39 Months - September 2010

Summer is pretty much over and so are your days of no school! You officially started preschool this month, and so far you seem to really like it. Your dad and I were talking about how funny it is that he most likely went to preschool with your teacher, Ms. Teresa. I get to help out with your class, and it has been fun to watch you interact with the kids and learn new things. We also help with the 4/5-year-old class, and seeing them and what they can do makes me even more excited to see how much you will have learned by the end of the year.

The required "first day of school" picture, complete with Spiderman flip flops and backpack!

I decided to stop in the thrift store in town the other day while we were running errands to see if there were any treasures to be found and we found this...

I know you were Spiderman for Halloween last year, and it really wouldn't have been my first pick for this year, but once you saw this costume hanging on the rack I knew we weren't going home without it. It has stuffing in the arms and chest for muscles and as soon as you put it on and I zipped it up I started laughing. It really does look hilarious on you, and of course you love making your "bad guy" face.

You and your sister have been going the rounds lately. Since most of the toys in the house are "yours" you seem to think it is okay to just take things out of her hands whenever you feel like it. This, of course, makes her scream and cry, which consequently makes me yell. It makes for some long afternoons in this house, but in the end the two of you usually end up playing nicely together for at least a few minutes every day. A lot of the time this "playing nicely" consists of her not screaming while you dump dirt on her in the sandbox or pushing her around in her doll stroller at high rates of speed, but I take what I can get I guess.

This particular day you'd worn Tess out and even though I'd begged you to leave her alone you couldn't help but climb up next to her and "snuggle her" while she took a little nap.

Grandma Hillier was feeling a little Logan deprvied the other day and begged us to come over to Peach Days in Hurricane. I didn't want to because it is always so dang hot but we ended up going anyway. It was HOT, and pretty soon grandma had you all lined up with a blue bubblegum snow cone. As soon as you had it in your hand you face went from "melty, I'm-going-to-lose-it" to "Ahhh, blue bubblegum frostiness!" And as always you love showing off your blue tongue.

It's been a lot of fun to see how you do with the new schedule of going to school. The 3-year-old class is a whole lot of crazy and you kids still don't play a ton together, but it is interesting to watch your different personalities mesh. I am glad I get the chance to see it first hand. I know by the time you read this letter you'll have learned your letters and what they say and how to write them, but I hope you also learned how to be a friend to everybody cause you're a dang cute kid, and anybody who you aren't friends with is totally missing out!

Love you bud,

Mom

15 Months - September 2010

Looking back through pictures of this last month it seems like it has been the longest month ever! We've done a lot of fun things you keep experiencing more "firsts" like your first merry-go-'round ride.

You look worried but after the initial bug-eyed look that you gave Aunt Lisa when the ride started moving you really enjoyed it. Although somebody should get the Washington County Fair board to consider moving the fair to November. All of our faces were pretty much constantly red the whole night.

You go to go to the petting zoo which was fun since you absolutely freak out when you see animals of any kind. If someone is holding you usually it is all they can do to keep you from jumping out of their arms to get to whatever cat, dog, bird, horse, etc., may have caught your attention. You were pretty much in heaven here...

A few weeks later Aunt Lisa came over with Grandma to take you and Logan's 1- and 3-year-old pictures. We are just a couple months late, but we won't really notice down the road. We definitely got some keepers which is somewhat surprising considering the fact that, well trying to get nice pictures of you both is difficult at best.

I love this one. You two actually look quite happy to be that close together instead of fighting!

Such a happy girl. Don't mind your tupee-looking hair. I'm still waiting for the sides of your hair to grow. You've got those long, straight locks on top, curls in the back, and nothing on the sides.

And by this time you were done being good, smiling, and being cute and resorted to one of your favorite poses, the "mommy-pick-me-up-or-I-will-die" pose.

You're kind of a funny thing to watch, and both your dad and I enjoy watching you in the evenings just kind of wander around the house doing strange things here and there. On the phone the other day I was telling him something funny you were doing and he said, "She's kind of funny, isn't she? She kind of reminds me of you, but don't take that wrong. You just both are kind of wrapped up in the thoughts in your head all the time." Well I'm not sure how exactly to take that, but if that's the case with you it sure does make you an entertaining kid to have around the house. Like the other day when I had you in one of Logan's old shirts and you decided you wanted to try out a new fashion statement.

And yes, you are 15 months old and still have your binky, but I'm just not ready to give it up just yet!

Then last Saturday I was washing and vacuuming the car on the lawn while keeping an eye half on you. I could see your head but couldn't see what you were doing, but I assumed you were fine since you weren't crying. When I finished what I was doing and walked up to see what you were up to I turned and ran right back into the house to grab my phone to get a picture. When your dad asked why I needed it I said "Cause your daughter is a dork." There is no end to the entertainment.

You keep us laughing and also wanting to rip our ears off our heads at times too. The molar that was MIA last month has shown up and has thrown you off your sleeping schedule and made you irritable, but overall I'm still not complaining much. I just hope you grow out of the
"mommy-pick-me-up-or-I-will-die" phase soon.

Love ya sis,
Mom