Tooth Fairy Alert!

Part I
Millie noticed at least 6 months ago the slightest bit of looseness to her front tooth. Since then, she has announced to everyone that she has a loose tooth. And she has been asking for months when she will lose her first tooth. We've read plenty of library books about the Tooth Fairy, and the suspense has been high!

One blessed morning in September, just minutes before going to the dentist (incidentally), Millie tried opening a container of play-dough with her teeth. In her words: she said it hurt her teeth, and she thought it might have made them come up. She worried her friends would think she looked funny, so she ran to look in the mirror. That's when she saw the missing tooth and the blood! She quickly grabbed some toilet paper and called out the exciting news!

We never found her tooth! So her story was, "I lost my tooth, and I lost it!" Throughout the day, I would find her sneaking in front of the mirror to get a look at her teeth. She asked a few times, "Did I really lose my tooth?" and "Are you sure this looks different than before?" So funny!

Luckily, the dentist had a nice plastic tooth necklace for Millie to put under her pillow so that the Tooth Fairy would know to come. Millie came in during the night (proving her Mom's suspicions) to tell us what the Tooth Fairy had left her: a tooth-shaped note and a dollar bill! The next day, she took her note and dollar everywhere she went to tell the story to all. She got thinking at one point, and asked us, "Is the Tooth Fairy really real?" Our reply, What do you think, Millie?

Part II
Now, a few weeks later, the new tooth is pushing it's way up, and Millie's second front tooth is being wiggled loose. She is again SO excited for it to come out. Every day she gives it lots of wiggles to loosen it, and she has begged relentlessly for Daddy, Mommy, and even Grandpa Yorgason to pull it out. She is a brave soul when it comes to something she really wants! Here's one (real, not staged) attempt by Daddy to get it out...

Hopefully not a Tattoo!

Over General Conference weekend, we were enjoying a nice Sunday up with family in Paradise when Paul accidentally got a tattoo. He was trying to stop a go-cart that was headed out of control when he leaned across the engine and burned his forearm. Here's a picture...

As you can see, the engine burned a pretty little (big!) design on his arm. Twice, while in Bishop interviews, ward members caught a glance of it and stopped mid-sentence to ask, "Bishop, do you have a tattoo?"

It seemed so bad at first that we started to wonder if it would leave a scar.  I wondered what it would be like to have to explain that story over and over again. But the body quickly got to work with the miraculous healing process, and we are now hopeful that most of it will fade. Still, crazy to see what a little go-cart accident can do!

Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park

We had a fun family outing on Saturday at Liberty Park, trying to help the girls experience something new while enjoying the nice fall weather. They were fascinated by Tracy Aviary's bird show, where we got to see big birds (including this eagle) up close.

We walked through the park, following wild birds...

And for a minute there, we thought our girls turned into birds!

 Then we headed to the park's pond to feed the ducks and geese...

And ended up in the fun park for awhile...

The First Day of School

A couple weeks before Kindergarten started, Millie started getting so excited. It seemed like she grew up a lot right in time and she was so ready for it! It was fun going to the first day of school together for orientation info...

But then it was "boring" waiting all week until her class really began. SO on the "real" first day of school, she was VERY ready to go. She made a cute pose for the picture, gave me a hug and a kiss, and was off to school! No tears. No sadness. All smiles! She has Mrs. James, who we really like. Today Millie commented that "Mrs. James doesn't seem like a grandma or a mom." I couldn't quite figure out what she meant by that! I asked, "Does she just seem like a teacher?"

Grace is following in Millie's footsteps and attending Ms. Kristi's "Oceans of Learning" Prcschool. It is all very familiar, and she has adjusted well. Mommy is a teacher assistant some days, and she finally decided that she likes that. I think singing is her favorite, because she loves coming home and performing her songs for us. She also loves playing house for choice time--I've watched her take charge and tell the other girls who they are and what they can do. I guess that's a perk to being one of the oldest!  

 

Monarch Magic

Every year we hunt for monarchs. This year, we found 11 cute little caterpillars to share with cousins, friends and classmates. They ate and grew and ate and grew, and headed to the top of the jars to make a chrysalis. Ten days later, we had some very excited girls! They loved holding them and watching them learn to fly. And I always love the reminder from watching the entire process: We were made to be so much more than we can see in ourselves right now--we are "created in the image of God" and have a "divine destiny and purpose" (Family Proclamation).

