Tessa - December 2011

Well missy, we've had more than one big milestone with you in the last couple months, and as embarrassed as you may be by this one, I can't believe I didn't write about it last month!  For some reason I decided to potty train Logan, and it was no different with you.  I'm not quite sure why I do that to myself, but you were actually quite easy!  Everyone told me with Logan to wait until he was ready, and of course I didn't.  I wanted him to be ready because you were born and I didn't want to change 2 bums.  Well that didn't go so well, but when he decided he was ready it was really easy.  So with you I waited and waited and waited (even though the little potty has been in your bathroom since last spring) and finally decided I'd just give it a shot and see how it went.  Well, it went!  You did pretty well and had a few accidents here and there, but you were completely day and night potty trained in no time!  It is no fun for the first few weeks, and we've made our fair share of runs to the bathroom in the grocery store, park, and library, but you were nice enough to give me about 3 months without having to change diapers.

I also love that you call the toilet "the pot."  I'm not sure where you picked it up, but it's funny.  "Mom, you need to help me sit on the POT!" or, (and your cousin is going to love me for this, sorry Bost!), "Mom, Bosten says he is scared to sit on the pot."  It's pretty cute.

We also decided it was time to move you out of the crib and into a big girl bed.  We were worried how you'd do since you LOVE to curl up in the corner of your crib in your stink bug pose, but once again you've done fine.  You haven't once fallen out, although the other night when I went to check on you it looked like you had crawled out of your bed and fallen asleep on the floor - go figure.  You and Logan continue to make some of these parenting things too easy for me, but I'm not complaining!

Your first night in your new bed...

Your dad's truck was in the shop for a couple days, so we had to take him to work one day when it was snowy weather.  Well you guys would NOT let me keep you inside after we got home, so inside we went to bundle you up, then back outside you 2 went to play in it.  There was only about half an inch to play in and it was gone about 20 minutes after I made you come inside, but you had fun while you could!  I'm actually excited for a little bit of snow this year so I can send you both out in it again and make a snowman that is bigger than 6 inches!

We moved you and your big girl bed into what was my old office and moved the computer into me and dad's room after my computer and the internet connection decided not to get along so well.  The other morning I heard you coming through the kitchen  after waking up so I turned to say good morning and then about fell off my chair laughing when you appeared in the doorway with this hair...

It was so much better in person too!  Then another day I let you have chocolate milk and toast for breakfast and was surprised to see this when you were done...

I'm not quite sure how you ended up with a huge smear of chocolate on your face, but I can assure you that we get plenty of laughs at your expense in the morning.  I'm so glad you are still at a stage where most of the time you will laugh with us instead of getting mad.

Speaking of laughing at your expense, the other day your dad and I were giving you a hard time about something and your dad said to you, "Tess, you are a genius." to which you replied, "No I'm NOT!"  You may not have proven it right at that moment, but you sure are a smart girl most of the time.

I'm so excited for Christmas this year and hoping that you get into it more this year than last.  Once again I've kind of taken advantage of how easily persuaded you are and convinced you that you want a crib for your babies for Christmas.  I really do think you will like it though, and I'm hoping that you will be content to take care of your babies while I am taking care of your new brother.  I keep telling you that you are going to be my helper when he comes, so hopefully that is getting planted in your head too.  I am nervous about him coming though since it was quite a bit transition for me and Logan when you arrived.  Luckily I ask Logan about that now and he doesn't seem to remember too many details, so I'm hoping that if we have a rocky start with 3 that you won't remember that part of it.  As long as he survives the two of you I think we will all eventually find our places again without too much of a problem.

You are such a fun little turkey, and I am glad you are the middle child.  I don't think I will ever have to worry about you not getting enough attention because you are pretty good at making sure we know you are here...

Keep being the sweet girl you are, but maybe ease up a little bit on your dad.  He's going to need a daddy's girl here in a few weeks when he is feeling neglected by mom too.

Love you Big Sis,
Mom

Logan - November 2011

 The funny thing about your letters is that I was so much better about getting them out on time when I worked full time.  It seems like I had a lot more "downtime" then...

We had quite a fun month since your last letter.  After dad being gone for about 18 days in October, we were happy to have him come home just in time to carve pumpkins for Halloween.  I was especially glad because you had some very specific requests for how you wanted your face to look.  You drew it on paper first, and dad did his best to get it onto the pumpkin...

