17 Months - November 2010

Tessa, Tessa, Tessa. It's the beginning of the end little bit. I remember Logan was about 18 months old when he hit the terrible two's, which means there's a pretty good chance I've got one more month. Not that you aren't starting to show just how terrible you can be already. I've been lucky so far, and Logan wasn't one of those kids who threw tantrums in public. I'm pretty sure that's exactly the kind of kid you are. There have been a few times in the past month where I have almost had to literally sit on you to get you strapped into your carseat when we leave somewhere and you aren't ready to go, and yesterday at the Halloween carnival you got so upset when Logan got a prize for playing a game and you didn't you screamed the whole way out to the car and continued screaming until we got home. Every time it happens you get so hysterical I'm afraid you're going to throw up! Ugh, you scare me.

When you aren't making me cringe in fear for the next few years you are honestly the funnest baby on earth. You are so smiley and still love to wander around and make us laugh just by being you. I hope you don't lose that completely while you're learning how to be an independent toddler.

Your vocabularly is starting to take off and you will imitate pretty much anything we ask you to. Aunt Lisa brought over this terrible singing Christmas Scooby Doo dog and he says "Happy Holidays" after one of the songs he sings, and suddenly you were walking around saying "Hap-Py! Hap-Py!" It is seriously the cutest thing ever. You call horses "Chatz" after my horse at grandma and grandpas and you love to "moo" at cows whenever you see them. You say mom pretty much all day (wonder who you got that from, Logan?), and every night around dinner time when you hear a truck drive past the house you pretty much scream "Daddy!" It's pretty dang adorable. You say grandpa pretty well but still no grandma. Don't worry though, I'm pretty sure whenever either of you grandmas get you alone they will be drilling you on that word. They might smile when you say grandpa, but they aren't fooling me!

You and Logan drive me nuts! From the time you wake up in the morning until it is time to go to bed the two of you are fighting over toys! Logan claims everything is his, and he is usually right, but he plays with your stuff too. SHARE! It seems right now like the two of you will never figure that concept out, but hopefully by the time you are teenagers you will have it down.

This year was your first year out at deer camp with the Veater's. It was pretty miserable weather but you were such a trooper. You went through all four pairs of pants I had for you on the first day after falling into puddle after puddle! You were out there playing every day with Logan, Quade, Kacen and a few of the older cousins, and you definitely held your own. Grandpa Veater sure had a fun time parading you around and even gave up hunting one night so I could go and he could watch you - then you thanked him by flipping one of Quade's bikes over on yourself in yet another puddle! Even with all the rain and yucky weather we had a good time, and I was surprised you were excited and not scared when we took you to see the deer in the back of dad's truck.

You are at such a fun age right now, and I would give anything to freeze time for you for a few more months. I'm just not ready for you to get to the next step, but even as I write that I know it isn't true either. While you are fun now I know that, even if you do throw horrific tantrums in the future, it's only going to be more fun from here on out.

Love you sis,

Mom

Going hunting with dad and Logan!

Playing in the rainwater with Logan.

I hope you always enjoy vacuuming as much as you do now. You SCREAM if I don't let you "help."

You think you are so cool when you wear daddy's stuff.

Posing with your pumpkins.

For Halloween this year you were a witch at preschool and a cat for trick-or-treating. It was basically the same outfit. I need to remember if we have any more kids that costumes that require facepainting are a BAD idea at 17 months. I had to hold Logan down to draw his whiskers on 2 years ago and had to do the same to you - then you proceeded to wipe your whiskers all over and I had to wipe it all off. You would have been so cute!