Siblings

When Macey Jo was born I thought she looked a lot like Creighton and a few others agreed. But as time has gone on she has acquired her own look, her own expressions and I think her and Creighton look just enough alike to be siblings. One thing is certain though according to my mom- Neither one of my children look anything like me! It kind of hurts my feelings... Especially because my baby girl is so beautiful. I want everyone to say she looks just like her mommy!

I made a few collages of her and Creighton at similar ages doing similar things to see how their looks are similar and different. It was just too much fun. I had to stop myself after several, I could have continued to make many more.

Macey Jo and Creighton almost 24 hours old heading home from the hospital.

Sleeping. Creighton is younger so his coloring is darker.

Bath time which both loved from a very tiny age. (MJ on your left)

Same expression and backdrop and color of clothes! What luck!

Daddy loves to imitate both of their expressions.

Macey on the top... my kids love to nibble on their toes!

Tummy time.

What a funny face!

Well, I have to admit that my mom is mostly right. Look at this picture of Cason when he was a baby. I am just sure our baby doll gets her beautiful big eyes from her daddy. All she inherited from me was the double chin.

Funny how those genetics work out sometimes. But overall it doesn't matter to me if they look like me or their daddy because the fact of  the matter is that they are great-looking! I will never forget this... When Creighton was a few months old Cason's dad said, "You two made a cute kid, you should do it again!" Right he was.

(more posts below)

Raising Children

Sometimes I try to remind myself that "I am raising children, not a house."

It is difficult to give your children all of the attention you feel they deserve and have your house looking how you want it to. I wish my kitchen cupboards could always be perfectly organized and my floor shining from just being mopped. I wish my living room carpet was always recently shampooed and the piano just dusted. I wish my bathtub was always just scrubbed and the sink never had toothpaste or hair on it (or hair stuck in the toothpaste stuck on the stink...) But those are just wishes... 

I have been praying a lot that Heavenly Father will help me to recognize the good that I do in my children's lives and that I will learn more how to be sensitive to their needs. Being a mother can be so rewarding and yet so darn challenging. Their is no way to do it and do it well without the Lord's help. And it is a righteous desire so I know that the Lord will help me.

Some days I end the day thinking, "Was anything productive done today?" It just seemed like a whilrwind of good things attempted that all went wrong. But other days I end and think, "Yes! I did it!" 

I have been surprised how easily I have been able to let things like housework go so I can spend more time with my kids. When Creighton was born I couldn't follow the advice, "Sleep when the baby sleeps." But now I am more than happy to spend time just holding Miss Jo while she sleeps. It is so fun to hold Macey and read to Creighton on the couch. We are usually covered in cars and books and blankets and the same are strewn down the hallway. But I am finding so much comfort in the fact that my calling as a mother is important. I am grateful for the Lord's help in helping me to be the kind of mother I want to be and in helping me to recognize my weaknesses and helping me to strengthen them.

I prayed for help in recognizing the good I do in my children's lives because sometimes it is difficult to see the fruits of your labors. But I have been able to recognize that only through the gospel of Jesus Christ should children be taught and can a family live the happiest. I am blessed to have a husband who desires to have the same family life I do so we can strive for that together.  

  Honestly some days Creighton is so frustrating I am not sure what to do. Some days I yell and some times I spank and others days I just shake my head and when I don't know what else to do I just cry. But those things that are the hardest are the most rewarding and I also have some very very special moments with him. Right now Macey Jo just mostly makes me smile... but she can have some pretty icky diapers...

In fact I came home from work last week and as I walked in the door a smell just about knocked me over and I wondered if I might have taken that "not raising a house" thing a little too seriously. So I searched for the smelly diaper and then insisted on some spring cleaning. 

This momma is trying to learn lots on her journey in motherhood and is just beginning...

Macey Jo Update

Our Miss Macey Jo is 4 Months!

She is such a wonderful addition to our family and every day we love having a baby girl!

She is in such a fun stage right now. We have found that she is ticklish and she has such a cute giggle. It is also easy to make her giggle with funny faces or even just by smiling at her.

She has such a sweet smile and smiles so much. My favorite is when I go in her room in the morning to get her out of bed and she gives me one of her big gummy grins as though to say, "Yay!! I'm so glad to see you mommy!!"

She is such a content baby and so far we haven't had any severe sicknesses, no scares, or any problems with her. Everything has gone so well with this little princess. 

She is starting to discover! She found her toes several weeks ago and can't get enough of them! She loves to grab onto anything she can and usually won't let go. She loves to look at people and is friendly with most.

She still loves bath time immensely.
She rolls over! Oh no! Here comes the beginning of destruction...