We had you pose with your pumpkins before taking them outside to light them.  You definitely have a better "scary" face than your sister does.  Pretty much all of the pictures we got of you have this same look...

We were also able to go to the Fish Lake cabin with Grandpa and Grandma Hillier for the deer hunt this year.  We walked down to the lake when we first got there and the first thing you did was of course pick up handful after handful of pebbles to throw into the lake.  I love this shot of you throwing bread to the ducks.  For some reason as soon as we got near the shore those ducks didn't stick around too long....

I found a note in my phone about something funny I was supposed to write down in your letter last month but didn't find it until after I'd written it.  While your dad was gone we ate cereal or pancakes pretty much every night for dinner, and that got old after a while, so we snuck out one night and went to Pizza Hut for dinner just the three of us.  We were waiting for our food and talking about the shapes that we could find in the restaurant and you looked down at the table we were sitting at.  It was a rectangle, but the corners on the aisle end looked like this...

(Your mom has mad Paint skills)

You asked me what shape it was and I was trying to figure out what exactly it was other than a rectangle with the corners cut off one side when you looked at me and said in the most serious way, "I know mom, it must be a Freaktagon!"  I about died laughing, which made the rest of the restaurant look at us funny, but it was so unexpected and you were so certain about it that it struck me just right and we laughed until our pizza came.

Last year I got your Halloween costume about a month early, and at the time you were pretty excited about it, but by the time Halloween came you had decided you wanted to be about 30 other different things.  This year I decided I would wait until closer to Halloween and see if I could pin down exactly what you wanted to be BEFORE buying the costume.  I tried to talk you into a bunch of things like a skeleton (your favorite Halloween book is called Skeleton Meets the Mummy, and I thought it would be easy), Mickey Mouse (since Tess was Minnie), and a bunch of other things I can't remember now.  I REALLY wanted you to let me make your costume instead of going the store-bought superhero route, but that won out eventually and we ordered your Transformer costume.  You were so excited to get it in the mail, and I had a hard time keeping you out of it until Halloween.  It was fun to dress you up and send you to school, and you had a fun time parading around the high school and trick or treating at the classrooms.  You told me that some of the big kids even gave you high fives.

You kept your costume on all day after school so we got Tess ready that afternoon and went to the trunk or treat where you got more candy to add to your stash from the high school.  I thought you made a pretty cute transformer...

One of the funniest things was when we got home and you and Tess dumped out your bags to see what you had.  There were two separate piles, and yours was obviously bigger from your haul earlier in the day, but Tess still managed to have a few things that you wanted.  I was getting dinner ready and heard you bargaining with Tess and listened closer to see how you two were going to work things out.  You wanted her M&Ms so you asked her for them and she just gave them to you.  Then you asked for her Skittles and again she just handed them over.  You were about to ask for something else when I felt like I needed to help poor Tess defend her ever-smaller stash!  I made you give her the M&M's and Skittles back until you'd worked out an actual trade where she got something in return. You were pretty happy with the way things had been going for you, and I don't think you appreciated me stepping in.  I wonder at what point Tess would have quit just handing candy over.  As much as she idolizes you I'm pretty sure she would have handed it all over.

Well bud, I've got to get back to work and this letter is long enough.  I hope you know how much your dad and I love you, and Tess too!  We were all just hanging out today after church, and you and Tess were playing a game where you ran from one couch to the other slamming yourself face first into the cushions one after the other.  You collided with Tess a few times in between couches, and she just laughed and laughed as she picked herself up off the ground.  I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone in this world (besides your dad and I) who love you more than that little sister of yours.  Keep that in mind when she is eyeing your guy friends in about 14 years.  We all love you bud and enjoy all the funny things you say and do that keep us entertained!

Love ya bud,
Mom

Tessa - November 2011

Yesterday you and I were just chilling (read: I was napping while you watched a movie) on my bed while Logan was at school, and at one point you got right close in my face and smiled at me and said, "You're my best friend, MOM" in your funny little way.  I loved it.  I still remember when Logan told me I was his best friend, and it melted my heart just the same to hear you say it.  Maybe more because I know Logan will most likely always tolerate me to some degree as he hits his teen years, but there will be times you DEFINITELY won't.  So as I sat down to think about what to write this month that was pretty much the thought that dominated my mind.  I can't even think of anything else funny or cute or annoying that you did this month, but I did want to make sure to remember to write that down.

