Beating the Winter Blues

Jungle Jim's

We are SO glad we finally discovered Jungle Jim's playland! What a place! How is that almost everyone I talk to about this place has already been there, and we'd never heard of it?

As for the rides, Millie was brave as can be; Gracie was hesitant, but finally won over, even on the fast one. It was a great little "teaser" to hold us off a little longer for the long-awaited return to Lagoon. Now, in almost every prayer she says, Gracie prays, "Thank you for we can go to Jim's Jungle Gym playground."




Gateway Discovery Museum

We have had a great year with our joyschool group! The kids all play so well together, and they have learned a lot. We finally went on a fieldtrip together, and it was great! We "discovered" this place for the first time too! We did not want to leave, so next time, we'll plan to stay all day!




We went to the little class where the teacher read "Green Eggs and Ham" and then MADE it for us to eat! All but Grace were willing to try the strange-looking food! The funny thing is, Grace LOVES eggs and ham! And another funny thing, almost every night at the dinner table, Grace first refuses her dinner, but then we get her to try it, and she says, "yummy!" and then we remind her of "Green Eggs and Ham" and she says, "Don't say Green Eggs and Ham!" She realizes that we're rubbing it in, and she has a little pride! :)



Dress-ups

A Fun Visit From Friends

Hannah and Shay are like family to us, so we have missed them since they moved to South Dakota! We really enjoyed having them here for the week, but the very best time with them was in the Bountiful Temple. It was their first time to go to the temple and it really turned out perfectly! Mike and Olivia (who were key players in their conversion) were able to come, and so it was a sweet reunion. It was apparent on their faces how much joy and happiness they felt, and we all were blessed by the strong Spirit there.


One last Hurrah in the snow!

Thought we better just enjoy this end-of-March snow storm. This was my (Jen's) first time to actually make a snowman with my girls. Usually, I'm inside holding a baby and enjoying the warmth, while Paul is out having fun. Well, I found out what I've been missing out on!

Happy Happenings

Claire's Baby Blessing

Claire received a beautiful priesthood baby blessing on February 7th. It was a special occasion, and we were grateful to have family join us. In the blessing, it mentioned her gift of being a happy soul. She really is happy and content most of the time!

Claire wore the same blessing dress that the other girls have worn, with a few alterations to update the look. She was beautiful! Of course, she threatened to have a "blow out" just minutes before the blessing. I was able to take care of it and walk back in to the meeting just in time for the blessing. Whew! And of course the other girls were on their worst Sunday behavior during the meeting, so I was just grateful to hear a few things that were said. It wouldn't be right if things went perfectly that day, would it?



I was especially grateful for our moms, who seemed to do all of the work in the kitchen, while we hosted much of our family for lunch. The Thatchers and Yorgasons always enjoy the chance to mingle and get reacquainted.



Bowling for the First Time

One of our favorite things about being a parent is introducing our children to new experiences. When we told them about bowling, they didn't seem too excited. But once we were there, they realized how fun it is. The girls loved bowling, even though it was a supreme test of taking turns. Grace makes sure to ask us often if we can go again. I'm not sure if they liked bowling or buying candy from the machines better. Oh, the joys of being young!



Ballerinas in the Making

The girls LOVE to dance, and recently, they have been doing ballet. So they were thrilled when a friend gave them her old leotards and skirts. Even though they haven't taken lessons, these girls can move! I attempted to get some pictures of them dancing, but now I can see that video would have captured the moment a lot better. Just imagine classical ballet music, a lot of smiles and twirls!.


Snuggles, Cuddles, & Loves

One of these girls is happy, and one isn't! I guess I need to capture more pictures of Claire smiling at the older girls. They play with her all day long and usually have her laughing and cooing...just not when they are holding her.

(this is our friend, Brooklyn. She LOVES to hold Claire!)


GRACE

• Is so adorable, but still makes it hard to capture her cuteness on camera!

• Wants to have long braids like Millie in her hair (still an impossibility)

• Asks us every day if she can go to preschool when she is three.

• Is in and out of being potty-trained, but has shown that she will do it on her own timetable

• Sings "Doo-dee-doo-dee" to Claire, while she looks up Claire's nose to see if she has any "yuckies." We've taught Grace to just tell mommy or daddy, and we'll take care of it, but every once in a while, we still catch her with her finger up Claire's nose.

• Her prayers recently consist ONLY of the following things:"Thank you for we can go to Kangaroo Zoo; Thank you for we can go to Jim's Jungle Gym; Thank you for we can go bowling; Thank you for we can go to Chuck-E-Cheese" And when we don't mention those things, she is sure to give us a frown and tell us what we forgot to say!
  

• Has a brilliant mind and loves to learn!

MILLIE

• Carries her pink purse (filled with lipsticks, phone, and jewelry) almost everywhere she goes

• Is currently trying to save up money to buy some new chapstick she saw at Wal-mart

• Asks for a "scary story" every night in bed

• Went to the dentist for the first time this week, and was SO brave! She was sure to get all the free items they could possibly give her, and with every one, she asked if she could get one to take home for Gracie as well. She is very thoughtful!

