Hilarious Ammon

Ammon has been saying some great things lately:

"Mom, I want a washing machine for Christmas so I can wash my own cwothes"

At the Case Christmas party Grandma and Grandpa were opening a massager that had a long handle, Ammon saw it and said "Hooray! A Toiwet scwubbew!!!"

Matt got this phrase from his dad: often when I ask Matt why he's doing something he'll respond by saying "making little girls ask questions, and you know what? It works every time!" The other day Matt took Ammon to the store with him for some Christmas shopping and Ammon somehow got a hold of some scissors and was cutting the air with them. Matt soon noticed and took them and asked Ammon why he was doing that, to which Ammon replied "making big daddies ask questions, and you know what? It works every time!" Just passing on the traditions....

Abbie is now crawling on all fours and has started using sign language for "all done" and "more" it's pretty much the same sign for both, but she knows she's trying to communicate, and we know and that's what's most important.

We're super excited for Christmas, posts will follow with hopefully lots of pictures!!!!

Abbie Update

A quick update on Abbie's 9 mos appt last week:

Height: 28 1/2''--------80%

Weight: 17lbs 9 oz. -----25%

HC: 42 1/4 cm------8%

Cute little head, ha ha!

She's doing pretty well. She's not babbling really yet which makes me a little concerned but she's such a contended little things and loves to play on the floor. She is a really happy baby and is getting a lot better at letting other people hold her besides mom and dad. She's "army crawling" she is mostly dragging her body with her strong arms...she's getting better at using her legs. I wonder if she'll start crawling soon because she likes to pull her knees under her a lot. She still loves rolling around and is an expert at sitting herself up from laying down. I have been more worried about her growth because she's not pulling to stand and not saying any consonants and a couple of other things. The Dr. said to watch her but that she's not too concerned because she seems to be a pretty chill baby in that she is content for longer maybe than some other babies so she's not in a rush to always be trying new things. I have to keep reminding myself that babies develop different things at different times and not compare so much.

She loves eating big girl food. She absolutely loves Ammon and he loves her. He is a great big brother. These kids are just the cutest. I'm loving being able to stay home and play with them everyday. Ammon protects Abbie by moving garbage cans that she scoots to and always is looking out for her.

Ammon is saying the funniest things. He is great to talk to. The other day he told my sister that if there are bad guys he will get them, and if they hurt him, his daddy will protect him. He and his dad are my protectors and I love them for it. He's got a stellar memory and loves reading books. We live in a musical at our house and it's awesome to listen to him go around singing all day.

We're all doing pretty well. Matt and I have made a debt elimination calendar and we're so excited to be out of debt and working towards our own home and another car. Matt has a huge deadline tomorrow at work, so he's been working 14 days. We've missed him a lot but we're so proud that he works so hard for us. Hopefully he passes his certification tomorrow so that he can come home and do fun Christmas things with us.

Hello? Is anyone there?

I haven't blogged in quite a while, and frankly, I haven't felt like it. Especially because our camera broke. Sometimes because Ammon listens so well and understands so much I tend to forget that he's still a 2 year old and should just not be allowed to play with some things-like our camera. lol. He apparently really like the lens cap thing that would automatically open and close as the camera turned on and off. He liked to help it open- ha ha. He brought it to me and said, "mom, I think it's broken."

So I feel like my blog is boring to people without pictures, hence the lack of blogging...

The last couple of weeks have been full of sick people, and I'm sick of it. Ammon got a bad cough and was up most nights, then when he started doing better Abbie got a cold which maybe was a virus, because then she got a fever and roseolla rash. Then she got croup. Poor little thing was miserable. For those of you who know her, you know that Abbie CANNOT hold still. Well she did when she was sick which told me how miserable she really felt. Poor little thing just sat on my lap and fell asleep all day everyday and then was up crying all night. Needless to say mom was pretty miserably tired. Well, the kids are doing better, now Matt is sick and I have a stuffy nose. Ahh, the change of seasons...

Not too much has happened. Little Abbie is our "ooo" baby. She absolutely LOVES hearing, and saying "ooo" If you say "ooo" to her ,even if she doesn't say it back, she puts her little tiny bird lips in formation of a perfect o. She loves to play and roll around on the floor. I wonder if she'll even crawl because she can just roll wherever. She's started to scoot around on her little bum to rotate herself. She loves looking at dogs, she loves Ammon, and she loves her mommy and daddy. She is getting better about other people holding her. She doesn't cry right away anymore. I have started giving her finger food which she loves. She's a very happy baby now and quite content most of the time. We love her so much. I never put Abbie's 6 months stats up. So now that her 9 mos. appt. is at the end of this month, perhaps I'll put them up...

