An Attempt to Catch Up!

Big Girl Bed With New Jammies!
Millie officially graduated into a "big girl" bed, and got some new PJs the same night. Now that makes for one happy 3-year-old!

Visit To Grandma Lucy in Fountain Green
It's always nice to get time with Grandma, especially when we get a sleep over and ride the lawn mower!

Day to Day Life
Someone knows she is beautiful!
And must get her beauty sleep
Grace CANNOT eat yogurt without turning it into art at the end

How can we resist granting her what she wants when she gives us this face?
Still wishing it was Halloween so she could be like her big sister

Some people can pull off these sophisticated glasses :)
Millie is "girl" through and through! She loves getting new clothes and smiling for the camera!
A spring picnic out on the deck--our favorite way to have lunch!

So glad we have neighbor friends to play with!
Gracie's perfect grip that she figured out on her own

Grace LOVES to draw, and can spend a very long time working on her drawings. We wonder if she is a little artist in the making!
Millie's letters...and pictures...

Playgroup at the Park

Temple Square Outing
Fishing in Paradise
It only took 3 minutes to catch her first fish...now that's a great place to fish! Grandpa Thatcher's pond!

An Official Announcement:
(read her bib!)

She's telling the truth! We are having a baby in December!

We feel so blessed and can't wait to find out who will be joining our family. Well... I guess we can wait, since we aren't going to find out from the ultrasound what the gender is. But we are excited for the surprise!

Marvelous Millie Mae

Millie's Favorite Things To Do:

• swing
• color
• ride her bike
  
• play dough
• take care of dolls
• pretend to be a Dr.
• perform impromptu songs with made-up words

Millie's Recent Accomplishments:

• learned to pump (she can start alone, and get it up and going high!)
• caught a fish at Grandpa Thatcher's
• figured out how to climb in and out of her crib
• learned to ride a "big girl" bike
  

Millie's Favorite Foods:

• oatmeal
• mac'n cheese
• chicken dinosaurs
• smoothies
• and milk, milk, milk!
  

Millie's Favorite Treats:

• popsicles
• gum from Grandpa Y.
  
• ice cream cones
• fruit snacks
  
• any candy she can get her hands on

Millie's Three-Year-Old Mischievous Acts:

• Runs out the door with little or no clothes on
• Goes over to a friend's backdoor and asks to play (many times a day)
• Won't stay in her bed for naps or bedtime
• Wakes up Grace from her nap or in the morning (a couple hours early!)
• Rides her bike down the street, and sometimes just keeps going around the corner

What We Love Most About Millie:

• She loves Heavenly Father and Jesus, and knows that They love her (recently, when she has been sad or in trouble, she will say a prayer for help)
  
• She has a light in her countenance and a sparkle in her eyes
• She loves to share with Grace
  
• She tries to obey Mommy and Daddy
• She has a great imagination--she wants stories every night in bed, and lately she prefers the scary stories, like a bear hunt with her friends

"Is Me Three Years Old?"

"Yes, Millie, you are three now! You are such a big girl!"

We've had a very fun Birthday weekend for Millie. She had a swim party on Saturday with a few friends (and luckily, it didn't rain). Millie requested a chocolate cake, that she helped me make. She delivered the party invitations and helped stuff the party favor bags. She had a blast, as you can see from the pictures:


We played "red light green light" and "duck, duck goose."
Happy Birthday song and candles on the cake

Millie is a natural on her new "big girl" bike.


This dress was a "hand-me-down" gift for Grace, but Millie found a way for it to fit her. She was in heaven as she danced and twirled, and Gracie was just as happy to be wearing Millie's new shirt as a dress.
...and, of course, we celebrated a few times, so here's blowing out the candles again!


And here's a video of us singing "Happy Birthday."

Happy Smingus Dingus

I hope you are reading this post on Monday, April 13th! Because if you are, it's not too late to join in on a fun Polish Holiday.

The Monday after Easter is the craziest day of the year in Poland--Smingus Dingus (pronounced Shmeengus Deengus). It's a national water fight day. All day long, there are no limitations to who you can soak: friend or stranger, old or young, boy or girl. (Traditionally, the holiday started as a day for boys to soak girls that they liked, but it has evolved to an equal gender water fight).

I have vivid memories waking up that first Smingus Dingus day in Poland and looking outside to see the streets completely empty (everyone tries to stay inside that day). And then I spotted a young boy with goggles and a backpack full of water. He was walking around looking for his first victim. We begged the Elders to postpone district meeting, but they insisted we come to the meetinghouse. An hour later, that same young boy we saw ended up getting us as we jumped onto the public tram. Later, as we walked down an empty sidewalk in the city, we heard the alarming sound of water dropping a few feet ahead of us. We looked up to the tall apartment building and we could see some heads poking out of windows. We ran, but we were too easy of a target. By the time we got to the meetinghouse, we were horrified and wet. But of course our dear Elders were anxiously waiting there to soak us from the upper windows as we unlocked the main door. Oh, the fun of being in a new country!

So, that's one Holiday I have to hang on to.

Poor Paul!

He is my main target right now, because our girls wouldn't understand, and our neighbors wouldn't like it. The great thing is, I think he's forgotten about it! I try not to bring it up. I'd hate to get soaked first.

Last year, I almost forgot about it. At about 10pm, Paul was coming up the stairs for us to go to sleep. I poured a small amount of water from a drinking glass and got him good. It shocked him SO bad! He said that he was just thinking, "what was that for?" He thought I must have been mad at him or something. I can't wait for his reaction tonight as he is mowing the lawn (laughing).

