Hensley Ruth: 7 Months!

Hey little stink bug. You're 7 months old and you wanna shout it! You are ready to do everything your brother does, and you just may be able to in a month at the rate your going! Tegegne loves to feed you, and you enjoy him doing so. My favorite times with you recently are right after we drop Tegegne off and do a little shopping. We shopped around the thrift store today (SA on 10th and Tracy...so good!) and we scored some goods! I am still so excited about our purchases. You just hang out in the cart and make noises or give me cute little looks, quite different than if we have that wild and crazy brother along for the ride! Oh, but we love him!

We are going to the lake with Geo and Jan and we cannot wait to have a nice relaxing weekend! And I must say that I am just giddy giddy today. I'm so glad our pastor preached on joy the other day because I'm full of it and it's here to stay! (Sometimes I feel really happy and I start to worry that something bad must happen soon...because things are going so well now...does that ever happen to you?)

And I have to do a side note of Conversations with Tegegne real quick:

T: (sees me put allergy medicine in the bag for the lake and says...) Mommy, I'm not really feelin' good. My leg hurts from runnin'. I think I need some medicine. 

The other day he made me laugh:

T: Mommy, Gaga just got picked up by a tow truck. He was runnin' on the road and got picked up. He's really big. Isn't that silly? He's so silly. 

Taryn + Micah: A Ranch Wedding

The Waters/Summers wedding was held at Big River Ranch in Lexington, MO. That place is serene and beautiful and down home and boot'-lickin' fun all-in-one! We took a hayride from the barn to the ceremony down by the lake. There were cowboys on horses galloping through the field. It was perfect.

Here was my hot date. Making a great face for the camera of course. 

Bridesmaids (four not in photo) + Mama of the Bride and Little Cousin Macki. I LOVED the colors and all of our dresses.  

My hair. 

Walking down the aisle, family style! We carried our babies and the rest of our kids walked in pairs. See below!

Tegegne and Lochlan rang cow bells. The kids procession was quite darling. Don't you love the Here Comes the Bride sign? 

I cannot wait to see Ms. Jackson's photos of the radient bride and groom! I'll skip down to the cake table. Tree stumps, lace, and delicious cupcakes! And an adorable little antique cake topper bride and groom. Ideas by Taryn, decorated by yours truly.  And there's that cutie, Little Hens. She and her dad cut a rug on the dance floor later in the evening. I've got a video!

The proud fire-starters. Dane and Michael.

This boy is all boy. That makes his dad proud. That did not make a grandma proud...Tegegne put the frog on this little girl's dress and arm...I thought the grandma was going to flip! She had her granddaughter head straight to the restroom to wash off. I laughed on the inside!
P.S. Speaking of dancing. I also have video of this little man CUTTING A RUG! So cute! He is a dancer and knows how to draw a crowd!

These horsies played it cool and laid low in the background all night.

Taryn and Micah: Got Married!

What a joyous day it was on Saturday! Taryn and Micah had the most beautiful marriage ceremony with a special salt covenant, followed by a feast and ridiculously fun dance party! 

More photos to come.

(P.S. I'm part time mom and part time designer today and tomorrow. Working on a few 3D renderings and I'm totally enjoying it.)

Mother Daughter: Good Times

Hensley Wooth, Wooth, Wooth

You have not one, but four tooth tooth tooth.

You giggle when your brother and I 

do the wiggle.

You love your da, da, da. 

And you say it night and day.

Even when your brother is being quite the stink, you'll flash a smile my way,

and I can not even think!

Love you,

Mom

P.S. You are crawling. It's so cute. No more putting you on the bed or the couch, or chair. I must get some baby gates. 

Birthday Cake: Tree and Bird

Holy cow, didn't Ababayeh make a beautiful tree and bird cake? Tegegne asked for a tree cake. with a bird on it. a blue bird. So that's what he got. Nice work Ababayeh! 


Last year you had a dino cake. Wonder what it'll be next year...

Happy Birthday: Tegegne Dena Jones!