6 mos.

weight- 15 lbs 9 oz ..........45%

height- 27 in.....................90%

head- 41 cm......................15%

Ammon is a little smartie. He loves to ask "why". He asks it all the time until he understands something and then talks to himself in the car explaining and going through all the things he's learned. I love talking with him. We talk all day everyday and he remembers what I explain to him and loves explaining it all to whoever will listen. He is very particular about the way things are done and has taken after his mommy in bossing people around while he plays with them. He loves reading books. Currently his favorites are the "If you give a mouse a cookie" books. I love reading with him. He loves playing in "houses"/forts, anything that you can put blankets, pillows, toys, etc. in. He loves football and he loves his baby sister.

I am really enjoyed playing in the concert band. We had a concert this last saturday that went pretty well. It was a tribute to Veterans and I loved the music we played, although, if I had my way, we would not have played quite so many. I really like the people in my section, they are very kind and it's great to be building and maintaining a skill again. It's hard every week to leave, but I am always so happy when I come home. I love the fulfillment that playing and adding to making beautiful music gives me. I have started collecting movies. I love looking at the $5 section at Walmart. I really want to build up a selection of wholesome, entertaining movies for our family to watch.

I can't believe it's already November and that Christmas is close. I can't listen to the radio right now because I'm not quite ready for the Christmas songs...maybe after Thanksgiving. I do have some pictures on Sue's camera, so I'll try to get them up soon.

Ward Challenge!

Challenge:

Read the Book of Mormon by March 28 (my birthday!). I have a little bit of catching up to do already! But that's only because we were out of town when they gave us the challenge.

I'm excited! Read the quote by Pres. Benson on my Principle of the Day, powerful!

Whirlwind!!!

Our lives are just in a whirlwind. Since my last post, I have been horrible about taken pictures of the kids, and Matt has decided to go back to his old job. He had a really good couple of weeks but for a number of reasons felt that working at Wyndham was not for him. He's happy to be back doing what he enjoys and I am happy to have what I feel is a more normal schedule. We stayed up so late because we knew he didn't have to work until 12:30 the next day so our schedules shifted about two hours later. I have always been more of an early-to-bed early-to-rise kind of person.

Everyday I feel like I'm running as hard as I can just to keep up with the basic things such as feeding, clothing, changing and putting kids to bed. I do much better when I can get adequate sleep, wake up and shower right away. Ever since Matt started back at AltaPoint on Tuesday, I have been looking much better and have had more productive days.

Matt and I are teaching the 12-13 year olds in Sunday School and we love it! I love the "curriculum" and the kids are terrific.

I don't think I have blogged since I joined the Murray Concert Band! I was nervous joining because it's been a few years since playing, but I love it! I love band music and although I was nervous about my ability to play when it seemed like it had been so long it came back a lot more easily than I thought it would. It's sometimes hard to go when I think about leaving the kids, but when I'm there I'm so happy to be there and I know that I need to work on that gift that the Lord has given me if I want to keep it. Plus I know I would forever regret it if I didn't play again!

Abbie has been transformed into one of the happiest babies ever! She is quite the squealer and loves to hear her own voice(typical of a girl right?-ha ha). She has recently discovered that her toes are her new favorite toy in the last few weeks. She loves faces and grabbing onto people or things when they are near. She is still quite the mommy's girl but is getting better with other people as long as she's well-rested, fed, and has a clean diaper. She has a special love for her Daddy whom she has wrapped around those cute little fingers of hers. She is now eating solids twice a day and loves it. She has now figured out how to suck water out of her sippie cups which I am really excited about. She has tried so far: peas, beans(the only thing she doesn't like so far), sweet potatoes, squash, avocados, rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, pears, and applesauce. She definitely doesn't like baby food squash from the jar, she likes the baby food I make. It makes me feel good that I have been able to make her the food, and I am pretty sure I have saved a bunch doing it! My sister-in-law Janelle and I were talking we think they should sell baby food jars so that consumers can make and can baby food! Then you don't have to use up all that freezer space!

