Family Update

Well my week got worse before it got better, but what matters is now it is better. YEAH! Praise Jesus! I am in better spirits...and Praise the Good Lord I got some rest last night...I spent the night at my moms with the kids and she got up with Creighton (who of course, did much better than she does for me but it didn't matter because i was sleeping either way)! Jackson and Creighton love their grandparents and that is such a blessing!

I had the opportunity to talk to my brother whom I never get to talk to...we talked for like 40 mintues and that was great. It is so weird that he is growing up. He has this serious girlfriend and the thought of him being married in a few years is mind-blowing to me. Weren't we just little like yesterday playing together...oh wait...I have TWO kids of my own and am working on finishing our fourth year of marriage....time flies...it just isn't suppose to happen to my baby brother! I love him and miss him so much. Oddly enough, my sister left me a message a few days ago too...she is even harder to get a hold of than my brother because her life is insane. I love my family!

Jeff has been incredibly busy these past few weeks and will be for another week and a half and then prayerfully will slow down. I hate it when all we get to see of each other is in passing...

UPDATES:

Jackson--

officially in his new room and big boy bed. It is going awesome. He does super well in it and it is actually really great. Today I was nursing Creighton and he was sleepy and so just went in his room and it was really quiet and I had an odd feeling I'd find him in his bed when I went to check on him...there he was binky and blanky in mouth and hand and laying in his bed...ALL BY HIMSELF and without being told. He stays in it too...all because of the FAMOUS "MR. SPOON" oh I love the Chancey's for the idea. It usually only takes a few times for it to work and with the bed it took one night and only 2 spanks and he hasn't gotten out since. That is FAB-U-LOUS!

He is super super sweet to his sister adn loves to play with her and kiss her still. He is excited that she is more active, but I cannot wait to see them actually play play together when she is big enough....they adore each other. We had our first visit to Chucky Cheeses the other day and hopefully our last...it was awful. I think it'd have better if there weren't SERIOUSLY 200 people in there--lets talk nightmare! Here is a pic or two of our outing...

He is starting to do some FUNNY things too...when you tell him to do thumbs up or otherwise known to our "Full House Generation" as COOL DUDE thanks to Michelle, he sticks both of his pointer fingers in teh air and totally thinks he is doing it right...he shows his muscles which I think is amazingly adorable as seen below:

He is talking a little bit more these days, but still not much. He will one day I am sure of it though. I never did take him back to see the doc for his hearing because the test just seemed retarded to me and I think he hears fine. We'll go back after his 2 year appt. if she still insists it is his hearing at that point. He did get all 4 of his cuspid (canine) teeth this week...at the same time poor guy!

He really loves being outside these days now that its nice enough to be. He likes going on bike rides with Daddy and going to the park the best. He is really thinking he is quite big---a lot bigger than he really is. He is fearless and it scares me. But I also love it too...

He is "outgrowing" lots of baby things such as : highchairs, boosters, strollers, etc...he thinks he needs to be like Daddy and not have to be confined...I think not being confined is the big thing though! I can't believe it...its hard to imagine him growing up so fast...21 months...sometimes that seems like forever ago and sometimes that seems like yesterday.

Creighton--

she is a jabber mouth and might just talk before Jackson does and certainly I am assuming she'll talk way before he did in age...she loves attention and smiles alot. She has adorable moments and moments *usually at night* that make me go crazy. She decided that after the one day of eating 3 bowls of rice she doesnt' quite like it anymore. She, I believe is teething and maybe this is why. The last few days she has been a bit more fussy than normal and drooling like a madman. She desperately wants to sit up--DESPERATELY--and she is pretty close to being able to sit up with only a little help. She is funny. She is stubborn and hardheaded and definitely lets you know how she feels--whether happy or sad.

She really is a happy baby...do they get much cuter...I think not!
Same towel...different kid...Jackson was much chunkier :) And Creighton has some amazing skin if I do say so myself. They are about the same age in these pics...isn't that crazy (Jackson is a bit younger)

Jeff--

still working on masters and still doing a great job. HOpefully will be finished with the majority of it a week from tomorrow. He has 3 or 4 more books to read and several papers to write before next Sunday night and then after that I think he has just a few assignments left and it is completed!!! His asst. comes May 14th and I am super pumped about her arrival not only for her help for him, but because she is a good friend!

Jeff had an interview on the new (FOX23) this week that was fun! He was on for like 2 minutes but it was good. They had the 30 Hour Famine this weekend and I think he is glad the event is over with but said it went relatively well. He has another huge event Sunday--True Love Waits--about abstaining from sex. Hopefully they will have a good turnout...you never know with those things though!

