Just Chillin'

Just chillin’

Many people ask me when I sleep?  Well, I know it’s at least 3 times a year in route to and returning from Rwanda.  I slept 14 of the 16 hours of flight time, most of the 2.5 hours to the house after I landed and then another 4 before the kids stirred at 6 am.

Given that I am traveling alone on this adventure and Abby isn’t in Rwanda anymore, I decided to just chill.  Nothing has to happen on any given day.  By the time I leave I just need to have the following tasks complete:  xmas, shoes sizes measured, thank you notes to the sponsors for xmas and and school fees, great pics of each of the kids.  8 days. Seems do-able.

The big kids greeted me wuth…WHY DID YOU COME SO LATE?  We waited and waited for you, but then we feel asleep. I told them my flight was delayed 3 hours in Amsterdam so then everything got delayed – hence my arrival 1:30 AM.

The gigles fill the house in the morning. It’s one of my most favorite times of the day with the kids.  Smooches, hugs and giggles.  Doesn’t get any better than that.

Despite the kids trying to get me to get back on the trampoline I used my best judgement and said no. My last adventure on the tramp resulted in my last knee surgery.  It was fun seeing their new advanced skills.  Lionel is the backflip king.

They also brought me drawings they had done over the holiday break.  Some of these kids have crazy talents in this area. It’s almost as if they traced the coloring book.  I made them show me they could indeed do it by just looking.  Voila, they did.

Lionel, Nshimeye, Fabiola and Issac can all do this.  Nshimeye has been passionate about drawing since he was a small boy.  I then tested his skills by giving him a picture of my Dad that I have here in a frame. It’s a pic of him sailing in his 20’s.  Nshimeye captured it perfectly.  I was really blown away. I wish we had the funds to help nurture some of these wonderful skills but our limited resources need to focus on school fees and operations.

Prior to dinner we fired up the projector and my computer to watch the Disney movie Spirit.  We project it on the wall and it’s great way to settle the kids down prior to dinner and bed time.

Prior to bedtime the big kids played bingo.  Thanks to a former colleague who donated a bunch of gently used games a few months ago when she moved . They caught on quickly.

Given that I woke up Mama early when I arrived at 1:30 in the AM, I asked all the big kids to get to bed early (9 pm) so she could get to sleep. The sweet souls begrudgingly agreed.