Family Time

We are trying to get every last minute we can squeeze in with family before we go... and it has been a blast. We have had fun playing, talking, eating and dancing :) What more could you ask for?










Tessa trying to figure out why crazy Auntie Jenny has pants on her head.




Uncle Ryan putting a diaper on Tessa's head :) She loved it and kept asking for more!





In these pictures it looks like everyone is standing in the room doing weird poses, but it is really the family playing a Wii Dancing game called Just Move. It is so fun! You have to follow the dance moves on the screen. We played it for hours the other night... and if you look closely guess who you see standing right front and center. Ha ha!





Of Course Tessa! She was really getting into it :)

My Little Helper

My crazy monkey has become such a good helper. She does new things everyday that just amaze me. Her latest have been helping me cook. She loves to help me every morning pick out her breakfast and get it all ready. She puts her pancakes on her plate, or takes waffles out of the freezer, and she loves loves loves to pick out what fruit she is going to eat. She is even a good helper at dinner as well. She has mastered her job of snapping off the bad ends of asparagus, putting tomatoes in the salad bowl, and spreading things out on a pan. I think we may have a little chef :)








But along with all these wonderful ways she helps me... comes all of the little things she can now get into. She loves to find my lip gloss and toothpaste and squeeze them. She loves to sneak into the refrigerator and sneak the cherry tomatoes. She loves to find the snacks in the diaper bag and eat them! Today I found her sitting in the kitchen eating a Nutri Grain bar that she took out of the diaper bag (which was in the laundry room) and opened all by herself and began to eat it (15mins before dinner). She was so proud of herself. She has also discovered where Mommy hides her treats, and today I found her taking the wrappers off of every See's Candy sucker and licking each one and then throwing them in the trash... lovely!!! And now that I am so busy packing to leave, I find lots off weird things in all the wrong places. Like salad tongs in my closet. And I wonder why I feel like my house is a constant mess... its like finding Easter Eggs that no one found throughout the year. You never know what is going to pop up!






I guess with the good there always comes the bad :)

Our 1st Good-Bye...

It is so bittersweet! We are so so so excited to get over to Japan to see DJ, but we are not looking forward to the many good-byes we have to say before we get there. Not only do we have to say good-bye to our friends and family but we have to say good-bye to all of the fun things we have been doing lately. We have to say good-bye to our weekly fun My Gym class, playing outside in the grass (which is hard to find in Japan), riding around in our fun push toys, playing with our cousins, and going to Grammy and Grampy's "restaurant" for dinner :) We also have to say good-bye to our brand new home with our comfy beds, high counters, big yards, and space to move around in that we will miss so much. We have to say good-bye to the convenience of having a local Target, a place to pick up normal food to eat when we are running short on time, being able to find what you need at the grocery store, and most of all ENGLISH!!! If we didn't have the excitement of seeing DJ, I would have a seriously hard time getting on that airplane. I don't know how DJ does it every year. He has nothing to look forward to seeing when he has to say his good-byes :( He leaves everything behind and has no one waiting for him when he gets there. Poor Guy!

So today we had to say good-bye to Nana and Papa!!! We are going to miss them so much :( It is weird to think that the next time they see the kids they will be so different. I know Tessa will miss getting spoiled and getting balloons all the time. But hopefully the time will go by fast. Today the kids played outside with Nana and Papa for hours. I think they all had a blast :)










Bye Nana and Papa! We will miss you and love you! We can't wait to see you when we get home.
xoxoxo

Our 1 1/2 Year Old!

Today our baby girl is 18 months old. She is now 24lbs 8oz and 32 inches. She has actually caught up to being average in the weight area. My how much you have grown since we have been home!

She has become such a character. She is such a silly fun loving girl most of the time, but those moments that she is not you better watch out! This girl has a real temper. I know we will have our hands full in the years to come!

She is such a girl!!! She loves to talk, play with all of my stuff in my bathroom drawers and kitchen, brush her hair, color, and dance. She has really become quite the dancer. She actually finds my i-touch, which she has figured out how to turn on the music and videos, and walks around the house listening to the music. It's her own personal radio :) She loves any music and can dance for hours. It cracks me up watching her bust a move. She has also become quite the talker. She is still definitely speaking her own language but she does have a few words down and is very interested in learning new words all the time. Anywhere we go she points at things and asks what they are. Daddy better watch out! He thought I talked a lot but just wait until she catches on...he will have 2 girls gabbing in his ear now! Even though she has become such a girl, there is still that little touch of tomboy in her. She still loves to throw anything and has also gotten really good at kicking the ball too (YA!). She can entertain herself for hours chasing a ball around throwing and kicking it. I wish I could take one on the plane with us, but I know she would throw a ball at someone! She is also working on mastering the skill of jumping. She loves to jump! Her favorite thing to do at her My Gym class is to jump on the trampoline.

She is still an amazing BIG sister. She loves her brother so much. She is always watching out for him and is so concerned when he cries. She actually has started to rock his swing or car seat for him when he starts to get upset. She is getting closer to saying his name. We have the "Bray" part down but still need to get the "D" part.

She has also become my little helper. She can do so many things now it amazes me. She is growing and changing so much. It will be so fun for her to see Daddy and show him what a big girl she has become. He will be shocked at how much our little girl has grown. It will put a big smile on his face for sure.


















We love you Tessa Girl. Thank you for putting a smile on our face everyday!