My love and I attending @thurgoodmarshallbarofficial Annual Awards & Installation Fundraiser. Celebrating fellow @emorylaw alumna @_faithelyse’s installation as TMBA President!
This week, we celebrated 11 months with this baby girl!
She’s got 6 teeth now and is trying to say more words. So far she’s added “Papa,” “poo poo,” and “uh oh” to her vocab. Honor understands simple directives like no, give that to me, lay down, and come here.
Honor likes to be chased around the house while she walks as fast she can and squeals. She loves long walks around the house while you hold her hand. Honor spends her days trying to keep up with Raegan. I am filled with love beyond words when I watch my kids play and love on each other. I am the world’s happiest mama with my two girls. I’m so grateful to be their mama.
I’m also really grateful for our friends and family who have loved Honor from afar. We had Honor right at the beginning of this pandemic, so she hasn’t met a lot of our loved ones. Even still, it means the world to me that at least for now we can celebrate her milestones with our online community 🌷
After Raegan heard me praying boldness over her and Honor, she asked me, “Mommy, what does ‘bold’ mean?”
What came to mind were people who have tough, outspoken personalities. I choked those thoughts back, because they’re inaccurate. Outspoken doesn’t always mean you are bold. Being loud doesn’t necessarily mean you are a leader.
Parents, particularly the mamas to little girls, are trying to navigate a world that is increasingly aggressive. As such, I see a big push to raise children to be loud and aggressive. I get it, especially after millennia of women, especially Black women, being told to hush up.
But there’s such a movement for leadership but little guidance on character.
Raegan is bold because she’s caring. She’s not one to boss people around (at least all the time). She’s collaborative. She invites you in and calls you friend. She doesn’t leave anyone behind. She defends her friends’ hearts. She’s just downright friendly, even when people aren’t friendly to her (even though that makes Mama wanna knuck and buck). She’s the kind of friend I wish I had, and wish I was, growing up. I know full well there’s a whole world out there who will take her kindness as weakness. But they don’t know that true leadership is built on good character.
My hope is that mamas to girls everywhere raise them to be bold. Whether a girl likes to take charge or just be friendly, like my little one, I hope we emphasize that character is what makes her bold and a leader. I don’t have to make Honor or Raegan into bossy girls if that’s not their personality, because bossiness doesn’t always mean bold, and loud doesn’t always make you a leader. Character matters ❤️
#MyForeverValentine for the last 5 years. A caption could never capture how I feel about my husband, but suffice it to say that it is no exaggeration when I say he’s the best husband and father this side of heaven. His gentle strength has protected and nurtured my heart. He is sensitive to and anticipates my need. He’s my Promise from God, and for that I’m beyond grateful for my Beloved.
🖤❤️ Happy first day of #BlackHistoryMonth! 🖤❤️
Things we don’t hear often enough: Black is beautiful. Black culture is deeply rich. Black history includes joy, creativity, and genius.
Celebrating our history so far, making history today, and raising history-makers is what I’m all about ✊🏾
I love seeing him father our girls. I think his gentle calm spirit is perfect for his role as a #girldad ❤️
A few days late, but happy 10 months to Honor ❤️ Honor woke up on her first day at 10 months old with her 4 top front teeth coming in at once! Despite teething, she’s still her usual cheerful self. She can clap now, dance with her Linkimals toys, climb on her toys, up the stairs, and on people, and she even tried to hop! She likes to hold hands with her big sister and walk around the house repeatedly. At 18 pounds, she really thinks she can wrestle her way out of diapers, clothing changes, or being put in her high chair.
The best part of this past month was when she said “Mama” for the first time on New Year’s Day. Since then, she cries out “Mama” and clearly understands that I will respond. She has been refusing bottles and will still only nurse from me, but she has learned to sip from a cup (not sippy cups, but real cups)! She is loving steamed veggies, too!
I’m so proud of her. She was our promised one, and came right when God said she would! She has brightened our lives in so many ways. I can’t wait to celebrate her first birthday in a couple of months 😩!
Overheard my girl unmute herself to encourage a scared classmate, “Don’t be afraid, you can do it. Just pretend we aren’t here. ... See? You did it!”
My Rae of Sunshine ☀️
Nothing ever dims her shine. Nothing ever keeps her from brightening someone else’s day.
Shine on Rae 🖤 Let’s all learn from her example.
Walking into her incredible future like ✨
Honor Grace showing us what what it means to be a lady with style and grace 💗
My VP looks like me. Incredibly grateful for this historic day.
Raegan’s emergency note she slid under my door. I wonder if this is the #WFH equivalent to me calling my mom’s job just to ask her for some fruit snacks. #MomminWhileLawyering
#MLKDay2021. My hope and prayer is that today serves as a contemplative day. A day of repentance. A day of prayer. A day of honoring the entirety of Dr. King’s legacy, without cherry picked quotes and whitewashed words to soothe a conscience steeped in comfort. He was a man of faith, driven by the Gospel to shake this nation out of its sinful hypocrisy of racism and the treatment of the impoverished. I’m grateful for his work and have gladly devoted my life to furthering that Gospel-driven cause.
Happy baby girl ❤️
Returning to simple joys, like matchies with my tiny besties and Honor wearing one of Raegan’s baby coats. Simple moments like these do not mean they are insignificant or impact-less.
