Hensley Ruth: 8 Months

Hello. My name is Hensley. I am eight months old. I like long walks through the house holding hands with my brother. I really like being held by my mommy especially after 5pm, but my dad has been putting me to bed lately and that's nice too. I think my brother is hilarious. I've been a fairy for four Halloween parties now and I'm really hoping for some variety next year. I save most of my smiles and laughs for immediate family only. We have tons of fun together. I like bouncing, and hope to walk soon. Crawling's okay, but if I'm wearing a dress it's quite inhibiting. I often go to bed around 6:30pm, and if we're still out socializing I sometimes let everyone know that I want my bed! I did fine staying out at the party last night though. Sometimes I pee and poop in the big potty, and my mom gets really happy. 


Have fun at Halloween tonight. Don't eat too much candy!


Love,


Hensley

Goofs

Which is your favorite?

A Humble Abode: Straw Bale Style

So I totally love my family! But that's obvious, right? Let me be more specific. You see, my mom has two sisters and a brother who have the most delightful offspring, aka my cousins. Andrea (pronounced AUUN-drea, not ANNdrea) is one of those cousins. "Andie" is two years older than me. Whenever she got Birkenstocks in 8th grade, I had to get some. Then she studied interior architecture and traveled to Denmark and Germany, and I was inspired. She was designing in Chicago and traveling to NY, which was so cool to this midwestern girl! She now has a dear husband, Bob and adorable son, Orien. Orien and Hensley are about the same age and I love it that they get to grow up together! Their biggest venture was quitting their design jobs in the city and doing a year of organic farming stuff, which led them to building this straw bale house outside of the city! Here are a few photos of our workday. We love you Andie, Bob and Orien!

The boys were king of the mountain and got SO muddy.

Andie, remember why you made that face?

My dear brother and sister-in-law were there (a huge highlight!) and they watched our kids while we went to a wedding! Thanks Uncle Eric and Aunt Erica! Hensley says sorry and she's embarrassed for being totally inconsolable.

(If you, dear reader, are interested in a straw-bale house or being green or have a smile on your face they'd love for you to visit and pick up a shovel while you're there! They are making the final push to get in before winter hits! Just leave a comment and I'll get you )

Bears & Kitties & Eagles: Oh My

Tegegne the "Kissing" Bear, Olive the Cat (Her Mom's Vintage Costume!), and Coco the Eagle (homemade and amazing!)

Little Lamb, Norah the Sweet Cheeked Monkey, and Hensley the Tiny Fairy! 

Bears and Kitties and Eagles, Oh my! 
Lambs and Monkeys and Fairies, Oh Baby My! 


Central Library on a Tuesday morning is the place to be. Especially this week! Storytime with Ms. Claire and a bonus short film in the Vault in your costumes! Olive and Tiger and your newest buddy Coco + their fun mamas make it quite a highlight of week.  Plus Hensley's friends Norah, Kai (the Samurai!), and Theo. We love you all!  

Tegegne: Busts a Move

Tegegne, it's Monday night and you've got moves! You love to dance. We most definitely hope to get you in a hip hop class in a few years. Cause the good Lord knows that you will not be learning any stylish motions from your pops or I. 

Caleb: The Band

Okay, CalebtheBand...we are in sweet anticipation to see more of this To the End of the World Project. Nice work guys! Please bring it to Kansas City and let us hug your necks!


Love,


The (Mitch and Millie) Joneses

Evil Monkey Party: Dolphin Gallery

Ah yes, one of our favorites...the Dolphin Gallery Evil Monkey Party! This party is so much fun, honoring an old friend and artist to the Dolphin Gallery who knew how to cook! In that regard, everyone brings their finest foods...smokers, grills, specialty brews, cheeses, desserts, live music. We have a blast!

Girls Just Wanna: Minneapolis

Keys Diner had the best banana granola pancakes!

Liked this lighting detail with the cords shooting through the wood panels. 

Girls just wanna have fun! And that's just what we did with Gramma Debby in Minneapolis last week! Ate dinner at the lovely French Meadow Bakery and Cafe in Uptown, Keys Diner twice, stayed at the W Hotel, and got our kitchen cabinets from Ikea. We had a blast until you (Little Hens) got  a fever of 103.5 and were totally sick. It was still a great trip. I would love to go back and explore the city more! 

Weekend Warriors: Kitchen Cabinets

Well, okay. So the real weekend warrior is not in the photos above. That would be dear 'ol Ababayeh who is plumbing our kitchen sink as I type on this fine Sunday evening in Kansas City. We are both exhausted and ready to get the water back on, clean up, and hit the hay. Still workin' though. His most recent quote was, "Hey! At least we aren't paying someone to do this!" 

The first photo is the assembled cabinets in the living room, but they have all settled into the kitchen now. The bright blue color is the film, too bad its not the color of the cabinets, eh?

Besides working hard we have had some fun. Saturday morning we took a family bike ride on Cliff Drive to this new coffee shop on the Avenue with friends. Best part being Tegegne riding his very-own-big-guy-no-training-wheel-bike the whole way and back! It was so fun to ride alongside him and see his deep concentration and little legs spinning so fast! 

We are so glad to have Taryn and Micah back from their honeymoon to Spain! I'll have them "guest blog" so you can see some of there photos! 