Jeff loves to play hard with the kids but he also really likes to read with Jackson in his new bed. Although playing hard will be on somewhat of a raincheck since he is in a hard cast for the next 4 weeks, adn then get a walking boot for 2 weeks after that...poor daddy

Me--

I am trying to be on top of things and usually that doesn't happen. My house is typically picked up but not ever clean, but I am okay with that. I love to laugh and giggle and play with my kids. Creighton and I do our fair share of "talking" and smiling and cooing at each other...here is a pic from when were interrupted from doing so:

I have also decided that I am a blogging-addict...I love to read blogs and write blogs and its crazy how "connected" I feel to some people I don't know AT ALL in life, but only through words on a computer screen. I feel odd about it but yet, I am okay with it. I laugh and cry with people and about people and for people and I think that is a good thing. It makes me happy. Other things that make me happy: mail, packages, massages, good food, family, friends, laughter...and the list goes on...I am thankful for good things...I am thankful that I am so blessed. I am thankful for the hard times in life that are followed by God's showering of blessings and hope...faith and love. God is good...so good...

Who prayed for patience?

Hey there...wanting desperately to know who prayed for patience for me...because it wasn't me...I know what happens when that pray stumbles across my lips...and I didn't ever want that again, so I know not to do that...so fess up..who did it? These past few days have been wearing and tiring and trying and oh my goodness....Lord, I want to learn this lesson quickly so I don't have to have these tests and trials again. I began to think I was on the up and up of it all and as we were headed to church tonight (it took me a LONG time to get everyone in the car and dinner packed) I breathed a sigh of relief once we rolled into the parking lot...then Jackson began puking everywhere....everywhere....everywhere...all over himself and I am holding Creighton and the diaper bag and dinner and his hand and it was awful. I stripped him down outside and he has puke everywhere and snot everywhere and I left Creighton outside (but safe) and dodged inside to the restroom where onlookers were gawking at me and my naked (with diaper) and disgusting son....got him cleaned off (thansk to help from some sweet friends and people--thanks Brittany, Kara, Jeff, and Bill) and then got right back in the car and came back home wondering what on earth I had done to cause someone to continue their prayer for patience for me when all I want my prayer to be is for rest and some more rest.
I will post more later about my past days soon--maybe. With a sick baby boy and a screaming baby girl (who DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SLEEP AT ALL) and a snoring husband that doesn't have a second of spare time for the next 3 weeks I might be awhile...they are both resting at the moment nad Jeff is at church. My stomach is beginning to hurt..but I doubt I'll get sick, I think I am jsut so tired I can't see straight and I havne't eaten all day...I should go do that.

I am thankful, however, that he somehow waited until his feet were on concrete and not in the car to begin the escapade...:)

I'm alive still

I haven't blogged in what feels like an eternity. It is the craziest thing too because I was with only one kid for the whole week and I got NOTHING accomplished...as in I was so lazy during the day and I stayed up really late most every night and now I am so tired I can't see straight. I am sorta upset with myself for doing that too because there was so much that needed to be done and now I am really behind. Oh well. Creighton and I had some really great time just the two of us because Jeff was really busy this week and so it was just the two of us at home mostly. The first two days I was bored out of my mind and going a bit crazy with the quietness without Jackson, but then I decided it was nice and we enjoyed the quietness a lot...now I miss that a bit...haha. I am so strange...I don't like change at all but I seem to adapt to it really quickly and then don't like to change back---Jeff says I am the weirdest person he's met in some areas of life and this is one of them.

Jackson spent the week with Grammy Terrie and Pop and as is the case with any of his grandparents, he returns quite spoiled. We are currently in "detox" from sugar and severe spoiling. Its hard. He is the funniest guy though. He cracks me up about 60% of the day, is the most loving kid about 20% and the other 20% I think I might strangle him...oh to be a toddler with as much energy as he has...He's a bit on the crazy side of life. He got his hair cut while he was gone and he looks rather adorable to me! I love it...it is shorter than we normally get it cut, but I really like it. I think we'll have to start keeping it short. He isn't really talking any more than he was, but he says "NO!" all the time right now...to EVERYTHING....he was saying the cutest drawn out "unhuh" to everything and now it is a bratty sounding No! I will be anxious to hear more words though because I love his sweet voice.

