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...
Friday, September 30, 2011
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...
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...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
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!
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!
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!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Harry Potter Family Reunion
Every year, we have a Thatcher family reunion. Usually, I come away with one or two pictures (regretfully), and I post a little bit about it. Well, this year's reunion was another hit, and thankfully, we ended up with a lot of pictures! So, I'm going to give a lot of the details.
I admit, I was a little skeptical of the Harry Potter theme (since our kids are too young to even know who that is!), but in the end, it was SO MUCH FUN! Here are a few highlights:
About a month before the reunion, Grandma got us excited by having us dress up for a photo shoot
When we arrived at the reunion, first the children received their money pouches from Gringotts
Then they bought their official Hogwarts capes and school bags (handmade, with love, by grandma!)
They each received a "Magical Me" book for writing personal information, and a Thatcher family history book with little activities to help them get to know their family members better. Lorraine made these--so cute!
Then they purchased their own animal companions and viewed strange, dead, animals in jars (It's a Harry Potter thing...I'm sure there's a word for them!)
and then they went to Ollivanders to receive a special wand from Uncle Kent (again, handmade by grandma!)
Next, they boarded the train to Hogwarts, equipped with a candy trolley where they could buy anything from chocolate frogs to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (all this, before dinner - they were in heaven!)
The adults were each assigned a character as well, and some of us dressed up. Here's Uncle Joe as "Hagrid."
Once at Hogwarts, they had a warm welcome from Dumbledore and Head Mistress, McGonagall
Soon, they each took turns wearing the sorting hat to find out which house they were in. Ours were all in "Slytherin"
We were so glad that Hannah was with us for the reunion. She is a big Harry Potter fan, so she loved it!
During most of the meals, we received "owl posts" with fun, personalized gifts
One of the gifts was a double-sided locket with our girls' pictures dressed up as witches
There were a lot of little wizards and witches-in-the-making there!
At night, we enjoyed ballroom dancing with Aunt Anna and her friend as our instructors. What a gentleman young Steven was to gladly dance with our dear Gracie! Every young princess' dream {b.t.w. she is always a princess, even when she is supposed to be a witch}!
Afterward, we enjoyed our annual family reunion slide show with pictures from last year, and then a beautiful and memorable fireworks show by uncle Joe. We were amazed by the huge fireworks that are now legal. We were all loving it until one of them fell over and shot out in many different directions, including toward all of us! One shot off the hill into the field to start a fire! Luckily some of the adults ran quickly down to stomp it out and pour water on it. We were VERY blessed to somehow not have anyone hurt. The only long-term affects are that some of us are a little paranoid of once-illegal, now-legal fireworks going off anywhere nearby!
Most the family slept out in tents around the yard. It was one of the better years as far as sleeping goes!
In the morning, one of Claire's owl posts was bubbles. They couldn't have picked a better gift for her! She LOVES blowing bubbles by herself. Look how good she is! She makes it look easy for an 18-month-old!
And during down time, Claire was sure to get some time with the bird. She just loved holding it! She is fascinated with animals!
The children went on a Scavenger Hunt with Mad-Eye Moody (uncle Kenny) in the Forbidden Forest
Next, they attended morning classes. We were Tonks and Lupin, and we taught a class titled "Defense against the Dark Arts". We taught about scripture study and prayer and how they give you power against the devil. We don't have any pictures of us, but here are some from the other classes...
Uncle Cody teaching about his favorite animals (this is Anna's horse, Philly)
Lorraine was quite the actress! She played "Trelawny" and helped them make paper fortune tellers that Millie loved using!
Uncle Aaron was "Gilderoy Lockheart" and did he ever play the part! We were all very entertained!
Mark acted as "Snape." He gave lessons on making potions, which ended up being homemade rootbeer. I wish the pictures did this justice! He had a great display! The kids were very into this one, and I think ours were even a little scared by him.
