Trunk or Treat

Our church does trunk or treat every year. It has been a fun way to get some miles out of a Halloween costume. This year, Tessa was Tinkerbell. It was a pretty popular choice--I think we saw four other Tinkerbells while we were there. Besides the chill in the air, it was a good time had by all. Here are some pictures from our evening:

We actually got her to stand still long enough to get this shot:

And then she was OFF!!!

This man was dubbed "scary", and when we left, Tessa waved and said, "Bye-Bye, Scary!"

This was Tessa's Tinkerbell Pout. See how it compares to the original.

Jumping around to stay warm became a must. Note the red nose. Sorry about the blurry shot--I will learn how to properly use my camera one day...

There may have been four other Tinkerbells, but ours was the cutest!

A Big Scare

So I had a hard day yesterday. Around noon, I picked Tessa up to place her on the changing table and on the way up her leg bumped the railing on the side. It obviously hurt because she started to cry really hard. Then she started the "not breathing" cry she does when something really hurts. The difference this time was that she wasn't coming out of it. She was just not catching her breath. And she started to turn purple. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she began to go limp. I became frantic. I sat her up and her head lolled to the side while her eyes were half open. She was still trying to get a breath! I stood her up and she took one short breath...and then another. Finally, she started breathing normally as she slowly came back around and resumed her crying. I had never been so scared in all my life.

Once it was all over, she was fine and went on to have a happy day. I, however, could not get the images out of my head. I spent the rest of the day spoiling her so she wouldn't cry. Of course, keeping a toddler from crying is like stopping the sun from setting. And (coincidentally) as the sun set, she fell pretty hard on her bottom. Fortunately, her crying didn't escalate beyond the normal. But I was on edge until it was over.

After calling the doctor and doing some googling, it turns out Tessa's episode was pretty normal. Well, as normal as freaking your mother out can be. However, I am pretty sure it will take me a little while to get back to "normal", myself.

Family Visits!

So my family and Anthony's family visited over the last few weeks. We had lots of fun experiences and got lots of great pictures of Tessa enjoying her grandparents. Here are a few pictures my dad took of Tessa while he and my mom were here:

And here are some pictures from Anthony's family visiting:

Tessa received a princess dress-up outfit as an early Christmas present from her Aunt and Uncle Hawley. Obviously the gift was a total bust (hahaha).

I love you, Grandma!

Today, Tessa reminded me of my grandma. I have been blessed with a very close relationship with my grandmother over the last several years. She is a bright light in my life. There is one aspect of her that shines the brightest, and that is her God-given gift of encouragement. My grandmother can encourage anyone. She has a beautiful way of finding the good in every situation, but mostly--she finds the good in me. No matter what. In this way, my grandmother is like Christ to me. If I ever need a pick-me-up, I can just call her on the phone, and she is ready to bolster my confidence in any way needed. I love you, grandma, for that!

So this is how I saw my grandmother in Tessa today. Tessa loves to watch me or Anthony do things. She always wants to know what we are doing. She particularly loves to follow her daddy around in the back yard while he is picking up after the dogs. For each successful "scoop", she applauds and congratulates him. She says "Yeah Daddy!!" and "Good job, Daddy!" and always runs into the house to share with me how great Daddy did. I think it's precious how easily she finds delight in the success of someone else--even someone picking up dog poop.

May you bask in the warmth of God's delight over you, his child.

Expand your Brains!

OK. I know it's been a while since I've written anything new. But to be honest, there hasn't been a whole lot going on. Tessa is enjoying pre-school. She is learning some big things like:

1. Use markers on the paper, not your arms and face.
Apparently, Tessa was trying to draw on lipstick. The teacher turned to grab a towel to wipe it off, and when she turned back around the whole class was painting their lips. What can I say--she's a born leader!

2. Do not spit in the teacher's face when she tells you to do something you don't want to.
I still haven't found the words to say about this.

3. When the teachers say don't run, they have a reason.
Tessa's teachers had to file an accident report on her because she was running in the music room (even though they called her name and told her to stop) and fell and hit her head pretty hard. They were supposed to be hopping in a circle while shaking their maracas, but Tessa got too excited and lost control. Can you say "Windham"?

Somehow, she has also begun to realize that the closet is a dark and scary thing at night. She told me yesterday morning that there was a dragon in her closet. I had to open it and show her it was gone. Where did she learn that????

Anthony and I are busy learning, too. Anthony is learning how to be a supportive husband with a pregnant woman in the house all over again. He is also learning a lot about corporate worship. He is on a committee that was set up to reevaluate worship in church and what it should be about, etc. Meanwhile, I am learning about teen Bible studies and what makes them work. I am also learning fun ways to decorate pumpkins. I kinda don't like the whole scary carved face thing, so I am trying some non-traditional approaches. I will take pictures and post them soon.

Otherwise, it's the day-to-day around here!