UPDATE: some have requested to know how it ended. Well, he was too quick while mowing the lawn, but just before we ended our yard work, I called him over, saying, "do you know what today is?" and sprayed him a little. He had totally forgot, but he admitted that I was pretty nice to him to not soak him worse. I admit, I was afraid to get it back. But he just kept smiling, and I knew revenge would come sometime that night. Right before bed, he got me while I was coming up the stairs, when I was totally not expecting it! We called it even and went to bed on good terms.

The Blessing of the Resurrection for Cameron

I'm grateful this Easter weekend to have a real reminder of how wonderful Christ's resurrection really is.

A young man I knew, Cameron Merrill, just passed away on Thursday after battling cancer for over two years. I was Cameron's MTC teacher in 2001. Elder Merrill was kind, humble, friendly, and full of love. I was impressed by his maturity at a young age, and his great desire to do what was right in the sight of God. I knew he would be a remarkable missionary in Poland.

I only saw Cameron a couple times after his mission, but I noticed he was still a friend to all. He was optimistic about life and seemed to be doing well. He made me feel like a close friend, even though we didn't have much contact.

Just over a week ago, I heard that Cameron had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and had little time to live. I learned that he was married 2 years ago, but had battled with cancer for that entire time.

For a few days, I felt sick about the sad news. I couldn't stop thinking of all the pain and heartache he had been through. I kept thinking of his young wife who knew she'd be a widow soon. I thought of all the potential that Cameron had for his future--such a good man that could do so much good. But for some reason, the Lord was allowing him to have a shorter path on Earth. He was forced to prepare sooner for his return to his Maker. He had gone through a faster refiner's fire, that must have given him the chance to prepare.

When I heard of his tragic illness a week ago, I decided that I would call him. I figured out how I would get his number, but that's as far as I got. I didn't realize I needed to act fast. I missed my chance to tell him how grateful I was for his example and friendship.

But I know that beyond the sadness and loss that all who know him must feel, we can have hope to see him again. We can know that his spirit lives on, and is in Paradise. He has passed his earthly test, and one day his spirit will reunite with his perfect, glorified body--free of cancer and pain. This gift has been given to all people--good and bad.

On the first Easter morning, two thousand years ago, Christ overcame death and rose from the grave. He is the reason we celebrate Easter. He brings new life and hope to all.

Success in the bread department...finally!

When we got married over 3 years ago, I honestly did not know how to cook or bake anything. I'm still very new at it all, and I find myself pleased if I just do something creative in the kitchen before Paul gets home. I hope one day to be a great "mother" chef. Thank goodness for Paul's patience with my cooking skills!

My latest endeavor has been homemade bread. I've been making bread all winter long, but I've only been trying one recipe so that I could get it right (It's the recipe the church gives on ProvidentLiving.org). In fact, one day, I got a little confident, so I invited a friend over to teach her how to make it, and our bread turned out looking awful! She said it tasted okay, but I was a little discouraged.

Then a few months ago, I ended up with some awesome loaves. Every time we ate a piece, Paul and I would talk about how good it was. But I couldn't ever figure out what I had done differently, so I haven't seen anything like it again...until today!

Since I finally got my dream loaves back (and who knows if I'll ever get any like this again), I thought I'd take a few pictures and celebrate! I was so excited when I peeked into the oven to see these beautiful things. They are tall, light, fluffy, moist and delicious! I can't stop eating it!

I think the trick lies in using only 5 cups wheat flour and 3 white flour, and then letting it rise twice--once on the counter, and then again in a heated (but turned off) oven. Too bad they aren't as healthy as the 100% whole wheat.

Anyone want to make homemade bread with me? I'm becoming a big fan of it. Or, if you have a favorite bread recipe, send it my way. I want to branch out a little more.

My Little "Music Makers" Class

Last Summer, my friend (Gina) asked me if I ever teach a general music class to young kids. That got me thinking that maybe I should. I began to teach a couple group music classes to local kids, called "Music Makers." I did it last Summer, and then again in January. I've had a way better response than I could have imagined. I think the kids really had fun, and to my great surprise, I actually enjoyed it too!

Just think, I've found a fun way to get us ready for the day by 10:00 am, have friends over, be a fun, creative mom, keep my "foot in the door" with music lessons, and earn a little extra spending cash, all in one! Yea!

I teach a "Mom and Me class" for 18 mo. - 3 year olds, and a "Preschool class" for 3-5 year olds. We sing songs, learn about instruments, notes, the musical staff, dynamics, rhythms, and we make music on fun little kid-friendly instruments. They come once a week for four weeks, and then it's over. By then, I'm ready for a break for a few months, but I keep coming back to it. It seems to get better each time!

The best part for me is that Millie and Gracie have loved it. I love seeing them so content during the class, belting out the songs as if we've been practicing for this moment for them to shine--afterall, we do all their favorites! How long will they appreciate the fact that I'm their teacher? I know these days are numbered. So I'll just enjoy it for this small stage of my life.

But, as you can imagine, my hands are completely full, and I don't ever get a chance to take pictures. Here are a few I was able to borrow, and my goal for next time is to get way more. Just imagine a fun children's song playing in the background and a lot of additional noise when you look at them...


I'm gearing up to do "round 3" of my Music Makers class in April. If you or someone you know may be interested in signing up, leave a comment and I'll email you the class information.