Ammon has made huge strides in the past two days alone! We bought some big boy underwear a few weeks ago but until yesterday really had no desire to go on the potty no matter the bribe or excitement we have over going. Out of the blue yesterday he came to me and told me he had to go potty and has stayed dry ever since other than the hours he is sleeping. He knows when he has to go and so far hasn't been so distracted by eating or playing that he's had an accident.

He also has great love of learning. He is basically teaching himself to read it seems sometimes. I feel like such a slacker that I'm not teaching him things first, but he comes to me and asks questions like "mommy, what does J start with?" (He's really asking what words start with J) He does that pretty much everyday as he looks at his magnetic letters on the fridge. Sometimes I'll say words and he'll make the sound of the first letter and tell me what letter that word starts with. I find myself quite amazed.

Matt's brother and his wife are finally home from their summer in Florida and we're so happy to have them back.

Well I have more I could ramble about, but I think I got the most important news in here, and who knows when I will post again....geez I haven't been good at posting regularly!

Pictures!

These pictures are in the wrong order...I wish the would load differently. Here are a bunch of pictures that have taken me forever to post. Sorry so many are blurry, I feel old because I must shake a lot when I'm taking them-then again, our camera takes forever to takes pictures! Also, Abbie's really hard to photograph because she's such a wiggler! Certainly a cute one...

Hooray! I found Abbie this way one morning! For once she put herself back to sleep!!!!

ok, I know this picture is odd, but for some reason I think it's kind of cool, what do you think?

Here is one of the many wiggly pictures I got. You see those cute wisps of hair on top? It's so cute and so fine you can hardly feel anything!
Ammon LOVES to help his daddy mow the lawn; and thanks to his "secret friends" he now has a lawnmower of his own!
Ammon reading a story to his cute cousin Janie. I need to get a picture of Janie when she is around Abigail now because she has a very strong sense of responsibility when it comes to the welfare of her new little cousin. She is always looking out for her-she even refused to eat her dinner one night over here until she could see someone was holding Abbie and taking care of her.
Abbie rolling onto her side.
Little pool in grandma's backyard. Abbie didn't fuss at all when she got in, and then when I took her out and wrapped her in a towel she went right to sleep! No fussing:)

Cute little thing.
3rd of July at Granna and Grandad's house with sparklers.

Brother and sister-awwww.
Ammon and one of his new friends, Hunter. He loves older kids!!!!

One of my favorite pictures of Abbie
Crazy Ammon. You see that tiny hat on his head that looks suspiciously like his little sister's hat? It's Ammon's "diving cap".
Ammon's castle. It has windows doors and is great to sleep in!
Ammon is such a great big brother. He is always willing to share his green blankie with her. He has to be the one to cover her with it though.
silly Ammon


This is the first time Abbie rolled onto her side, she rolled towards Janie! I think they really know each other and have a special relationship. I just feel it every time they are together.

Change can be a good thing!

Life has been so crazy for the past two months! Here's what we have been up to:

~We moved! We had been in our apartment since we got married, 3 1/2 years ago and it has been great to be in a new place! We are living in the basement apartment of Matt's parents for a year to pay off debt and save for our own place. We are so excited to be moving forward and planning more for our future. We love the new ward. This is the ward Matt grew up in and I am amazed at the goodness and love of the people here. As I sat in Relief Society I felt that everyone in there really cared about each other and were willing to help each other as family-and that is what Relief Society is.

~Matt has a new job! About 2 weeks ago he started working at Wyndham selling upgrades to time-share owners(does that even make sense?) It was a scary change for me because it meant going from reliable income to 100% commission. Ahh!!! But we prayed about and felt good about it and Heavenly Father has shown us that he will take care of us when we put our faith in Him. Matt has done really well so far and I know that it is the mercy of the Lord, and we are so grateful. We are excited at the prospect of getting out of debt more quickly and saving more and faster. The health benefits are better and he really likes the upbeat motivational atmosphere. It was been a bit of an adjustment to the new 1-9pm schedule, but overall it's been a terrific change. It's great to have Matt home in the morning.