• She loves to sit at the counter while I work in the kitchen and do art. Her preschool teacher says that she is usually the last one at the table working on the art projects. She loves getting it just right!

Welcome Home, Baby Claire! (catch-up)

And welcome to a home where....


Your sisters are very sick, and very contagious, but they can't get their hands off you!


Most of the time, this sister loves you a little TOO MUCH...


And this sister thinks that she can borrow your clothes since she can manage to get them on.
The highlight of the day is when your sisters get to hold you

And when visitors come to see you (Grandpa Yorgason's first time to hold Claire)


You get your first bath from Grandma--it's a tradition!

Your sisters want to learn how to take care of you, so they practice on their dollies (Millie is "feeding" her baby under the blanket)

And this sister has quite the skill for making silly faces!

Christmas 2009

Thatcher Family Christmas Party
The Thatcher family is growing fast, and we've finally gotten big enough that we had our party at the Paradise Church. Claire met the family for the first time. The older girls loved doing Christmas crafts, and then were indecisive while dressing up for the Nativity, which was performed on the stage. Paul and I got to be Mary and Joseph, because Claire was the best candidate for baby Jesus. Millie and Gracie stayed by us, and adored "baby Jesus" during the entire nativity. Grace was giggling so cute at Claire.


Grace loved seeing Kent and Sara--two of her favorite people in the whole world! Can you tell from her face that she LOVES them?


When Santa came out, Grace stood in the opposite corner of the cultural hall, crying that she didn't want to sit on his lap (wish we got a picture of that!). Millie is at the perfect age for believing in Santa. She told him how she wanted pink ballet shoes for Christmas. Whenever we asked Grace what she would ask for from Santa, she would say "a sucker." Not hard to please!

Yorgason Family Christmas Party
It was a fun party with the Yorgasons, as usual. Dave and Holly traveled up, but we missed Don, Jordan, and Jason's families. Paul and I got to be Mary and Joseph again, all because of newborn Claire. And no, we didn't plan to wear ALL red!

We learned from experience, that this Angel needed her favorite Sunday dress and her own fairy wings to willingly play the part.

Angel Millie sitting on "Grandpa's, oops, I mean Santa's lap!" Afterward, Millie kept asking us, "Is he our Santa?" A pretty smart question, we thought!
This is about as close to Santa as Grace was willing to come. She got her candy cane, and as soon as Santa reached out his hands to hold her, she was GONE!

Claire slept through it all--what a sleeping beauty she is!

Grandma was happy to sit down and hold Claire. At events like this, she rarely sits down to rest!


We caught Grandma kissing Santa Claus again! He's been dressing up as Santa in this very costume for 40 years! And she's been caught kissing him every time. Glad to see these two still in love!

"Happy Birthday dear Daddy!"

Yesterday, we asked the girls to guess how old daddy would be on his birthday. Grace guessed 2, and Millie guessed 61. I guess if we take the average of their two answers, they would be about right!

It's a big birthday year for Paul! He turned 30 years old on the 30th!

So, here are some things that we love about him:

Paul is happy and optimistic. He often says that he couldn't be happier with his life. He always walks in the door from work with a smile and a kiss for his girls. He is easy to please, and very content with what he has.

He also sees the good in others and he gives out compliments often. He really loves meeting new people and is sincerely interested in others. You can tell this because he is good at asking others questions to find out about them and then he listens well.

Paul is the best daddy in the world! He is the prince who dances with his 3 princesses everyday, the dentist who helps brush their teeth, the cow that gives them a ride into their rooms at night, the father who remembers to have family prayer, the master storyteller when they are in bed, and the husband who offers to do the dishes and help clean the house each night!

What a guy! We love you!

Family Update

It's been fun to receive Christmas cards and yearly updates from so many friends and family. So I thought I'd give it a try for our family, just for the record. Even though the blog captures much of our lives, I'm afraid I'm far too inconsistent! So, here's a current summary of our family:

Baby Claire has brought so much happiness into our home. She had to spend her first week in the hospital being tested because her oxygen levels were dipping too low. We were so grateful to return home with a healthy baby who probably just has reflux. We refer to her as our "Angel Baby" because she is so calm and content, especially if she is being held. She still sleeps most of the time, which has made the adjustment to having 3 kids quite easy. The girls love to hold her, and none of us can get enough of her!

