Update on the Kiddies

Creighton does not like when I call him and Macey Jo my "kiddies" because of course he thinks I am saying "kitties!" And he says, "I am not a kitty! I am Creighton Eli!!"

Sometimes I think he might be too smart for his own good...

Not the best flossing technique I've ever seen... But he gets brownie points for at least using it between his teeth.

Creighton doesn't seen to mind that it has been in the high 90's and over 100 degrees some days! He still wants to go outside and play with his doggies and his skycopter. Of course this fair skinned red-headed boy gets a lot of sun screen and always wears his BYU-Idaho hat from Papa.

He says some funny stuff:

Last week in Nursery he asked his favorite Nursery teacher Sister Sparks to sit on the floor and play with him. She told him that she could not or then she would not be able to get back up. (She is in her seventies.) He said, "Why not? Are you too heavy?"

Whenever you are dealing with something of Creighton's that he values as precious he warns you to be very cautious with it with phrases like, "Don't break my cookie! Be very very careful not to hurt it!" "Be soft with my book! Don't break it! Be very very soft!"

He also like to warn his sister, like the other day when he was building a fort out of pillows, "Sister! Don't eat the pillows! They are for my fort!"
He is a teller of tall tales. He will see an (invisible) ouchy on you and say, "You have an ouchy! You got it when you slipped on Callie's food and fell! Let me kiss it better!"

Creighton's daddy likes to hear him try to say big words. The other day in the car we were saying words that started with the letter "A". Daddy started making Creighton repeat words like: alliteration, anthropology. 

He may be too advanced for preschool this fall!

We went and toured Creighton's potential preschool and we saw the library which had a lot of "earths" as Creighton calls them (globes). He really liked the library!!

For the most part Creighton is good at playing with Macey Jo. He has learned that she likes to put things in her mouth. He thinks that is funny. He took the tires off of his remote control car and gave them to her. She loves them. Thanks brother. 

Creighton is a good boy most of the time. He is happy to see a lot of the "baby stuff" come back out. It is a little bit hard for him to share, but he thinks it is also pretty neat when he can show his baby sister how the toys work and help her read the story books.

Lately I have been telling Creighton stories about when he was a baby. He really likes that. His favorite story is when I tell him about the time when baby Creighton emptied the kitchen drawer full of all the kitchen dishtowels.

Creighton's favorite place to go is to his grandma and grandpa's house. He asks constantly if he can go there. And lucky him he has been going there 3-4 days a week lately as they have been babysitting him a lot. 

A few days ago he did ask to go to Papa and Uncle Sam's house. I had to explain that now they live far away so we can't visit as often. (And I hope he forgets they had a pool...)

His favorite food is definitely chicken nuggets and french fries.

He loves to watch movies and cartoons and lately he will watch just about anything. We haven't been stuck in a "rut" which mommy is grateful for because those songs/words get stuck in my head so easily!

He has been using the potty during the daytime SO well but I hate to say we are daytime potty trained for fear of messing the whole thing up.

He is great at helping in the house and outside in the yard as well.

He is very polite and says "thank you" frequently.

He loves to read books and his favorites are anything Disney, Curious George, and Dr. Seuss.

Creighton loves to play with cars right now but the only thing that his cars ever do is CRASH!!!

He also really likes Legos, but those don't get very tall before they CRASH too!

Amid all that crashing the words, "I'm OKAY!!" Are always being screamed. He is very kind to keep me updated on how he is doing.

He loves to snuggle under a blanket, even when everyone else in the house in melting in the heat.

He only drinks milk or water. Seriously. Don't even try to give him anything else.

He really likes to sniff candles or Scentsy and then says, "Ahhhh... Smells good!"

Miss Macey Jo is just the sweetest thing!

She has been waiting a long time to wear this dress! It has been hanging in her closet for almost a year (from Aunt Marie) and now she can wear it and she looks adorable!

