Tessa - February 2014

Tessa Sue, Tessa Sue what am I going to do with you?  Not a whole lot has changed in the past month, and I was busy taking videos every day that I didn't get a whole lot of pictures.

We went up ice fishing on New Year's Day, and the fishing was crummy.  We all got skunked (except dad, he never gets skunked, but he only caught one), but you and I had a fun time chilling in the shack eating cookies and watching down the holes for fish to swim by.  I was getting pretty grumpy and frustrated (ice fishing isn't all that fun if you aren't catching fish), and at one point you sweetly asked, "Um, how long are we going to stay here?"  I said I didn't know and it depended on your dad, and you replied, "Oh.  So.... is this all we're going to do?"  Yep, pretty much!  Ice fishing when you aren't catching is pretty much just sitting on a frozen lake for a few hours!  You were a good sport though and never really complained.  Plus I know your dad loves it that you like to go do that kind of stuff.  He was gone for 2 weeks this month with a Saturday home in between, and when he asked what we should do on his only day at home with us you said, "I know!  Let's go shoot guns!"  Oh girl, it's so funny because you are sucking up to him without even knowing it.  Way to get him wrapped even tighter around his finger before you turn into a teenager.

At the beginning of this year we started watching Teresa Kabonic's little boy Kyler.  He and Tyson are only about 6 weeks apart, but this age isn't the best for sharing and playing together.  They get along okay, but I sure am glad to have you here when he is here to help me referee!  I always hear you playing the "mom" and trying to dissolve problems or drama and sometimes literally coming right between them to keep them on their best behavior.  You love to "mother" and will be such a great one someday.

You have this habit of sitting or perching or laying on the couches in ANY way that is not normal.  Whether it is laying across the very top of the couch, sitting on the arms, or hanging upside down over the arms.  We've told you a hundred times to just sit, but it still hasn't clicked, and you've fallen off more than once!  One day you and Ty were arguing about who was there in that particular spot first, and he just pushed you right off the edge of the couch where you hit the box that holds all his wood blocks.  I was in the kitchen and about to tell you to stop crying when I saw blood coming from your mouth.  It freaked me out and I thought for sure we'd be headed to the ER, but it turns out it wasn't too bad of a cut.  Poor girl though.  I know it had to hurt pretty bad, but you were a trooper and let me doctor it up.  Even after you caught me trying to put some alcohol on it after you'd fallen asleep you told me it didn't sting too much and let me finish up.  Lucky for us you made a full recovery within a couple days, and the scar isn't too bad.  Whenever Tyson meets someone new the first thing he says, still, is "I pushed Tessa off the COUCH!"  I'm not sure what we're going to do with that kid.

Between the time you get out of school and the time Logan gets out we have about 20 minutes to sit and wait, so we drive to the school and get a good parking spot and hang out in the car.  This is when I get to hear all about your day - who you played with, what your snack was, and the newest gossip with the 3-5-year-old set.  From what I can tell you play with just about everybody in your class and have a lot of fun with them.  One day as I was picking you up one of the boys in your class who is in your primary class at church yelled from the fence, "I love you, Tessa!"  I got a pretty good laugh out of that until you told me that another boy had told you the same thing earlier that day!  Your teachers love you too and continue to tell me what a sweet girl you are.  Between all that love and praise and taking selfies in the car while waiting for Logan and asking me if I think you are pretty, I think we better make sure your head doesn't get too big!

You love to eat waffles or pancakes morning, noon, and night.  The last couple nights you've actually eaten what I've made for dinner and proclaimed, "This is my favorite dinner ever!"  When I asked you if it was better than pancakes or cereal though you quickly changed your mind!  It's a good thing you guys like the easy stuff for dinner because that's usually what you get when dad's out of town.  You love to play "kitties," pet shops, horses, and color.  You love to go to school but don't care so much for homework (I know, writing the letter "h" 10 times can be exhausting).  You love the idea of earning money by helping me clean but not so much the actual cleaning.  You are just an overall silly, goofy, sweet girl who makes our family awesome.

I don't know what we were talking about, but the other night dad said, "I never did want a girl, but I'm sure glad we have one.  I can't imagine our family without her."  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Love you sis,
Mom