… and yesterday I finally heard it.

Tessa:  "Emma, you are not the boss of me!"

June 1, 2008

Dear Tessa,

You finished your first season of soccer this month.  Daddy and I are so proud of you for being brave enough to try, and for doing your best.  A typical soccer class for you went something like this.

Have fun doing drills and learning skills.

Snack time.

Run around half heartedly after the ball during the "game". 

Celebrate wildly when your team got a goal.

Occasionally try to play goal tender even though the games you play are open goal games.

The "Spring Program" at your school was a fun event to attend.  You waved at us a couple of times from the stage and sang your little heart out.  You seem to really love music.

I will always remember how excited you were this year about Mother's day and my birthday.  You made me a key chain at school and managed to keep it a secret and give it to me on Mother's day.  You also bought me a red geranium from school.  That had to be given a couple of day early… you know, since I pick you up from school and it is therefore  impossible difficult to hide it.  (So that is what the $5 you wanted was for!) 

We went to see "Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up" and you really tried to get into it.  Despite the fact that you used to love and adore Elmo a few years ago, you maintain that Elmo is for babies and typically you want nothing to do with him. You did have a very good time at the concert, but this picture tells how you really feel.  Check out the look on your face.  (The word I think we are looking for here is bershon.)

Trying to rein in your fashion adventures has been a challenge.  The other day you put on jeans and put a pair of pink stretch pants of the top of them.  Sometimes I let you dress yourself and just make whatever fashion mistakes you need to make to maintain your individuality, but in this case I felt I had to intervene.  It is never okay to wear stretch pants (of any color) over the top of jeans.  This is a rule that will serve you well throughout your life.  (Now that I've told you that, a new fashion will come out where people wear stretch pants over the top of jeans… that would be just my luck.)  I try to suggest possible outfits, and give you "constructive criticism" about the outfits you put together, but when I mention one of your ensembles is not quite right you say, "Mom, that is not a nice thing to say!" which is kindergarten-speak for "How dare you!"  

You must have learned the phrase "shake your booty" at school.  You taught it to Emma and now I have to hear "SHAKE MY BOOTY!  SHAKE MY BOOTY!" from Emma (and watch her waggle her butt) a hojillion hours a day.  Thanks.  Thanks a lot. 

You've really lost your fear of playground equipment this year and are very adventurous when we go to the park these days.

Your teacher tells me that she is so proud of how far you have come in your swimming lessons.  You went from crying and clinging to the side at the beginning of the school year to being able to float and "dog paddle" all by yourself. 

Too bad someone barfed in the pool during your last swimming lesson.

Swimming was one of the highlights of your kindergarten school year.  It is so cool that you are learning to swim in the exact same pool that I learned to swim in.  My happy memories of this pool go so far back that even the chlorine smells good to me.

Your friend Felicity had a birthday party at the bowling alley and you went bowling for the first time ever.  You did amazingly well, and got more points than I've ever gotten while bowling.  I find consolation in the fact that there were bumpers in your lane so maybe that is the reason you can bowl better than me.  (Either that, or all the Wii bowling you've done actually helped?)  In this picture you decided to sit on the floor and wait for the ball to roll (slowly!) to the end of the lane.

The Three Musketeers.  Felicity, Brenda and Tessa.

The highlight of this month for you was when Auntie Lhevinne and all your cousins came for a visit.  You are still talking about the water fight we had in Auntie Pam's back yard.  They happened to be here to see your last soccer game of the season, and also to go to the Iris Festival, where you and Andrew played a fishing game and won some stuffed animals.

I was recently thinking back to when I was pregnant with you about how blessed and lucky I felt.  How I couldn't express in words what it means to finally have the baby you've wanted for almost 12 years… and the depth of my gratitude to God for giving you to me and daddy.  This poem written in the 1700-1800s by Hannah Moore ran through my mind almost every day when I was pregnant with you. 

Accept my thoughts for thanks

I have no words

My soul, o'er fraught with gratitude

Rejects the aid of language

Lord! - Behold my heart

And now, almost six years later, those same words run through my mind when I look at you.

