Every year we go to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival on Labor Day Weekend to see the pretty flowers.  This year Lolo, Lola and Uncle Val came along.

Time to rake leaves…

And jump in the leaves…

And throw the leaves…

And if you are naughty, here is what happens…

For my Aunt Marti, because she asked so nicely… here are our favorite pictures from the pumpkin patch this year. 

The pumpkin patch was a lot of fun, like it is every year.  The highlight for the girls this year was the grain bin (picture a giant bin filled with corn and wheat and sand toys).  Also, the kettle corn. 

Looking a little worried…

Relaxing a little bit…

Looking worried again…

Getting the exam and cleaning.  Healthy teeth!  Yay!

For Tessa this is old news…  (no cavities either!  yay!)

***Should have been published September 1, 2008***

Dear Tessa,

We spent a lot of this month in the pool.  You took swimming lessons at the YMCA every Monday-Thursday afternoon the entire month.  The progress you made in learning to swim was amazing.  It was really great to watch you start out clutching the swimming teacher or a kick board, and end the month watching you swim, even if it was only a very short way, all by yourself.

We had our hard times.  The last teacher you had was very, very tough.  She would basically just stand out in the middle of the pool and want you to swim to her.  You were scared.  You cried.  But you pulled it together and did what she asked.  You weren't afraid to tell her that you were scared and she did take it a little bit easier on you after you told her.  I was proud of you for so many reasons.  For trying your best.  For persevering.  But mostly for being brave when you were afraid.   I found this quote and thought of you…

A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. ~John Shedd

I can tell that you are going to be a great swimmer, and really love the water like I do.

Speaking of loving the water, on our annual family pontoon boat trip you got in the lake with just your life jacket on!  All by yourself!  I was very amazed at how brave you were.  You had so much fun you asked if we could go again the next week. 

You've discovered video conferencing and love to call your grandpa and grandma or lolo.  Sometimes you are lucky enough to find Rianna online.

I've noticed that you are trying to be more helpful these days.  Maybe not so much with the putting of the pajamas into the laundry.  More with the baking of the cookies.

There was recently an episode of the Hannah Montana TV show that you watched where Hannah's friend Lily sings very badly.  You've decided that singing off key is a very funny thing to do, and you do it on purpose, and very often.  My dear girl, this is the very thing Uncle Tim used to do to me when we were kids to drive me insane.  If you'd like me to be committed to a mental health institution someday soon, please do continue with the off key singing.

Your nicknames this month are…

Lovely

Tessiebear

Sessa (Emma calls you this because it is how you refer to yourself!)

A few mornings ago we were about to have breakfast and we asked you what you would like.  You said "I WANT THE TATO!"  You also still call breakfast "breakfixt" and refer to our whole fruit smoothies as "smoovies".   I will never correct you.  Our family will probably always have smoovies and THE TATO on the menu for breakfixt.  (To this day I like to refer to cereal as "cyrano" and peanut butter as "cheanut butter" like your cousin Braden did when he was a baby.)

I taught you how to make friendship bracelets.  You completed one and started another, but mostly you want me to make them for you. 

You can talk.  I really mean it.  I think you could win an award for non stop talking.  You can take a two minute story and turn it into a thirty minute saga.  My ears hurt.  You even take my old pink razr cell phone and have pretend conversations… you even will leave the room to have some privacy if you think we are being too loud while you are on the phone.  You ask a lot of "why" questions.  I find myself answering "because I said so" and "very carefully" and "because I'm the mom" just like my parents did to me, just like I thought I would never do.

First day of school!

You are in first grade now!  I love fall, love back-to-school time, love the excitement of the first day of school.  And yet, we had such a great summer, I didn't want it to end. 

New classroom!

New desk!

I wish for you the best school year ever, with plenty of friends, lots of learning, lots of recesses.  I wish for you to learn more and more every day that Jesus loves you, I love you, Daddy loves you and Emma loves you.

Love,

Mommy

P.S. Here is a picture of Snowy the Snowman Dishtowel.  Back when Cuppy was lost this was your special item you carried around.  He keeps ending up in the kitchen now, being used as an actual… um… dishtowel.  So I thought you might want a picture to remember him by.

Smitten Kitchen posted a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Bars recently. 

(You should go check out her recipe and her photos, they are outstanding.) 

I had some blueberries from the farmer's market. 

So I decided to make some.

Best. Blueberry. Cookie. Ever! 

Then she posted a recipe for blueberry pancakes.  So I had to try that too.

And lo!  It was excellent.

Luckily Jen from Amazing Trips solved the riddle of which griddle to buy (electric? cast iron?  one burner?  two burner?) and also posted an amazing pancake recipe (which I personally tried and it was so good). 

My mom found the Nordicware 2 Burner Reversible Grill Griddle at Costco and it is AWESOME! 

We made pancakes and fried eggs at the same time!   I cooked pancakes so fast that I actually got to eat breakfast with the family.  Usually I'm stuck at the stove.

What goes with blueberry pancakes?  Blueberry banana smoothies!

Yum!

Who likes blueberries?  Me! Me! Me! I do! I do! I do!

