For the Love of Chicken

This afternoon we stopped by my mom's house for a few minutes (which turned into an hour and a half thanks to Star Wars on Wii) to visit. As always, Creighton was so sad to leave and started to cry. Creighton's grandma was making chicken strips and mashed potatoes for dinner and gave him two in a ziploc bag to take home. He wanted to hold them in the car, but I wouldn't let him because he knows how to open plastic bags. On the way home he fell asleep. We carried him in the house to take him to bed and he noticed the ziploc bag of chicken sitting on the counter and started screaming/crying/pointing for the chicken. But he didn't want to eat the chicken (in the kitchen, at least). So I let him take the bag of chicken to bed with him in hopes that he would calm down and take a much-needed nap. However, he first unzipped the bag and layed there and giggled as he ate two huge chicken strips. I sat next to him on the floor and laughed the whole time. Cason would peek his head into Creighton's room and shake his head. I guess I've got a chicken strip lover!

Hello? Is Creighton There?

Creighton loves to talk on the phone! He loves to pick up "his" phone, or my cell phone and say, "Hello?" He puts a lot of emphasis on the "o" and he sounds British. So cute. For some reason though the person on the other line always wants to talk to Creighton's mommy.

A few days ago I substituted in nursery and found out that Creighton is not the only one who likes to talk on the phone. There were enough phones in the nursery that all of the kids had one. "Hello? Hello?" Being in nursery and watching Creighton with the other kids was fun. I was glad to see that he got along well with everyone for the most part. He is also super helpful. During lesson time they sit on "magic carpets" and Creighton wanted to hand all the kids their carpet. More like chuck it at them, but whatever. He also likes to set up and put away the chairs. He doesn't like to put away toys though, but I already knew that. During the lesson, about prophets, the kids' teacher went around asking all of them if they could say, Joseph Smith. Most of the kids tried to say it. When she got to Creighton she said, "Creighton, can you say Joseph Smith?" He lowered his head and rapidly shook his head, "no." I had a good laugh over that one.

No, he doesn't say many "real" words. But he sure does talk ALL day long! Yesterday he did say "cake". He also says, "Bickey". Not sure if he is saying Mickey or Vickie-his grandma's name. He has started saying "no" a lot. But never just once, he always has to say it three or four times in a row. Hmmm... I wonder where he may have heard that before? The last couple of weeks Creighton has been trying very hard to repeat words that he hears. Not too long I am sure before it is sentences!

A few weeks ago a patient of mine and I were talking about our little boys. Hers is a few months older than Creighton and she said she is so worried that hers is hardly saying anything at all. I told her Creighton is the same way and she was a little relieved. Sometimes it is hard to think that your child is behind on what other children are doing. But when I think about all of the things that he CAN do- he is truly amazing and doing all that he is supposed to be at 22 months!

Creighton got this BYU-Idaho hat from his Papa Chambers for Christmas. I didn't think that he would keep it on, but he loves to wear it and when it starts to fall off he adjusts it to be nice and secure! I think it is because he notices his daddy wears a hat a lot. One day I came home from work and said, "Why is Creighton wearing that hat?" And Cason said, "His hair was messy. I didn't want to wet it down." What a boy-response.

He also loves this rocking horse at his Grandpa Dennis' house. Creighton loves to go over there. He has such a good time. Grandpa Dennis has been watching Creighton while I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays. But we recently got a new baby-sitter for Creighton on Tuesdays. She comes over and watches Creighton at our house for 8 hours. Creighton usually warms up to people really fast but I was still a little worried. I don't know why. Of course he loved her and didn't even notice when his dad tried to tell him good-bye. He was too concerned about showing his new friend, Tristan, all of his toys. And then when I got home from work Creighton didn't want her to leave. I am so pleased that this new arrangment will work out. Creighton still gets to go to Grandpa's on Wednesdays and that makes him so happy!

I am happy to report that Creighton has gained 4 pounds in the last month! He has finally decided that food is pretty good. A recent favorite: black beans. He is his father's child. He is doing so well using utensils. Just the other night he was sitting in his high chair eating a pudding cup with a spoon, only making a little mess :) and I started getting a little weepy. I just can't believe that he is big enough to be feeding himself like that! He is truly growing up.

