26 Months - August 2001

Holy cow kid, July was CRAZY busy. Around here we think a little differently than most people and hope for a good (bad?) fire season, as in lots of fires. We haven't quite gotten that here in Utah/Arizona yet this year, but that did mean that we got to have daddy around to go to reunions, etc., and we were actually able to plan a vacation in the summer that wasn't changed at the last minute due to fire calls!

I also took you and your brother to get your well checks (a month late...), and you, my dear, are in the 25th percentile for both height and weight. Considering your brother is in the 95th and 75th percentiles for those, you are definitely made from a different mold. Your personalities continue to clash pretty regularly, and you use your teeth to help you overcome the size difference. You've got to knock that off kid or they aren't going to let you into high school you know.

I took lots of pictures this month, so I'm going to just do a little explaining about each one and call that good for this month since I'm already almost 5 days late!

This was actually from last month. We didn't get to spend much time with Grandma and Grandpa Hillier this month, although you did get to hang out at their house a few times, which is always fun especially since the new splash pad at the Peach Days park is open. This was taken at Grandma's birthday party in June where you spent most of your time trying to drink the water coming out of the mister... What a nerd you are.

We were able to go to both the Veater and the Hatch reunion with dad this year. The Veater reunion was wet and soggy, which led us to buying a trailer a couple weeks ago. We are so excited to try it out. This was at the Hatch reunion where you, me, and daddy slept in the tent. You woke up so stinkin happy that I had to grab my camera and take a few pictures. This is you "hiding" from me. (if you close your eyes then I can't see you, right?)

Another pic from the Hatch reunion with Quade's bike helmet on your head. Nobody dared tell you it was on backwards...

Getting your first haircut! I finally got you over to my friend Kasidee to have your hair cut for the first time. You weren't quite sure what was going on, which helped you be pretty good while she cut it. It looks so nice now that it is a little more shaped and even. Thanks Kas!

The monsoons haven't been as impressive this year as they were last, and we dont' have any gutters to play leaf race in our new house, but that didn't stop you and Logan from having fun during a storm. This is actually a "before" picture. I didn't take any afters though because I was too busy trying to figure out how to get your mud-covered little bodies down the hall to the tub without getting mud all over the white carpet in this house! You actually ended up laying down on your belly in those puddles!

I finally broke down and bought you guys DVD players for the car. I was always against it, thinking that kids watch too much TV as it is, why would you put it in the car for them? Well, with a LONG trip to Salt Lake ahead of us I decided they might be a good idea. They kept your attention decently well until we gave you the headphones - then we didn't hear another peep out of you! It didn't work so well on our way home, but those TVs sure were nice to have. On our trip you also got to experience the manna from heaven that is Fat Jacks Pizza (Roy's, whatever it is called now?) since we stopped in Manti at Great-grandma Hillier's and then on to Ephraim for lunch. Pizza, breadsticks, and the best ranch you'll ever taste!

Your awesome mom won 4 tickets to Lagoon and 2 nights at a hotel in Layton so we decided we better take you guys on a real vacation this year. We had money set aside but weren't sure we'd end up going until I won the tickets, so that was definitely nice. Grandma and Grandpa Veater met us and were able to go with us to Lagoon and the zoo the next day. Your dad will probably remember this trip as the time I was grumpier than he was in the heat, but I did have a good time, and I know you and your brother had a blast. There were a few Tessa meltdowns when Logan was able to go on a ride when you couldn't, but you did enjoy the rides you were able to go on.

Riding the Puff roller coaster with dad. On every ride we took you on I kept checking for signs that you were scared. I'm pretty sure we could have taken you on the biggest rollercoaster there and you would have been just fine!

Tessa riding the whales! You did this one quite a few times when I had to calm you down while Logan was riding a few of the bigger rides...

Riding a horse on the carousel...

We went to the zoo the next day, and you and Logan were able to see some animals in real life instead of on TV or in books. My favorites are the giraffes, so I made you pose for a picture, except you weren't getting too close to that giant thing...

This last month you've decided that you don't like to go to sleep in your crib, which is super obnoxious since you used to be the easiest kid in the world to put to sleep! The other night you were in my bed watching a movie when I was ready to go to sleep. I just got in bed and was trying to fall asleep when you started pulling at my eyelashes and saying, "Wake UP!!" Your dad had come in by that time and was just laughing, but I didn't really think it was funny at the time!