Grace is a typical 2-year-old: determined and independent (aka. stubborn and irrational at times), but as cute as can be! She has captured our hearts and brought us so much joy. She is quite the talker--she can say just about anything, excluding certain sounds, like "c," "g" and "l". So it's "Minnie Mae," "Race" and "baby Tlaire." She can eat more fruit than the entire family, but she almost always refuses to eat her dinner. Luckily, we can bribe her to do just about anything for a piece of "dum." She insists on dressing herself, and always asks mommy to do her hair in a big braid like Millie's (an impossibility!). Even though Grace can be shy, she is sure to wave to most strangers in the store or on the street, and she loves to sing and dance for others. She constantly has a song in her heart, and she often breaks into singing whatever she is thinking. She loves caring for her dollies, and surprised us the other day that she changed a dolly's diaper all by herself.

Millie is our ballerina princess! Not a day goes by that she doesn't change into a dress and dance around the living room. It is quite the challenge to keep her dressed warm! Most days, Millie insists that we call her by her chosen princess name of the day (i.e. Cinderella, Aurora, Barbie), and will usually call us "Prince" and "Snow White." She is 3 1/2, but sometimes acts like she is 13! She wears more lip gloss than mommy (and puckers her lips to keep it on), tries to paint her nails by herself, and loves her new sticker earrings. She likes to color, paint, cut and glue, or write notes, and then head out the door to deliver her work of art to a neighbor. She also loves playing the violin and learning to read. We love our Millie Mae so much and can't imagine life without her!

We've had a fun year, watching Millie and Grace grow up to become good friends. They are so different, but that makes things interesting and fun. It's nice that they have a playmate, especially during the winter when we are "cooped up" inside most days. We're grateful that they are close in age, and that they love each other.

I (Jen) love being a "stay-at-home" mom. It's amazing how busy I am, just trying to keep up with the basics. I'm a little obsessed about planning out my day and then seeing what I can accomplish on my "to do" list. When Gracie accidentally asks me "Mommy, how was your work?" I like to answer, "My work was SO good today, because I got to be with my girls..." The other day when I went to the Dr. with all 3 girls, a few people commented, "You've got your hands full!" I guess I better get used to comments like that because it's true! When the kids are asleep, I like getting the house clean again, doing craft projects, catching up with friends, reading, and spending time with Paul.

Paul is busy, busy, busy...but very happy! He is still working at the Church office building, in the curriculum department. He enjoys working in that environment and playing a small part in such a great work. I (Jen) love seeing him dressed up in a suit and tie so often, and feel so grateful that he can take the bus to work, and he still make it home just after 5:00. We love our precious time with Daddy before he rushes out the door to be the Bishop. He loves serving in this calling, and feels blessed to be learning so much. Paul doesn't get much spare time, but when he gets a chance, he likes keeping up sports, working in the yard, playing with our bunny (Templeton), and reading.

Merry Christmas!

We've never sent out Christmas cards or a baby announcement in the mail. So with a December baby, I thought it would be the perfect year to do both! Well, I overestimated our abilities or underestimated our limitations (especially with a newborn in the home). We still feel like we are in "survival mode" most of the time, so we're going to settle with a Christmas greeting/thought here on our blog.

As parents, we have enjoyed teaching our girls about Christmas, and seeing their excitement for the season grow. We are always looking for ways to reward them for good behavior. So earlier in the month, we thought it would be fun to help them earn money to buy Christmas gifts for each other. Every time they were obedient, said nice words or helped clean up messes, we gave them a coin to put in their piggy banks. This was very effective at first, but before long, we worried that there was too much focus on money.

Luckily, we had a flash of inspiration during a FHE lesson about Jesus' birth. We talked about gifts that we could give Jesus for his birthday, such as obeying our parents, treating others kindly, and keeping our house clean (the same things they were earning money for). We decided to make a manger for our baby Jesus to lay in, and each time we did something that would make Jesus happy, we could put a piece of straw in for his bed. It felt so much better to shift the focus back to Christ, even in just this one aspect of our lives.

We are grateful for Christmas, and the chance to celebrate Christ's birth for an entire month. As we think of gifts we could give Christ, we can't help but recognize that HE is the ultimate gift-giver. All the blessings in our life have come from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We have been given the gift of life, and the chance to return to our Father after this life. We have agency to decide and act for ourselves each day. We have been given commandments, as instructions on how to be happy and how to return to God. Our merciful Father has given His Son, so that we can repent for our sins, and still find ourselves worthy to return to Him. We have been given the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, along with the scriptures, the priesthood, and a living prophet. We are given the opportunity as families to be sealed in the Holy Temple, and the hope that we can be together forever.

It is quite humbling to think of all the gifts that Christ has given us. And then even more sobering to try to think of the gifts we can give Him. Elder Maxwell taught that "The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar. . . . It is the only possession which is truly ours to give." ("Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father" Nov 1995 Ensign). How convenient, that just one week after Christmas, we begin a new year. Each year, we try to be a little better than the year before. We try to give up our sins and overcome our weaknesses. We try to follow Christ more fully.

We've enjoyed having contact with so many friends and family this Christmas season. We have been reminded how much the Lord has blessed us, just has he has blessed each of you. We hope your holidays have been memorable, and that the light of Christ has been felt in your homes.