47 Months - May 2011

Well buddy you are one month away from 4 years old, and for some reason this one hasn't really snuck up on me. I don't know if it is because you've been to so much preschool this year and started t-ball a bit early, but you just seem 4 already. That doesn't mean I'm not a little sad about it, but I'm excited too. I get to enjoy one more year of you home and at school with me before you go to kindergarten, and hopefully that reality check will help me be able to live in the moment a little better.

T-ball has been a bit of an adventure for our family. Your first game you got a little bored out in the outfield and decided you'd had enough. Your dad was out there helping you and your team and ended up telling me it was my turn to try to convince you to get up and play. It was pretty comical, and I finally just let you throw your fit and lie down in the dirt until that half inning was over. You've done better since that game, but you've pretty much decided it isn't worth it to chase the ball when it comes your way since there are 7 other kids chasing it too. I can't say that I blame you, but we'll have to figure out a good position for you if you decide you want to keep playing, which we really hope you do.

Aunt Lisa caught the fit on camera. I was putting some of these up on facebook and you saw this one and said "Is that when I got grumpy, mom?" Um, yeah.

You did have fun out there before you got bored!

You were so happy to make it to first!

The best part of that first game was when the other team would hit the ball and EVERY. SINGLE. KID. on your team chased after it. This must have been before you decided it wasn't worth it. There has been lots of infighting on our team from going after grounders!

Getting a little pre-game advice from your dad.

Even if you have had some rough spots in games, you have definitely improved. You hit the ball well just about every time you are up to bat. Your throwing needs a little work, and we could also work on sportsmanship (jumping on kids when they get the ball your dad said was "yours" is kind of frowned upon!), but I think we all had a good time with t-ball this year.

You graduated from 3-year-old preschool, but typical Logan you didn't want much to do with it and ran off with Kashton while me and Ms. Teresa were busy herding the other kids. I didn't even get a picture of you that day, so I guess it is a good thing I get another chance next year. You are going to help me out again at Ms. Teresa's but also start going to the preschool at the high school. You like to tell people that when you turn 4 you get to go to high school. I'm excited to see how much more you learn when your mom isn't around to make you think you can get away with not listening!

Here you are modeling your Easter hat you made in preschool this year. When I went in to make sure your light was off before I went to bed I found this and had to hurry and close the door so I could laugh and grab my camera.

You had a fun time out at the Pollock Easter this year. Before it was time to eat lunch and hunt for candy you and Quade and Gavin had already talked your dad's cousin David into digging a big hole for you all to play in. I'm pretty sure you would have been just fine without candy as long as you had that hole!

You and Tess with your INSANE amount of candy. Next year I think we need to put a limit on the candy each grandma can bring. You got more candy and toys the next day at Grandma Hillier's too!

On the hunt...

I love you bud. You still drive me crazy most days, but that has more to do at this stage with your logic than anything. You are starting to figure life out, which makes me have to work harder at explaining to you why we can't do certain things or why we have to do others. This seems like kind of an important thing to do right, so hopefully I don't mess it up too bad! I can't wait to see how much you grow from 4 to 5!

Love ya,

Mom

23 Months - May 2011

Oh Tessa Lou, this won't be much of a letter. I'm going to take a bit of a break this month, but I did want to put up some pictures from Easter and say that you have been much more pleasant lately. It has been SO nice! One of my favorite things that you say quite a bit recently is "I hold you?" or "Me hold you?" I love that you want to hold me instead of the other way around. Usually you break this one out in your cutest and most pathetic voice when I am trying to get dinner ready, and it is pretty hard to resist. You got sick again at the end of last month/first of this month, and I heard a LOT of "I HOLD YOU???"

Rocking the snow boots/tank top look while playing t-ball with the fam.

Coloring Easter eggs for FHE.

Your second Pollock Easter Egg hunt. Let's just say you scored, and mom ate most of your candy. ;)

Who knew the most entertaining thing out there would be a giant hole in the ground?

