Easter Egg Fun

Thatcher Family Easter Egg Hunt
We got to celebrate all month long, starting with a Thatcher cousin egg hunt over General Conference weekend. Grandma Thatcher loves giving a special gift to each grandchild and those are always a hit!






Coloring Easter Eggs
It just wouldn't feel like Easter without coloring eggs! Grandma Yorgason is best at keeping this tradition going, but since she is out of town, we took the initiative and did it on our own! This is one of those things that just gets more and more fun every year with kids. The girls loved experimenting with new techniques and double-dipping to mix colors. I wish these pictures captured how beautiful the eggs really were! I have struggled to crack them open and eat them because I love how they turned out!







The Easter Bunny's Surprise
We expected the Easter Bunny to come on Saturday morning, but he didn't! The girls didn't even remember though, so it was fine! And then he surprised us and came right in the middle of the day on Saturday! He sneaked in while we were having "quiet time" and managed to leave before we even saw him! The girls were ecstatic! They each wrote a note for the Easter Bunny, and luckily, he found the notes and wrote back to them!





Gracie ate all of her candy in one sitting! I was glad that there was only one jelly bean in each egg. That was a last-minute modification that turned out to be best!

This picture is making it in because it's proof that Gracie actually can share with Claire. We are working on that right now. Nice job, Grace!

Millie's Preschool Graduation Program

It's sad to see Millie's preschool experience coming to an end. They had an excellent graduation program at the Bountiful Library last week. The children each remembered their speaking parts well and they sang so many cute songs with adorable actions--all about "change." Millie was very conscientious and tried to perform perfectly. She knew her line so well and even had two singing solos she hadn't mentioned to us. We have loved Miss Kristi and are grateful for all she has taught Millie.

Grace-erella

This is probably the all-time cutest video clip we have of our Grace! The candid camera captures her cute singing when she is in her own little world and her ability to stick to it until the job is done. I can't help but start singing her song each day while I'm cleaning, and it has helped me laugh a lot more lately!

Art Class with Miss Dani

Millie and Grace were in an online art class the past 5 weeks with Miss Dani, our friend in the neighborhood. We learned so much about painting materials, basic art elements, and how to do more art at home. It has been very fun! If you missed her class, but want to buy a PDF with all the information and instructions, click here


Here are some highlights from the class:

Art Class at Dani's


(Here's Lucy, who happens to be our "favorite artist")
Art Projects at Home
What is it about getting paint all over your hands that turns the sillyness on?





No, this wasn't a part of class, but it was a way to use our leftover bubble paint. It cleaned right off!


Field trip to the Utah Museum of Fine Art
When we left the museum, Gracie said, "That was so much fun to see those art projects!" and she has since asked, "when do we get to go there again?" It's surprising that a 3-year-old would like a museum so much!







Art Exhibition

What a fun event! The kids felt so special as they displayed their beautiful art for all to see. And besides that, there was candy at every table and colorful balloons to take home! We were so glad that Mariana and Carolyn could come! The girls got to stand up in front of everyone and tell about their favorite piece of art. They were adorable!

Millie's First (official) Violin Lesson

This may or may not be a monumental picture. Millie has had some lessons from me over the past year, but last month we started going to "Miss Missy" for lessons.


In all the years I have taught violin, I never realized how difficult it is for the mothers! I have a ton of questions, like "Should I really start her this early?" "How strict should I be with her practicing?" "How do I motivate her to want to practice?" "Is it bad to reward her with candy to bribe her to practice?" and knowing all the work it entails, "Can I really do this?"

When I'm the teacher, I know the answers. But now as the parent, I am clueless! But for now, my philosophy is: 1. I will encourage, but I am not going to make her practice 2. I don't want to stop her from being a child by making her life too structured and too busy for play 3. Keep it fun! 4. I don't have to know at this point if this will be her thing in life--I can take it one day at a time

Having said that, Millie is a cute little violinist! She has a perfect bowgrip! And she picks up on things pretty naturally. But really, she can be good at anything she sets out to do because she is very determined. She will work and work and work until she accomplishes her goals. What a wonderful trait!

Spring Break

We were so happy to get away over Spring Break! We met up with the Taylors in St. George for a few days and they made sure we had a great time. Even though it was a quick trip, we were able to do all of our traditional St. George activities: playing at the park, hiking, swimming, golfing, shopping, and visiting the temple. We especially appreciated the nice weather when we came back to a weekend of snow! When will the warm weather return!

Sneaky, Sneaky!

Someone figured out how to bathe herself! She makes it look fun to bathe in cold water.



And the next day, she disappeared for awhile again. This time, with the bathroom lights out, we didn't expect to find this...

St. Patti's Day

I love how holidays take on a whole new meaning of fun with young children! They were so happy to be wearing green, eating green oatmeal, and then headed off to preschool parties!


When Daddy came home from work, we tricked him! As soon as he took off his green tie, he was an easy target for some pinches! We had some neighbor girls over to help, so he was WAY outnumbered! Pinching has never been so fun!

You Never Know Where the Food Will End Up

Snack time...


Is it going to make it in the mouth?



If it's chocolate pudding, then yes!

If it's GV yogurt, then not so much! But I heard that makes great hair gel...

Bunny Love

How much does Claire love Templeton and Ashley?

• She wants to say "hi" to them every time we come home
• She sticks her fingers right in the cage at their mercy
  
• She plays with their food and water
• She picks up the little brown balls near their cage (luckily she hasn't tried to eat them yet)
  

and....


Hey, why not join them?

"Ish"

Sometimes our budding artists get disappointed with their drawing skills. There are plenty of papers that get scribbled all over and then thrown across the table in exasperation! But luckily, we read this...



and the girls learned that it's okay if their picture doesn't look perfect. It can be "ish."


That very day, Gracie tried to draw a hot air balloon but when her circle and lines were imperfect, she started to get frustrated. Then we realized it's a hot air ballono-ish, and that made everything alright! Thank you, Peter Reynolds! It turned out so cute, Grace!