Christmas Day

Our first artificial tree..... our first Christmas Day to wear shorts..... our first time to have zebras on the tree!  But some things never change..... The boys woke us at 5:00 to open stockings.  We ate turkey dinner with friends on campus.  We called friends and family in Canada.  

But this will be remembered as the Christmas that we delighted in the "familiar".  Gifts of Heinz ketchup, Kraft peanut butter, Nutella, and Nova Scotia maple syrup were our most prized presents. 

Simon was also excited to get a book of East African birds; Max was thrilled with his new paddle for table tennis; Lisa cried over a garnet necklace and earrings (mined here in Kenya); Tim is looking forward to seeing the pyramids in Egypt.

Christmas Eve

Anticipating that we would be a bit homesick on our first African Christmas..... we planned a fun-filled evening with friends.  After a church service on campus we invited staff families to our home for finger foods.  About 40 people came to share a snack.

Then we all headed over to the pool for a night swim.  It was a cloudy night but we enjoyed it just the same.  The boys thought it was a great NEW tradition. 

Christmas vacation

Having a few days off for the holidays gives us a chance to explore some of the local attractions.  On Monday we went ice skating!!  Here in Nairobi!  It was 34 degrees outside and chilly inside the Panari Centre.  We went with another family and, because we were the only ones there, we were able to get out the sticks and play a game of hockey.  It was such fun and a perfect memory maker for our first Christmas without snow.

Today we went on a walking safari.  We went with several families and spent 2 hours walking among the wildebeests, zebra, and giraffe.  We also saw a python.... the boys were excited!

 We were all excited on the drive home when we saw SNOW on the side of the road!  We were several thousand feet higher in elevation than Nairobi and the temperature was 11 degrees.  A little bit of rain turned to hail and it llooked like snow!  What a special Christmas treat for us!

 

Company for Christmas

Simon's Grade 4 class has a special pet named Moses.  The students have been caring for him this term and can earn play time with Moses by completing extra work.  Moses was named for his grey/ white colouring -- making him look wise beyond his years.

Yesterday was the last day of school and Moses could not be left alone for the holidays, so...... Simon and another boy in his class are looking after Moses for the Christmas Break.  Moses came home with Simon yesterday and will spend the first week of his vacation with us.

This Moses also has his own "Ten Commandments":
1.You shall not feed the hamster anything Mrs. Milton has not given you.
2.You shall not open the cage when Mrs. Milton has not given you permission.

3.You shall not rattle the cage or move it unnecessarily.
4.You shall not stick fingers or anything else between the bars or you shall be bitten.

5.You shall not raise your voices at the hamster.  Stay calm.

6.You shall not stay after school or in at recess to play with the hamster unless you have specific permission from Mrs. Milton.

7.You shall not drop him.

8. You shall not squeeze him.

9.You shall not let him run on places above the floor.  He has no concept of danger.

10.You shall love him for the furry ball of cuteness that he is.

Christmas Concert

Tonight was Rosslyn's Elementary School Christmas Drama.  The play was called The First Leon (Noel spelled backwards). 

Simon played the part of the storyteller.  He did extremely well.  

Preparations began in October and the students had rehearsals twice a week after school.  This cut into Simon's swim team practice.







Lisa helped out by making the angel costumes.  

Simon and Max happily demonstrate the flexibility of the angel costumes.  
 



The real angels were perfectly..... angelic!



 It really was the students' show -- they created the sets themselves in Art Class.