Well babe that's about all I've got for you this month. Your dad said he would write your letter next month, so I'm putting that on here to make sure he does it. I love to write them but sometimes feel like I say the same things over and over, and I would love to give you the chance to hear from him as well as give him the chance to write something to you. I guess that means my next letter won't be until you have already been 2 for a month. 2!!! Slow down sister.

Love you,

Mom

46 Months - April 2011

As I write your letter this month you are hanging out at grandma's. About 8:45 this morning you and Tess were running around already driving me nuts, and my house was a mess. Then I had the brilliant idea that I'd call grandma and see if she wanted to have you guys over for the night and bring you back in time for your game tomorrow. Of course she said yes, and of course you flipped out when I told you the plan. Then, just like every time I make plans to send you to one of your grandma's houses, I got sad. I think oh, this would have been a nice day to go to the park (we've been 3 times this week already), or my cleaning didn't take that long, I didn't NEED to send you, but I know it is fun for you, fun for grandmas and grandpas, and a nice break for me. It always helps me realize that as crazy I am when I spend all day every day with you and Tess, I go even crazier when I am here by myself.

You are still in a big-time drawing mood lately and every blank piece of paper you can find is soon filled up with your drawings of monsters, dragons, or people. Grandma brought over some extra big Cars coloring sheets for you last week, and as soon as she opened them up you flipped them over so you could draw on the blank side. I think for your birthday I might just go ahead and buy you a ream or 2 of copy paper and 3 boxes of crayons and let you have a blast.

You also got in on the colored bubble action with Tess when I sent you both outside so I could mop the floor the day daddy got home from Texas. You weren't quite as messy as she was, but I suspect that has more to do with you making her messy rather than you keeping yourself clean.

I LOVE this picture. You look so handsome, and if you look close you can tell the spot right in the front and middle where you cut your own hair with scissors!

Preschool is just about over, and even though I think you haven't learned as much as you would have if I hadn't been there you sure have learned a lot. You can count to 100 (with a little help here and there), and you are getting better at using scissors to the point where I don't fear losing fingers when I help you hold your paper. Just the other day we had a breakthrough when I got you to say Logan instead of Wogan. You still have to think about where to put your tongue, which makes you make this ridiculously funny face some of the time, but it's progress! It almost makes me sad though to have you lose some of your childish lisps and language quirks.

Another handsome picture

Your dad and I were bummed earlier this year when we realized that you were going to miss the deadline for t-ball by about 6 weeks. Luckily we have some good connections and were able to get you on Ms. Teresa's team with your buddy Kashton. Your dad and I are SO nervous about you playing though. Things definitely have to be your idea for you to like them, and the point where you go from enjoying something to throwing a fit and never doing it again is very easy to hit. It is hard to be a parent and know that as bad as you want your kid to like something that you can't force it on them, so we are struggling to find the line between encouraging and pushing.

In the end I hope you know that neither one of us really cares if you love sports, science fairs, or scuba diving, but we want you to do what you enjoy doing. Both your dad and I were "too cool" types in school and missed out on a lot of things because we didn't want to risk looking stupid. That, right there, is the definition of stupid. If there is something you think looks fun, try it (not drugs!). Don't ever stop yourself from doing something because you might fail or not make the team or think that one of us will be disappointed because it isn't what we had in mind for you. You do that, and we will do our best not to push.

You are SO cute in your uniform. I love how your hat squishes your ears down. It just screams "t-ball" to me.

You are such a sweet kid. I love the moments in the morning when you wake up and come in the office to snuggle with me and get a back scratch for a few minutes before you start the day off with some Blue's Clues. The other day during this routine I asked you what I was going to do with you. You weren't sure so I suggested throwing you in the soup. (Somehow this became something we say when Tess is being naughty.) You said that wasn't a good idea and I asked you why not? Didn't you think you'd taste good? Maybe like chicken? Again you said no, so I asked you what you thought you tasted like. "Apples." I about fell off the chair. You always have something funny to say, even when you don't mean for it to be funny. I'm not sure where you got apples from, but it sure made me laugh pretty hard to start off the day.

Keep your sense of humor and do what you love to do no matter what, because the people who enjoy life and laugh are the smart ones - even if they look stupid while they're at it.