She now sits up and has been for about 3 weeks. She does really well. Her favorite place to sit is on the grass in the front yard. Some evenings we will go out about 9:00pm and sit on the front steps and let her sit on the grass. She loves the cool air and the grass. She just loves to look around.

For the most part she is very calm. She has had several different babysitters the past few weeks and I guess for all of them she has cried and cried and cried.... Oh it just breaks my heart to hear those things. But she did do well with the neighbor girl a few days ago so my prayer was answered. But she just like mommy and daddy and grandma and grandpa the best! Guess you can't blame her for that.

And her mommy thinks she just looks beautiful in everything-even her jammies! I am always snapping pictures!

Soon it will be time for 6 months pictures, I have been trying to decide what she should wear. Ruffle bum diaper cover? Oh absolutely!

Macey Jo has been eating baby food for about 5 weeks now. I insisted she eat green vegetables first. She hated them. So we switched to yummier veggies like squash and carrots. She loved them! Then I went back to the green vegetables and she decided those were alright! We have started fruits recently but she only likes bananas. Other fruits are too sour for her. 

She is such a FUN baby to feed. I can tell that she really loves the food. She opens wide, swallows, and opens wide again ready for some more.

She had a growth spurt for a while and seemed to be getting so big. Cason and I both agreed we were sure she was up to at least 16 pounds, but she must be growing taller now because she looks like she is now thinning out a bit to me. Must be her new diet of vegetables!

She loves toys and is so fascinated by them. When they aren't in her mouth she loves to shake them and hear the noises and look at the colors and try to make the noises come out. She LOVES the bouncer. Ten times more than Creighton ever did. She just goes and goes and goes. Sometimes she bounces so hard she gets air and flies out of her seat. She just giggles and giggles. 

Her and daddy have fun games they play together. I think her favorite one is when he will take her pacifier out of her mouth with his teeth and she will reach to get it back and put it back in her mouth.

Mommy and Macey Jo have special cuddle time. She really loves for me to sing to her. I love the look in her eyes when I sing to her.

My kiddies are pretty special!!

Beautiful Words

Tonight Creighton called his Aunt Sidnie and asked her to come over and play. She is a great aunt and so she did. She has a few men in her singles ward that went to high school with Cason and I. They have each mentioned several times to Sidnie, "How are Cason and Katie Jo? Ever since they got married we don't see them anymore!" Again one said that to her the other day so she passed along the message to us. 

Cason said to her, "When you marry your best friend, you don't need other friends."

He is so sweet. I am grateful that I married him, 5 years tomorrow.

So much time is spent preparing for your wedding, even before you are engaged! I always dreamed about what I wanted in a ring, dress, colors, decorations, announcements, etc... And then when the time came to make all the final decisions it was a lot of fun to make my wedding and reception everything I hoped it would be. But now 5 years later what I remember the most from that day, June 24th 2008, is sitting in the celestial room with my husband.

After we arrived at the temple and changed into our temple clothes we were still very early for our scheduled sealing time. So we were allowed to sit in the celestial room. We sat on a little yellow couch and I admired how beautiful and peaceful the room was. I was so nervous, butterflies were going crazy in my stomach! But as I sat there in the celestial room, holding hands with Cason, I began to calm down... I was so happy to just be there with him who I loved so much. In fact, I fell asleep on his shoulder and when the temple worked came to get us Cason had to wake me up.

Being married to Cason is wonderful. Happy 5 years to us!

The Lord's Errand

It all started with this letter...

Grandma and Papa Chambers were called as Mission Presidents to the Salt Lake City South Mission! 

We opened this letter in February but the process began in October of last year! And now the time is finally here for them to be on their way for a whole 3 years!!

Today Cason and I and his siblings and their spouses (minus a sister living in Kansas) joined mom and dad in Salt Lake City as they received counsel and were set apart as mission president and full-time missionaries of the Salt Lake City South Mission by Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Shane Bowen.

It was such a neat and special experience. We are so grateful we were able to be there with them. It is something we will never forget and we have already taken notes for ourselves and for mom and dad to help us remember the experience. I have learned, as good as I think my memory is, I quickly forget the stuff that is most important!

