This time we knew what to expect. This time we prepared in advance. This time our kids didn't need as much hand-holding throughout the whole process. This time we felt more confident and had a semblance of control over the transition process.
So I told Eli that I wasn't too stressed. I actually felt good about everything.
But I spoke too soon.
The bags were packed and in the car. The kids were sent to the car and I was right behind them. As soon as I walked out the door, Caleb came around the corner of the house and declared, "Mama, I had an accident."
Normally we hear this phrase from our 3-year old who is still potty-training. So when I turned and saw our 6-year old completely soaked, I was confused. My confusion was immediately superseded by anger, however, since Caleb was supposed to have been in the car, but was instead standing before me dripping all the way down to his toes. "What happened?" I yelled.
"I went down to the lake and I fell in."
I'll spare you the details of how my anger not only flared but completely exploded on our son, but suffice it to say that something inside of me broke in that moment. My serene state evaporated in an instant and I was crying hot and angry and very stressful tears. We had been ready. We had been on time. We had been in control. And then our son disobeyed us and "had an accident" and I simply couldn't handle it.
Thankfully, I didn't have to handle it alone. My parents and my husband came to the rescue. While I was yelling about not having any other clothes to put him in because it was all packed in the back of the car at that point, my mom got towels and did find spare clothes, and my dad started blowdrying Caleb's shoes, and my husband dealt with our child with compassion because I did not have it in me to do anything but scream at him.
All it takes to make everything unravel is an unexpected dunk in the lake.
By God's grace, we still made it to the airport on time. We still got all our bags checked without any problem, and we still made it to the gate in time to grab a chocolate milkshake on the way. And I hugged it out with Caleb and my state of not-being-stressed returned.
And then we were on our way for an uneventful flight and almost perfectly behaved children (minus a delirious meltdown by Kid #3 in the middle of the night, but who can blame a kid for that when it's impossible to sleep well on a plane?). We were really proud of our boys. International flights are not easy and are not short, but they rocked it.
Caleb fell asleep ten minutes before we landed in Nairobi, which made him a little rough around the edges all through customs. Then he laid down on the floor of the baggage claim area and I wasn't sure if he'd be able to carry himself out of the airport. But watching his brothers play with the luggage carts perked him up, and all three boys were wide awake when we finally walked out of the airport at 1am.
Arriving at Hampton House (our favorite guesthouse in Nairobi) was such a joy. It's our "home away from home" in Kenya and it's familiar and comforting to us. We slept in past noon (hello, jet lag!) but got our car and got our phones set up and made a trip to the grocery store all on the first day. We felt very accomplished!
And then we settled into a couple days of rest and recovery. Our dear friends the Parkers, who lived at Tenwek with us, came to spend the weekend with us and we couldn't imagine a better welcome on this side of the ocean. They are like family to us and we enjoyed sweet time together getting caught up and laughing and playing games and eating good food. Our souls were refreshed!
And of course, the boys made great use of the playground at Hampton House. This was always part of our excitement to come here: a playground means we're on vacation! There's actually a playground at Chogoria now, so the novelty of the one at Hampton House might wear off eventually, but the boys loved it all the same and spent hours digging in the dirt and swinging and climbing and all manner of boyish activities.
And to top it off, we saw a pair of hornbills fly into the trees above us! They are fascinating birds and we watched them for quite awhile. Caleb , our animal expert, was particularly excited. And right after that he discovered a praying mantis and a beetle close by as well. The African wildlife did not disappoint!
So we are here, safe and sound and not at all settled yet. But that is coming. We are being patient with the process of transition. We are saying a lot of hellos, and will be traveling to Tenwek soon to greet people there and say some goodbyes again, and then begin the major process of starting over at a new place in a new community. But we feel good. God has been good to us and we feel it.
Thank you for the thoughts and prayers sent our way as we left America and re-entered life in Kenya. They were felt and appreciated, and are holding us up still!