Christmas

Remember my previous post about making "certain" Christmas treats? Well, thankfully my mom lives in town so she made sure that all of the "correct" Christmas goodies were made. Creighton and I headed to her house many times to make candy and cookies and a new treat: cake balls! Creighton loves going to Grandma and Grandpa Wilde's house.

 Because this is what he does... He eats potato chips, watches TV/movies, empties all the kitchen cupboards, brings all of his toys into the living room, turns on every single Christmas toy, eats more potato chips plus cookies, and gets tons and tons of attention.

He has even decided that Great-Grandma is pretty okay and they read holiday stories.

 

 Here is one of Creighton's favorite Christmas toys. This snowman sings, "Shake Your Groove Thing." Creighton loves to hold him and dance. Creighton's Grandpa likes to collect toys that sing. After watching Creighton move from toy to toy pushing each button to hear the music, I have boycotted them from my house. 8 singing toys at once is too much. Thank goodness for grandparents.

Despite what the weatherman said, we did have a white Christmas. It snowed a few days beforehand and has continued to stick to the ground. Creighton thought the snow was okay, but his parents need to get him some snowboots and gloves. We have just been waiting for the snow!

  Christmas morning finally arrived and Cason and I were looking forward to watching Creighton's excitement as he opened his presents.

This year he had no trouble at all taking off that wrapping paper!

 Santa didn't wrap his present however and Creighton was grateful. He knew just what to do and started right away at drilling and sawing. He loved this one so much it was difficult to pull his attention towards something else.

 "Thanks for the gift, Big Daddy. I love it!!"

 Creighton is also already quite the master at puzzles.

So many toys... so many toys... We did retire some of the "baby" toys to make room for the "big boy" toys. I had some flash backs to the Toy Story movies though and felt guilty for shelving the older toys.

Cason and I got some nice things too. For Christmas the dentist I work for gave me a Visa Gift Card and I bought these cute "CHAMBERS" blocks on Etsy. (www.etsy.com/shop/4colorfulseasons) Love Etsy. And just so you know, the Pedi-Egg does work wonders. Also, Cason will be using his new grilling tools to create yummy wonders on the grill, while wearing his new white shirt and tie. So come on over!

 We were grateful that so many family members came to see us on Christmas. Grandma and Papa Chambers had Christmas dinner with us. Cason requested Biscuits 'n Gravy. I know that's probably what you had for Christmas dinner too.

We had a fabulous Christmas this year and are looking forward to fun in 2012!

Yet Another Milestone

A few days ago we decided to take the front off of Creighton's crib and turn it into a "big boy" bed. I am extremely pleased to report that this has been successful! The first night we had two falls, but we had prepared for them with lots of padding on the floor. Creighton does great and stays in bed all night long.

Since removing the rail his bed has become his "reading spot". He likes to grab a book and hop on his bed and read to himself. Tonight I found him reading to Callie on his bed.

1 more milestone passed. No more crib for Creighton. 

Creighton, 21 months old

Creighton is growing up and surprising me with things that he is learning. He is much more observant than I think he is. Such a little sponge!

The other day we were putting on our shoes, ready to head out the door for some shopping. I could only find one of my shoes. So Creighton and I walked around the house saying, "Shoe! Shoe! Where are you shoe?" (Him, more like, "Soo? Soo?") Then Creighton brought me out a slipper to wear! So sweet. But thank goodness we found my tennis shoe so I didn't have to wear the slipper.

Creighon likes to help put away the dishes. His favorite is putting away the silverware. One day he was putting away the spoons and he wanted to put one in the cupboard and I said, "No, Creighton, in the drawer." He was adamant it go in the cupboard, and then I saw that he was holding my metal tablespoon. I was so surprised he knew the difference and that he knew where the measuring spoons went, he never puts those away.

Our little guy is an energy saver. He cannot leave a room if the lights are on. He likes all lights turned off, and all doors closed. In fact he has locked me out of the house twice now. When I go stand on the porch to talk to someone he loves to shut the door behind me. And then it locks. Once daddy was home, so it was ok, but the other time daddy was not. I had to call Cason to come home, it took about 5 minutes, and when we got in the house we found Creighton curled up in front of the front door, crying and sucking his thumb. It broke my heart!