I have pictures this month though!  Yay for holidays and mom remembering her camera on a trip for once!  Dad had been gone for most of the month to Texas on a detail, so were excited to have him come home so we could carve our pumpkins.  Grandpa Hillier donated the pumpkins he grew in his garden since the ones from our garden were all shrively when it was time to carve them.  You adn I worked on your pumpkin and I asked you what shape you wanted all the features to be.  Well, you kept saying "circle" every time I ask.  Why don't you think about how hard it is to cut out a circle in a pumpkin with a steak knife?  So you only got one circle eye because after that I was pretty good at persuading you to go with easier shapes.  I guess we'll have to get the fancy kits next year so you can get what you want.  You also told me you wanted your pumpkin smiley, so I did my best with a smiley face too.  Dad had you and Logan pose on the couch with your pumpkins and told you to make scary faces.  This is the "scariest" one we got, and it was only because I finally told you to make a grumpy face.  Your grumpy face is scary - your scary face is just funny.

See, this is you making a "scary" face, but there is a better view of your smiley pumpkin.

I had a deer tag this year so we decided to take Grandpa Hillier up on his offer to go to the DWR Fish Lake cabin since it had been redone (read: hopefully mouse-free).  You got to hang out with grandma and Logan while I went hunting with grandpa and dad, and we got to do a little exploring down by the lake and the spring that runs past the cabin.  We didn't see any bucks, but you made sure to ask me every time we came back, "Mom, did you get a BUCK?"

I spent a lot of time asking Logan what he wanted to be for Halloween, but I have to apologize and say I didn't give you much choice.  I am really hoping to stay away from the "princess" rut as long as I can, so as we were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse one day I had a brilliant idea to put the idea in YOUR head that you wanted to be Minnie.  It worked, and you were just happy as a clam to go as Minnie, though I did hear you tell people from time to time that you were going as Minnie Mouse princess.  That works too I guess...

You've even got the mouse teeth look going on for you in these pictures.  Can you tell you were excited to go?

I have to say I think you make a dang cute mouse.

We only  hit the trunk or treat this year since I figured if we went around to friend's houses they would just be out getting candy themselves.  Then we found out your dad had his lip cut open at work and was heading to the ER before coming home, so we called it a night.  You didn't get a whole lot of candy, which was fine with me since you and Logan spent the next couple days constantly asking if you could eat it.  I was pretty excited when it ran out, and I might have helped put a dent in it too.

I love how much more fun holidays are with you guys around, and you are at the best age for it too.  While Christmas and Thanksgiving always stress me out, I am trying my best to remember to focus on you guys because I know that these fun years of wanting to dress up cute and believing in Santa won't last very long.  I DO hope though, that you will always consider me one of your best friends even when you outgrow the rest.

Love you Mush,
Mom

Logan - October 2011

A poor excuse for a mother sits down to write this letter tonight because I can't even use the cop out of just pictures and their captions - because I have NO pictures of you from this month. Yeah I'm pretty ashamed of myself buddy. I did get this video of you tonight though - hopefully it works. It won't do much for you if you are reading this in the book I plan to make, but it is pretty stinking cute. I taught you a song I remember from a TV show when I was little that goes like this... "I love you in the morning and in the afternoon. I love you in the evening and underneath the moon! Skidamarink-e-dink-e-dink, skidamarink-e-doo. I. LOVE. YOU!" We sing it at night, and the best part is when you start singing it to me through the car window when I drop you off at school. Ah you melt my heart when you do that, blow me a kiss, and then turn and run down the sidewalk in your big white skater shoes and your Transformer backpack bouncing along behind you. THAT is what I need to get a picture of. I will take my camera tomorrow and try to get that moment saved forever.

You LOVE school, which makes this momma so proud. I hope you stay that way. I hope it continues to come easily for you because I know that you have a pretty strong trait in your DNA that makes you discouraged if things don't come easy right at first. No, we aren't quitters in this family, but we don't like to do things unless we are GOOD at them and right off the bat too. You've got this preschool thing down pretty dang good though. You love to come home and do your homework right after school. You only have one page of homework to do, but the other day you snuck your homework folder out of your backpack and started on the homework for the NEXT week you were so excited. I guess I need to get some more pages printed off and challenge you some more.

