"O Come Let Us Adore Him"

According to Millie, that includes everyone!

Happy Birthday "Laire Laire"!

Claire turned one this month! We had a fun little birthday party with her, where she got to eat her first big dose of sugar in a cupcake (albeit a small one), played “doggie” hide-and-seek, & played “roll the ball.”

As I stood starring at the toys in the toy aisle at Wal-mart, I couldn’t find one thing that I thought Claire would just love more than what we already have. So she got a new outfit, and then the girls filled present bags with toys from their rooms to “give” her. She seemed pleased! It doesn't get easier than the first birthday!

Here’s a little about Claire to summarize what she is like at age one:

Claire is a happy girl! She loves to play “doggie,” roll a ball, & unload the dishwasher. She is the best cleaning child in the house right now. She loves to pick up things and put them in something. Of course, she is the best at making messes though too! We know when she really likes her food, because she says, “um” with every bite; and the food she dislikes goes right off the edge of her highchair and onto the floor. She won't eat pancakes & syrup, but she likes olives, avocados, & black beans.

She is starting to say words, like “mamamamama,” “dadadadada,” “boon” (balloon), "ah" (hot), although most of the time her communication is more like a grunt for "hi" and a big giant shake of the entire body for no. And she loves to click her tongue until she can get us to join in on the clicking. In church, she keeps the people sitting behind us very busy, smiling, talking, and picking up her toys.

Claire is still crawling, but on her birthday she finally decided she liked her walking toy, so hopefully she will get excited about walking one of these days. She has just learned to push herself on a little bike. And she loves going up and down the stairs. On the day she learned this new skill, Daddy let her do it over and over again about 30 times. She was exhausted that night!

Claire has a peaceful soul. She is easy to love because she is content, patient, cuddly, and adorable. She reciprocates love and humor. She soaks up any attention or love she gets, but she is also willing to sit and wait for your attention, if she needs to. She loves to be held, and is especially happy when Daddy walks in the door. It doesn't matter what she is doing, when he comes home, she wants HIM, and she gets very sad if she doesn't get picked up, hugged, and some good one-on-one attention from her daddy.

Claire has brightened up our days in 2010. We can't imagine life without her, and we are so blessed to have her in our family!

Thanksgiving

Yorgason Thanksgiving

We had our Yorgason Family Thanksgiving party in the clubhouse for the first time. We had a blast! It felt so roomy and there was so much to do! It turned out so nice, that we weren't missing Mom and Dad's old house too much.





Mom made her famous BBQ'd turkey steaks, and our girls just LOVED them! Grace asked if we can always make that at our house.



The girls played 'Ring Around the Rosies" with Brookie





We made our annual Candy-apple turkeys, and for the first time, Millie & Gracie did theirs on their own! It was fun to see them create such cute turkeys, and of course, they "gobbled" them right up when they were done!





We watched a movie in the theatre. While the older kids and adults sat and watched the show, Claire, Eila, and Thomas went up and down the stage. They were the most entertaining show for me!




Thatcher Thanksgiving
We had a delicious dinner and then the children made fun crafts that Aunt Amy brought. I wish we had taken more pictures up there! But here are the cute crafts with cousin Brookie.

A Wonderful Birthday

As a stay-at-home mom of young children, I've learned not to expect much on my birthday. It's just another day! But this year turned out to be such a wonderful day! We were lucky to get Kira at our house most of the day. When she is around, everything is more exciting and fun. She got busy right away planning a birthday surprise for mommy with the girls. They decorated and made cards while I showered. All day long, we did the fun things you do at birthday parties. Then Kira's mom, Chrysstal surprised me with a perfect-sized cake. How did she know it was the one thing we were missing!

To top it off, Camalee and Lacy babysat while we went to dinner and a play at Hale Center Theatre (complimentary tickets from Brother Fox).

It was one of those days that I just felt so blessed for all the wonderful people in my life who love and serve me more than I deserve.

Beginner Ballerinas

The girls dance around in the living room almost everyday. They consider themselves ballerinas and princesses, who have to dress "normal" to go out of the house. But up to this point, they haven't had any lessons. So when I told them that they had a chance to go to ballet class one day with Lucy (a neighbor friend), they were thrilled!

