Holiday (also known as vacation)

December 17-21 we went for holiday (vacation) to Nairobi. We had a nice time. I (Jenny) had two good doctor appointments. The babies are growing, hopefully about 3 pounds each (as of Dec 18). I'll have another ultrasound and doctor appointment after the boys and I get settled in Karen, a western suburb of Nairobi. The boys and I move to Karen on January 9th. Bed rest didn't happen as much as it probably should have while we were in Nairobi, but after the bumpy ride home, I've renewed my efforts at laying around or "baby protection," as we have decided to call it.

Picture of Jessica and Max after recessional.
We went to our first wedding in Kenya on Saturday, Dec 19th. There are some differences. Two weddings were scheduled at the church that day. The first for 10:30am and the one we were to attend at noon. There is Kenyan time and mzungu (white person) time. The bride for the first wedding showed up at the church for her wedding at 12:10pm. If Jessica had been there already, the pastors would have married them first. But people were on their cell phones and Jessica and Max decided to go for their pictures since they knew the first bride was late. We were also talking to people at the church and when we heard about the delays, we stopped and picked up lunch for a whole bunch of us. We arrived just after 12:30, but several Kenyans who hadn't called to find out how things were progressing showed up at 1pm. I heard another missionary asking them how they knew that they could come at 1pm for a noon wedding. I didn't hear their answer, so I asked my neighbor. She said that instead of being time-oriented, Kenyans are event-oriented. They know that they can show up later than the scheduled time and be part of the event.

Max, Jenny, and Jessica
A difference that I had not seen before was that Max and Jessica had to sign their marriage certificate in front of everyone as part of the ceremony and then Jessica had to put it in Max's inside suit coat pocket and button his suit. (She didn't rebutton the suit at first and the pastor whispered to the best man who walked over and told her to buttton it). Then they were able to continue with the ceremony.






Another difference was that when they placed the rings on each others fingers, they had to hold the hand above their heads to show no ring and then the placing of the ring. A difference leading up to any wedding that we know about from attending church is that for the three weeks prior to a wedding, an announcement, also called a bann, must be given at the churches each of them attend. That is to allow any current spouse that may not have been disclosed to say, "Hey, I'm already married to the person." It sounds funny, but things like that are usually done for a reason. Wedding banns have been announced around here since the time when the British controlled the area, but it has continued as a church requirement and we've met people here at Scott who grew up with fathers who are polygamists.

Isaiah and Nate looking "smart" (dressed up).
Isaiah did a great job as the ring bearer. Max and Jessica had a lovely wedding. We were worn out as a family after the wedding and reception, so we decided to extend our stay in Nairobi by a night. On Sunday, Dec 20th, we had a great relaxing day. We went to a swimming pool. I enjoyed feeling weightless!! The boys got to splash and play and laugh. We really needed a restful day and are so thankful that we got to have one as a family.






This is our Christmas picture for 2009. We were all dressed up for the wedding.