You also get a simple book to read each night at home, and you are getting really good at figuring out your sight words and even trying to sound out some of the bigger words. You are always asking me how to spell things and also asking me what things like L-O-O-G-N-K spell. You're making me work hard at trying to explain the crazy rules of the English language, but I am bound and determined to do it. You'll probably think I'm crazy for always correcting you, but the way you speak (and write!) says so much about the person you are, and I want people to know how smart you are! There are some things I can't explain very well though like why know and knife don't start with 'N'. We had that discussion this last week, and I think our brains both hurt by the time I decided to leave it with - because they just do!

You have been coming up with possible names for the new baby, which usually have some kind of resemblance to your own name. I've heard Breegan, Reegan, Treegan, and today it was just the letter "B." You must be looking out for your little bro with that one, thinking it would make school so much easier if you only had to learn to write one letter for your name. It has been pretty amusing to hear the names you come up with.

You are such a good kid, and I have been seriously enjoying the last few weeks with you and your sister. The break you get from us at preschool seems to have made the house run so much more smoothly. We've been going to the park almost every afternoon after school to get some fresh air and pass the afternoon somewhere besides the house, and sitting there in the cool air watching you both play or reading a book I have felt like I am living a dream getting to spend so much time with the two of you. I hope you always know how much I enjoy being home with you. I really enjoyed my job in Cedar, but the guilt I felt leaving you at day care every day was so hard to deal with. On my days off I would feel like I didn't know what to do with you. I didn't even know how to put you down for a nap! We have made sacrifices for me to be home here in Kanab, and I am so thankful your dad has a job that allows me to be here. I miss working outside of the home (I still work!), but I wouldn't miss watching you guys grow up for the world.

Thanks for being such a great kid Logan,

Mom

28 Months - October 2011

Well I think your dad was about to lose faith in me getting your letter written this month. I used to wonder what stay-at-home moms did all day - but holy cow I swear I'm about as busy now as I was when I was working! Lucky for you I got on the computer to work tonight and had some crummy, mumbling, fast-talking doctors in my queue so I took that as a sign I needed to do this instead!

September went by so fast! Logan started preschool, and we also helped out at Ms. Teresa's this month. You were wondering why Logan was the only one getting first day of school pictures so I had to snap a few of you on the first day too...
Logan did well going right into school without any problem. The problem came when I picked you up to leave!! You threw a HUGE fit and wanted to stay at school too. I tried to make you (me?) feel better by taking you out to lunch at Junction, but you were hysterical again the next day when we dropped him off. Needless to say I asked Ms. April to put you on the list for next year just in case you still have a strong desire to go to school then. You've gotten used to the routine now, and you and I quite enjoy that 2 hours in the afternoon to either hang out together or just to let you play with all of Logan's toys without him taking them away from you! It's definitely been a good thing for all of us.

With preschool came our first sicknesses for a while, and of course your little tiny sniffle turned into a big deal with your reactive airway crap that seems to be as prevalent in our little family as being tongue tied. Your momma is getting smarter though and had the nebulizer ready with a brand new prescription for albuterol. It is still scary though, and I have to spend a few days wondering whether I need to take you to the ER or not. I hope your lungs grow out of their overactiveness like Logan's did, and soon! At least you are old enough to be a trooper and not scream and fight the nebulizer mask and will actually hold it yourself if I need to be up and doing something else...


Your dad got lucky this year and was an alternate for a bull elk tag on the Dutton for the muzzleloader hunt. We expected him to be gone for a couple weeks, but he ended up getting a good bull after only being gone from home for 4 days. We were excited to go up and see him and stay out camping for the weekend since it might be our last time for a while, but you were sick AGAIN, and you and I ended up coming home again that night. The next day you didn't sound as bad and told me you wanted to go camp with Logan and dad, so I packed up your nebulizer and we headed back up on the mountain. You ended up having a blast even if you did still feel a little crummy.

Dad's bull! We think he's pretty cool.

Chillin' in the trailer watching Lion King

Pretty happy about stealing daddy's new cool chair.

