Chogoria National Park

The imagination of our boys, along with their passion for taking care of the earth, led to the creation of Chogoria National Park!  It's free to visit, and only 50 shillings to stay overnight (which equates to 50 cents), so I'd say it's a pretty good deal :)

The gift shop is well-stocked with toys and books, all at very reasonable prices.

And the restaurant on site has excellent fare.  The boys declared themselves waiters, as long as Mom and Dad were the cooks!  They are very eager to welcome anyone interested in dining at their fine establishment.

The park rangers offer guided tours around the park.  Wildlife includes chameleons, praying mantises, skinks, geckos, hornbills, ibises, and the occasional giant slug.  And if you venture on a night safari you might even see a mongoose or hedgehog.  And of course Usiku, the local stray-but-very-nice cat, is always around to greet you.

You are most welcome to Chogoria National Park!

Waterfall Adventures

The rainy season is just around the corner, which means we needed to sneak in some final trips to the waterfalls before the trails become impossibly muddy and slippery.

We hadn't been to the big waterfall in several months and everyone was feeling the itch to go.  Plus there's a new missionary family and we wanted to show them one of the best places in Chogoria.  So everyone piled into a couple cars and off we went.

The waterfall did not disappoint!

We're also in a new season in which the kids outnumber the adults for the first time.  There are 10 expat kids on the compound now!

So much exploring.  So much rock-throwing.  So much slipping in the water and soaking shoes!  No one found any tadpoles this time, but this crab was hanging out in a pool of water and was the cause of much excitement.

And despite all the kids needing constant monitoring, Lauren and I snatched a chunk of time to sit for awhile and enjoy the view.

Here are the parents (minus Derek who had to stay home this time).  I'm so thankful for grown-ups who are willing to haul their kids on adventures like this.  It's a lot of work and there's always some kind of cleanup required afterward, but it's so worth it.  Every time.

In addition to the big waterfall, there's another amazing waterfall at a different place in the area.  It's actually on the grounds of a riverside restaurant that we enjoy.  While we wait for our food, we hike down a short nature trail along the river which dead ends at this beauty.

There are lots of rivers and waterfalls in this area because we're so close to the mountain.  We live in such a beautiful place.

Also, this picture perfectly captures our little ham!

I'm thankful we have adventurous kids, and thankful for these places which beckon us to come and have adventures.

Art Class

For the past month I've been teaching an art class once a week.  Well, teaching is a relative term.  It would be more accurate to say I've been organizing and facilitating an art class.  I do not know much about art, but I know kids love to create and I decided to make space in our school schedule for that.  And it's been a success.

There are two classes - one for the older kids and one for the younger kids.  We gather in the community house where there's a big table for everyone to spread out, and the creativity unleashes.

I love seeing how varied the final products are. The same project produces such different results and I love it!

I will admit that the older kids are easier to work with.  No surprise there.  They're more independent and capable.  But they also take a lot longer because they're more particular about their work, especially the girls.  The younger kids have fun doing their projects as simply and quickly as possible.  Usually the younger kids are done in half the time the older kids took!

Most weeks I end up digging through our craft bin to see what supplies I have on hand, then cobbling together an art project.  It's taken creativity on my own part to create creative opportunities for the kids!

It definitely takes time and energy, but it's been well worth it.  By all accounts, the kids love it.  Which is all I care about.

With all the hats I wear these days, "art teacher" is currently one of my favorites.

Sometimes these art classes make me wish I had an art class of my own :)  

Valentine's Day of Races

Rain, thunder, and lightning postponed our Valentine's Day of Races this year, but the next night was perfect and the races were on!  This year we had more kids and less adults, meaning we had more chaos and less organization, but fun was had by all.

I feel like every event like this has to include an egg race.  It's perhaps the most classic relay race ever.

This was a fun and simple race.  Carrying soccer balls on top of upside-down cones and running.  Even the little kids could handle this one.

But this was my favorite event of the night.  Beach balls smushed between foreheads and running awkwardly down and back.  It was hilarious!

We ran out of time for all the stuff I had planned because the sun sets early here, year-round.  That's what happens when you live on the equator.  But we squeezed in a balloon race, water balloon toss, and the fan favorite: the wheelbarrow race!

Some of the kids have already asked if we're doing this every week.  I had to say no, but it was gratifying to know how much fun they had.  And as always, I give props to all the adults in this world who participate in stuff like relay races!  It reminds us of the joy and freedom of childhood, and gives the gift of fun memories to our kids.

The River

One of our favorite places is the river behind our compound.  It's a creek in the dry season (like now) and a raging river in the rainy season.  It runs through a forested area and has much to explore and enjoy.

The boys' imaginations run wild whenever we're there.  Many a dinosaur has tromped through the forest, and many a wild animal has camouflaged itself against the backdrop of bushes and rocks, and many a game of "Pooh Stick" has been played over the charmingly rustic handmade bridges.  I've also been rescued many times from nefarious creatures who never stood a chance against the swords and daggers of my sons.  If I ever thought a stick was a useless weapon, the imaginations of these boys have proved me wrong several times over!

The tall trees are calming and mesmerizing.  I'm still not sure what kind of tree they are, but the bark slowly peels off as they grow taller, leaving a perfectly smooth surface on the upper half of the trunk.  The wind often whispers through these trees, a perfect backdrop to the sound of flowing water in the river.  It makes the entire scene one of the most peaceful places around.

Sometimes we venture across and further up the river in order to ride the seesaw tree - a tree that fell and got lodged at a perfect angle and bounces perfectly like a seesaw.

But mostly we just hang out near "Big Rock" which is - you guessed it - a big rock.  It's a perfect place to rest, read a book, and eat a snack.

Our latest escapade culminated in a "wolf marathon" around a cleared-out shamba.  The maize had been harvested and the area made for a perfect place to do laps.  The boys slept quite well that night :)

I'm so grateful for this place.  It's one of the few places outside our compound where we can be left alone (most of the time) without the prying eyes of everyone curious about wazungu.  The river is a haven.