Memorial Weekend

What a lovely weekend. Ababayeh taught you how to fish. Had lots of laughs with the family. Lots of play with your cousins.  Good food.  Watching you go from toddler to boy. Oh, what joy.

(We did miss seeing Gma Jody and must pray for her health.)

More from Memorial Day Weekend this week.

Family Weekend

We are going to have quite a weekend in Mommyah's hometown of Salisbury, Missouri. You will play a ton with your cousins. Your Great Grandma Ileen is pretty awesome when it comes to kid stuff. She plans to tie dye shirts with you, has turned her pop-up camper into a kids kitchen, has made a new picnic table big enough for ALL of her great grandkids, has special kid food, and has yard games ready. She has probably pulled a few all-nighters just planning for you all to come. I had the privilege of having Grandma Ileen as my nanny growing up. Her imagination and creativity are precious gems. She currently hosts a Bird Watching Club with 10 and 11 yr old boys in town. A few summers ago she hosted a Drama Club where she wrote a play, had a group of kids be the cast, she made their costumes, and had the kids raise a few hundred dollars selling tickets. They performed the play at the city park, and a large audience joined. They donated the money to a charity. What a lady, Grandma Ileen!


We will also be with your Gramma Debby and Grandpa Ben. Since I mentioned we are going there today, you keep saying their names over and over again. 

My Beet Boy

Gunyea,

You (and Dwight Schrute) have captured my heart since you share my love for beets. I grew up on pickled beets (yum), but lately we've just been eating them as is (cooked, of course). Yesterday Taryn and I were quite concerned at the bright magenta color of your "number two". It didn't take long for us to realize it was the beets.

Aside from being my beet boy you are cracking yourself up with simple jokes, using more sentences instead of single words, still obsessed with driving, and really bonding with Ababayeh. You usually say, "Mommyah rock you?" but you've been changing that to "Ababayeh rock you?" And yesterday you said, "Jess rock you?" over and over because for 2 days I had been preparing you for your new babysitter Jess to come. You had a blast with Jess, and she said she wants to adopt b/c she enjoyed time with you. But back to Ababayeh...he's teaching you the somersault, he takes you to the park, and he makes you tons of your favorite food. Bread aka "dabo" which you've always pronounced "babo."

Man Down, Man Down...

Alright dude, here we go...your mom is sick.   I came home with a cold from France, you were sick as soon as I got home with an ear infection.  We are both doing better, but now we passed off our germs to her.  Since it is our fault, I see it only necessary to take care of her.  (We'd do it anyway right?!)

Here is our first test.  Can we overcome the odds and make it through these next few days.  Your mom is the M.V.P. of this family, and with her out of commission we have some serious work to do.

She definitely won't like being sick, so you need to give her the "special treatment", and I'll fill her with Sprite and fluids.  Seeing that my bedside manner is about as good as cup with a hole in the bottom, we need to concentrate here.  You keep the kleenex coming and I'll see if I can give her some time to relax.  You have your assignment, I have mine.

Ready...break!

Feel better moms,

the boys

For the Record

As your father stated well, this was a Saturday for the record books. The morning started with the boys, (you, Ababayeh, and Owen) going to the park. I slept in, then did some yoga on the back porch. We went to the City Farmer's Market, which was packed. Got a bunch of good produce for cheap. Beets, avocado, carrots, oranges, tangerines, bananas, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, red onions, limes, lettuce...a whole lot for $25. Then we stopped at the Mexican Market and got local tortilla chips for pico di gayo + carnitas, black beans, and rice. Your dad went 45 miles on his bike while you napped.  Then to Smithville Lake for an evening picnic by the water. Owen loves swimming, as most labs do. A "special treat" at Sonic. Home. Daddy put you to bed, then he and I enjoyed a glass of wine on the front porch. A great day. 

Forgot to mention how affectionate you've been lately. Ababayeh was making bread while I was packing our picnic and you kept kissing your dad's leg and then mine. You kiss us often, at random. It's so unexpected and sweet. 

