We're gonna miss you while you're gone

Hey folks! I'm blogging again! Remember how awhile ago I used to blog every week because BJ's sister Jessa was on an LDS mission, and my blog was my letter to her? Well lucky for you, his youngest sister, Teresa (hereby known as Resa) just left to go on a mission to Houston, Texas. She's currently in Mexico City learning Spanish and learning how to be a missionary. So for the next year and a half, most of my blogs will be addressed to her. I'm hoping to find a new groove, though, so you can actually enjoy reading my blogs instead of being buried in every detail of my week. Hopefully that'll happen... feedback is welcome. :)

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Dear Resa ~

You're in Mexico! And don't worry, we're missing you while you're gone. :D  How is your Spanish? Do you feel like you already have a good handle on it? Or are you totally overwhelmed by how much you don't yet know? I think it's awesome that you're learning Spanish. Though I feel like my future is going to be filled even more with you and BJ talking so I can't understand you. Maybe I should switch from learning Norwegian to learning Spanish... But then how will I learn awesome phrases like, "The wolf is eating me" or "It's raining men"? Maybe they would teach awesome things like that in Spanish, too... But then how could I justify a cruise to Norway if I don't learn Norwegian like I promised my grandma? So Many Hard Choices!!! ;)

Let's see... what things from this week would you care about...

Kessa put on a concert for us the other night. She sang 3 or 4 songs from Frozen while reading the lyrics in BJ's piano book. I wish you could watch videos... I'd upload one for you. Maybe I should make a video compilation for when you get home of all the videos you miss. That would be awfully nice of me. (Uhhh... we'll see if that actually happens. Don't hold your breath.)

There was a lunar eclipse of a super moon (which means it's 14% bigger than a normal full moon)! Did you get to see it? We let the girls stay up and they loved it! (Well, I think they mostly loved playing with the friends that came over to look through the telescope.)

Kessa continues to learn to rollerskate. Her newest learning technique? Pushing the stroller! (Don't be deceived, this picture makes her look like she's going waaay faster than she really is.)

And because you deserve a cat picture, we have a new pianist at our house! Meow!

And just because I got this adorable picture of Abby when we went to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point for a nature walk for Joy School...

And now the part I know you actually care about. Kiddisms!!!! (And since this is the first time in a looooooooong time I've blogged these, I'll go back in time awhile. So you may have heard some of these before.)

• Me: Kitty. Kitty. Kittykittykittykitty.
  Abby: Mommy don't say that. That is not a word.
  Me: Kitty isn't a word?
  Abby: No it is not.
  Me: Kitty is too a word
  Abby: No, it is not a word!
  Me: Kitty is a word. I think you're tricking me.
  Abby: I'm not tricking. I'm teaching you to not say funny things.
• Abby is playing by herself, singing Let it Go, when partway through she stops and says, “Don't sing that song.” So she stopped, started talking to herself for a couple of minutes, then sang the last line of the song. And is now back to talking to herself. 
• Abby: Hey baby, I know you have short hair and long hair, but I don't have any batteries.  (Just in case you needed any awesome pick up lines for when you get home.)
• Things I never expected to say to my children include: “Write 5 words, and then you may go die.”
• Abby: When I am a kitty, I'm going to buy whiskers, a tail, and fur.
• Abby: Do you want Aurora or not Aurora.
  Me: Not Aurora.
  Abby: Well, then you will die to Jesus.
• Abby: My pretty fingernails really want to not fall off.
• Text from BJ: "Milestone: Peter can now carry a yarn “snowball” while pulling himself up onto an open toilet, and then throw the snowball into the toilet. And then reach into the toilet and splash around trying to reach for it."
• Kessa: Do you like Christmas more or Halloween more? I kind of like Halloween because of the candy, but I like Christmas more because I think of God more. And God is way better than candy.
• Me: Then why did you need my help?
  Abby: Because I wanted to do it by myself.
• Abby: Mommy, this rice is hot. That's because you're hot, Mommy!
• Kessa: I would never lie because I'm a princess. Princesses do not tell lies!
• In prayers:
  Abby: Thank you I died. [pause] Because I didn't.
  Kessa: Thank you that we got to Grandma's before the sun went down.
  Tamra: Help us to be nice to Grandma and Grandpa Lovell. And to be polite. And to not be rude to anyone.  (Note: this is way back from July when we had my sister's kids here.)
• Abby has gymnastics today. “Oh! I'll have to put on my leilatard! Just like when I'm at Leila's house!”
• I just asked Kessa to be quick to obey like Nephi.
  Abby: I want a fruit snack like Laman and Lemuel!
• Very common conversation lately.
  Me: Abby, did you have a good nap? Did you have good dreams?
  Abby: Yeah, I did.
  Me: What were your dreams about?
  Abby: Aurora.
  Though, sometimes the princess will change. Today it was Cinderella.
• Kessa: Those are falling awake machines, goldfish [crackers] are!
• Kessa: If you spell goats G-O-A-T-S and then take off the G, and crumble it up and throw it away, you spell oats!
• Abby: Mommy, I'm scared.
  Me: What are you scared of?
  Abby, screeching: I'm not scared of!   (Editor's note: This is VERY stereotypical of Abby's completely illogical tantrums.)
• Abby, wearing wings, “Mommy, I'm too old to fly.”
• Abby: I smell thunder!
  Later: I don't see any more thunder. 
• Abby just flushed her panties down the potty. Now she's distraught because her panties won't come back.

Ok, that's probably enough. Hope you got at least a good smile, if not a chuckle out of those. :)

Oh! And Kessa wrote you a card. We're putting it in the mail tomorrow (cross your fingers) so hopefully you'll get it while you're there! Tell us when you do, so we know how long it takes to mail you things.

Hugs! Can't wait to hear all about your first week!
<3 Tianna and Co.