But of course... we couldn't say goodbye without a party! So I threw them a bee-themed party since they are headed to the beehive state!

I searched online to come up with a centerpiece to make for the tables, but I came up with an idea on my own I was so happy with! Just paper bees buzzing around on the tables! 

 Of course the party was decorated with black, yellow and white. (And Macey Jo's other grandma and grandpa bought her a special bee outfit that matched the party decor!) 

And for treats: lemon bars, brownies, beehive sugar cookies and chocolate sandwich cookies. Also, a cereal trail mix made from different honey-nut cereals. I have had a lot of requests for recipes. Here they are!

Lemon Bars

   Crust:

1 c. softened butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 c. flour

   Mix ingredients and press into 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.

   Filling:

4 eggs

2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. lemon juice

   Mix and pour over slightly cooled crust. Bake at 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

   After baking, dust lemon bars with powdered sugar.

   *I made sheet pans of these and doubled the recipe but kept the baking times and degrees the same.

   **The recipe really is awesome if you love lemon bars. This recipe is from a good friend of my mom's, Kris Berrett, and we have used it as long as I can remember!

Honey Nut Cereal Mix

4 c. Honey Nut Cheerios cereal

3 c. Honey Bunches of Oats cereal

3 c. Honey Nut Chex cereal

2 c. Honey Comb cereal

1 c. chopped dry roasted almonds

   Mix all cereal and nuts together.

1/2 c. butter

10 c. marshmallows

   Melt butter and marshmallows together and mix with the cereal mixture. Spread onto wax paper and allow to cool. May roll into balls (like popcorn balls).

   *You may make more marshmallow mixture depending on how gooey you like yours, or scale down the cereal mixture depending on how much you need. Clearly, this makes a lot.

   **I was surprised what a hit this was! So many people really enjoyed this honey nut treat I created for our honey-bee party!

We really had a great time planning a party for our grandma, papa and uncle Sam! So many people came to say good-bye and wish them well. They are very loved! But especially by Creighton and Macey Jo!

We will miss not seeing grandma, papa and uncle Sam as often. But they are still so close and we will get to see them regularly. 

We are so proud of them. They will do so well. Mom and Dad Chambers will do so well teaching the missionaries they are responsible over. They are great at teaching with love. And Sam has been such a trooper through it all. In fact, after much prayer he decided to have us keep his dog for him for 3 years.

The kids love Miss Kannolli so much! She will be well loved by our family!

Bye Bye grandma, papa, and uncle Sam. WE LOVE YOU!!

Cason the Daddy

The kids are blessed to have a wonderful father in Cason and I am equally as lucky. He sets a wonderful example for them and teaches them how to live righteously to be happy. He teaches them to serve and love others and to be kind. He loves me and that will bless their lives forever. He teaches them to have fun and is always willing to take time to play with his children and show them how much he cares. 

They love their daddy so much.

Cason and I both have wonderful fathers who have blessed us with good memories and taught us well. We are happy the kids have good men in their lives: Papa, Big Daddy, and Grandpa. 

And of course we are grateful to our Father in Heaven for his Plan of Salvation and the gift of his Son that we can be with our Daddy forever.

Happy Father's Day!!

(another post below)

Big Girl Bath

The whale bathtub has been very good to Macey Jo. She has really loved using it at bath time. It has been included in many good memories. Little Macey Jo loves to take a bath. We like to call her "our little mermaid". Unfortunately, it is time to retire the whale bathtub. She is beginning to outgrow it and our little"scooter" has almost jumped right out of it!

She thought she really loved the whale bathtub, but now after experiencing the big girl tub she is hooked! So much more room to swim around. She loves to kick her legs and swing her arms around. Back and forth from the front to the back of the bathtub she goes. Just like her brother use to! I've got two swimmers on my hands!

Mommy and Macey Jo

 This past week I have learned just how much Macey Jo and I need each other.

