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