CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S IN THE USA AT THE LODGE!

Ok….  It is, at this writing March of 2014…. This will be basically pictorial in nature and really just for our family and close friends…. so i can try to get caught up.  

Christmas in America started the day after we got back from Africa in the place we were in last year….. The Log Cabin Suites and Inn in Donegal!   

Kids love their own room!!   

Getting ready for supper!

The snow begins and the cold temperatures!

Relaxing!

Posing!

Playing!

Toastin'!

Showin' off the Christmas presents: These gifts were a "hit"!! 

Coming and Going!

Princesses!!!

A baby from Africa for our littlest baby in America!

The chalk stick!

Checkin' out Minnie!

Watches from Africa!

Little trucks from Germany!

 I like yours better!

The "Just what i wanted" Diary with a 
secret compartment! 

"Is that all, " she wondered?

Getting the remote control car batteries in!

My little girls! 

One of my little boys!

My big boys…. checking out who has the thickest wallet….hmm..

Before dinner some sledding……

and freezing! 

Coming in from the cold!!!

The kids' Christmas dinner table. 

The  big kids' table! 

 Wow… this must be Christmas!

  

T 

 The morning pacifier!  (TV)

Cuddlin'…

Smilin'…

Playin'

….

Eatin' breakfast…

Puzzlin'…

Pretzelin…..

Climbin'…. 

My big girls!

                                  This is our family Christmas picture…  not visible.. later, i hope.

 So after our picture taking time Rob and Michelle and boys 
wanted to go see the Overly Christmas light display.  No one 

else opted to go but me… but it was great! 

  The only problem was that i had flip flops on and part of the tour

was a lot of walking in the snow and sub freezing weather.  

Who knew?  

 The next night the Ashes wanted to
go see the lights… 

But the Lord provided this Christmas light display on the way.  

Rich Colors! 

 Enter: Mom and Dad and babycakes.   VERY cold.. but beautiful…. The Krogh and Versaw families had to get back to go for school to start…. but these
guys were able to stay a bit longer.  

Large train display

Can you see this old sleigh… with lights around the edges
pulled by 2 huge horses?  We went on the "covered" sleighride  but they were both very cool! 

The Manger Scene!

The little engine that could!

A great display of lights over the whole acreage!

Fun times in the hot tub!!

The Christmas puzzle is done and so is our time here..

It was great to be with everyone in one space for
even a short time!

A perfect ending for the holidays and
a great way to start the new year!

love,
margie/ mom/ gramma

Departing Isn't Such Sweet Sorrow…

The kids went to bed for a few hours but the rest of us stayed awake until late.  Today was the sad day (well at 1:30 am) for the Versaw's and the Krogh's to return to the USA.  It wasn't as sad for us since we were traveling together, but Innocent got up to say good bye and see you later. … That was sweet sorrow!  I so wish we could bring him with us!  

These two little ones were amazing the whole trip and here they are in the middle of the night--still smiling. 

 At the airport--- Iris still has her monkey backpack on!

 Maybe a little bit sleepy… but doing great!

Coming into Istanbul the next morning. 

The shore line! 

Bit of a densely populated place???

Love this picture!   Keeping Iris busy is happy Dad, Adam.  Michelle is WIDE awake and Isaac just wants to put his eye
blinders back on and hit the sack…. on the flight from Istanbul to DC!  

Thinkin' or Snoozin'?

Turkish Airlines was quite nice…. but a little warm! 

 Simply can't imagine living this closely to people!

WOW…. this is not Pittsburgh or Kigali!

Nor is this!

Bruce had this dish… some kind of fish wrapped around rice for dinner.  No, not me.

On the way home all I could think about was how too--too short this trip was.  I had gotten really sick the day before we left and that made it an even shorter trip.  Adam had mistakenly left his billfold on the Istanbul flight and they wouldn't let him retrieve it….so we all had things on our minds.  ( By the way… his billfold made its way back to Penn Hills one month later
with everything intact!)  That was nothing short of a miracle.

We had a great visit and fun showing Michelle and Adam
 and the kids parts of Rwanda… but there's so much they didn't see.  Guess they'll just have to come back!!

After our return to America and then a month later returning here
to Kigali, I told the kids that I was really missing them. "But
so much has happened here in the last month," I said…  They quickly reminded me I had only been home in Kigali---
 1 WEEK!!!  

Time is a funny thing in our lives.  We want it to last and it doesn't.  We want it to go quickly and it doesn't.  We want it to slow down and it doesn't… but it does keep going….

and so must I if I'm to ever catch up on this blog!

love,
margie

Thanks for making our Christmas in Kigali so special, Michelle,
Adam, Isaac and Iris…..We're so happy you came to Rwanda!