Creighton is rolling over constantly from front to back and back to front both ways each way and she LOVES looking in the mirror. She is quite funny about mirrors...they make her SO happy. There are 3 things that make her the most happy I think (besides milk) 1) Mirrors 2) Hair dryers 3) Sole attention on Creighton. She could be screaming bloodmurder and if I turn on the hair dyer she is happy within seconds adn will be content till it goes off. The other thing is just attention..she loves to talk and babble all day long but she wants you to hear her and see her. SHe loves eye contact and is so cute and happy when she has your fully devoted attention...and it makes me smile to see her smile...so we stare at each other and talk to each other A LOT! She is such a sweet baby. I didn't know I coul dlove another human as much as I love Jackson (of course I love JEff too, but that is a different love even than with a child) but I do...my heart has expanded. It is great.

I have many more things to say but I won't bog down this blog with them all. I will try to get back on tomorrow, but I have lots of things I have to get done too, so we'll see. I realized that I hadn't been writing my thankfuls the past few posts...funny that Maria remembered too just recently on her blog! So, I am very thankful for my husband who is so sweet to me adn would do anything in the world to make me happy. He is truly so great and wonderful and I don't deserve him at all!

21 baseball explaination & Creighton eating cereal

okay, well the pics below are a few of the ones from one of the few photoshoots...but i wanted to explain...

21 was my college and high school number for volleyball and so anytime i see it on a shirt or outfit, of course I get excited and buy it. they were both purchased for jackson when i was still pregnant with him. he wore the one creighton is wearing when he was little and now is just fitting into the bigger one. Anyway, I don't particularly care for baseball per say, but I had to buy the outfits because of the number...just for clarification purposes :)I will post a pic of him in the little one here:

Funny, now that I see him here it is crazy how much bigger he was than she is....I think he is about 2.5 months here or so and she is 4.5 in the pic below. However, Creighton began eating cereal this week...I will post her first picture here of cereal and then her picture from tonight when she ate THREE bowls of cereal...she would have eaten more if I had fed it to her....she loved it tonight for the first time really...but the first time she was introduced, she didn't really care for it....but maybe she'll catch up to the way Jackson was as a little guy now :)

Sunday: first time eating cereal

Tonight: loving cereal...3rd bowl....and yes, a lot seems to have gotten ON her instead of IN her, but trust me, she ate A LOT!

Photo Shoots with Ebby

Jackson really LOVES to show off his muscles...this is what he looks like when he does it...usually he'll do it on command at any time unless he's being shy....

We've had a very busy week...Daddy was gone all week and the kids were keeping busy and exhausted, but really it was a great week. I had fun with them and they were well behaved for the most part. I also had some great help. It was nice because Grandma Debbie came to help in the middle of the week and brought her good camera. We had a few photo shoots with the kids and I will post pics either today or tomorrow. It was lots of fun. Creighton is pretty photogenic and Jackson can be if he is in the mood....or bribery...that works too. He decided he really liked the spray bottle and would smile if I squirted water his direction right before Debbie snapped the shot. It was funny!

Jackson is beginning to talk a little bit...slowly we are making progress. He calls my mom Nah-nah (for Donna we think) and he says Ebby (for Debbie)....funny too because supposedly he said Grammie to Terrie...but I don't think so. I just hope he learns to say Grammy and Grandma soon so he can stop calling his grandmothers by their first names. :) but obviously they were just excited to finally have him call them something other than mom--which he still says to everyone 9 times out of 10 if not more.

Creighton is rolling over all the time front to back and back to front. She is super duper cute and is so sweet but is still refusing to sleep for me. She likes to use me as her pacificer ALL NIGHT! I haven't decided yet what I want to do because I am feeling too lazy to fix the problem right now but this week would be good because Jackson is going to be gone all week and I could let her cry without having to wake him up every night. So I should...but I know that it means a heckish week of sleep for me if I do that, but in teh long run I'd get more...so I probably will "train" her this week...wish me luck.

Well I didn't post as many as I'd like...all of those are from one of the sessions...we'll post the others later.

Birthday Party, Old Friends and Life

Sorry for the delay in writing for several days. I was gone for a few and then haven't been able to get to the computer with enough time or hands since then. We have had a busy last few days. This weekend Jeff and I went to a Debate Dinner for a classical education school (which happens to also be a christian school) in town and I was quite impressed. I'd really really like to send my kids there once they are of age because of the quality education they'd get. I don't think I'd like to send them there once they are older for social and athletic reasons, but it would make them really advanced or atleast hopefully to excel academically (set the stage for success in their future if they want it). Anyway...my mom kept the kids for me Saturday night (because of the dinner thing) and then thru Sunday since we had small group and a shower to be at. They do so well at her house for her...they just love her and that is such a blessing to have them so close to be able to leave them with them.