Tegegne, your birthday party was awesome! Everyone had a blast! I meant to take a group pic so you could remember all of your friends that came, but we were having too much fun to take photos! 

We love you, son. Do you remember what you were thinking in this photo a year and a half ago? It was the first day that you met us. None of us knew what was in store. 

Okay, okay it's fun to go down memory lane, but let's get on to the good stuff! You got a B-I-K-E for your birthday and yesterday you learned how to ride it! Your "coach" is Ababayeh and I have never seen him more proud of anything!

So yesterday, you fell down a lot but with Ababayeh hootin' and hollerin for you, you got back up, gave a thumbs up and kept riding! Then Ababayeh called half of the people he knows to share the news! 


Fun video on Day 2 of bike riding! 

 "Bicycle! Ride it, and smack it!"

After riding around the park you rode to the grocery store while Ababayeh jogged, so you could pick out a special treat after your birthday dinner. 


And lastly, I've got to share a conversation we had at the park... 


Man: Is that your son?
Ababayeh: Yes. He's four years old today. It's his birthday and he learned to ride a bike. 
Man: Are you sure? He's a different color.
Ababayeh: Yes. He is our son. 
Mommyeh: Have you heard of adoption? (we were using friendly, casual voices, btw)
Man: Ooohhhh. Okaaayyyy. 
Mommyeh: Where are you from?
Man: Somalia. 
Mommyeh: Oh good. You have children?
Man: Yes, I have eight. 
Ect, ect. 

Tegegne: Is Someone Turning 4?

Happy Birthday Tegegne!

We love you sooooo much. You are quite hilarious these days. We hope you enjoy your party!

Speaking of which, I am in the middle of preparing for your party right now.  What was supposed to be a small party is not going to be so small after all. You know how it goes...a few friends from school, a few from church, a few from the neighborhood, immediate family, and before you know it there's 40 people coming!  A bouncy house in the back yard, chili, chicken tortilla, and lentil soups, cornbread, juice boxes, wine...it's going to be a party! A celebration indeed! 

You have requested a "Tree Cake with a Bluebird" so Ababayeh will make you just that! You also noticed the awesome pinata's at the Mexican grocery store, so we'll have one of those too. (Still gotta stuff the thing...the man at the store suggested that you American kids would not be so fond of the spicy Mexican candy.) 

We have been talking up your party all week, and I know you are going to love it, cute kid.

Hasta Manana! 

Mom

Our NeighborHOOD: It's Quite Good

So when we moved from the comforts of our bungalow on sweet little Liberty Street, we grew wings and hoped that God would give us the strength to fly out of our middle white class comfort zone to a much more urban neighborhood. The one that shows up on the news because of the crime scene. Or the one that a lot of people don't know exists. We've been here for six months now, and we love it. I go to midtown which we still love, but when driving back to our neighborhood there is a sense of belonging. It feels like home.  


So what's it like you ask? A bit like this, and a bit like that...


I was speaking with a neighbor about Hensley's teeth coming in and she responds with this, "You know what I give my boys when they was getting teeth?  I give 'em those frozen waffles to chew on...and chicken legs."




We are leaving our house one Sunday morning, heading to church, to find our neighbor getting arrested on his front porch. We were totally bummed to see that. Much more than if we would have if we had seen it on the news. Why? Because this is our neighbor, our friend. 


I asked the cashier at the neighborhood grocery store how she was doing, and she told me that her grandma passed away.


It's Weezie, or Little Ol Louise, knowing where we are at all hours of the day.


Oh, it's a whole mix of things and there is never a dull moment. We love our neighborhood, we do. 


I think about it often, so I hope to share about it more. 

Day to Day: Fotos with Friends

A bunch of cuties on a swing!

Tegegne thinks about it.

Back Yard Buddies. 

High School & Horsies

Salisbury High School Class of 2001

Mommyeh celebrated her ten year reunion with the big kids from her school while I ran around and played with this gray kitty. You may think that my mom came from a very small place, and you are right. She graduated with 63, but only twenty were at the reunion. She was so happy to catch up with everyone. You see, these were not just her friends from high school. Most of them were together in kindergarten! While they visited I played with kitty  and we really bonded. (Ababayeh and I thought we should bring kitty home, but mommy wasn't feeling it.)  After the family picnic Hens and I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa while Mommy and Ababayeh went out dancing with everyone.