This summer I will be working a lot more at my office. I will be working at least an extra day a week and sometimes 2 more days a week. I took the opportunity because the idea of paying off a few debts sooner and increasing our savings sounds really nice! And the kids will mostly get to be with their dad or grandma and grandpa and occasionally a neighbor-girl baby-sitter. 

Last week I started working more. I came home for lunch one day to check on the kids, they were with the baby-sitter, and Macey Jo looked miserable. Her eyes were red as could be, she looked so sad, she was so exhausted. As soon as I took her in my arms she fell asleep. The sitter felt terrible explaining that she just couldn't get Macey Jo to go to sleep even though it was apparent she needed a nap. My heart just broke seeing how unhappy Macey was. All day I couldn't stop thinking about my Miss Macey. She just wanted her mommy. That night she was up with a fever and didn't hardly sleep.

The next few days our family was very busy and Macey Jo began to wake up every night about every 1-2 hours. This is not our Macey Jo! She hadn't done this since she was a few days old. She had slept like a champ now for months! For about a week this was her sleeping pattern at night. I wondered, "What was going on?"

But I knew what was going on. I pray almost nightly to be sensitive to my children's needs. I knew Miss Macey missed me. We hadn't been spending as much time together. I have been working more, the family has been busy. Wednesday I was able to leave work at 2:30, I picked up the kids from Grandpa's house and we played all night together. ESPECIALLY me and Macey. Brother went to bed really early, so me and Miss Jo had all night to be together and play. It was so nice. 

And that evening she went to bed at 9:30 and didn't get up until 6:30. Back to herself... 

How nice to be needed by Macey. It makes me feel so special that I play such a huge role in her life. What a great thing it is to be able to play the role of mother.

It's hard to think about working so much this summer and being away from the kids so much. But I am glad that for the most part they can be with their daddy and grandma and grandpa. I am going to work really hard to make the time that I am home count. I still feel reassured that it is okay for me to work extra this summer. I know that many blessings can come as we use this extra money wisely. I hope that at the end of this summer I will have learned to make the time with my family count. And that even though I have spent more hours away, perhaps the ones I have spent at home have been so memorable it won't feel like I was gone anymore. I can see how being a mommy is very important and makes a big impact in the lives of my children.

What does Macey Jo play?

Well, Macey Jo has learned to enjoy playing outdoors. But like her mommy, only under specific conditions. We like to go outside in the evenings when it is cool and sit on the front porch steps. We like to talk about the pretty flowers that are growing and say hi to the neighbors or watch our silly brother chase stray cats.

Now that she is getting so big (5 months!) we have gotten out some big girls toys, like the bouncer and high chair. She really enjoys grabbing at the toys on those and listening to the music on the bouncer.

In fact, we may have a musician on our hands. Macey loves music on any toy and likes to listen to the radio in the car and loves for mommy to sing and/or play the piano. She loves to watch the fish spin and hear the music play on her swing and also watch the flowers spin and hear the music on her mobile in her bed.

She must have avoided the Sanders nausea-gene. Thank heavens. Because there is no way her momma could watch all that spinning and not get sick.

It is so fun to play with diamond ring and princess tiara rattles! 

Macey Jo is such a talker! Her eyes just light up when she starts talking to you! She is also ticklish, but mostly just on her tummy. She rolls, but only when it is her idea. Don't think you can trick her into rolling for a toy. She likes to play pat-a-cake with her feet. She thinks it is fun to pull daddy's hair. 

 She really loves to play with her brother. She loves to watch him. As she watches him go about 100 mph through our house her face is one of wonder and admiration.

 She thinks he is funny.

 And when he is sick she likes to snuggle up next to him.

She can't wait to be big enough to do some real "playing" with the king of play.

Macey Jo is a lot like her brother in that she is actually very good at playing by herself. But when she decides she is ready for your attention hopefully you are in a position that you can give it to her! 

I need my Macey Jo just as much as she needs me. She gives me greater purpose in life and that increases my desire to be better in all aspects of my life.