Love you Bones (you've started calling yourself Bones. I personally love it)

Mom

22 Months - April 2011

Well I'm currently listening to you scream yourself to sleep. It's night no. 3 without your binky and it isn't going down so well tonight. The last two nights you've been so exhausted that you haven't cried for very long at night. Today, well you took a bit of a nap today so you are wearing yourself out by crying instead. Poor thing. I really wish I didn't have to do this, and I wouldn't have done it just yet except for you lost your last binky and I wasn't going to buy any more. Any trip in the car has also become hell because holy cow apparently if you don't have your binky then you must get OUT of the car like NOW! All I have heard every time we get int he car is OUT! OUT! OUT! while you try to get your arms out of the straps. Oh I wish you hadn't lost that binky quite so soon. (I'm finishing this letter on day 7 with no binky - and you are doing better! Nighttime is still hard, and I'm dreading the car trip to Panguitch this weekend. Still no naps either ya stinker!)

Did I mention your dad was out of town for all of this?

Yeah, he's been in Texas for the last couple week so the timing on the binky ditching could have been better.

I know there are things that I wanted to remember to write about this month. One of them was how you threw the fit of all fits and literally tried to bite your dad's head off. I have the video on my camera and will save it for you to see for sure. It's pretty priceless. The problem is that no one can calm you down when you get into one of your fits. If anyone tries to touch you it just makes it so much worse.

Your language development is coming along a little better too. After getting your ears cleaned out it seems like you are finishing words instead of trailing off and picking new ones up too, so I'm guessing it was worth it. Now I just have to find a doctor in Kanab who can tell the difference between ear wax and a red TM. Unfortunately this development has also lead to a dramatic increase in bossiness. Just today I was trying to finish doing something in the kitchen and didn't get your milk as fast as you wanted it. You kept saying Milk! Get IT! over and over until I was finished and could help you out. If things don't go your way you stick out your pouty lip. I may have a good glare, but the lip is definitely all from your dad!

You also say some really cute things like when you are saying bye to someone you always say BYE! SHEE-YAAA! HAVE FUN! all very enthusiastically. You call Logan Gogi or Gogan, and the other day when you woke up before he did kept wandering around the house saying "Where's Gogi?" and then standing by his bed yelling "Go-gi! Go-giiiiii, ake UP"

After a little fight the two of you had I asked Logan if he thought it would be fun to have a friend over ALL the time to play with. He agreed it would and I told him that you could be that friend. A light must have gone on for him because you two spent the rest of the night enjoying each other playing dragon fight, racing around, and him even reading a story to you while you were in your crib (before the screaming fit). Tessa he is SO sweet. I don't think anything will change that about him so even if he is a big jerk to you at times now, I hope you know that he loves you more than you know and would do anything for you.

You've been the queen of messes lately too. Colored bubbles, yogurt, peanut butter, pretty much anything that has a mess potential becomes a mess reality. I won't even get into the fact that you have started doing me a favor by taking your diaper off by yourself now. That's not exactly helpful darlin.

Purple bubbles+dirt is so fun mom!

Ironically I had sent you two out to play with bubbles to keep you occupied while I mopped. Needles to say I had to re-mop while you both took a bath!

I did remember the bib this time, it just wasn't all that helpful here...

You guys had an early bath this day!

You are such a little no-fear daredevil. We have gone to the park the last few days because it has been so nice. I just sit down and relax while you climb up the craziest stuff because you actually have a harder time when I am standing right next to you or under you while you climb. I watch from a distance and usually make it to you before you fall (which is rare), but there is usually a concerned mom nearby who lingers nervously (and most likely wondering where your neglectful mother is) while you climb. Until you successfully manage to climb whatever it is 3 or 4 times without a single falter. You're just so small that it really does look crazy to see the stuff you can do.

