Tessa - December 2012

Oh Tessa, Tessa girl. You've been my little walking buddy this month.  The weather has been so nice that I've loaded you and Ty up in the double stroller and gone for a walk quite a bit.  You are quite a trooper on those trips, and one day that was a little colder than normal Logan and Tyson were complaining about being out, but not you!  You guys love to stop at the park on our way home, and we found some leaves to play in one day.

The other day we went to the park while Logan was at school.  I met up with some mom's that we haven't really done much with before, so you didn't know the kids very well.  I was SO surprised to see how shy you are when Logan isn't around.  I always thought you were less reserved than he was.  I know that you like to play by yourself at home, but I thought that was more out of necessity when Logan is at school, but you had a good time playing at the park by yourself too.  Who knew you had some shyness in you?

Everyone that meets you for the first time always comments on your pretty dark eyes.  I love them too.  I wish mine were the same color as yours myself!  They have been that way from the very start, too.  This is the face that gets your dad into trouble.  I can hear you saying, "PLEEEEEASE?" just by looking at it.  There isn't much you don't get away with when you use your charm and that face on your dad.  He started his winter time off work this month, and I'm going to have to whip you guys back into shape by the time he goes back to work in January.

Aunt Lisa and I did a color run in St. George this month, and Grandma and Grandpa Hillier brought you guys over to watch us finish.  We found you guys about 30 yards or so from the finish, so I grabbed you and finished the run carrying you on my hip.  They had photographers taking pictures of the runners, and this is the only one we could find of me, and I'm holding you!  Dad says it looks like I am power walking, but I actually did run with you.

After we finished, Aunt Lisa gave you guys some color packets she had bought to throw.  You had a pink one and Uncle Joe found you tap, tap, tapping his leg with it and turning him all pink.  It was pretty funny.

And this is the face you made when your color packet was all gone...

The other day I happened to catch this sweet moment.  Most of the time if Ty is in a pestery mood he's trying to pull your hair or claw your face off, but this day I guess he was feeling more sweet.  I love this picture.

We made some cool Christmas ornaments last week by getting clear glass balls and putting paint inside them.  It was hard for you to be patient and let the colors swirl inside the ball.  You were ready to do another, and another, and another before your first one had even gotten halfway swirled.  I did convince you to try to move the paint around inside for a few minutes before doing another one though.  Your dad says our tree is going to look crazy with all the different ornaments on them, but I want to have a tradition of making a new ornament every year to put on the tree.  It may not make the prettiest tree, but I think it will make a really awesome memory tree as you guys get bigger.

We had a really fun Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Hillier's house.  Aunt Lisa is so cool and brought a bunch of props and did a photo booth.  I'll have to get some of the pictures from her, because you and Logan had some pretty cool pictures.  Grandma and Grandpa cooked a yummy dinner, and we had a fun time playing games and visiting   Then the next day we went and got our Christmas tree with the Veater side of the family.  You and Logan had fun eating gummy worms what little snow you could find up there before dad found us a HUGE tree.

I'm so nervous to leave you guys for my bison hunt.  By the time this letter posts (YES! I'm typing this almost a week early!) you will be at grandma's, and I will be on my way to a hunting adventure with both grandpa's, Uncle Dusty, Uncle Jeff and Dakota, and your dad of course.  It's a funny feeling to leave you guys because I don't want you to be nervous to stay with your grandma's, but on the other hand when I ask you guys about it and we talk about it, you and Logan both act like it will be the most amazing thing in the world, and it makes me sad.  I guess it is not so much that you are happy to get away from me for a few days as it is you are excited to be spoiled by BOTH grandma's for a few days.  Hopefully I will get a bison sooner than later and be able to come back home and resume our normal life. :), but for the rest of this week you can definitely expect more hugs and kisses and cuddles than normal.  I've got to stock up while I can!

I hope you are good for your grandma's, and I think I will put you on grandma-watching duty to make sure they don't teach Tyson to walk before I get back.

Love you sis,
Mom