The Hill House

Welcome to our humble home. You're looking at our back porch, where we spend lots of time snacking, web-browsing, riding the rocking horse, and chatting with friends. If you look behind you, you will see a lovely view of Lake Victoria and our backyard. This view constantly rejuvenates and refreshes us. Sometimes we have a hammock hanging between these two trees, and sometimes an inflatable baby pool down by the steps. Occasionally we are visited by mongeese, a hedgehog, monkeys, and a monitor lizard. Come on over for some peanut butter cookies, fresh squeezed lime-ade, a game of Boggle, or Sunday night hymns.

2nd Birthday Party

Isn't this a beautiful face? Credit to Mama Tessa of course. A month after she turned 2, Tessa shared a party with her buddy Chloe. Lots of other kids came, had their faces painted, swam after the rain, decorated teddy bear cookies, and generally cried at some point.

Dusty helped Tessa decorate her cookies in the Jackson Pollock style. The kids did great, but the parents were exhausted. I now have a much greater appreciation for all those birthday parties Mom put together for me. Thanks Mom!

As we were leaving, Tessa's younger buddy Josiah came up to her to give her a punch. She responded (nobly) by trying to hug him. Locked in a non-mutual hug, they tumbled over resulting in Tessa's head banging the ground. Josiah didn't seem to mind, but that was definitely the end of the party for us!

Swinging

After deciding that we really couldn't resell our old beat up tire from our truck, we converted it into a swing. But when she falls off, she will not get back on that day. Instead, she cries, shakes her finger at the swing, and says "Bad Swing!" Teaching a kid early where to place blame is so important! Fortunately she does not seem to care that it is often covered with bird poop and the nasty little snotty balls that fall from the tree. Even Dad joins in on the fun, although I am always amazed the branch doesn't break off on him.