The kids

Aunt Kyna took me horseback riding and I got to ride Little Red. She was such a good pony. I probably asked thirty questions about horses, and Aunt Kyna answered them all! 

Hensley loved the horsies too!

I'm becoming a pretty good photographer. Thanks Aunt Kyna for the fun time!

Love, 


Tegegne

A Look: For the Mama

Did I mention that I have so much fun "pinning." It's my reason for an every-once-in-a-while late nighter. Soooo, I think I need glasses. Which I was totally bummed about at first. Then I turned my frown upside down and started looking at frame styles. Here are a few things I've pinned lately...

Love these glasses. by Warby Parker. 

Ah, my hair crush!

The-bigger-the-better-sweater!

Jet Pocket Jean

Red moccasins via Manimal!

All sourced here.

Our House: The Kitchen

So like I've said before, "I murried myself a Handy Man!" Remember my Christmas present a few years ago...we turned our bungalow attic into a master bedroom. When we moved into this house we knew the kitchen would be a project down the road but when Michael took the plastic laminate cabinets off the wall and saw the brick behind it was game on! We are in the thick of it now, and have made great progress!

When the house was built in 1900 the owner had a "butler" so they didn't find it necessary to make the kitchen as nice as the rest of the house. Throughout the years it obviously hadn't made much progress as seen by this lovely cabinetry and layout below. 

I love how this photo shows the dust in the air. Most demo work was done while the kids and I were shipped off to Grandma's house for 4 days.

We love you Adam! Thanks for putting in several really late nights with Michael! When our kitchen is done he is definitely going to return the favor!

Remember when the butler's pantry was here? (above) Well, we knocked that wall out including the full bathroom behind it and rotated the butler's pantry to be a part of the kitchen. See below. 

Tegegne is cutting the tomatoes for dinner!

I started to type out all of the work you've done, Michael, but it was too much to list here.  Thanks for working so hard...even on the nights that I wanted you to hang out instead. 


In the next few months I think we'll have a new kitchen! The next things are cabinets and counter tops, lighting, flooring, a bit more painting, and moving the plumbing because our sink and DW are going to be in the island! The kitchen was 11' x 10' and is now 11' x 16'. Those 5 feet helped us to complete change the layout and made our kitchen more more functional and a part of the rest of the house. 


Stay tuned...

Labor Day: Relax

We hope you are enjoying your Labor Day as much as we are. Relaxing with family, eating, napping, sitting in the sun, no agenda. Nothing beats it.

Weekend Part II: Ben & Marsa

Saturday we started with breakfast at Happy Gillis, the cutest little spot in Columbus Park with awesome food! Another dear high school friend, Karla met up with us there and spent the day with us. We rode bikes along Cliff Drive and played in the Concourse fountain. Relaxed in the afternoon, got a babysitter (Annie, we love you!), and went out on the town! Had dinner at Westside Local, walked around the cutest neighborhood in the city, and finished the evening with the best tiramsu in town from Bella Napoli. (Karla works there and would love to serve you if you come in!)  


That was a lot of "stuff" but of course the best part of that was our company! We loved laughing together about life. Ben and Marsa met in college at Palm Beach Atlantic! After getting married they moved to Durham where Ben went to Duke Divinity. Now they both work for Duke, Ben writes and Marsa does event planning. 


Oh, did I mention that Saturday was Michael and my six year wedding anniversary! On Wednesday saw A Prairie Home Companion at Starlight. Sunday our Pastor Tim will be back preaching his first sermon in 2 years! After that we head off to Big Sky Ranch to visit Uncle Eric and Aunt Erica. Next weekend we celebrate my ten year high school reunion! The next weekend is Tegegne's 4th birthday, and the weekend after that is the grand finale of Micah and Taryn's wedding! Get ready September, here we come!