She loves to play in her walker and grandma and grandpa Wilde's house and loves her bouncy chair we just brought up from the basement. She loves when we read to her. Brother is very good about making sure sister can see the pictures when we read books. Creighton likes to give her lots of toys. I am sure at the end of the day she is experiencing some sensory overload. 

She slobbers like crazy. However there is no sign of teeth. Everyone keeps asking me, "Are you sure she is not teething?" Well, I am sure teeth will come soon enough, but no sign of them coming tomorrow! So her clothes are usually very wet. 

She still sleeps through the night like a champ and then takes several naps throughout the day. She takes naps best if she is held but is learning to nap without being held. Daddy won't hold her while she naps but mommy doesn't mind. I take the opportunity to rest myself... 

She sure is growing! Just last week I thought, "She is getting huge!" And at her doctor appointment a few days ago that was confirmed, she is just over 14 lbs and fits very well in 6 month clothes. We will soon be trying to feed her some vegetables!

She really is a sweetheart and I am grateful to be this precious baby's mommy for a whole 4 and a half months.

I love you Macey Jo!!

Creighton Update

This young man has gotten more compliments on his new hair cut than I could count. And he does look dashing. 

 He is one who just loves to PLAY! He is always saying, "Mom, play with me! Play with my toys!" Or he will say, "Mom, can I go and play with my grandpa?" Lucky for me the weather has been nice and I can send him in the backyard with Callie and those two can play for a long time together. He chases the dog around with a stick or he collects rocks into a pile or he picks dandelions for me or he slides down the swing-set slide. He can always find fun in the backyard. For that I am grateful.

He has a wonderful imagination. The other day him and his daddy were playing pirates and he was Jake his daddy was Cubby and Macey Jo was Izzy. All day he kept asking Izzy (Macey Jo) for pixie dust so he could fly around the house. He stayed in character very well. (Do you watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates?)

He says the funniest things and can always make me giggle. I wish I could see the world how the little ones do. So honest sometimes. And he has the best questions!

When we come home at night from somewhere and the house is dark he says, "Hello? Is anyone here? Hello? Where are you?" I am glad no one ever responds.

He still loves to be helpful and especially in the kitchen. The food is always well-seasoned as he loves to add plenty of salt and pepper. I have to watch him close! He also frequently is making the family food from his Black and Decker workbench. We usually have water and cheese sandwiches which he cuts in half with a saw and chicken soup.

He seems so tall for his age but his stats at the doctor's office say he is just average. Apparently the kids his age around here are just all very below average.

One thing he absolutely hates is having his hair washed. I think he could shatter a window with his screams. It is just plain ridiculous.

He can be a picky eater, but I think for 3 years old he does fairly well. His favorite food. "Beans and rice." That means that he wants to go to Costa Vida.

He has been a little bit emotional lately, but lets blame that on his mother. He must have gotten those genes from her. And don't we all just need to break down and cry sometimes?

He has good friends in his grandma's and grandpa's. Grandma Chambers came down last week from Rexburg to take Creighton on a date to the park and to Arctic Circle. That sure made him feel special. 

He sure does talk a lot about robots lately. (The robots are always stealing his toys.) He likes to talk about things that are scary. He makes me tip-toe in the hallway so that the witch doesn't hear us. And when the dog howls he tells me she is a werewolf and then the whole family has to start howling like wolves.

Since we got rid of our cable Creighton has discovered PBS cartoons and decided they are OK. He loves to watch them in the mornings. His favorites are Curious George and Super Why.

He has been an awesome big brother and when he went to sister's doctor appointment a few days ago he held her hand while she got her shots. So sweet.

There aren't a lot of BIG Creighton updates, but every day I see the ways in which he is growing up. And now that I have a younger one the changes are even more apparent. He can be a HANDFUL sometimes but oh so much fun as well!

I love you Creighton Eli!!

Big Daddy Visits Again

When I let the kids know that Big Daddy was going to be coming for another visit this was their response...

Yes, one of just pure excitement! 

Big Daddy was coming to see Aunt Whitney graduate with her Master's degree in Counseling. Yay Whitney!! 

We were glad to see Big Daddy again so soon. Creighton has learned that, "Big Daddy lives far away and flies on a plane to his house."

Creighton and Big Daddy spent some time outside with the famous Skycopter Big Daddy got him for his birthday and then attempted some baseball. We also went to the park but Creighton was done with that once he saw some kids having a McDonald's picnic. He was able to convince his Big Daddy to buy him some chicken nuggets, french fries and chocolate milk and then he impressed him by eating his whole meal.

But sometimes we had to remind Big Daddy that Creighton just turned 3. Big Daddy was convinced Creighton should know how to put on his own britches and his own shoes, but 3 days just wasn't long enough for Big Daddy to teach Creighton to do all the things Big Daddy thought he should know how to do. But Creighton was able to show him what a good reader and counter he is. He read Big Daddy some books and was able to convince Big Daddy to read him a few too.

