"The Sun'll Come Out..."

We've been on a big "Annie" kick lately. We took the girls to see a high school play and then we had to watch parts of both movies.


I love that they know the music now and we can belt the songs together in the car. As we drove to the library yesterday during the non-stop downpour, Millie decided that we needed to change the words to "The Rain 'ill come out...tomorrow!" It was fun to pretend that we love the rain and clouds and gloominess. Singing about it almost convinced me.

Whenever I feel like complaining about the rain, I think of Sister Wilkerson, my mission companion from Elko, Nevada, who LOVED the rain. She often thanked the Lord for the rain, and I was always surprised because I wasn't so grateful. I guess when you live in a dessert, you are always grateful for the rain. And I guess since we live in what is also considered a dessert, we should be grateful for the rain. But it's hard when there is flooding and day after day of grey weather in May.

On a brighter side, I am SO glad we got our gardens and pots planted over Mother's Day weekend before all this rain.




And here's what we have been doing inside lately...


Millie got a hold of more dress up make-up. She put sparkly lip gloss all over her eyes, and eyeshadow on her lips



which gave us good reason to play dress-ups and play all over the pillows


{Claire felt extra special with two tutus on--the fluffier, the better!}
Gracie prefers no tutu at all



And we discovered a new way to build. We used skewers to make 2-dimensional houses for the petshops.
Gracie did a fun hair-do with 6 ponytails

And Millie came up with some good art projects

Childlike Honesty

The other day, Grace touched my arm lovingly, and then said, “Mom, your arm feels squishy like Claire’s.”

“Oh,” I thought, “I’m pretty sure I know what she is saying.”

But then to reinforce the idea, she asked, “Mommy, are you going to be a Grandma soon?” I quickly answered, “No...”

So she added one more comment. “Mommy, you have arms like a giant!”

If she wasn't so naive and perfectly innocent, maybe I could have been a little offended about that. But I just had to laugh.

We are really working on communication right now, and boy, she got the point across clearly!

I know Summer is just around the corner. I know I'll be wearing short-sleeved shirts. So, thanks, Gracie! Now I have more motivation this week to wake up early and exercise! I'll try to think about that when I lay in bed at 6:45, trying to decide if it's an exercise morning or not.



And just now as I was talking with Millie, she randomly asked me to open my mouth wide (I thought for sure she would mention my fillings).

Then she said, "Mommy, I know some of your teeth are going to fall out!"

"Yeah? Why is that?" I asked.

"Because some of them are moving and going to pop out."

I had to wonder, should I get braces again? Then I quickly decided, na! That was not fun!

Again, no harm intended by little ones. Just the truth. And somehow, I don't mind, because they love me despite my imperfections and flaws.

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!