SO ready for Spring!

Planting the Garden
Our first seeds are in! Paul LOVES to garden, and he loves teaching the girls about it. They ask everyday if the seeds are coming out of the ground yet. We're trying pole peas this year, along with our other usual crop of beans, snap peas, carrots, cilantro, & lettuce.


"Good-bye" winter!
(I'm a bit embarrassed that I let these dead flowers stay on my porch all winter long!)

"Hello" spring!
(oh, and somehow I completely forgot to water these for the first week they were in the pot. It took me a while to figure out why they weren't thriving! Oh yeah, I have another baby to take care of everyday!)

Playing Outside
This gal has spent very little time outside in her life. We just couldn't wait to get her swing installed, but when she finally got in the swing, she didn't seem too excited about it! I think it was still too cold for her.


A Little Trip Down South
We spent the weekend in St. George for a much needed family get-away. The girls were so excited to go swimming! We made the mistake of telling them about swimming to motivate them to get dressed and get in the car. But they couldn't handle such a long wait and long drive, so by the time we got to St. George, they were SO anxious to swim, that we drove straight to the pool, even before we went to the home where we'd be staying.

We also went to the driving range as a family... The kids were cute as can be, even though I'm sure the other golfers were wondering why we brought them. Grace cued up every ball for us. Millie got some good swings in. I actually hit the ball straight and further than 20 feet, and Paul did his normal performance of "wow"ing everyone who watched. Every hit was straight, high, far, and solid! He even hit one over the fence that landed on the roof of the building behind it. Pretty amazing for only golfing a handful of times a year.





Hiked the Dixie red rocks...to where I (Jen) used to come with my high school friends. It turned out to be a good little family hike as well.





(my sister and her family made a spontaneous trip to meet up with us)


(We get smiles like this all day long from this "Claire Bear"




Went to the Dinosaur Museum at Johnson Farm...which turned out to be quite an interesting place! We highly recommend it. The girls' favorite part was the art tables with supplies to draw your own dinosaurs.





Visited the St. George Temple...what a beautiful building! I love how white it is, especially against the backdrop of the red rocks and plateaus of the city.



(found a bug at the temple!)

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!