As I mentioned in Friday's post, it was our sweet Hayes's 1st birthday. The hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with our son.
Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a shirt with a monkey wearing sunglasses and a tie!
Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a shirt with a monkey wearing sunglasses and a tie!
(And oops! Our documenting of our day didn't start until the 3rd stop. Bad mommy!)
The day started in a not-so-fun-way at the doctor's office for our 1-year checkup. Well, just the shot part was't fun.
Then, we headed to Bread & Company to have a yummy lunch together. Hayes chowed down on applesauce, bread, and tomato basil soup (this kid will eat just about anything!).
Next, we went to Phillip's Toy Mart to pick up a birthday gift for the man of the day. We let him carry it around the store, but don't worry...I still wrapped it up and officially gave it to him later that night. He still seemed surprised to me!
After our little trip to the toy store we headed home so Hayes could take a much-needed nap. We hung around the house until time for dinner.
For dinner I thought it would be fun to take him to eat Ethiopian food since he's never had it. A couple of months ago, I bought an Amazon deal for $15 for $30 worth of food at Mesob, a local Ethiopian restaurant. As we sat down and took in the music and atmosphere, I immediately started to tear up. It reminded me so much of our time in Addis Ababa. I miss our son's birth country often and this overwhelming feeling of homesickness came over me. It was fun to reminisce on our time in Ethiopia over dinner.
We ordered Doro Wat, Beef Tibs, and Lentils, which we scooped up with injera, their flat spongy bread. If you've never had Ethiopian food, I highly recommend it. Everything was delicious and Hayes agreed! I was so glad that he enjoyed his native food! Our waitress was so sweet-she even brought him a piece of birthday cake!
During dinner several Ethiopians came over to say hi to Hayes and talk with us. It was fun to share some of our story with them. One man said "It's wonderful what you are doing, taking a child from poverty and giving him a loving home. We appreciate you." We told him how lucky we feel to have such a sweet, loving son and how much we love the country of Ethiopia.
When we got home, I put him in his traditional outfit that we got while we were in Ethiopia. Then he opened his present from us-a car. We have 2 more things for him at his party next week!
It felt so good to have a connection to his roots, even if it was such a small thing as going to dinner. One of our favorite things about the Ethiopian culture is how warm and welcoming the people are. All in all it was a happy happy day!
After our little trip to the toy store we headed home so Hayes could take a much-needed nap. We hung around the house until time for dinner.
For dinner I thought it would be fun to take him to eat Ethiopian food since he's never had it. A couple of months ago, I bought an Amazon deal for $15 for $30 worth of food at Mesob, a local Ethiopian restaurant. As we sat down and took in the music and atmosphere, I immediately started to tear up. It reminded me so much of our time in Addis Ababa. I miss our son's birth country often and this overwhelming feeling of homesickness came over me. It was fun to reminisce on our time in Ethiopia over dinner.
We ordered Doro Wat, Beef Tibs, and Lentils, which we scooped up with injera, their flat spongy bread. If you've never had Ethiopian food, I highly recommend it. Everything was delicious and Hayes agreed! I was so glad that he enjoyed his native food! Our waitress was so sweet-she even brought him a piece of birthday cake!
During dinner several Ethiopians came over to say hi to Hayes and talk with us. It was fun to share some of our story with them. One man said "It's wonderful what you are doing, taking a child from poverty and giving him a loving home. We appreciate you." We told him how lucky we feel to have such a sweet, loving son and how much we love the country of Ethiopia.
When we got home, I put him in his traditional outfit that we got while we were in Ethiopia. Then he opened his present from us-a car. We have 2 more things for him at his party next week!
It felt so good to have a connection to his roots, even if it was such a small thing as going to dinner. One of our favorite things about the Ethiopian culture is how warm and welcoming the people are. All in all it was a happy happy day!
Such a cute little guy!
ReplyDelete