Hmm... I just noticed the no. of months at the title of this letter. 22? How did that happen? You're almost 2! I can't believe how fast it has gone. You are such a little stinker, but a lot of fun too. You may throw an unbelievable number of fits and stick that pouty lip out like it is going out of style, but that just makes the times when you are pleasant all the more enjoyable. ;)

Love you sis,

Mom

45 Months - March 2011

Oh kid I am tired, and for once it is your fault and not Tessa's. You've had a fever for a few days now, and I'm as ready for you to be over it as you are. This morning around the time your Motrin should have been wearing off I felt your forehead and it was cool, and you will never, ever know the instant relief that comes with that touch until you are a parent with a sick kid. But apparently it wasn't meant to be and an hour later you woke up crying again and the fever was back. Needless to say your letter is late and will probably be short.

I saved a few of the funny things you said this month for your letter. One was when we were all having some ice cream after dinner. You, me, and Tessa were all eating ours at the dinner table while your dad went over and sat on the couch. You proceeded to yell at him for eating on the couch to which he responded, "Well I've earned the right to sit on the couch and eat my ice cream." Apparently you didn't think so and responded, "Well we'll just see about that." It might not sound funny to read it but when you pop off with things like that out of the blue it makes us laugh pretty hard.

The other one I have written down was when we were talking about a recent trip to Hurricane when I was able to have ice cream with some friends while you played at grandma's. Your dad was complaining and said that everyone got to have fun with their friends that day but him, but that was because he didn't have any friends. You had a simple solution for him and told him if he didn't have friends he could just make them up in his head. Who needs real friends when you have pretend ones, right?

You still like to watch a movie at night to go to bed, a habit I am trying to break, but recently you've also been listening to a book on CD that we got from a special friend at Christmas. I love going in to check on you before I go to bed and seeing you asleep with a book open next to you.

Lately you love to color pictures for anyone and everyone and the three magnets on our fridge strong enough for the job are constantly stacked on top of at least 5 pictures at once, and I just noticed that you succeeded in using ALL of my printer paper for pictures just in the last week. I guess I'll take it though, since I love seeing the 15-headed dragons and pictures of me with M-O-M written on top.

You are such a sweetie and I hope you get over this nasty bug soon. Love you buddy,

Mom

P.S. Right now you are on Motrin so you're doing a little better, and you and Tessa are playing TOGETHER and NICELY in the toy room. You should see me tiptoeing around the house and trying my best not to interrupt this very rare and wonderful moment!

Giving dad some love...

You're cool even when you aren't feeling good!

Helping mom blow out the birthday candles for the big 2-6.

5 Years - March 2011

So I guess I should write a quick post about our anniversary too since the kids aren't the only important ones in this family. We both have joked that it has seemed like such a LONG time ago that we got married, but it also seems like it has flown by too. When I think about the summer we met, right after I graduated from Snow I swear it all happened yesterday, but when I think of the fact that we have 2 kids, moved 8 times, and are now 26 and 30 then it seems like that day at fire school when we met really was a long time ago.

We are in a pretty good place right now, so good that I keep wondering what is going to happen to mess that all up. In the last year we have learned to budget and watch what we spend, which has made life easier. You reached some goals with your work, and I've settled in more and more to my jobs running the house, preschool, and MT. Because of all these things, and the fact that for the first time since we've been married an anniversary came around when I wasn't pregnant or with a small baby I wouldn't leave, we decided to do something more than just go out to dinner.

We aren't big spenders or big adventurers, and I know there are people who think that what we decided to do sounds lame and boring, but I think that suits us. We're pretty lame and boring! We went up north for a night and stayed at the Marriott in Provo. I had some money saved up from preschool and we kind of went crazy. I haven't spent money on myself like that in a while, and you at least pretended to have fun watching me spend it at the mall. We relaxed at the hotel laughing the fact that it was so quiet, then went out to dinner, bowling, and ice cream. I could mention the fact that with 4 strikes in a row during the second game I totally came from behind and wasted you, but I'm already afraid that you'll never go with me again so we can just say that you let me win so that I would have fun. We kept talking about how crazy it was to be in a place with so many people, young couples, pregnant women, and runners! It was a definite change from Kanab.

