Dinner Conversation

Growing up, our dinner table was always a place of conversation and laughter. That might have been due to the fact that there were three of us girls and my dad, but I like to think it was because we were such a charismatic family. So conversation at the dinner table is encouraged at our house. Although, we aren't sure what Tessa is saying most of the time. And sometimes she talks with her mouth full (but so does her dad--what can you do?). Here is a little snippet of Tessa talking with Daddy about her day:

I'm A Model, You Know What I Mean

We finally got to above freezing on the old mercury last weekend. It might have been 55 degrees! So we went to the playground. And Tessa played like she has never played before. In fact, she was so excited about being there that she was constantly saying what she was doing. Like, "Slide! Slide! Slide! Slide! WEEEEEEEE!!!" when she was running to go slide, and "Puppy! Puppy! Puppy!" when she was chasing a dog. Anyway, in the midst of her busy playground activities, she paused long enough for her adoring fans to get a few photo-ops:






Serious Play.















Snow Angel Jacket, Consignment $3; Striped Sport Leggings, Gymboree $8; Makeup and Hair by Todd Studios













I'm cute and I know it!!















Looking thoughtfully into the distance.

Weather the Weather

I just back from working out. Which is saying something tonight because the temperature is 3 degrees with a wind chill of -10 and falling. Unfortunately, my drive isn't far enough to get the car warmed up. Oh, and it's snowing.

Tessa and I both had fevers today. Tessa's was low-grade due to a cold. Mine was cabin due to a lack of anywhere to go. We made due by playing and whining and snuggling on the couch a lot. Tessa can totally out-whine me. We invented a new game today that I like to call the loud game. Tessa throws her head back and yells in an almost singing way, and I imitate her sound with my own yelling (I try to hit the same pitch as her and stop right when she does). This game entertained and tickled Tessa for about 10 minutes straight. She just couldn't get enough of the funny way it sounded for both of us to do that at the same time. There is no shame when you play with your toddler. You will go to great lengths to produce a giggle however undignified. Just my luck I happened to glance out the window as I threw my head back in a particularly lusty yell to make eye-contact with my neighbor's girlfriend. And after that was over, I had to ask myself, does smiling and waving in a friendly manner like nothing is amiss really make you look less crazy??

Still, I wasn't too worried. See, I happened to glance over into their house through the open window one night recently (our houses are really close together) to see the girlfriend in a very undignified position herself. And while she has no idea I saw her like that, it makes my embarrassing moment shrivel up and blow away in the hot wind of her prodigious faux pas.

On another note, did you hear about the guy that dove into the sewer after his wife's ring? It gets better. He stripped down to his underwear first. It gets even better. He didn't find it, so he came back that night with a wet suit and a strainer he made himself. Still no luck. Eventually, he hired a power vac truck to suck out the muck and dig around until they finally found it.

I was going to say something sarcastic and funny about that story, but I can't beat the story itself.

Well, ya'll stay warm!

Tessa-isms

Those of you who have or have had children most definitely know the joy of listening to them learn to talk. Their attempts are not rooted in fear of failure--they just try with all they have. And it is a sweet kind of music to my ears when I hear Tessa talking. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Pony = Paw-ny

2. Angel = Shainshel (probably copywrited by Memaw by now)

3. Cat = Cot

4. Duck = Coke

5. Jesus = Sesus

6. Chicken = Ticken

7. Cock-a-doodle-doo = Da-lo-lo-lo (this done in a very loud falsetto voice while waving her hand on the top of her head in imitation of a rooster's comb)

8. Puppy = Poppy

9. Woof = Foof

10. Daddy is in the bathroom = Daddy Poddy

OK, I know I am indulging, but it is really cute to hear!!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fu-un!

Tessa had her first experience finger painting today. So that means mommy did, too! And let me just say, Tessa's side of things is way more fun than mine. As she watched me spoon the primary colors into bowls, she kept saying, "WOW!!!" over and over. If I looked up at her, she would make a tiny "o" with her mouth and widen her eyes. I asked her if she would like to finger paint, and she gave me a very enthusiastic YES (those of you who know Tessa know what this sounds like). She might not have known what finger painting was, but if it had anything to do with the shiny globs of color in those bowls, she was game! At first she was very dainty. Tessa has never been one to enjoy stuff on her hands. But pretty soon she started relishing the feel of squishing her whole hand in the paint. Of course, immediately following a squish, she had to wipe her hands off on the damp paper towels I had out for her. Totally a girl!!

Another girl quality Tessa has is the love of mirrors. She will talk to herself in a mirror all day if you let her. She also likes to do tricks for her mirror self as you will see in video. Yesterday, she was giving her mirror self hair tips. She tried to make her hair stand up and was pulling it to the side and laughing at the reflection. She even put on a headband and put her hands out to side as if to say, "See, I told you we look good in this!". So I had to post the video I luckily captured of Tessa entertaining her window self after dinner tonight.

Daddy's are the BEST!

I thought I would post a few of my favorite pictures of Anthony and Tessa. I am very blessed that my daughter has a daddy who loves the Lord. As I write this, I can hear, through the baby monitor, Anthony changing Tessa into her PJ's and then saying a prayer with her. There is nothing sweeter than listening to the two of them praying. Tessa's favorite part is the "Amen!". Having a daughter has magnified the importance of a God-fearing father like nothing before could have.

Of course, there are other things that Anthony is great for other than his Spiritual leadership. He is the one who taught Tessa how to kick a ball. He also taught her how to give a high-five. And yes, being the Mathematician that he is, he had to also explain the wonder of doubling a high five to make a high-ten. And as I was cooking dinner the other evening, I overheard an explanation of addition come drifting into the kitchen. And if it weren't for Anthony, Tessa would just be a normal kiddo rather than an acrobat. She wouldn't know how to flip or fly upside down or even how to soar really high up into the air only to be saved from near death by a perfect catch from daddy. Now I know that Father's Day is not here yet by a long shot, but I couldn't help feeling like praising him anyway. I hope Tessa grows up to look for a man like him to marry one day.