Gracie, the Birthday Girl

Grace waited patiently, but anxiously for her 4th birthday! She knew months ago that she wanted to have a "Tiana" party. She helped with the planning and writing up invitations. Then Daddy took her to deliver them to her friends. And the count-down started again!

When her birthday finally came, Grace's friends came dressed up in princess gowns with big smiles on their faces. They colored and decorated princess crowns, then played "kiss the frog" (hot potato with a stuffed frog), "Princess, princess, frog" (duck, duck, goose), and a princess balloon game. We sang, ate frog cupcakes, ice-cream cones, and then opened presents. With their party favors in hand, the little princesses left happy as can be. Again, we proved that a simple party can please these little ones!

My favorite moment of the party was when they were eating ice-cream. We started going around saying what we love about Grace. They said she was nice, that they love her smile, her clothes, her hair, etc. and then her dear friend, Lucy Taylor, said, "I just like Grace!" and then clarified again, "I like her!" It was so sincere and sweet! She taught us all a lesson--to love the person, not just things about them.

Here are some fun facts about Grace at age four:

Favorite Activities:
playing with Barbies
coloring--she is an efficient and meticulous artist!
reading--she loves when we read to her, but she'll sit down daily to read on her own as well
dress-ups and dancing
preschool with Ms. Kristi
"quite time" with a show

Favorite Foods:
oatmeal
pepperoni
pears
lil' smokies
Parmesan cheese
mangos
pizza
rice
apples
noodles
gum
blow-pops

Less-known Facts about Grace:
She has a very loud cry, which means she has great lungs for singing!
She has strong nails that are beautiful, but dangerous at times
She intensely loves her Sunday School teachers, Brother and Sister Williams, and sometimes contacts them during the week
She has a very compassionate heart
She is quick to express love and affection
She is careful to do what she is supposed to do
She loves to laugh at Claire

Grace, we love you so much and don't know what we would do without you in our family!  

Summer Excursions

Hike up Elephant Rock

What do you do on a cool, cloudy 4th of July? Take advantage of the clouds and head up to the mountains for a hike! Spontaneity is the spice of life! It didn't matter that we did this same hike a year ago. For young kids, it feels like the first time again! So much to see and learn, and so fun to just be together!

Our New Splash Pad and Park
We consider it "ours" since it's right here in our neighborhood. Just think, people will be coming from neighboring cities to enjoy "our" park! Foxboro feels more complete! What a refreshing activity on these hot summer days!

4th of July Fireworks

We joined Josh and Elena's family for the Sugar House Park fireworks. We played in the backyard and then walked a few blocks to see the fireworks. It was a fun, relaxing evening.

Raging Waters (a.k.a. Seven Peaks Salt Lake)

We couldn't pass up the deal, so we ended up with season passes. The girls love the lazy river the most! Paul likes the steep slides. I like the wave pool and the mild slides. Claire likes it all, as long as she isn't in a life-saving device...which makes it a little tricky and sometimes dangerous! Her new discovery is that she can reach to stand in the kiddie pool.

Handcart Days 
We got our free swim at the rec. center, but missed all the carnival rides! Instead of thrills, the girls got educated by the local symphony concert and a tour of a real Teepee by this genuine Indian--he was very inspiring. And luckily, we were just in time before the snow cone booth shut down.

Handcart Days Parade
We love watching this parade each year. We met up with our good friends, the Males, for the parade, dinner, and fireworks viewed from their front yard.

Wheeler Farm
We went on our annual visit to Wheeler Farm with our ward park playdate. Hannah was visiting with us for two weeks, so she came along too! It's always fun to see farm animals, but for some reason, whenever we go there, my kids end up taking off their shoes and wanted me to carry them! Princess shoes and dirt roads just don't mesh! After our picnic, the kids played and played by the little stream while the moms got a chance to chat. That was relaxing, and made it worth all the work in getting there!

 

Park Classes

For the record, the girls attended a few summer classes at Mill's park. I especially liked the mommy & me singing class with Claire. We usually headed straight from there to the Chiropractor...which is the other place we frequented a lot this summer. Sorry, no pictures of the Chiro office!

Girl's Camp

I got to accompany Paul on his visit to Girl's Camp. It was great to be there for the last night and see the cute girls and leaders having SO much fun! It was a memorable night...playing out on the field, a walk to the beach, a delicious meal, a skit, inspiring words, testimonies, tears, hugs, pics, and lots of laughs! Thanks, Ladies!