You're definitely a little mischievous thing, and the other night you faked being asleep. Dad was just about ready to move you from our bed to your crib because your eyes were closed and you weren't moving until you all of a sudden opened your eyes and gave him the biggest smile ever. Just be careful what you ask for though since he will definitely get you back. The other day he learned that you are definitely like your momma and hate to be scared. He snuck around to where you were playing nicely in the toy room and yelled. You screamed bloody murder and then started bawling for the next 5 minutes. It was so funny, but we were trying so hard not to laugh because you were so upset! Definitely keep giving your dad hell because he won't stop doing the same to you, I promise!

Love you sis,

Mom

49 Months - July 2011

Logan, Logan, Logan...Where do I start this month? You have said so many things that were funny this month. I only remember a few of them, but I guess that is a good place to start. One day just out of the blue you told me that Jesus made you with his magic wand, and the first time he made you you were made out of wood. Oh really I asked? Yep, and then he waved his magic wand again and turned you into a real boy and called you Logan. Well I'm not sure if you've even seen Pinocchio or not, but I guess one way or the other that is still a pretty good imagination you've got!

We told you and Tess about the new baby that will be coming to our family this winter, and when we aked you if you wanted a baby brother or sister you told us it was a baby brother. When we asked what would happen if it was a baby sister you said, "Well...that would be okay, but it's a baby brother." We'll see how accurate your prediction is. It seems like you predicted Tess would be a girl, so that would be 2 for 2 for you!

You are definitely a bargainer. In fact one of the things I hear out of your mouth most is "Well...." as you try to think of some way to reason with me or your dad. Like if I tell you you can't have a popsicle for breakfast you'll say something like, "Well, it's bright outside so that means it's lunch so I can have a popsicle." Or if I tell you we aren't going to the pool that day you say, "Well... we ARE going to the pool. Come on, mom, promise me we are going to the pool." It's pretty funny. For the most part you are a very well-mannered kid, but that doesn't stop you from trying to see how much bossing you can get away with.

Ever since your birthday last month whenever you see something you might like you tell me I can get it for you for your 5 birthday. I've explained over and over that your 5 birthday is not for a LONG time, but you refuse to care about little details like that.

The #1 thing that is heard around our house these days though is, "I'm 4, and 4-year-olds know everything." It seems like you've gone through this phase at some point before, but I'm afraid this one is sticking for good. It isn't helping that you are starting to realize that mom DOESN'T know everything and that my explanations for things might not quite add up. The other day you asked me if the sun floated, and that question seriously stopped me in my tracks for a minute. I really had to think about it! Does the sun float? I didn't really know for sure so we decided to ask your dad at dinner. We then both proceeded to use the salt and pepper shakers and a glass of water to explain how the earth moves around the sun (I tried to tell you for a minute that it was the other way around until your dad corrected me.) and that each time it goes around the sun is 1 year (Dad said 1 day at first, and then we had to throw in that the earth turns as it moves around the sun.) It was definitely a complicated lesson, and I think both your dad and I have some brushing up on our elementary education to do before you start needing science projects!

We've had a lot of fun enjoying camping and hanging out with family. We went to Grandma Hillier's to celebrate your birthdays and father's day and then back again a couple weeks later to celebrate grandma's birthday. She bought this squirt gun and you thought it would be smart to turn it on Uncle Joe - who later turned it on you big time!

Chasing dad too...

You also went to the balloon festival with Grandma and Grandpa Veater and then to the Veater reunion last weekend. You are definitely getting your summer's worth of fun. Now today we are off to the Hatch reunion at Tropic Reservoir and I hope to get some good pictures of you fishing with your Buzz Lightyear pole, that is, if I don't forget my camera again...(I didn't take my camera fishing, but you (and by you I mean me) caught a fish with your Buzz pole and were SOOOO mad at dad when he threw it back! I did get this one of you and Quade hanging out by the fire though.)

I've noticed more and more that if you can't do something perfect the first time you try or just don't think you can do something that you won't. I talked about this a little in your T-ball letter a while back, but I hope that you grow out of that stage, and I hope I can figure out the best way to do that. Don't be the one who holds you back, okay buddy? You are so smart and so sweet, and you should never, ever worry about failing. Easier said than done, trust me I know, but since you already know everything at 4 years old, I don't think there is anything in the world you won't be able to do by the time you are grown.

Love you bud,

Mom

25 Months - July 2011

Well would you check me out, your letter is actually up on time this month! Must be because your dad wrote such a great one last month that I felt I ought to pick up my slack here a little bit.

Not too much has gone on this month, just doing our usual summer thing with daily trips to the park, pool, or out to the river with Toby. You are still quite the handful and never let me forget who is the boss around here. Logan is almost starting to figure it out too, though some days when you are on the rampage and I warn him he might want to just hang out in a different room than you he will still do something that pushes your buttons and causes you to have a meltdown. Yesterday was one of those days and you ended up biting me. Here's some advice child, you don't want to bite your mom. I bite back. I didn't yesterday because your bite hurt so bad I probably would have bitten you just as hard, but just keep in mind that while your dad and Toby won't bite back, I can assure you that me and Logan probably will! In fact, let's just get out of the biting stage right about now.