We also took Big Daddy to one of our favorite ice cream places, Reed's Dairy! Big Daddy also visited our favorite Mexican Restaurant, El Herradero, twice in the same day! Where Creighton continued to impress with his hot-sauce eating skills and his mom was not too happy...

Macey Jo knows how much Big Daddy likes bright colors so she pulled out all her brightest outfits for him. She had a fun time reminding Big Daddy what little girls are like and we even let him practice making a few bottles. He thought he would try a little "experiment" with the formula and water and it was proven that women make better mommys than engineers do. 

All in all we had a fun time with our Big Daddy in the few days that we had to spend with him. Hopefully we will get to see him again soon. But I don't know, Arkansas sure is a long way from Idaho!

TGIS

Thank Goodness It's Saturday!!

Because that means tomorrow is Sunday! And Mr. Creighton Eli has been begging every day to go to church and see his friends. Who are his friends? Well, when I first asked him I was surprised at his response. His friends are, "Sparks, Gibby, Perkins, Sparks." (That is: Sister Sparks, Sister Gibby and Sister Perkins. I think he adds in Sister Sparks a second time because she is his favorite!)

He usually asks if we are going to church when I do his hair. In fact, he got a haircut on Thursday and when the stylist asked if she should put gel in it he said, "Am I going to church?" Then the stylist asked him about church and he preceded to tell her about his friends (or teachers). 

 I am grateful that he loves going to church so much and that he looks forward to it. Hopefully that will always be the case. I am grateful for his teacher friends that help to reinforce what he is learning at home. Often he says something that we aren't sure we have taught him so we decide he must have learned it in nursery class. 

For the most part, Creighton really loves to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He loves to talk about prophets. Cason printed out a picture of all 16 latter-day prophets last week for Family Home Evening. I heard Creighton the other day playing with it. He said, "Is that one Joseph Smith? No. Is that one Joseph Smith? No." And of course he loves the story of the prophet Noah because we spend a lot of time talking about all of the animals. 

Creighton likes to sing songs from church, but only on his terms. When he is not in the mood for singing- watch out. And he won't sing a song that he doesn't want to. But he knows the words to a lot of songs and can really belt it out when he wants to. However, he never sings "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam" because he is much too busy dancing. If you know that song, than you know that the "beam" part of the song is exciting. Creighton takes the opportunity during the "beam" part to roll around on the floor, flail his legs, attempt somersaults and a myriad of other 3 year old boy crazyness... 

But he does not like to read scriptures and say prayers at night. In fact, it usually becomes a war zone with tears on his part or mommy's and daddy usually turning into the bad guy. I think perhaps it is because to him it symbolizes the dreaded BED TIME. In fact sometimes I skip it because I don't want to ruin the peace and happiness we are feeling at that time. But I know that being consistent in the most important thing. So I am trying to make sure it gets done every single night.

 Miss Macey Jo also loves church. She takes the opportunity to sleep during the first half and then is usually pretty calm during the rest of it. For the most part she is such a calm and content baby. But she is like her mom- if she is hungry or tired you better watch out! She has a set of lungs and will use them! Even when you make the bottle and bring it to her, she won't take it for a while and will continue to scream until it turns into a whimper as though to say, "You took so long... what's the matter? Didn't you hear me? I was starving... I am not very happy with you right now..." And when she is tired there is a certain way she likes to be put to sleep and to be honest, mommy does it best!! 

 But once she is asleep it can be difficult to keep her asleep. Part of it has to do with a very loud 3 year old boy who shall remain un-named. Another reason is because she likes to be VERY comfortable. She sleeps best in mommy and daddy's bed propped with lots of pillows and blankets. I blame daddy for discovering this. In fact, to make both of them happy, daddy will make her a large pallet on the floor next to the computer with several blankets and pillows while he does his homework. That way she sleeps comfortably while he works on school work. Another reason she doesn't nap well during the day is because she is such an AWESOME sleeper at night! She sleeps for about 8 hours straight, wakes up to eat, then is down for about another 4 hours. So I can see why she doesn't want to sleep for several hours at a time during the day. When I told that to one woman she said, "Are you breastfeeding?" I said, "No." She said, "Well, that's why she sleeps through the night!" (This woman is very pro-breastfeeding.) Well, if a non-breastfeeding baby sleeps that well at night I think I'll keep doing what I'm doing. If she was trying to convince me otherwise it did not work!