For Abbie's first 4 months, she was quite the challenge for me in some ways...Putting her to sleep took up to 1 1/2 hrs almost everytime! She is also very attached to her binkie and HAD to be swaddled to go to sleep, and then we would sit on my exercise ball and bounce....and bounce...and bounce....etc. It's been pretty amazing though because literally overnight things got so much better. It was the day Matt started work(I was so nervous about bedtime when he started) I know Heavenly Father gave me a tender mercy there. She has been able to put herself to sleep in her bed, and is learning how to go to sleep without having her arms pinned down. She's gotten to be really fun. She is now:

-squeeling, and laughing

-rolling to her side(she rolled from front to back on July 26)

-she has now eaten rice cereal, green beans, and peas) she doesn't like green beans but she does like the peas. Her pediatrician recommended that we start with vegetables then cereals then fruits to really encourage getting enough vegetables and get babies taste buds used to veggies instead of only sweet, starchy foods. She has done really well, and it's so fun to watch her, she uses her tongue a lot!

-she loves her mommy! Who says separation anxiety doesn't start until later???

-she likes being sung to

-she apparently doesn't like Relief Society, ha ha, because for the past couple weeks, I have been out in the hall more than I have been in listening to the lesson. Nah-Sundays are just hard with nap times!

-Abbie is using her hands more and more, especially for grabbing mommy's hair

-sleeping at least 8 hours a night! Hooray!

Ammon is becoming more and more fun. His memory astonishes us and he loves to learn how and why things are the way they are. As of late, his favorite phrase is "why?" It reminds me of Pinocchio. He has probably at least half of his books mostly memorized and it is so fun to read stories with him and have him say the words in his cute little way.

Monday night he got to sleep in the tent in the backyard with his dad and they had a great time jumping around till 12:30 because it was so exciting to be camping! Ammon loves to help out and is a great conversationalist.

I have discovered that I need to work to retrieve my identity. I talk about my kid's and my husband's accomplishments as if they were my own. Which is good that I am happy for them, but I need to enrich myself and work to rebuild my skills and talents. I can't remember if I have written this before, but I plan on contacting some people about joining a city orchestra which I am both excited and nervous about because I haven't played percussion in about 4 years....But there is nothing like performing with a band or orchestra and I know I'll regret it if I look back after 40+ years not having done it.

We like our new ward and will be set apart for a calling this Sunday which I am really looking forward to. It has been a great move for us.

Time Waster

Guilty! I am so guilty of wasting so much time! I really want to do better. I can't believe how much time I waste just looking at facebook over and over through out the day(I hardly ever post anything, I just look to see what other people write-how pathetic!)

I have had so many things that I want to document, but never do thinking I have no time, but I have no time because I wasted too much of it....grrr....

I am now resolving to do better. To get to bed earlier, wake up earlier-because when I get an early start to the day, I spend my time much more wisely-i.e. more time with the kids because I already got myself ready for the day....I need to be better! I will!

Just a quick update on the Matt and Kathie Case family:

We are moving next Saturday! We will be moving into Matt's parents' basement apartment for a year to pay off debt and save for our own home. I am sad to leave our ward and the friends that Ammon and I have made, but I am really looking forward to the change. There will be a yard for us to play in, a little park nearby, and great parents living upstairs, and money to be saved!

Ammon:

-He makes us laugh all the time.

-He is very curious and loves to learn new things.

-Asks lots of questions

-He is great at conversation and has a great memory.

-He has become a backseat driver lately. He now knows that the red light means stop and the green light means go, so he watches for them and tells us "watch out fo the wed wights, mom". If Matt or I makes any kind of sound like "ugh!" or talk to other drivers making poor driving decisions, Ammon says, "what mom? what happening?"

-He loves to jump off of everything and he loves to help. When we first brought boxes home to pack things in, he started getting all his toys from his room and packed them in the boxes.

-He is confident in his abilities. When he wants to help with something he explains, "I'm getting biggew and biggew! I'm stwong!"

-He is a 2 year old, and consequently has a hard time listening and obeying, and I have to frequently remind myself not to expect him to obey perfectly all the time otherwise I get really frustrated.

-He loves any kind of sport. He's got a great throwing arm, he's great with a bat, and great with catching. He currently is in love with baseball and always wants to play. To satisfy his needs indoor, we use a tiny stuffed ball and a hot pad mitt. Works perfectly!

-Ammon loves instruments! Ever since seeing his Uncle Daniel play his saxophone in his concert a few weeks ago, he loves pretending things are horns and playing his little drumset. He tells me about how he's going to play the tuba in the band room when he grows up.

-Loves any kind of vehicle. We spend our car rides identifying cars and trucks. Most people avoid construction zones....we love them! Yay for diggers and bulldozers(which Ammon has informed me he should drive).