I’ll say it again: simple does not mean insignificant or impact-less. Living simple does not mean living small. You can lead a simple life that’s full of impact, starting right where you are with the people in your life. These babies are my greatest sphere of influence. What’s yours? #KeepItSimple
Dare I say it? 2020 was good for my soul.
Have you ever been in a desert season? I just came out of one, one that was nearly 5 years long. So much happened that it nearly crushed me, and I felt that I almost lost my voice.
Yet, this year God restored everything back.
He gave me my love and my grief back.
He gave me a deeper love for people, for humanity. We are extraordinary. Our ability to adapt and thrive in the face of deep heartache and a whole pandemic is simply astounding. It’s hard to explain, but is a love only the Father could have given me to express to others.
He gave me my grief back. Yes, grief. My love for people causes me to grieve in a deeper way over our collective brokenness. Grieving replaces shock, and even anger, when people say and do things that just cannot be understood. It’s seeing the brokenness that causes selfish, harmful behavior, and seeing people as people, not as their problems.
God’s restoration and deepening of my faith have been my greatest gift this year. God didn’t stop there: he gave me the sweetest little baby girl this year. Provided supernaturally. Guided Josh and me in our new roles as landlords and now business owners, and blessing me with a new practice at an incredible new firm.
2020 was tough, but it was beautiful, too, if no other reason than God restored and grew faith! I wish you all a Happy New Year!
5 years together. 4 years, this day, since we got engaged. 3 years of marriage. 2 babies. 1 Holy God who saw us through it all.
Merry Christmas!!! Love, The Jordans!
Happy 9 months to Honor ❤️ She took her first steps, is waving hi/bye bye all the time, and is enjoying more and more foods. Honor loves to be “chased” and “chases” her sister all around — she squeals and laughs while toddling and crawling away. She loves to say “ha,” but still dislikes being told to be quiet. She’s earned the “mommy look” for throwing food, and has since refrained from doing that. All in all, she’s the been the best part of 2020 for our families. We can’t wait to celebrate her first Christmas❤️
Merry Christmas week!!
Christmas is in just a few short days, and I feel more peace than I have in years past. Busyness has not overtaken me this year. This has been a work of Jesus in my heart.
Sharing more of our family photos, thoughts about Christmas busyness, and suggestions on how to dial down on over-the-top festivities for more simple and impactful activities over on the blog today!
The names of Jesus 🙌🏾 My mom got me some labels to add to my ornaments: the names of Jesus. The King of Glory. The point of Christmas❤️ I love these ornaments so much!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7
My love and I attending @thurgoodmarshallbarofficial Annual Awards & Installation Fundraiser. Celebrating fellow @emorylaw alumna @_faithelyse’s installation as TMBA President!
This week, we celebrated 11 months with this baby girl!
She’s got 6 teeth now and is trying to say more words. So far she’s added “Papa,” “poo poo,” and “uh oh” to her vocab. Honor understands simple directives like no, give that to me, lay down, and come here.
Honor likes to be chased around the house while she walks as fast she can and squeals. She loves long walks around the house while you hold her hand. Honor spends her days trying to keep up with Raegan. I am filled with love beyond words when I watch my kids play and love on each other. I am the world’s happiest mama with my two girls. I’m so grateful to be their mama.
I’m also really grateful for our friends and family who have loved Honor from afar. We had Honor right at the beginning of this pandemic, so she hasn’t met a lot of our loved ones. Even still, it means the world to me that at least for now we can celebrate her milestones with our online community 🌷
After Raegan heard me praying boldness over her and Honor, she asked me, “Mommy, what does ‘bold’ mean?”
What came to mind were people who have tough, outspoken personalities. I choked those thoughts back, because they’re inaccurate. Outspoken doesn’t always mean you are bold. Being loud doesn’t necessarily mean you are a leader.
Parents, particularly the mamas to little girls, are trying to navigate a world that is increasingly aggressive. As such, I see a big push to raise children to be loud and aggressive. I get it, especially after millennia of women, especially Black women, being told to hush up.
But there’s such a movement for leadership but little guidance on character.
Raegan is bold because she’s caring. She’s not one to boss people around (at least all the time). She’s collaborative. She invites you in and calls you friend. She doesn’t leave anyone behind. She defends her friends’ hearts. She’s just downright friendly, even when people aren’t friendly to her (even though that makes Mama wanna knuck and buck). She’s the kind of friend I wish I had, and wish I was, growing up. I know full well there’s a whole world out there who will take her kindness as weakness. But they don’t know that true leadership is built on good character.
My hope is that mamas to girls everywhere raise them to be bold. Whether a girl likes to take charge or just be friendly, like my little one, I hope we emphasize that character is what makes her bold and a leader. I don’t have to make Honor or Raegan into bossy girls if that’s not their personality, because bossiness doesn’t always mean bold, and loud doesn’t always make you a leader. Character matters ❤️
#MyForeverValentine for the last 5 years. A caption could never capture how I feel about my husband, but suffice it to say that it is no exaggeration when I say he’s the best husband and father this side of heaven. His gentle strength has protected and nurtured my heart. He is sensitive to and anticipates my need. He’s my Promise from God, and for that I’m beyond grateful for my Beloved.