You still say some really cute phrases, and I don't think I've written about "fishits" before this month, so I better make sure I include it now. For some reason Logan got in the habit of saying "Ohhh biscuits" whenever I would tell him he needed to wait for something or he couldn't have this or do that. You picked up on it of course, except when you say it, it sounds like "Oh Fishits!" The first time you said it I had to have you repeat it a couple times before I realized what it was supposed to be, and then I had to explain to everyone we were around for the next few weeks what exactly you were trying to say. You also have this word I can't quite figure out and you've thrown tantrums on more than one occasion because of our lack of communication. It sounds like you are saying something like sippy-ya, and I have tried every remotely close sounding thing I can, but I did finally figure out that if I put your blanket around your shoulders like a cape that usually satisfies you! Maybe one day you can tell me what sippy-ya means. ( About 6 weeks has gone by since I wrote this, and I finally figured out that sippy-ya means "superhero on" as in, you want your blanket around your shoulders like a superhero. Duh, mom!)

Me and you ended up getting to go on the fourwheeler ride out to the Grand Canyon this month. I was a little nervous about how you would do because frankly I was a little nervous about how I would do, but you handled 87 miles and about 6 hours on the bikes just fine, and you did it in style!

And finally, since I am ready for bed after chasing you and Logan all day, I'll leave you with this lovely little picture. It is grainy because I took it basically in a pitch black room where you were sleeping. You'd just fallen asleep and I didn't want to wake you up with a flash or any kind of light, but I about died when I walked in and saw this. You even crack me up when you are sleeping.

Love you Tess Lin,

Momma

Had to throw this one in of your dad with Logan's Transformer's mask. Your dad is one funny guy.

What a pretty girl! You had about 14 different birthday parties this month. I'm pretty sure you and Logan got really used to getting showered with presents all the time!

You riding with your dad. I was afraid to drive with you for quite a while and sure enough as soon as you got on with me you started throwing a fit and trying to drive/steer!

48 Months - June 2011

This month I took the easy way out and did your interview. It's probably better than me going on and on about how I can't believe you are 4 already, etc. Besides you are just so cute on camera, until you decide you don't want to be. I didn't get to ask all the questions I wanted before you decided you were done, but I guess that's the prerogative of a 4-year-old. I'll post your answers and then the video, plus some pictures from the last month as always. (Uh yeah, I can't get the video to load. I'll keep trying.) Love you my big kid!

YOUR FAVORITE...

FOOD? Cereal.

CANDY? Tootsie Roll.

PLACE TO GO? Downstairs. (We have a big, open unfinished basement where you can ride your bike.)

GAME TO PLAY? Bowling. You've never been bowing, but you bowl on the Wii?

TV SHOW? Blue's Clues.

MOVIE? Ice Age. (I was surprised by this one. It's what's in your TV right now, but I'd say Cars or even Beauty and the Beast is your current favorite since it is the newest one on the DVR and therefore the one we haven't watched 456,098 times.)

PERSON? Daddy and mommy. (Pretty sure I was an afterthought and only thrown in there because I was the one asking questions.)

THING TO DO? Color.

COLOR: Green.

PERSON TO PLAY WITH? Kashton. (I almost thought you were going to say Tess and I was going to call BS!)

TOY? Iron Man.

HOLIDAY? Christmas, no it's Easter.

THING TO DO WITH DADDY? Go fourwheeler riding to the Grand Canyon when it's my birthday.

THING TO DO WITH MOMMY: Watch TV with mommy. (Really?)

THING TO DO WITH GMA & GPA H? Play.

THING TO DO WITH GMA & GPA V? Play in their house.

NUMBER? 4

ANIMAL? Elephant.

CARTOON CHARACTER? Mickey Mouse.

THING ABOUT ME? Coloring.

PLACE TO BE TICKLED? Right there (Pointing to a place on the floor right next to you.)

Me: No, on your body, where on your body?

You: My (points to arm).

PLACE TO GO WITH MOMMY? The pool.

PLACE TO GO WITH DADDY?: Umm..... (you were tired of questions by this point.)

DRINK? Lemonade.

TREAT? Chocolate candy.

PLACE TO VISIT? Grandma Hillier's house.

BOOK? The book I got from church yesterday. (For your birthday the Primary gave you a Book of Mormon. It was really cute because you wanted us to read it for FHE so we did. We told you it would probably be hard for you to understand but that was okay. Before your dad started reading we looked at the pictures in the front. There was a picture of Jesus and you told us who that one was. The next one was a picture of Joseph Smith and when we asked you that one you knew it too! Your dad and I were both really surprised. The best thing about it was after you answered that it was Joseph Smith you said, "See, this book isn't hard for me to understand!").

