the bean and the bug

this was taken in Musoma, on the shores of Lake Victoria. we go to musoma to stock up on propane and do errands - it's about a 3 hour drive from us.

our gardener, Samwel, with curious onlookers.

my dad came to Mugumu for a week in September - among other things, he taught Ben how to whack a golf ball (75 feet in the air), flicked a lizard to it's fate over the hedge, met many of our friends and finessed his Swahili.

my mom and aaron - precious

Ben

So as not to leave out Ben, here are some recent pics of my gorgeous, edible three year old boy.

(I realize I am totally blogging backwards here!)

National Geographic - eat your heart out! :)

Ben has anywhere from 5-20 friends come to our yard on a daily, perhaps hourly, basis. Many of them are quite a bit older than him. Although at times we feel like we are the neighborhood kindergarten, we are thankful that Ben has playmates at a moment's notice. His Swahili has really been picking up lately - important words like "jongoo" (millipede), "kono kono" (snail), "mjusi" (lizard), "acha" (stop), "njoo" (come), "hapa!" (here), "ona" (look) etc.

one of his favorite activities is "fishing" off of our porch


turning 3 on august 2nd. we had about 10 neighborhood kids over for a party on the porch. i decorated the cake using a ziplock bag. Ben didn't seem to mind.

We had a day at Rosslyn where there happened to be facepainting - he wanted

"Lightening McQueen" - the "famous racecar!"

Aaron

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Aaron...

There are SO many more though - although, I do admit, as the second child, we don't have a picture to record every second of his life, like we did with Ben.

little aaron - two months

first smile caught on camera - 2 months

i like to call him my "little bug"

brothers

aaron has the smallest mouth I've ever seen. however, when he smiles,

it takes over his entire face. so adorable.

a "record" shot...or two

Ngorongoro Crater

Wildlife

catching up

From Nairobi...

We really don't come up here to Nbi all that often...it just seems like it's the only time we get around to blogging! I thought I'd throw together some pictures from the last few months and I hope to post some more pictures in the coming days.

Aaron is six months old now - starting solids, laughing a lot. He was born with his eyes wide open and he is one curious little baby. He loves anything exciting and new. He is a well-traveled little baby already - driven all over Kenya and Tanzania. Poor guy has had no choice but to be a rugged adaptable little baby.

Ben or "Mbogo" (Buffalo) as people in Mugumu call him, after his Grandpa French (Papa), is only the best little athlete the world has ever seen. This guy can hit baseballs and golf balls, throw a frisbee, kick a soccer ball and bounce a basketball and hit a tennis ball like it's just an extension of himself. Yes, I'm totally bias.

We're about to enjoy a week of relaxing in Nairobi. It has been a great but very busy last few months - highlighted by a visit from Opa and Oma Unger from Winnipeg. They stayed with us in Mugumu for two weeks, and then we had a week of vacation with them - traveling through Serengeti and Ngorongoro with them, spending a couple days in Arusha, and then some more time with Ryan and Kristen in Nairobi. Ben was in heaven with his grandparents' visit - so much attention. Opa can make matchbox cars the most interesting thing in the world - or stories about tails. Aaron made sure to secure a place in his Oma's arms every chance he got.

We love you Opa and Oma!!

Ben and Opa studying a caterpillar

Serengeti

Tasty