I expected them to be shy, like they are when we go to library story time, or even at preschool. But they seemed so natural out there on the dance floor! They were in their element, and they had a sense of confidence that I marveled at. They got right in and did everything the teacher told them to, and seemed so pleased with themselves. I loved watching Millie and Grace stick together, go across the floor together, dancing the best they could. They were in heaven! And I admit, it was just fun for us parents to watch them. It made us want to get them in to dance class!

A Catchy Tune To Help With Dishes

It dawned on us about a month ago, that we have totally failed in teaching our girls to take their dishes to the sink after they eat. We've seen other children do it without even being told to, and so we realized we need to work on that! After a couple weeks of nagging them, with still bad results, I followed "Miss Kristi's" example, and came up with a little tune to just sing the reminder for them. Now, whenever they forget to take their dishes (which is still most of the time) I start singing, and then they start singing along, as they take their dishes. Somehow, this song has done wonders for us! So, here it is, (no copyright attached):

(sung to the tune of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah")

"Please take your dishes to the sink.
When we're finished that's just what we do.
If we don't clean up, we'll have a big mess!
Please take your dishes to the sink."

Halloween 2010

We sure had a fun Halloween! The girls got to carve pumpkins for the first time ever, thanks to Grandma for doing the "dirty work." The girls showed mommy how to cut it, and then Millie carefully supervised as I cut. Next they used a pen to poke a lot of little dots in the jack-o-lantern's face to make it REALLY scary! I failed to get pictures when they were fresh and cute, and now they are sitting on our front porch decaying, waiting for the garbage man to take them away Friday morning. I don't think I want to remember them in this state, so no pictures!

Grace got to dress up as "Lady and the Tramp" at all the parties, but on Halloween night, she turned into a skunk (last year's costume), and was perfectly happy.



Millie was a princess, who wore a different outfit each time she needed to dress up. Luckily, her closet is full of princess clothes, so there was plenty to choose from, and she didn't seem to mind that her costume wasn't new. She especially liked that she got to wear mommy's make-up on her eyes and lips. She wonders when she will be old enough to wear that all the time.


Claire dressed up as a bear for our ward party, but I'm ashamed to say that on Halloween, she didn't even make it in to the suit. And no pictures! I guess that's what happens to the third child!
So sorry, Claire! Who needs a costume when you are as cute as this all the time?

The Flu Bug

24 hours never seemed so long
Gracie threw up 3 times in the night
Millie threw up just once in the morning
Mommy felt completely awful all day long
Daddy didn't feel great, but took care of everyone all day and then got sick in the evening
We got desperate for help when both parents were sick on the couch
We called our Home Teachers
They came right away and cleaned the kitchen
Then Brother Hutchinson gave us all Priesthood blessings
Just what we needed!
A good reminder of how wonderful it is to be healthy, and to have Home Teachers to call

Hiking Elephant Rock

It just doesn't feel like Fall until we get up in the mountains to see the colorful leaves and enjoy the pleasant weather. The girls absolutely loved being up there! We asked ourselves, "Why don't we do this more often?" Simple answer: Life is busy! But we are finding that it sure is richer when we take the time to get out and do new things!

Change in the Air

Paul had a difficult decision this past month when he was offered a new job in the Family History Department at the Church. He has absolutely loved working in the Curriculum department, and He loves his co-workers. It sure is hard to choose between two good things! After a LOT of praying, talking, thinking, & weighing out the differences, he decided to take the new job. Although it's a step of faith, he is excited for the chance to learn new skills and learn from new co-workers. But he will miss his friends so much! They were so nice to have a little good-bye lunch for him, and they didn't mind when Claire and I joined them!

Indian Giver

Gracie colored and painted some beautiful pictures the other morning with Daddy, and agreed to let him take them in to work to give to Marlene (his co-worker who loves and spoils the girls like only a grandma knows how). The second that Paul walked out the door, Gracie made a frown and admitted that she missed her pictures. She quietly went to her room and laid down in her bed, until I found her there to talk about it. She really wanted her pictures back. So we called Daddy and asked him to just show them to Marlene and then bring them back home. Surely Marlene would understand! And she did! She made copies of them and even made special thank-you cards with them. What a fun surprise!