You fell asleep after your long hike on dad and Uncle Boo's shoulders to Powell Point, so we put you in the box to ride down. I have to say I was pretty jealous of your comfy ride down the mountain!

There is an upside to this letter being so late that I just remembered I was going to add. Your dad came home last night and was holding you in the kitchen when I heard him say, "What did you just put in your mouth?" I looked over to see you give him a huge smile and say, "A BOOGIE!!" We both just laughed. You and Logan make us laugh all the time, and the two of you have been getting along pretty well lately too. It makes me wonder what we were thinking messing up this lovely little group we've got going on here by adding another one, but I also know that everyone will adjust, and pretty soon we will wonder what life was like when it was just the four of us, just like we have a hard time remembering what life was like without you in our family. We're so glad to have your goofy personality, nasally voice, high-pitched squeals in our house.

Love you so much,

Mom

51 Months - September 2011

Oh kid, I feel like I am trying to work so much to get ready for the winter that I don't really have much time to write your letter this month, but I'm going to try to remember some things that have gone on.

You started preschool at the high school this month. It's so funny because you are pretty much convinced that you are a high schooler since your preschool is there. You tell everyone you are in high school. I'm sure it will feel like you will be there in a snap for me, but it will take a little bit longer for you to get there than I'm sure you'll like.

I LOVE this picture that we got on the first day. I do not pretend to be a photographer so of course something is wrong with it (I cut off your head a bit), but I LOVE the look on your face. I was singing silly songs and putting the wrong lyrics in to get you to smile and it worked. I also didn't make the words underneath the First Day of Preschool big enough to read but they say Ms. April's Class, Kanab High School, September 6, 2011. You had so much fun the first day, and I did good and didn't cry! You were a little nervous to go back the second day...until I picked you up that is. You jumped in the car and said "Mom I didn't even MISS you!" I was a little offended and said something about how it is okay to miss me a little bit but you didn't need to be sad but you quickly replied, "I know, but mom I didn't even miss you at ALL!" Well okay buddy, that's all right I guess. I did melt a little bit later in the week when you jumped out of the car and asked me to roll down my window. When I did you blew me a kiss and yelled "Love you Mom!" I know those days of public affection for your momma are soon going to be over so I may have gotten a little teary eyed!


Not your most flattering picture, but I snapped a quick one of you in class on the first day.

The other day when we were getting ready for school I thought I smelled something that reminded me of your dad. I couldn't quite place what it was or what it could be since he had left for work hours earlier, so I didn't think much of it. After we got in the car you told me that your elbows smelled nice. I thought that was weird but, again, not too unusual. Then you said, "Mom do you want to know why my elbows smell good?" I told you I didn't, and you proceeded to tell me that you put dad's deodorant on the inside of your elbows so they wouldn't stink. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I'm sure all the girls at preschool were wondering who the nice-smelling stud in class was that day.

We've finally broken you of watching a movie to get to sleep, and once again it was the simplest thing to do when we finally decided to do it. I swear you have spoiled me by being the easiest-going kid on this earth. We do read a book or two before we let you read or color until you fall asleep. One night as I was coming back by to turn off your light when I figured you had fallen asleep and I saw this...

and of course ran to grab my camera. You can't have too many pictures of you asleep holding a book. But as I was standing there with my camera I went to zoom in but before I could this happened...
It still makes me laugh. I was so glad I was able to witness that happen. It would have been funny to open your door and see you like that but to watch the book fall was hilarious.

Just now your dad finished tucking you in for the night and he told you that he'd love you forever, and you replied, "Yep, cause we're all sealed together." What a kid you are. You say so many smart, funny, and sometimes even mean things that surprise me every day. Tonight in the tub you and Tessa were playing nice together, which was a change from the usual screaming as soon as I leave you alone for 2 minutes. When I asked what why you were playing so nicely you told me you were pretending to be best friends. Whatever works I guess!

You are such a good kid. I'm worried now that I got my easy boy and your brother is going to be a hellion! Please be a good example to him and to Tess. I honestly, truly could not ask for a better first child than you have been and continue to be - even if you do drive me and your sister crazy sometimes.