Hold me…

August 1, 2008

Dear Tessa,

I'm not sure what you do during afternoon "quiet time", but it sounds like the United States Women's Gymnastics Team is trying out for the Olympics in there.  I hear the pitter patter of your feet running up and down the hallway even though you know you aren't supposed to be out of your room.  You seem to know if I'm trying to get in a quick siesta while Emma is napping, and these are the days you make the most noise.

After dinner every night you try to negotiate for some dessert.  Even if we say no, you don't give up.  One night you were really being persistent, so just for kicks I made you say "I'm having a sugar fit!" to get some dessert.  (I'm having a sugar fit is what your Grandpa and Great-Grandma say when they need some dessert, so this is a long time family joke.)

For your birthday one of your friends gave you a ten dollar gift card to Target.  You picked out a High School Musical Sharpay doll and paid for it yourself with your gift card.  When you were done at the check stand you said, "I got to buy something with a credit card all by myself for the first time!"  So we had to have the credit cards = evil and gift cards = awesome chat.

One day you were playing waitress, and we had this conversation…

Tessa:  "Would you like some 100% apple juice?"

Me:  "No, I'd like some 100% obedience!"

Tessa:  "I'm sorry, that is not one of our delishes (dishes)."

 Me:  "No kidding!"

We started a two week swimming summer camp a few days ago.  You took swimming lessons once a week in Kindergarten but suddenly you are really taking off and it is amazing to see how fast you are progressing towards being a full fledged swimmer.  I may have said this before, but it is really fun to watch you learn to swim in the same pool I learned to swim in.  The pool looks the same, the locker room (sadly) looks the same, the place even smells the same.  I had such happy memories of swimming in that pool, and that happy feeling comes back to me every time I take you swimming there.  I hope you are making some of your happiest childhood memories there too.

When I ask you to pick up your toys you like to complain loudly about how tired you are, or how EMMA GOT THAT TOY OUT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PICK IT UP!  I used to try to reason with you but it never worked.  I've been trying to lead by example and lately when I clean up your room we have a conversation that goes something like this…

Me:  Tessa, did I get these toys out?

You:  No

Me:  Why am I picking them up?

You: (weary tone of voice) Because we are a family, and we help each other out, and we take care of each other.  (If you were a teenager you'd roll your eyes here.)

I guess maybe I've been lecturing too much?  BUT, it is working because you are helping out more without complaining as much.

Auntie Shanell gave you the book Little House in the Big Woods for your birthday (Thanks Auntie Shanell!) and we've been reading a chapter or so every night before bed.  This is our first time reading a chapter book with hardly any pictures, and it is going great, you are very interested in the story.  I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a little girl, but I didn't remember how frightening and grisly the stories are.  So far in the book they've butchered a pig, made head cheese (shudder!), blew up the bladder like a balloon and played with it, roasted the pig tail over the fire and ate it, slapped a bear, described in detail how afraid they are of wolves, and listened to numerous stories about how their father got spanked by their grandfather and/or was nearly eaten by a panther or bear.  Good times.

It is so wonderful being able to watch you take these first steps in reading.  You read entire beginning reader books to me in the evenings before bed!  We have to keep going to the library for new books because you finish reading them so fast.

Auntie Shanell and I took you and Emma to the zoo for the first time.  Here you are peeking through the trees to see the elephants.

You got to spend a week in Canada with your cousin Rianna who you still refer to as your "best friend".  I think that will probably be the highlight if your summer, right up there with Vacation Bible School and swimming lessons.

At Daddy's company picnic you rode a pony for the first time ever.  You have always been afraid of the ponies but this year Emma wanted to go, and I don't think you could handle the thought of her going for a pony ride and leaving you behind.  I was so proud of you that you overcame your fear and enjoyed the ride.

We hung the banner from your birthday party on the wall next to your bed so you could enjoy it for a little while.  (See photo.)

The next day we noticed that you had written a couple of things on the banner.

(Tessa's ooh la la.)

(I'm 6 naw.)

(I love me and me.)

Apparently there is nothing wrong with your self-esteem.

The last few days in the car we've been singing a song from your Vacation Bible School that is called "Romans 16:19" and it goes like this…

Romans 16:19 says

Be excellent at what is good

Be innocent of evil

And the God of Peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet.

I hope you always remember those words, and that I love you so very much. 

Love,

Mommy

Tessa went to Vacation Bible School a few weeks ago and loved every minute of it!  The theme this year was…

Here are a few photos…

… and some video of Tessa singing and dancing the theme song.

VBS is one of the highlights of our summer.  We can't wait until next year!

For Tessa's birthday we took her to Build-a-Bear Workshop for the first time.  I don't know why we waited so long to take the girls there… it was AWESOME!

Tessa picked a white and pink bear that she named "Anna".  She picked out pink leggings, a pink skirt, pink flip flops, a pink tank top, a pink hat, and pink sunglasses for Anna to wear.

Emma picked a brown dog that she named "Goggy" (like Doggy) and picked out a yellow princess-butterfly outfit with silver flip flops for her to wear.

I think our favorite part was watching the animals get stuffed, and making a wish on the little heart they put inside.  SO CUTE!

Look at those smiles.  Totally worth it!

P.S.  Did you know that they have a fluffing station so you can bring your bear into the store and fluff him up?  It looks like a shower head but has just air coming out of it, and they even have brushes you can use to fluff your bear up.