On Friday we got up and headed out to breakfast and to Cabela's so you could finally spend a little of the money. We had lunch and left for Otter Creek. After eating in Richfield we made it to the cabin by Otter Creek just in time to sit on the porch for a few minutes listening to the geese before it got too cold. We watched some movies, you fought with the pellet stove, and we enjoyed a peaceful evening in a complete 180 of the environment we had been in up north.

I told myself the whole week before we left that i had to remember my camera, but you know I didn't. Typical. I did take a bad picture of the view off the porch of the cabin when we first got there, so that's about all we've got.

I know most people would think we are lame and probably plan a cruise or trip to some tropical island for their anniversary, but I guess we're a little simpler than that. Truth is I don't think I would have enjoyed myself more doing anything else. We got to spend a lot of time together just hanging out and enjoying one another's company without any distractions (even though we love those distractions!). Thank you for the trip and for the last 5 years. Like I said on my Facebook status that day, no one could make me more angry but no one could make me happier either. Love you!

Here's a few from the year we were married since we were younger and more beautiful then anyway...

Makes me laugh EVERY time.

On the honeymoon!

In the kitchen/hallway in our first apartment March 2006.

21 Months - March 2011

Tessa dear, let's start off on some happy moments before we talk about what you were really like this month...

Dad was out of town quite a bit the end of January/first of February so I convinced my friend Taren to drive down from American Fork and visit us for a few nights. She is one of the funnest people I know, so it was a nice change for you and Logan to get to hang out with her instead of just your mean old mom. She brought candy and let you play with the photo booth on her computer. I'm not sure who liked who more, but the "liking" feeling was definitely mutual.

You were also pretty excited that we got to go visit Bentlee, Bostyn, and Kasidee too. Bentlee was nice enough to share her blue wig with you. I think you were just excited to see more girl toys than you've seen before in your life.

And here's a random picture of you being a goof See the black smudges by your eyes? That's mascara. It's there because you saw me putting on mine and rather than have a huge fit on my hands I just gave in and put some on your eyes too. Guess you should have used waterproof...

One morning I heard you yelling to get out of your crib right before I was done getting ready so I sent Logan in to "talk" to you while I hurried up. When I walked in he had an armful of toys headed towards the crib to pile them in on you. He'd already gotten this many in while you just laid there trying to figure out what in the heck he was doing.

One night the two of you were "fighting" in the kitchen and instead of refereeing your dad and I just sat on the cough and watched. We don't have a clue what you were fighting over but you were yelling back and forth at each other until you finally stopped, pointed your finger towards his room and said "Go! Room!" At this point we just lost it and Logan looked confused, but you weren't giving up and kept trying to send him to his room over and over. We finally broke it up, and it made me laugh to realize that Logan has 3 bosses in this house instead of 2. Poor boy.

You've been a pretty miserable beast again this month. You had RSV again, and this round was actually worse (I think) even though you didn't end up in the hospital like last time. After that doctor visit I finally took you in to see if you needed tubes in your ears. Your TMs are always red or have fluid every time I take you in, but it turns out I spent the $25 specialist co-pay on a good old fashioned ear cleaning. Oh the wax that came out of there was like something from a nightmare. So no tubes, yet, but hopefully that will help you hear a little better.

You are also getting your eye teeth. You've got both of your top ones now and are currently working on one of your bottoms ones. Oh not fun. The eye teeth are the WORST. I was hoping it was something though because after the fit you threw yesterday at the post office, complete with face scratching and hair pulling, I was ready to call in some reinforcements.

You are definitely not the sweet girl from 4 months or so ago, but you've got some good reasons I guess. And since you do still have your sweet moments (like when you say shee ya or howy mowy) I guess we'll keep you around for those... for now.

Quit beating up on your brother (he's practically got a black eye today!), but give those teeth hell.

Love ya,

Mom

I found this picture on my phone just now and even though it is from January there is NO way I could NOT share it. It's fuzzy and the lighting from behind is awful, but your face says everything, and the reason I laugh so hard at this one is because I can actually tell this is a face I make. Oh we are going to butt heads, and I don't know if I am more scared for you or for me...