Love, 

WM (Warrior Mama)


P.S. Hensley, sorry your teething again. I really hope 2 am comes and goes tonight without notice! 

Need One?: Pocket Man Friend

If you're lost without a manly man by your side, here's your solution.

This pocket manfriend is called Eric. Graphic designer, bike enthusiast, vegetarian. Combs his beard. Collects vintage armchairs. 

Take him anywhere with you for moral support. Lend him to a friend in need of a bearded companion. All the best bits about a manfriend in a pocket-sized format for portability.

Don't be shy, introduce yourself to Eric's friends... Craig, Dominic, Nicholas, Ray and Kenneth are very sociable chaps who also hang about in my shop.


Purchase here! 


P.S. Also love this Boyfriend Girlfriend Pillow Set!


(I know...this is totally random. I just thought it was so funny. )

Our Guest Post: For Polly's Blog

Here is what we wrote for Polly's blog...a bit of a "what's-on-our-minds" update:


Hello there friends! 
We are the Joneses. Michael, Kristyn, Tegegne and Hensley. Polly asked that we blog-swap and share a bit of our story with you! Thanks for reading! We started our blog at the beginning of our adoption process and wrote letters to our son-to-be. Those letters to our son allowed us to bond with him before we knew him, just as a mother does with the child in her womb. Bringing Tegegne home (January 2010) was an incredible journey that we continued to write about. We thought we wanted to adopt all of our children, but decided to try for a biological child too. This past February, Hensley Ruth joined the family. Life is full and we love it!

(Tegegne is all boy...wild and adventurous...which explains the goose egg on his head!) 

Michael and I were sitting in church a few weeks ago and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. Afterwards we agreed that we both had adoption on our minds again. A few days ago, Tegegne randomly asked, "Mommy, are we going to adopt again?" (This threw me totally off guard!) "Well, we are thinking about it...why?" "I think we should because it's a new day and the sun is shining!" (What? It's a new day and the sun is shining? To me this response sounded like God speaking through my 4 year old...saying, what is stopping you? It's a new day...and the sun is out! When we started our last adoption process it was clear that God sent us on that wild journey. Michael and I are considering our next adoption the same way. Hoping to get a few "signs" that it's the right direction, because like most things we do...timing, finances, etc...don't always line up! God can be clear about something and it requires our faith to proceed. 

Anywho, we are still blogging about our day-to-day, pregnancy-labor-newborn-solid food...ya know the baby stuff, potty training, our adoption story and conversations with Tegegne, renovating our historic home in an urban neighborhood, and all the fun stuff we do in between! 

Here are a few more highlights:

Meeting Tegegne!

Meeting Birth Mom

Our Adoption (This was on of our first of many posts about our adoption. Either you read the journey backwards, or start here and go forward.)

And a few more photos:

Thanks again and have a lovely day!

Kristyn

A Guest: Learn and Go by Polly

Hey There Bicycle Basket Readers!

My name is Polly and I'm excited to blog swap with the Micheal and Kristyn! I'd love for you to swing by my blog, Learn and Go when you have a chance. I describe it as a "blending of creativity, frugality, home, life and family."

About four months ago, we had our first kiddo, Adelyn. (click here for the whole story) Every day has been an adventure... some more exciting than others :)

In my spare time, I like to sniff out good deals, be crafty, re-purpose old furniture, sew, and of course hop around in blogland. Here's a sneak peak of some projects you can read more about at Learn and Go.

My Changing Table Makeover for the Nursery

A Dinky Dresser that I Snazzed Up

Some Sewing Tutorials I've Put Together

Yummy Recipes

And of course, lots of baby and mama stuff...

Hope you can follow along as we Learn and Go through this crazy life!

Saturday Morning: Hensley and the Boys

Hey what's up out there? It's Hensley here. Just hanging with my dad and bro this mornin'.  Dad likes to take us to soccer games on Saturday mornings. That way he gets us to himself, and mom gets to chill (ya know, blog, drink hot tea, read a book in bed...) We also get to stop at the donut shop on the way to the games. Too bad no one ever offers me a donut. Someday, someday. 

Whelp, check ya later. Have a great weekend. I'm headed to the Twin Cities with my mom and Grandma on Sunday. Can't wait for our girls trip!

Love,

Hens

Friends: Adopting & Selling

1. So these dear friends of ours are near the best part of their Ethiopian adoption...traveling to bring their son home! It's also the hardest part because their timeline to travel has changed and is still not concrete. They have met their son in Ethiopia, got to feed him his first solid food, and had to come home and wait. If you would please, pray for Aaron and Heather and dear Baby Arthur! May they reunite soon!

Adorable Baby Arthur...in pink!

2. On a bittersweet note...they are also moving out of Kansas City back to their homeland of Texas. We are seriously sad about this, but I know that as new parents they will love being near their family. So, here's another way we can help them...


3. Buy their cute house in the darling Brookside neighborhood...OR tell a friend who may!

More photos here!

4. Did I tell you that Arthur's nursery (or Stateside Vintage Suite) was published on Apartment Therapy's ohdeedo? (Aaron is a musician and artist, and Heather is a graphic designer and artist too!)



5. Lastly, you have to check out Aaron and his pals' band: The Himalayan Adventure League!


We love you Hales!!!