Mushy Love Stuff

I have not given an "update" on the kids in a while. On this Valentine's Day I want to share how they make my heart happy!

Creighton:

He is really blossoming in preschool. It was a rough couple of months at first and I considered pulling him out. He just didn't seem ready. But his teachers were patient with him and after much prayer I felt it would be best to keep him in. After Christmas (yes, it took about that long) I could tell a huge difference! He is learning so much and really loves his teachers. He has picked up on letters the past few weeks and enjoys making different letters out of toys or using eating utensils at a restaurant. (It is fun to see how many letters he can create with a spoon, fork, and knife- he is clever!) He is great at writing his letters as well and is interested in writing each member of our family's name. One day after picking him up from school he said, "Mom, I love my teachers!" And then he insisted we make them special Valentine's Day cupcakes! He is starting to make friends at preschool, mostly he talks about "Jack M." I am so happy that preschool is finally turning into a good thing. I can see him growing in so many ways.

He is very interested in words and their meanings. He also picks up on phrases and uses them in ways that make his daddy and me giggle. Cason asked his, "How is your room coming?" (He was supposed to be cleaning.) And he replied, "It is ship-shape!" He likes to be precise in his speaking. Creighton went into work with Cason one day and the ladies at the office said, "Oh- you two are dressed to match!" And Creighton said, "No, we're not. His shirt is dark blue and mine is light blue." He really likes to be exact and is a great conversationist.

Creighton likes to build with legos and his marble racer pieces. Lately he has been building "American" buildings. He says I can know they are American because he puts a flag on the top! He is extremely inventive. He likes to read stories and his favorite character right now is Pete the Cat. Creighton was introduced to Pete the Cat in preschool and really enjoys him. He has a great memory and after reading a book only a few times he can recite almost the whole book word for word! (Not sure that this is a good skill.... It may take longer for him to learn to read...) He also loves to play on his daddy's tablet and beat his daddy's high score on "Angry Birds" on his first try.

 Creighton also loves to learn about church-related things. He is always excited to share what he has learned in his Primary class. Last week it was "the first vision" and he happily shared all he knew about Joseph Smith and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He told papa and grandma about it over Skype and papa said, "You are already a good missionary!" He got a new suit to wear to church and he was looking forward to showing his teacher- he really likes his church teachers. He also has a special friend in our ward who is 89 years old and she always brings Creighton a special treat in return for a big hug!

He is such a loving boy. He loves to hold my hand when we are shopping or walking into preschool or while at church. He readily tells me he loves me. He loves to give his little sister big hugs. A few weeks ago Creighton came with me to pick up Macey Jo from Nursery and when she saw him she screamed "Tay-ton!" And he was thrilled- "She said my name! She said my name!" It was the closest she has come to saying Creighton. (It use to be "tee-tee".) He is great at sharing with Macey Jo and helping her. He likes for me to lay by him at night-time and we will talk about his day, it is such a special time for me.

Creighton has learned about riddles and thinks they are a lot of fun- he is always making them up. He is a joker as well... always finding something to giggle about and asking me, "Is that funny?"

Creighton loves so many things- one of them being Reeses peanut butter cups! For Valentine's Day he got a Peanut Butter Silk pie (from Perkins) from Big Daddy.... yum, yum! He is for sure a sweets lover and candy is his thing. But only name-brand candy, he is happy to spit out anything that is not up to his standards.

He is REALLY looking forward to his birthday celebration in a few weeks... 5 YEARS OLD!

Macey Jo:
She is 2 now and with that has come a lot of attitude. She is not shy about letting you know what she wants and if it isn't done her way she lets you know. She likes to boss around the dogs, and for the most part they take it well. Sometimes she uses sweetness to get her way... Like a few weeks ago when grandpa wouldn't give her candy. She pouted her lip, looked at him with sad eyes and whimpered, "But grandpa- I love you!" Of course then she got candy. She has many people wrapped around her finger...
She talks very well and does it all day long! For the most part she is good at pronunciating, but when she says "Frozen" (like the movie) is sounds like "horsey". So for quite a while she has been eating "horsey cereal". (Did you know they make Frozen cereal? Of course, we just HAD to have some!)  She is a great artist and loves to draw and color. I think for the most part she is past the stage of coloring on walls, but she still can find important documents to color on. She is very girly and likes to wear a bow in her hair and loves the color pink. She thinks all colors are pink! She had her hair trimmed for the first time 2 weeks ago and she was simply thrilled! Too bad she won't be going too often, we will keep it long for braids.

She is known for her great big hugs! She is happy to "spread the love" and likes to include a kiss as well. She likes to do "noses" (Eskimo kiss) at bedtime. She is very loving to her baby dolls and lets everyone know when one is asleep so that we will be quiet. Babies often travel with us to church or to the grocery store or to preschool.
She is somewhat interested in potty training. When she wants to use the potty and wear underwear she will let us know. When she doesn't want to, we don't make her. She is still young, and I learned a lot from my experiences with big brother! However she is still using a pacifier at night and soon I hope it will be forever gone. I think she likes to wear her panties because they have Doc McStuffins on them. We LOVE Doc McStuffins! ("Time for your checkup...") Macey Jo also loves Minnie Mouse and Sofia the First and Elmo.
She loves to sing and dance and especially has an affinity for music on the radio. She loves the chorus of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me". It is pretty awesome.
She is Miss Independent and doesn't want help walking up or down stairs. She takes off her own diaper (when it is poopy... yuck!) and prefers to dress herself. She usually puts on her own shoes and 9 times out of 10 puts them on the right feet. Not sure if she is just lucky or if she really knows what she is doing. She insists on brushing her own teeth (but hygienist mommy knows better.) I think she is trying to keep up with Creighton and be a big kid too!

These kids of mine are really wonderful and I am so blessed.