Abbie

We just went to Abbie 4 mos. well check today. Her stats are:

Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz. 25%

Height: 24 1/4" 50%

Head: 38 1/2 cm 3%!

-She is now smiling lots and lots, especially in the mornings, after a nap, and when she's got a full tummy.

-She plays with her hands, is starting to swat at and reach for toys and loves to watch Ammon.

-She has outgrown her need for reflux medicine-thank goodness.

-Abbie seems to be a mommy's girl already and I have to keep myself from always taking her from people when she's crying to calm her down my way.

-She still loves to be swaddled tight to go to sleep with her binkie of course and puts up quite a fight if we try it any other way. It is getting easier though

-She is now sleeping through most of the night sleeping anywhere from 5-8 hours-and luckily goes to bed roughly the same time as Ammon.

-Likes playing like a "big girl" standing up, being in an exersaucer, playing on her tummy, etc.

-Will take a bottle! Hooray!!!!!!

-LOVES her binkie

-kicks her legs a lot when she's excited

-loves baths

-likes looking at the bright colors on the computer screen

Not too much is different for Matt and Me. We have been reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and we are really enjoying it. I am hoping to find a local city orchestra or band that perhaps I can get back to playing again. We love our much more consistent dates and appreciate our great family for always making it possible.

I won't mention our stats on here because quite frankly we're not SUPPOSED to be growing anymore! I keep telling myself that once we move I will go on lots of walks, we'll go on hikes, go swimming, and I'll be active playing with Ammon in the yard. I really hope that's not too optimistic. I just get the munchies now and again...At least I make sure we're eating fruits and veggies for almost every meal, that's something! No...it's not that bad, I was actually able to fit into one of my skinniest jeans last week, hooray!

What a long post! Well, at least I got it down for my mind's sake. I hope you enjoyed it!

Catch up

I have had so many ideas for blog posts but have been too lazy to actually post. A friend of mine wrote on one of her posts that instead of posting about her life she was living it. I really like that. I love posting and I feel that it is important to document my life, but I need to make sure I'm not spending so much time blogging about my life that I miss out on really living it with my great family.

These pictures are all out of order, but here are some snapshots of our lives as of late:
Ammon loves playing his Aunt Celestey's trumpet.

See those bunny ears Meg? We found him playing with his tools like this.

We put Ammon to bed one night, and as Matt walked down the hall, he found this humming to himself:

and then this, as he laughed and laughed
A trip to the South Jordan library with the cool water fountain.
Playing at the park

Our sweetie Abbie. We've discovered she is like the Princess and the Pea. When she's happy, it's the most glorious thing, but the tiniest thing(such as a small pea under a hundred mattresses) can make her the most tragic child in the whole world. We love her so much! She loves playing on the floor. She has started to bring her little hands to her mouth and gums her fists. She's kicking a lot and getting stronger everyday.


A trip to the zoo with our friends. Here is the baby elephant. This was the only picture I managed to take.

Abbie and her second cousin Millie. Don't they look similar? They are so cute. They are 2 1/2 weeks apart.

Ammon after playing in the sandbox. Don't you love his tiny shirt? lol.
We spent a week at my parents' while they were gone to California for a clinic. It was great to have the extra help and company. We watched movies, and played a lot, it was a nice little stay-cation.

Our lives through the lens

Ammon loves the camera!



The end of a smile. Her smiles are so quick and sporadic that I think it might be a while before I can catch it on film...
Our heater/air conditioning has been broken for about 3 weeks now..booo!....so we spend a day building a fort and staying in our warm pj's.
Such a funny boy. I walked in and had to take a picture of this.
Granna got a turtle sandbox, and then the following days and week(s) have been rainy. We look forward to a sunny day to come back and play! Ammon's other Grandma got a cool pirate water table which the kids also love. Bring on the warm weather!


We have walked to a park a few blocks away with a friend from the ward twice now. Today was a pretty cold day. Ammon fell asleep because he went to bed around 10 and woke up at 6:40!
I don't think I have put a picture of our new double-stroller up, here it is! We all love it!
Guess what this meant? Carrying Ammon, and Abbie in her carseat with the diaper bag on my shoulder, up the stairs to our apartment, and then coming back for the stroller because Matt has the car today. Plus side? I guess I'm getting stronger:)