On Saturday before the dinner though the kids were with us and we went to a birthday party for a friend--she turned 2. It was fun. Jackson was well behaved for the most part and that was really great. He was quite confused/upset that he couldn't play with her new potato head man set though...it was cute. They had cake and ice cream and he had a portion that was WAY TOO Much for him, but it is what they handed him and I never thought he'd eat it all...but he did. It was funny until he had the WORST diaper ever that leaked all over his pants and was RANK! I think it was too much for his little system...opps. Oh well...Creighton was good too and was happy because she got lots of attention from mommies and other babies that were there all wanting to hold her...

We also had one of our old friends come over when they were in town this weekend too. When Jackson and Jonah were little (they are only 15 days apart) they played together (or atleast at the same place and time if not necessarily together) all the time! It was fun to see old friends and watch our "little" big boys play again. They were pretty cute and got a long great.

Tonight Jackson told me he had to poop. It was so funny... He came to get me from the table while he had been playing in his room and I saw that he had already gone so I changed him and left him in his room to continue playing and praised him and stuff for telling me he had dirtied his diaper...but not 4 minutes later he was back in the kitchen and I smelled a horrid smell...and was like did that diaper just reak or did you go again...and he had gone again! I think he wanted to use the potty or atleast it was a start that he was noticing when he needed to go and was telling me...I am not in the least bit of a hurry to get him potty trained though...diapers work for now and I am not wanting to have to deal with public restrooms and accidents yet. But I thought it was funny and a great start for him.

Creighton went for her 4 month check up today and weighed in just under 14 pounds and was almost 26 inches long...she is in the 90th percentile in height but like 50th for weight....skinny girl. Doc said she was looking great and thankfully her ears are much better and she's healthy. She is rolling over both directions now too! Yeah her. She is so strong too. The other day Jeff was holding her on the floor resting in his arms and she SAT UP...she's not suppose to do that yet...but oh well. She can't stay up or for long without folding over in half, but she's funny because she wants to SO bad.



Jeff is out of town this week for the last crazy master's week...he is doing so well though! I am so proud of him.

Pictures & Stories

Today I wanted to post some pictures...well I have wanted to for a long time, but finally got around to doing it because Jeff got the pictures from the camera onto the computer last night...there were over 200...I knew I had taken more recent ones...:)



Anyway, Jax is at school today and I had a lot of laundry to do amongst other things and so this post has been a work-in-progress throughout the day. Especially since it takes a few minutes to download pictures, and as you'll soon see, I did a few too many...well maybe for you...but I am glad...and you get to see my sweet babies!



Creighton has been unusually grumpy today and not wanted me to put her down ever...so this is taking much longer than anticipated. Oh well. Laundry is being done in the meantime.



These first three pics were from Monday night while Jeff was at bible study. Jackson started out half-dressed from his late nap that we woke him up from...lets just say that was a horrid mistake adn we should have just let him sleep. But here are a few of my favorites from that evening! THis is the little couch I am always referring to that sweet big brother acts happen on. I love the way she is looking at him!



THe above pic is when he thought he needed his Robeez on for what I don't know...still no pants...and then ....thisHe for some reason thought he needed his ridiculous HOT winter hat on (we never went outside) but he was content in it adn his RObeez on the couch. Creighton is saying---um, Mom, do you see him...what is he doing? :)



This next pic is Jackson playing the wii with one of our small group girls that came over to hang out on Friday night. HE is so funny boxing. He beat her...

This picture is for Maria....Creighton has the BIGGEST pouty lip I have ever seen, and for now its kinda cute...I captured it a little later than I wanted, but this gives you an idea...so sad...:)

This is Creighton relaxing on the boppy...she hates hats, but I managed to get her not to cry atleast for this pic

sorry that this picture is sideways, I was hiding in the hallway and they didn't know I was taking it and I forgot to flip it first, but I thought it was priceless...that is one of Jackson's most favorite books...My big animal book.

Here is Jackson giving Creighton her bottle. This happened while I was gone and Jeff snapped this. He is so sweet to her. Always wanting her to be happy. Ilove it!

I just liked this one...she looks so old or something...and already she's like "Mom, enough..."

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! They are so precious to me. That is how both of my babies kiss...wide open mouths.

Here is the arm around her....too bad it isn't a better pic of them, but oh well, you get the point.

My sweet Rae Rae smiles I love

They love to "play" and stare at each other. Wherever she is, he wants to be...

