Good Morning

Hello everyone. We did make it to Omaha, NE. Last Monday, we had the girls' doctor's appointment in the morning, clearing them to fly, and at about 5pm we found out that we could get out that night on the 11:30pm flight. We left for the airport at 7:30pm Nairobi time (11:30am in Omaha) and arrived in Omaha at 7:30pm Tuesday night.
If I'm over jet lag and calculating correctly, that's 32 hours of travel. Other fun numbers:
12 checked bags
6 carry on bags
4 children 4 and under
at least 4 times through security checks, including full body checks in London and all carry on bags THOROUGHLY checked
we rode 3 planes, 2 trains, 1 bus
And 11 people greeted us at the airport.
So, we made it safely. All things considered, the travel went very well. Many, many prayers were answered as we flew and we are so thankful to the Lord for his provision.
We are planning to be in Omaha till June 9, then to Chicago for a few days and then home to St. Louis Park. Our house is on the market, so depending on when it sells, our plans may change.
Babies are calling-gotta go.

Holding Pattern

We were hoping to announce that we are safely back to the United States, BUT instead we are safe in Nairobi. Makena and Naomi are sick for the first time and have a respiratory virus. Their pediatrician said that it was not safe for them to fly until they get better. They do not have to be hospitalized, Praise God!!

We uneventfully moved out of our home in Machakos last Saturday and have been staying at Mayfield Guesthouse since then. Thankfully, this home away from home has room for us to stay. Mayfield is the same guesthouse where we vacationed in December. The staff, rooms, and playroom are familiar, as are some of the faces that pass through. My favorite part about staying here is meeting incredible people that do incredible things all over Africa. (And I sure don't mind that I don't have to cook or wash dishes). It's amazing to hear what God is doing and to see all the different sorts of people that God uses!

So, we don't know when we are returning to the US. Makena and Naomi see their doctor again on Monday. If we get permission to fly, we should be back to the States by the night of May 30th. Many of the flights for British Airways are full for next week and their flight attendants have decided to strike. We will try to keep everyone posted about when we get to fly, but if something suddenly opens up and we can get our family of 6 and our 14 bags to the airport in time to fly, then we are going to go for it! We look forward to seeing friends and family again.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. We will see so many of you soon.

3 months plus 3 days and lots of smiles

No, that's not how long till we come back to the United States. Makena Elizabeth and Naomi Rebecca are 3 months plus 3 days old today. They now weigh 11 pounds 14 ounces and 11 pounds 5 ounces, respectively. Makena continues to be a bit bigger.

As of Wednesday, our girls are proud recipients of US passports! That means that we get to bring them home. (As if we would leave them behind).
Makena on left and Naomi on right.










Isaiah sports his graduation outfit. Graduation was last Friday and it was a good time. The previous President of Kenya, Moi, was the guest speaker and arrived by helicopter.














Isaiah specifically asked if I would show you this butterfly from our backyard.












The girls LOVE to smile these days. This is Naomi. Five seconds before I took this picture, she was crying. Thankfully, they are never sad for long.













Todd with his girls. Makena on left and Naomi on the right. We are currently of the opinion that the girls are probably identical. We won't know for sure unless they start to look really different or if we have a DNA test done.













Jenny holds the girls out on the back patio. They decided that they had had enough of watching their brothers in the pool. Naomi is in my arms and Makena is lounging.















Nathanael takes a quick break from swimming. That's a water tank in the background that collects all the rainwater from the roof.















Isaiah loves "swimming!" The chair is NOT a diving board, it only holds up the side of the pool.













Nate and Isaiah hanging out in the pool.

















Naomi lounging in backyard during boys swim-time.


















Makena lounging also.



















Todd, Isaiah, and Nate showing off crowns.




















Naomi grins for a 3 month old picture.




















The girls pose together. Makena on left, Naomi on right.