Here are the special pictures:





And here's a fun little picture frame that we found at the craft store. Millie colored it, and when I tried to explain that we put a picture of her in the middle, she went in the other room and drew a picture of her to go in the middle. I guess that works too!

Visit to Grandma Lucy

We finally made it to Fountain Green to see our dear Grandma Lucy. She hadn't met Claire yet, so we were long overdue! We've made it a tradition to sleep over there when we visit. That way, we get way more time with Grandma and the girls aren't worn out by the long drive.

Claire loved being held by Grandma. She was quite content on her lap, since Grandma knew how to keep her entertained with random things near her chair.


The girls re-lived my childhood for me by taking a bath in the old-fashioned tub. Oh the memories I have of that tub! I love it!


The girls sang and danced for Grandma, and rode on her electric chair up the stairs. They found all her candy jars and managed to get way more candy than they should have. The girls slept in the bunk bed room, and we got the special white room. After they fell asleep, we visited with Grandma until midnight! She is doing so remarkably well for her age. She is 94 years old, and still manages to care for herself. Her memory is still intact and she looks as if she could just keep going for many more years to come. She doesn't seem to feel that way, but she knows that ultimately, her life is in the Lord's hands.

I was impressed that at age 94, she sits in a chair most of the day, surrounded by books, magazines, scriptures, family history documents, letters, and a telephone. She is still busily trying to learn and accomplish all that she can while she still has time. It seems that there is even more urgency now than perhaps there was before. She had so much that she wanted to tell us, mostly pertaining to her ancestors in Canada. What a lesson for me! Am I urgently doing the things that will mean the very most when this life is over?

That Fountain Green home is just FULL of memories from my childhood, teenage, and adult life. I have many memories in each room. Since my parents moved so many times while we were growing up, I don't go home to a home full of memories from my childhood. Perhaps this is why I feel like I am "going home" when I visit the home in Fountain Green. I love that place! I'm grateful we can still go there, and so grateful that Grandma is still with us. She is very dear to us!

We Found 'Em!

I have never been happier when finding a pair of shoes to buy! We've searched months for the perfect shoe to replace the infamous "ballet shoes" but only recently came across these beauties:


For those of you unaware of the implicit stipulations for Gracie's shoes, let me inform you:

• comfort, comfort, comfort!
  
• slip on
• not too big or too small (that is the trickiest one with growing feet that are in between sizes most of the time!)
• must work for all occasions because they will be the only shoe she wears (play, church, dancing, work, etc.)
• must be pretty like princess' shoes
• have to take the tag off for her to even be willing to try them on; therefore, have to be able to return with the tag off
  
• and the true test is if she still likes them once we are home, the tag is off, and it's been a few hours or days
  

Oh boy! I was holding my breath with these ones, and I'm SO happy to say that they passed the test! I probably should go back to Wal-mart to get the next size up as well!

Princesses in Training

The girls have discovered a new favorite show called "The Backyardigans" and in one episode Uniqua sings in a very catchy tune, "I love being a princess!" So now these girls sing that phrase over and over as well. And from the things they say and do, I'm fully convinced that they try to live according to princess etiquette and rules.

For example, this morning at 6:30, Grace came to my bed with a very important question: "Mommy, how do princesses cry?" My first response was, "I don't know..." and then I remembered Cinderella's crying scene, so I tried my best to impersonate her. Then Gracie said, "Well, naybe Daddy knows how princesses cry!" Which led to her finding out that Daddy had already left to meetings, which set off her crying, because she had missed seeing him for the morning. I happened to notice that she cried JUST like a princess: quietly, with composure, but real tears streaming down her soft cheeks. I wiped them away and assured her that we would get to see Daddy soon at church. Then she retorted with a little anger in her voice, "But Mommy, we ALWAYS have to go to church!"

A few hours later, during testimony meeting, the girls colored pictures of princesses, and sang, "How do you know...?" (from "Enchanted"). Even though I constantly tried to "shhhh" them, the singing continued, and I had to laugh when I had the thought, "at least they are singing something that has to do with testimony!"

And just for the record, they still insist on wearing skirts everyday, and Millie sleeps in her skirt pajamas every night. In fact, we've turned jumpers into skirts on more than one occasion. So now with almost every dress she wears, Millie puts it on as a very long skirt and begs to be able to change it to a long skirt. If only all their dresses touched the ground like the real princesses!