We love you, kid. It's so fun to be a family of three. 

Babies

Michael and I snuck out for a movie while T and Micah put you to sleep on Wednesday night. We saw the documentary called Babies. It's French director, Thomas Balmes, did such a great job capturing these four little lives from birth to walking with some hilarious footage. I wonder how many kids will see this film, but I think you would enjoy it, Gunyea. Meet the babies:

Ponijao from Nambia

Mari from Tokyo

Bayar from Mongolia

Hattie from San Francisco

On the Cob

Tis the season for back deck dinners and corn on the cob. You were going on your second ear in this photo. We love grilling it with the shuck still on then pealing it at the table. More mess = more fun.

More fun w. Olive

Olive came over for some craft time, then play dough, then swinging. She came in tights and a sweater, but ended up in your t-shirt and no tights. It was warm outside and you did not mind loaning her your shirt!

You talk about Olive all of the time. Glad we found some new pals (her mom too!) in the hood.

Back to 3

Daddy's home. And he came back with lots of goodies for us from great shops like Bout'chou for you and Zara, Kookai, and Promod for me. And a pair of Victoria's (sneaks from Spain). Delicious chocolates (which Bayonne is known for), a wonderful rubber bib & books for you, chai tea for me, and a few other gifts. He did well! He also got you a traditional French onsie to sleep in. We already spent the morning at the zoo visiting a gorilla and some cheetas. He's got some chocolate bread in the works (rising now), and he's sharing great stories of the culture in Bayonne.


So the trip was good for all of us. Hopefully we'll visit Bayonne someday because your dad sure enjoyed it there.  


Here's us a the zoo awhile back. It's more fun to capture your reaction to the animals. You were checking out the tigers in these shots.

14 Days

Gunyea, hasn't this been the longest two weeks ever? Daddy's home tomorrow. Hip Hip Horray!


While daddy was away, you and I did the following:


day 14. ordered a pizza and had it delivered (can't remember when we last had food delivered). hung out with neighbors bob and momo.
day 13. visit jessie. play with olive and rachel. hang out with bob and momo.
day 12. head to big sky ranch. skype with daddy. take a ride around the farm on the mule. 
day 11. play hard with grandpa ben and gramma debby. eat good food.
day 10. play more with gramma debby. help her at her store downtown salisbury. (great finds there!) 
day 9. deliver river rock to gma jody. ride in gpa's truck with no carseat! play with uncle eric and aunt erica. 
day 8. go to hometown church. get to stand up with the other mothers in church! read mothers day note from daddy and cry. get two framed pics of you (gunyea) and i on the swing. back to kc to celebrate M. Day with Joneses. eat Stroud's fried chicken and catch up with family. missed daddy's call. bummer.
day 7. home and back into routine. get excited for taryn's new job. eat pulled pork sandwiches that gramma debby sent home. owen spent whole day in the basement b/c he was wiped out from time at the farm. 
day 6. owen still in the basement trying to recuperate. take a long walk after the rain to get ready to keep up with daddy who has been walking all over france. relax at home. 
day 5. another long walk before the rain came. dinner and hang out with good friends, the heinleins. they sent leftovers home with us. so nice!
day 4. play group at church. friend katie over for dinner. mom and katie watch audrey hepburn's sabrina. 
day 3. play with olive and rachel. longest afternoon/evening walk mommy's taken in a long time. didn't bring owen. friday night and ready to have plans, but had none. turned into a great evening with you, and later good down time for me.  dinner at jimmy johns then murray's icecream...mojito sherbert was awesome). 
day 2. go with Grandpa, Nana, and Cousin Mason to Big Lake Cabin up north. you play hard with mason while owen was obsessed with this squeek toy from Nana. He lost and found it in the lake over and over. 
day1. home from lake, Cousin Rowan's first birthday party. get daddy's phone fixed, phone numbers lost b/c old phone shot. bummer. home for dinner, play time with Philvis who brought you a bat and ball.  bath, brush, books and sleep. pick Ababayeh up tomorrow! humm, what to wear?