After classes, we did the annual slip-n-slide down the hill. This kept the children entertained for most of the afternoon. We ended with awards and clean-up and a few words from Grandma and Grandpa. It was another memorable reunion! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed! We love our family!
I admit, I was a little skeptical of the Harry Potter theme (since our kids are too young to even know who that is!), but in the end, it was SO MUCH FUN! Here are a few highlights:
About a month before the reunion, Grandma got us excited by having us dress up for a photo shoot
When we arrived at the reunion, first the children received their money pouches from Gringotts
Then they bought their official Hogwarts capes and school bags (handmade, with love, by grandma!)
They each received a "Magical Me" book for writing personal information, and a Thatcher family history book with little activities to help them get to know their family members better. Lorraine made these--so cute!
Then they purchased their own animal companions and viewed strange, dead, animals in jars (It's a Harry Potter thing...I'm sure there's a word for them!)
and then they went to Ollivanders to receive a special wand from Uncle Kent (again, handmade by grandma!)
Next, they boarded the train to Hogwarts, equipped with a candy trolley where they could buy anything from chocolate frogs to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (all this, before dinner - they were in heaven!)
The adults were each assigned a character as well, and some of us dressed up. Here's Uncle Joe as "Hagrid."
Once at Hogwarts, they had a warm welcome from Dumbledore and Head Mistress, McGonagall
Soon, they each took turns wearing the sorting hat to find out which house they were in. Ours were all in "Slytherin"
We were so glad that Hannah was with us for the reunion. She is a big Harry Potter fan, so she loved it!
During most of the meals, we received "owl posts" with fun, personalized gifts
One of the gifts was a double-sided locket with our girls' pictures dressed up as witches
There were a lot of little wizards and witches-in-the-making there!
At night, we enjoyed ballroom dancing with Aunt Anna and her friend as our instructors. What a gentleman young Steven was to gladly dance with our dear Gracie! Every young princess' dream {b.t.w. she is always a princess, even when she is supposed to be a witch}!
Afterward, we enjoyed our annual family reunion slide show with pictures from last year, and then a beautiful and memorable fireworks show by uncle Joe. We were amazed by the huge fireworks that are now legal. We were all loving it until one of them fell over and shot out in many different directions, including toward all of us! One shot off the hill into the field to start a fire! Luckily some of the adults ran quickly down to stomp it out and pour water on it. We were VERY blessed to somehow not have anyone hurt. The only long-term affects are that some of us are a little paranoid of once-illegal, now-legal fireworks going off anywhere nearby!
Most the family slept out in tents around the yard. It was one of the better years as far as sleeping goes!
In the morning, one of Claire's owl posts was bubbles. They couldn't have picked a better gift for her! She LOVES blowing bubbles by herself. Look how good she is! She makes it look easy for an 18-month-old!
And during down time, Claire was sure to get some time with the bird. She just loved holding it! She is fascinated with animals!
The children went on a Scavenger Hunt with Mad-Eye Moody (uncle Kenny) in the Forbidden Forest
Next, they attended morning classes. We were Tonks and Lupin, and we taught a class titled "Defense against the Dark Arts". We taught about scripture study and prayer and how they give you power against the devil. We don't have any pictures of us, but here are some from the other classes...
Uncle Cody teaching about his favorite animals (this is Anna's horse, Philly)
Lorraine was quite the actress! She played "Trelawny" and helped them make paper fortune tellers that Millie loved using!
Uncle Aaron was "Gilderoy Lockheart" and did he ever play the part! We were all very entertained!
Mark acted as "Snape." He gave lessons on making potions, which ended up being homemade rootbeer. I wish the pictures did this justice! He had a great display! The kids were very into this one, and I think ours were even a little scared by him.
After classes, we did the annual slip-n-slide down the hill. This kept the children entertained for most of the afternoon. We ended with awards and clean-up and a few words from Grandma and Grandpa. It was another memorable reunion! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed! We love our family!
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