Love you bud,

Mom

27 Months - September 2011

Well Miss Tess, August was definitely a lot less busy than July. It must have been because I looked in my August folder for pictures and only found a few from our camping trip out on the Kaibab in our new trailer. We went out on the Dutton for Uncle Dusty's bowhunt too, but it just wouldn't be me unless I forgot the camera on at least one fun occasion during the month. I guess that works out okay though because I was wondering how I was going to pick just one picture from that trip since I took quite a few cute ones of you.

Watching Logan play in the fire and looking quite relaxed...

Cheesing it for mom with your dirty face. That half-burned log in the background was your favorite place to play and you were covered in black constantly.

Walking away pouting. You did this at one point when Grandma and Grandpa Hillier were out at camp with us and got quite a ways away before someone told you to stop because there were snakes in the forest. You stopped in your tracks, snapped your head up, and turned right around and came back to camp. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time.

Looking pretty excited about the piece of cheese you got for a snack...

You definitely had a good time camping, and it was nice to have a trailer again to make it more enjoyable. We took you camping when we had our old trailer when you were about 3 months old, and I have to say this was much better. You did end up falling off the bottom bunk bed somehow in the middle of the night even though Logan was on the bed with you. We assumed he would be enough to keep you from rolling off the end, but the loud thunk early in the morning proved us wrong.

You've had a lot of fun at the pool this last month too. I finally convinced Logan to give up his round tube for floaties, and you decided you wanted to wear some too. It didn't take you long to master staying upright instead of tipping backwards or face first in the water, and now you and Logan could go around and around the lazy river all day long. I go around with you still, but I am NOT allowed to touch you or try to help you. In fact if I get closer than 3 feet away you let me know that isn't cool too. I'm pretty sure if I would let you go down the big orange slide you would probably spend all day going down that by yourself too.

You've definitely got a bit of a diva attitude Ms. Tess, and I had to laugh when I was looking through pictures on my iPod today and found these that Logan had taken without me knowing while your dad and I were at the bank. There are about 20 pictures of you on there, but this is by far the best one...

That's one sassy face Miss! I think you will do just fine sandwiched between 2 brothers, and I got some good advice the other day from a friend of mine who grew up in the same situation. She told me to make sure you had a Cabbage Patch doll because they have a hard head - good for keeping those brothers in line! I still need to work on making sure I don't blame your brother for things that he didn't do though, because you are awfully good at knowing you can place the blame on him more often than not. Just yesterday I was cooking dinner and Logan was sitting at the table doing something while you ran around in the kitchen and out of sight into the laundry area. I heard a thunk that meant you had slipped and fell, and you came crying into the kitchen with the saddest look and fakest cry you could muster and said, "Mom! Logan pushed me!" Logan looked at me like, "You know I was sitting right here, right?" I had to laugh and told you that Logan couldn't have pushed you since he was about 30 feet away when it happened, but you were telling me an awfully convincing tale anyway. Be good to your brothers, especially your older brother. He loves you more than he lets on.

I have to admit that the drama queen that sometimes comes out in you made me a little relieved to find out your new sibling is a brother. I don't think you would handle having a sister very well, although by the time you read this you may be cursing me for not giving you a sister. Your dad and I thought about this when we talked about having 3 kids - how either you or Logan would grow up without a brother or a sister - but I'm pretty sure that the 3-kid thing is a permanent decision, and you're the one who ends up left out. I think about how well your Aunt Lisa and I got along, and still do, and am a little sad for you, but I also think of the girl friends I had in high school and college who became "sisters" for me too. I think the friend thing is probably the scariest thing for every parent and definitely scares me the most about you guys growing up. I had awesome friends and know that they shaped the person I am (and I'm awesome, right?). I didn't have a million friends, but I had a few real GOOD ones. Ones who didn't care what I wore or who I dated or what I believed in. Find good friends Tess. Girls are mean! Find friends who won't stab you in the back over a boy or talk about you behind your back or use you for some great talent you have. Find friends who want to be your friend because of YOU, not because you have a cute brother or an awesome mom or the highest grades.

Find yourself some sisters, Tess, and try to look on the bright side of the younger brother thing. Chances are all his friends are going to think you are gorgeous instead of having a little sister chasing after all of your boy friends!

And if you get desperate know you can always talk to your nerdy old mom :)

Love you sis,

Mom