Jeff snapped this, and even though he is dirty and has snot running down is nose I just love this picture. He is my little guy and is growing up...he loves to play outside.

Well I am done for now....I enjoyed this post! Hope you did too. ITs 3 and Jax will be home soon...gotta go.

Jackson

Jackson is the sweetest big brother ever. It is so awesome (and such a blessing) to watch him with Creighton. Yesterday I was using the restroom and he of course was in there with me and she was out in the living room crying...so I told him to go make sure she was okay and when I came out he was so sweetly and gently rubbing her back while he bent over her. Then later that evening they were sitting on the little couch together and he saw her binky and sweetly put it in her mouth. Then today he was ready to leave so we could go to the park and he took her binky out of her seat, and opened up the straps for me so I could put her in it. He is just getting so big and I love it...but at the same time...oh my goodness!
We had our first neighborhood girl come over the other day to do sidewalk chalk with us because we were outside....then today we were playing outside again (the weather is gorgeous!) and she came over for a few minutes but then had to leave, but came over and rang the doorbell to see if Jackson could play...it has begun! So fun...
I am so thankful for my handsome BIG boy and for the sunshine today!

I am also thankful I got to go to bible study and I wasn't too terribly late either!

Cell Phone

My mother-in-law forwarded this to me....I liked it. I hadn't seen it before, but maybe you have...either way I liked it and wanted to share it.

Food for thought….

Wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several time a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids believing it would keep them safe?
What if we depended on it to remind us of an important message?
What if we used it to communicate with friends?
What if we turned to it to keep up our relationships?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we kept it close in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go..hmm. where is my Bible?
... when you enter a meeting you don't even want to turn it off.

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about using all our minutes or our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think "where are my priorities?

And no dropped calls

My babies

The funny thing is that I am starting to notice more details about the kids and how incredibly different they are.
Creighton is talking constantly-- babbling of course, but I swear she can say mama and dada already...maybe because we drill words into Jackson all day now, she will talk quicker than most (maybe at the same time Jackson does at the rate we are going with him!) Anyway, she is pretty unsensitive to noises that most babies I figure would be. She can entertain herself too...Jackson has had a harder time learning that since I was at his beck and call always. She doesn't like her binky as much as Jackson at all, and she doesn't need (or atleast doesnt' like) to sleep near as much as I thought babies did....(really just in comparison to Jackson).Creighton does not like to cuddle...but rather likes to face the world--even in how you hold her, she had to be held out, not cuddly like Jackson was.
Jackson is always in motion and hardly ever sits still...UNLESS he wants to cuddle and then he is as sweet as can be and will kiss and cuddle and hug and it is SO sweet...until he gets bored or distracted and then it is 100 miles an hour again! He is pretty hilarious. He does this thing where we ask him to "show us your muscles" and he brings his arms to his chest and sqeezes his fists and makes a super cute face like he is flexing and it is priceless. Then he has started doing "home alone" when Maculey screams with his hands on his face and Jackson does that too. He is liking to be the center of attention most of the time, but then here recently he'll pretend he is shy and that is pretty funny too....he is NOT shy by any means.

Creighton has the cutest dimples known to man and I adore her smile. She is generally happy unless she is hurting and then watch out...she'll let you know it! She can scream with the best of them.

I love both of my kids...I love their details, I love their differences. I love them! I will try to post a few pics on here, but for some reason sometimes they haven't been downloading on here. But I do have a few new ones that are pretty sweet.

Hearing test

Today I took Jackson to the hearing doctor because his pediatrician said he needed to go because he is delayed in his speech. He only says 5 words (ma-ma or mom, da-da, uh-oh, no and hot)...and he is suppose to be able to say 200 by the time he turns 2. That is in less than 4 months...a lot can happen between now and then, but lets be real honest...he isn't close. So even though I thought he could hear just fine, I took him. Well, she said because he had a cold it could be a "bad" test but otherwise he didn't do so well. I don't really know what that means--sounds like a referral to another doctor or something. I think we find out Wednesday what his pediatrician decides she thinks he needs. Kinda scary...

We went up to the school today though because there was book fair. We got like 5 books or so and I am excited about them. Some of them are pretty cool.

Creighton slept last night for the first time in so long! :) She slept from 11:30-7:30....yeah...too bad Jeff woke me up at 3 and then at 5 she was coughing so I went in to sleep in her room til 7:30 when she woke up....I wish I would have slept the whole time, but I got like 2 2 hour naps in...oh well.

I am thankful for the sunshine...I love the fact that spring follows winter!