Creighton loves to make sound effects. When watching TV he likes to say, "Uh-oh... Oh... Uh-oh... Oh..." He also makes sounds when he eats. He says, "Mmmmm..." after every single bite if it's something that he really likes. He likes to point at the lights on the Christmas tree and say, "Oooooh..."

Creighon has been growing taller, and it's amazing what a few inches will help this little guy to accomplish. The other night he pulled a carton of eggs off the counter, and set it down on the floor and then proceeded to pick at the egg shell of each egg until he managed to crack it open. What a mess.

Messes are common around here, but not as much when he eats anymore. Creighton has learned to use a fork and spoon and likes to use them to eat everything. He even uses the fork to eat his Cheetos. His appetite has increased since his sickness a few weeks ago, thank goodness. He has discovered many delicious foods, like: mashed potatoes, chicken salad, and applesauce.

Creighton is always ready to help plug something in. There is a little fan in his room that we turn on at night,the noise helps him sleep. But during the day Creighton carries it from room to room offering to cool us off. He also likes to plug in the Christmas tree in the morning and unplug it at night. Just the other day Creighton plugged in the space heater sitting in my craft room as I was working at my desk. He is so thoughtful. He knew my feet were getting cold!

Creighton is such a happy guy and loves to play and have a good time. Here is a picture he colored while at his Grandma's house.

Creighton loves to color, but that only holds his attention for so long. In 2 minutes he can go from coloring, to playing cars, to reading books, to riding his Buzz Lightyear car, to pushing around trucks, to block stacking. Phew! I'm wore out just watching him. He is so proud of all of his toys and wants to show everybody what he's got. He loves to share. If you come over, you might end up with a pile of blocks, cars, and assorted toys in your lap. And he is looking forward to Christmas so he can start playing with some new toys!

Last year, he got a bit anxious, just couldn't wait, and opened presents early! So this year we haven't even tempted him and all presents are hiding and probably won't appear under the tree until Christmas Day.

Telling you about Creighton brings me so much joy. It is so wonderful to help him learn, watch him grow, and love him to pieces!

This Christmas Season

This last Sunday I watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. President Uchtdorf spoke about it being impossible to ruin Christmas becuase Christmas is about Christ. I loved it. I often think back to when I was little and all of the fun traditions my family had around holidays. Especially Christmas. I want to do all of those things with my own family now because I loved doing them so much as a little girl.

I told Cason, "For Christmas we need to make Chocolate Crackle cookies and Peanut Butter Kiss cookies!" He said, "Why?" I said, "Because that's what we do! It's the only time of the year to make these cookies!" Again, he said, "Why?" He made me realize my request for particular cookies on Christmas was a bit silly. And Christmas will still be Christmas without "Christmas" cookies.

This Christmas I have felt, more than other years before, the real meaning of Christmas. It started a few weeks ago. There is a man who stands on two street corners here in town, one very close to my house, and the other right next to my work, and he makes balloon animals for money. I have driven by him many times, at least once a day, and I always a feel a little bit sad that he has to stand outside in the cold and make balloon animals for very little money. Well, one night he was out there about 8:00 at night and the temperature was in the teens and it just broke my heart. I went home and felt so selfish. I have so much "stuff" and still want more. A few days later there was an article in the paper about him, and others in similar situations. That day there was also a food/clothing drive in town for a shelter. So many times I have driven by that man and wondered, "Should I give him money? How can I help him?" So Cason and I gathered together a number of coats that we had and are not wearing, and took them to the drive and donated them. I was so glad to know that someone would get to wear my coat and stay warm. There are so many who have less than I do. One Christmas tradition I hope my family will always have is giving to others. Sometimes I wonder why I have been given so much, while others have not. I don't have an answer for that. I don't know that anyone of this earth does. I am grateful that I am so blessed, and want to show my gratitude for my blessing by giving to others.

I am so glad that it is the Christmas season. I have seen so many people who act in the true Christmas spirit of love.

Merry Christmas! Our family hopes that your family has a wonderful Christmas season!