"I want my daddy!" When Cason is at work I hear this several times throughout the day. Whenever Creighton gets in trouble for spitting, pooping in his underwear, spilling his drink (for the 4th time that day) or whatever he screams this phrase. (His dad says he yells, "I want my mommy!" When I'm the one gone and at work.) I tell Creighton, "I want you to have your daddy too." I only wish Cason could be there to help! Right now with Cason's schedule it's feast or famine! Sometimes he works 4 12 hour shifts in a row and other times he has 4 days off straight. Those 4 days off really spoil us and it is hard for dad to go back to work. Cason has been back to graveyards for the last month and those really stink at 12 hour shifts. We are also glad it is Saturday because Daddy has the next 3 days off!

 Creighton and Macey Jo are also in love with their Grandpa Dennis. Miss Macey Jo just loves to spend time over there. And grandpa can make her giggle like no one else. Her giggle is so cute. Grandma says it is a deep belly laugh. I call it a ventriloquist laugh because she makes such a loud sound without hardly any facial expression at all. One reason the kids like grandma and grandpa's is because they have all kinds of fun toys. Creighton really likes the lawn mower toy (and watching Disney now that we don't have cable) and sister is finally big enough for the walker chair!

She loves this chair so so so much! I decided we needed one for our house and searched for one on amazon. But decided that I wouldn't get one and it could just be a special treat for when we go to grandma and grandpa's!

Sister has a lot of things on her "favorites" list. Which is great! Topping the list is the bathtub. I am sure she could be content to live in the tub. I am grateful I invested in a "whale bathtub" for this cutie. I didn't have it for Creighton. She is a fish like her brother and splishes and splashes and just can't get enough. She just loves water in general. When we go swimming at Grandma Chambers' house she floats in the semi-hot tub and is just as content as can be. And no one looks cuter in a swim suit than this sweetie!

A true girl, she also loves to talk! I don't remember Creighton babbling so much so young! I imagine words will come soon enough. Too soon probably! This beauty will be 4 months tomorrow. Cason thinks the time has just flown by. I actually don't agree though. I really do feel like it has been 4 months. I think the reason it could possibly feel like the time has gone faster than with Creighton is I think she is doing things quicker and is bigger than Creighton was at this age.

Another one of Macey Jo's favorite people is her big brother. She just loves to stare at him and watch what he is doing, And I'll admit- he is very entertaining! She can certainly learn a lot from him. In fact she loves to watch cartoons with him. Truth be known, of course it's just because she loves to snuggle next to her big brother.  It's really the only time he sits still long enough to hold onto her. 

He is still such a great helper. He hasn't gotten jealous of her. Sometimes when we are getting out of the car at the grocery store he asks me to hold him and I tell him I can't because I am holding sister. He seems to understand and doesn't get too upset. He also likes to help her remember not to suck her thumb. When Creighton was at his 3 year old check up Dr. J told Creighton he needed to stop sucking his thumb. Mommy later told Creighton that was because it would hurt his teeth. I am glad Dr. J said something because it has been easier to get Creighton to stop now when we say, "Remember what the doctor said?" So whenever Creighton sees sissy with her hands near her mouth he says, "Sister! Doctor says no sucking your thumb!" Luckily, sister is still enjoying her pacifier and not her fingers though.

I just have to brag about my puzzle master!! He got some Doc McStuffins puzzles and turned into a pro. Then from the Easter Bunny he got Toy Story and Cars puzzles. They are 24 pieces and he can usually do it in 2-3 minutes. And he just loves them. He does them all on his own just sitting in his room and if I ask him what he wants to do he says, "Do puzzles!" But he is starting to get a little bored with them I think... I need to find some larger puzzles. I think about 36-48 pieces but with pieces the same size. No down-grading on the piece size for now. He also loves to read and is taking advantage of his new "reading-nook" since we re-arranged his room.

I wish Creighton was as interested in using the big boy potty as he was in doing puzzles, reading, going to grandpa's house, watching cartoons, eating cinnamon rolls, playing with the dog, etc. Pretty much it is at the very, very bottom of his list of favorite things to do. (In fact, he would probably rather says prayers and read scriptures at night than use the big boy potty). Yes, we are still struggling with potty training. For a while I thought he had totally gotten the hang of it... silly me. Yesterday he had 2 1/2 accidents and I had to throw 1 pair of underwear away. He has had so many BAD accidents I have had to get out the carpet cleaner. So many extra loads of laundry. And not just pants and underwear... Someone told me "there is life after potty training". Well, I don't know if I'll even get to the "after potty training." So many people have tried to tell me "how-to potty train your child in 3 days!" Yeah right. They are welcome to take my child home for 3 days and try it on him. I swear I have tried it all and then some. I hope this is the hardest thing he puts me through and the teenage years are a breeze.  I do have high hopes for Miss Jo. She HATES to have a wet diaper. Perhaps this means good things for the future...

All this just to say... Thank goodness it's Saturday!