I love you so much.

Love,

Mama

Tessa sings in her school's Spring Program.

1. Why will my kids eat Ramen or stir fried noodles, but not spaghetti or mac-n-cheese?
2. Why will Emma eat whole wheat waffles or whole wheat bread but not a whole wheat bagel?
3. Why will Tessa eat grapes at home but not if I send them in her school lunch?
4. Why will Emma eat apples, strawberries, and bananas but not drink a smoothie made of bananas, strawberries and apples?
5. Why will my kids eat hash browns and french fries, but not mashed or baked potatoes?
6. Why will Tessa eat cantaloupe at home, but not in her school lunch?
7. Why will Tessa eat bread sticks but not pizza?

School has been out for almost a week.

Tessa has been playing school a lot.

Today she told me it was craft time and I was going to make a card with cherries on it.

She even wrote my name on it for me…

"Stale"

May 27, 2008

Dear Emma,

You are very fierce lately, growling and making scary faces at us, pretending to be a tiger or a bear.  We are supposed to act afraid and cower a little bit, and it seems to bring you a lot of joy to think that you've frightened us. 

(Never Crabby… yeah, right!)

You have a couple of plastic bugs and snakes you got in a birthday party goody bag and you like to bring them to me, crinkle up your eyes and say "Pider!", and I'm supposed to act scared.  When you come across a real spider, you actually are the one who is scared, and I have nobody to blame but myself for this.  Sometimes when I get surprised by a black spider in the kitchen sink first thing in the morning you can hear my screams all the way to Canada.   You know all the words and motions to "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" song and it is one of your very favorites.

You discovered Tessa's computer and like to play the Elmo games at the Sesame Street website.  This typically involves you watching the screen and smacking me on the arm when I need to click on something or press a key for you.  Awesome fun times for you, maybe not such a good time for me.

You've discovered the awesomeness of band aids and neosporin (or Petro Carbo) which you refer to as "speshul kweem".  You come to me many times a day with imaginary hurts that need speshul kweem.  Your sad face and serious expression are so adorable, it is hard to keep a straight face.

We've been trying to teach you to pray, but so far your prayers are limited to "Jesus, Amen!" 

At lunch time you come to me and say "I'm hungwy, samweech!"  I know what you are really meaning to say is  "Dear Mother, I'm hungry.  Would you please make me a grilled cheese sandwich."  Another of your favorite things to eat is noodles, which you call "meenoos".   The other day we were watching Elmo's World and when Mr. Noodle came on you said, "Mr. Meenoos!"

Speaking of Sesame Street, we went to see "Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up" a few weeks ago.  It was magical to watch your face as you saw Elmo on stage.  You were horrified at all the two year olds there having tantrums and I realized it has been quite a while since you've had a tantrum of your own.  

Today I listened as you ran up and down the hallway singing "Jesus Loves Me" at the top of your lungs.  Your baby voice is so pure and sweet, I could cry if I think about it long enough.

Nearly every day you lose your taggie blanket somewhere in the house.  When you finally find it you say, "I pound it!" and then point at it and say, "wite dair, wite dair" or "dair it is!"   We bought a spare taggie blanket that is identical to the one you love so much, but you can tell the difference, and if we try to hand you the imposter taggie blanket you initially grab it but then pull your hand back as if it has been burned, as if to say "THAT IS NOT TAGGIE, DID YOU THINK I WOULD NOT NOTICE?"

It is really fun to read to you these days.  You enjoy books now, and listening to stories, which is a big improvement over a few months ago when all you wanted to do was turn the pages as fast as you could and then throw the book on the floor.

Before Daddy and I go to bed we open the door to your room to let in the warm air, since your room tends to be kind of chilly.  When we open the door we get blasted with an odor that is kind of sweet and really strong, so we like to call you Pungent One.  We also call you Emma Yemma Ding Dong, Runty, Runtybear, Emmybear, Little Pooh, and Little Moon Pie.

Your Auntie Lhevinne and cousins visited us, and you were so thrilled at all the attention you got from your cousins.

I love you so much and I thank God for you every day.

Love,

Mama