You fell asleep with your book on your face again. This one was a heavy book too!

Fishing at Panguitch Lake the other day with your new Buzz Lightyear fishing pole.

On the fourwheeler with mom. We went on a trip out to some viewpoints of the Grand Canyon out on the Kaibab with Grandpa & Grandma Veater and Uncle Derick and Aunt Bre. Your glasses kept doing this the whole time, and it made us laugh.

Grandma gets a turn to ride with Logan. We ended up going 87 miles on the fourwheelers that day. We thought you and Tess would be dead tired but you stayed up late that night!

Blowing out the candles on one of your 3 birthday cakes this year.

Showing off your new scooter. You also got some Legos, an Iron Man, and a teddy Zippleback.

24 Months - June 2011

Okay Tess, your Mom finally got her way and I’m writing you your two year letter. Wow, did I just say two? I have absolutely no idea where the last two years went. It seems like yesterday when we finally brought you to Kanab and you had to lay in the tanning bed looking thing for your jaundice. You were completely bald, now your hair is all over the place. You didn’t make a sound, now you never stop. You were nice and sweet, now, well lets just say, not so much. You have the ability that every father of a daughter fears; you can turn the charm on in an instant. You can be the meanest little terd that I have ever seen, then on the spot turn in to the sweetest little thing I have ever seen. It drives me crazy!

A while back you decided that you had had enough of me teasing you and decided to bite my head. It made us laugh for weeks. Just recently you bit Toby because he wouldn’t move. That made us more then just a little concerned. Luckily for you, your mom is the exact same way, so we don’t think there is anything seriously wrong with you. One time when she was pregnant with Logan she got so mad at me (Imagine that), that she jumped on me while I was standing up and tried to take me down. Well, she is as light as a feather so I didn’t budge but the front row seat I had of that will go down as one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Your mom hates it when I laugh at her when she’s mad. And apparently so do you. I never imagined that a kid could throw a fit like you can. Just yesterday morning you got so mad at me for taking your wet dirty diaper off that you screamed so bad you were shaking. When I threw the diaper out the front door you started hanging from the door knob, screaming at the top of your lungs and shaking so hard that I thought the door knob was going to fall off. So I took you to your room, put you in your crib and left for a minute. I went back in and asked if you were OK. You looked up at me with those big brown eyes, batted your eye lashes, and said yes with the sweetest little tone I’ve ever heard. Then you proceeded to say sorry and I asked if you wanted to get out. (I can thank Aunt Lisa for this answer). You stuck your bottom lip out and said, “Pwitty Pease”. Well, a dad can’t resist that now can he? Lets just say you get your way more then you should.

This past month has been fun with you. You are talking way more. Every night when I put you in bed I always say, “Love you so much”! Then you say back to me, “Wuv ou much”! I love it. You can pretty much repeat anything we say to you. I think Logan gets a little tired of you repeating him. But, every time we ask him if he likes his sister, he has always said yes. You have also picked up a very cute two year old version of Twinkle Little Star that I could sit and listen to all day. You can count to ten and say the majority of the ABCs. As a father I couldn’t be more proud.

I have said since the day you were born that I hoped you would be ugly until the age of 30 but I don’t think I will get my wish. You are so darn cute and have the best little personality (When you want to). I’m afraid I will be going gray soon and will have to buy a few more shot guns for when you are older. I’m going to have a hard time not wanting to always keep you under lock and key. I will be putting Logan through vigorous training to help me keep the boys away. You will probably hate me when you get older. But deal with it. I’m your dad and you’re stuck with me!

Tess, I love you more then you can ever imagine. It took me a while to come around to the idea of daughter, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m not saying I want more, but I’m so thankful to have you. Just remember that Logan and I will drive you crazy and the more ticked off you get the more it will fuel us. I’m sorry about that but that’s just the way we are. Your mom can give you pointers on how to deal with us, if she sticks around long enough to ask her. Just kidding, you have the best mom imaginable. Just the fact the she stays with us says wonders about how great she it. Always listen to her. I hope you will allow her to be your best friend as you get older. She will correct all the damage I do as a dad. I promise I will always try to do my best. Have patience with me and always know that I'm only doing what I honestly feel is best.

I love you so much!

Dad

"Fishing" at Panguitch Lake.

Just like dad!

So excited for presents. You kept saying "Logan's turn!" I don't think you could quite believe they were all for you.

The goods and you showing us how old you are.

The cupcake face.

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