Catching Up

It's easy to see that I neglected this blog during my 3rd trimester. How do you cover 4 months in one post? Lots of pictures and little words! Here we go!!!!


New Year's Day
Look who was the"Nastkaegel" in our home (that's the last one sleeping in)! And guess how she got woken up? All I can say, is, if you're going to be punished for sleeping in, can it at least happen after 7:30am?

Merry (Late) Christmas!
We had a surprise visit from Santa Kira! She brought thoughtful homemade gifts for the girls. We love Kira like an older sister. The girls are always happy when she comes around!

Snow Play
The dressing up warm took 20 minutes, and the happy play lasted a lot less than that. But for some, coming inside to hot chocolate makes it all worth it!

Visit From Cousins
We were SO happy to have Isaac, Elijah, and Daniel here to visit a couple times in February.

There was real cousin bonding that went on between these two, especially for this sentimental girl. She wanted to call him daily for the first few weeks after he left.

Art Projects
Millie probably made 100 snowflakes this winter. She loved figuring out how to make teeny tiny ones. And when they were all done, we hung them from the ceiling for a long time. I wish I would have taken a picture of that! Hindsight...

We get beautiful drawings from Grace on a daily basis. The characters are usually our family members. And the background changes in each one. She loves to draw!

Spotlight on Claire
She is at such a fun age! We've captured some of that in these pictures.

One day I found her hanging out here...

This is her best "hide-n-go-seek" spot...

Her latest discovery is basketball. She would play pass all day long if someone would join her.
And she is surprisingly good at catching that huge ball. We love the sporty look on her face as she makes a good catch. Daddy found his little future basketball star!

And we are all a bit jealous of her splits abilities...

Cowgirl in the making...

Messy (but happy) faces...

Valentine's Day
Grace got all ready for her first School Valentine's Party. What an exciting day! 

St. Patrick's Day
Every holiday around here is exciting and new! And this one was no different. Millie was sure we could catch a Leprechaun, because Mrs. James (her Kindergarten teacher) told her, and according to Millie, she knows best because she is older than us. So, they wrote him a note, and then made a trap with gold glitter glue in a bowl, and set them on the porch for the night. That sneaky Leprechaun took the gold, and left the bowl in our garden!  

For breakfast, we made green eggs and ham (yuck!) and green orange julius (yum!)

 

 Random Photo Shoot

The Weekend at Thatcher Manor

We got great family bonding time up at Grandma and Grandpa's over General Conference weekend. We went fishing, and everyone had success...

We made cute little craft fairies out of flowers and beads...

We played and held baby Emma a lot!

Had our annual Easter egg hunt with cousins. The wind was crazy! None of the pictures turned out, except for this cool one.

Dad and the brothers went to the Priesthood Session of General Conference, while the women had a baby shower for Andrea, and the kids watched a movie.

Coloring Easter Eggs
This was a fun little project! We didn't tell Daddy about them, and when we got home from work on this first day of this new job, we surprised him with an Easter egg hunt in the backyard -- all for him! Such creative girls we have here...

Yorgason Easter Party
We did fun crafts with Grandma at the house, and then we had our egg hunt at the nearby field this year. Candy, candy, and more candy! Who can complain?

And then we stuck around for a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was so fun to go to bed, not knowing if the Easter Bunny would come there or to our home.

He found us there!  That smart bunny! Speaking of him, Millie asked me if he was really real or not. I avoided the answer by asking, "well, what do you think?" Her reply was, "Mom, the way that you can tell if he is real or not is if YOU hid the eggs...so, did you hide the eggs?" How do you avoid that one?

Here is Gracie's favorite item of clothing right now: her pajama dress. It's a DI special, that is so loved, it has to be worn daily. Then why not as pajamas? The sleeve is fraying, and it's wearing out, but it's hard to imagine life without it!

On our way home, we stopped at the grave sight of my grandparents. It was a perfect way to teach our girls about the power and blessing of the resurrection. We told fun stories about each of them, and then testified of Christ's gift to us. What a blessing to know we will see them again!

Easter Pics
I know I'm a bit biased, but I think they are each so beautiful...inside and out!

Guess Who!
It's a princess in training. If she has the patience to sit while this hair-do is being created, and then to wear it for some time, then she is well on her way!

Where's Gracie?
 Sometimes Grace can be so mysterious. She was sad about something, and she kind of disappeared for awhile. As I went to put away some of Claire's clothes, I found this sight...

She was quiet as a mouse, trying not to get caught. And her face was straight, as if not to pull a bluff.

And a couple minutes later, I looked into the closet to see this...

Music Makers
We are so lucky to have this fun little playgroup going on each week in our neighborhood. We sing and do instruments and dance around the gym. Thanks Criscell!

Sisters
So glad they love each other...and show it most of the time.