers as they prepare for the big journey ahead!

Dinner and card games with the Gilmer Family

Christmas Day 2011

At last, the advent journey brought us to

Christmas Day and the lighting

of the Christ candle

We had a wonderful day at home yesterday with our children and a few friends. Although we miss the fun of a snowy white Canadian Christmas, it was great to be able to visit with our families through the magic of Skype -- it was the best connection we'e ever had!! We didn't get to chat with everyone, but we were thinking of you all -- Merry Christmas!!!!!!

The girls up early to see what Santa left

under the Christmas tree

Mommy gave us all new pyjamas

Ava in her new dress

Christmas Quilt

Tristan snuggling with his Christmas stash of gifts

The cool early morning soon melted away as the sun shone brightly and we enjoyed a beautiful Kenyan summer day... December begins our summer here south of the equator

Daddy and our little elves

Mommy and Ava

Emma ready for our Christmas Day party

Gobble gobble!

Ava, Kerry and Joanne at the Christmas feast!

Ava loved her little kitchen she made PlayDoh cookies

and "ironed" her clothes all day -- she is a busy little bee

Wacky Stacky with our friends Amy, Hans, Mel and Kerry

It is like jenga... with a blindfold

Oops!!!

Erica and Mel

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Chameleon

It is Christmas Eve here in Nairobi, and the kids are already tucked in. Our three dogs are keeping watch for Santa as we head to bed as well. It was a great day of preparing for Christmas. We even braved the crowds at Village Market for lunch, on the way home we were met by this chameleon as he tip toed across our gate. Emma, our lizard hunter, scooped him up and made sure that his passage across our yard didn't meet any trouble from Henry, Reese or Hermione.

Emma with her new friend

Emma lighting the Advent candles for our

family Christmas Eve Service

After our Christmas Eve service, we followed our tradition of cuddling together in the living room and watching It's a Wonderful Life with Chinese take-out. Ava was beside herself with excitement for Christmas morning. The one present we all open on Christmas Eve is always new pyjamas, which is fun, but Ava has her sights on the packages under the tree.

For all our family and friends in Canada and around the world, we hope that you are enjoying a blessed Christmas Eve. May the Lord fill your Christmas with joy and laughter!

M e r r y C h r i s t m a s !!!

Smile Dresses

Erica and Tristan distributing

Smile Dresses to children

This week we had the joy of sharing some Christmas cheer with children living in Haruma slum, near our home. We brought three baskets of sun dresses and bags of candy to the kids. They were thrilled as the entire community gathered at the local school.

Haruma Slum, Nairobi

Tristan walking to New Dawn School

with a group of neighbourhood kids

The "Smile Dresses" were a gift from women living in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Joyce Rhead, from First Baptist Church, Charlottetown, organized the sewing of hundreds of dresses that the church is distributing to children in Kenya and Latin America.

Everyone was so excited to receive a new Christmas sun dress

Little ones lining up for their smile dress

Erica helping the little girls find the perfect fitting dress

Afterwards the kids lined up for some sweet treats

Styling!!

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S !