I'm one of those moms!

So a few weeks ago I did something that really opened my eyes. It not only made me feel like a flustered mom but made me question my stress level. Or maybe when I am hungry I just do crazy things. Not really sure what came over me that day. So Dallin has been potty training. He actually rarely messes up going #1 now. So I was in PA running errands with my friend Katty which gets a little nerve racking when you have two children in your car that are impatient and your all hungry. We decided to split a meal at olive garden since it was getting pretty late and we didn't think we would have time to cook when we got home cause it was close to the children's bed time. While we were waiting to be seated Dal told me he had to go potty. So I took him into the bathroom walked straight to the back stall since it is always the largest one, making it easier to wrestle between elbows and clothes while trying to get your toddler on the toilet seat before he messes all over you..... Dal finished and as we were headed out I caught a glance of something I have never seen before in a women's restroom. Thats because it wasn't! I thought to my self, "Why the heck is there urinals in the women's restrooms?" That's when I realized where I was and how lucky I was that I didn't have a very uncomfortable confrontation with a man in there. I did get a couple of weird looks I think tho on the way out. So yeah, I am officially one of those moms that gets so frazzled that she doesn't even notice the urinals till she is on her way out of the bathroom. Pretty Crazy!

Dal acting like his daddy!

So I am trying to catch up on a few weeks of photo's now that I have my camera working. Thats why I am publishing so many pics and posts all on the same day. I just love how Dallin photographs tho so I just have to post as many pics as I can before I get behind.

One of my favorite things Dallin started doing recently is copy the way matt hold his work folder when he is leaving for the day. Matt always puts it under his arm so he can hug us with his other arm and say good bye. So one day Dallin picked up a book and put it under his arm and walked to the door and said bye bye. It was so adorable and now he does it all the time. The other day Matt left his binder down and Dal was playing with it. Here are the pics.

Matt never forget how much he notices and how much he wants to be like you!

One of Dallin's favorite things to do is take baths. He almost always takes 2 baths a day and sometimes 3. I know most mom's reading this probably think that I am crazy for letting him take that many, I know my sister Des would, but he loves them and sometimes we get bored so its a time filler. He usually kicks all around and the floor is drenched after 5 minutes. This time he just relaxed after a long day in the pool and playing out side. He is so adorable. I love these pics.

So I have been making these really cute flowers for my hair, to clip on to a hat or a bag or really just for anything. I have been wanting to show my sisters them cause I plan on making their little girls some. Here are a few that I have made. The pink material is for the flower I plan on making for Deseree's little girls.

Dallin gets an A for 2 days in a row for going Potty!

So Dallin hasn't messed up at all in the last 2 days. Given he hasn't pooped in two days either. Usually he messes up when he poops. He hasn't learned how to go poo poo in the potty yet. He is learning really fast tho. My mom and I were talking on the phone today and she said that I wet the bed till I was like 5 or 6. I think it might be easier for boys to hold their blatters cause their pee has further to travel!:)
So matt hasn't had a sale since friday and it is wednesday. That makes it almost a week. It is so hard when he doesn't get sales cause we really want another baby but we can't afford to get insurance. I also need to get my IUD out but I need insurance for that so it is kind of crazy. I had a dream last night that I had triplets. They were all boys! ha ha.... I want a girl really bad and pray all the time that she is waiting up there for me. I love boys tho and would be happy with either one. I get so baby hungry but when things are so tight I just don't know how its going to all work out. I keep praying and asking the Lord to help pave the way for our family to grow. Its hard when I don 't know the Lords plan but I know he will provide a way. He always does.
Matt is also back and forth about the whole baby thing. I wish he would commit cause I know its going to happen no matter what so in my mind I think we might as well just do it. I am at home all day anyways being a mom.
Today it rained all day. Actually I mean it Poured all day. It is suppose to be summer. what is up with that! I want to go swimming so hopefuly the wheather clears up. Plus Matt has to knock all day in the rain and comes home soaked at night. He works so hard. I know it is really hard for him when he doesn't get sales. Keep it up baby!

Question for all you pro bloggers!

So does anyone know.... when someone leaves a comment on one of my posts how can I respond to that comment with out going in and leaving my responce on a random post of theirs? can you do that?

Terrible Two's!

So I love Dallin more than anything in the world and I feel very fortunate to have him as my child. But boy oh boy has he been difficult lately. Or maybe I have been difficult. He is happy and I am the one who has the problem with change. Maybe terrible two's only exist for Mom's & Pops. He is so indipendent now and knows exactly what he wants. He told me today for the first time "NO mom, No!" I was like excuse me! But then again who taught him to say no? Me! So perhaps I am the one who has the problem. What mother doesn't want their children to grow up as independant and decisive individuals? My parenting book says it is just a transition stage from baby to child and that I need to let him make his own choices. I guess its just hard when your baby grows up. I cherish the time now when he hugs and kisses me and sits on my lap and coudles. They just don't happen as often anymore. Hope he will decide he misses them one day too.
I think the hardest part for me in the last few days have been the lack of sleep. He has learned how to get down from his big boy bed now and decided that means he doesn't have to go to sleep till he wants. which means bedtime is around 12, 2, or 3. I have been so tired. I have had to shut the door to his room and let him just cry it out. It breaks my heart. Speaking of which he is crying right now. I usually cry when he does. I don't want him to feel like I am abandoning him or something. It really tares me down when he cries. I just want him to go to sleep on his own at a reasonable hour. I need time at night to re-coop and relax. I don't think matt and I have had more than 20 minutes together to talk in the last 4 days. Its so difficult never getting to spend time with him. Never being able to go to the park as a family or watch a movie together or go to the temple together. I feel like a single parent. It is so hard for me to do everything on my own. This summer the Lord is really teaching me patience, and I am greatful for that because I know it will come in hand later.
I am greatful for the time I have been able to spend with Dallin tho. I know it won't always be just me and him so this is time I love and enjoy. He is truly my best friend. I also have made some pretty cool ladies out here. All the APX wives are awsome. We really have a blast hangin out. I am so glad they are here to support each other while we are all going thru the same thing.
This is defenitly a time in my life that I will never forget.

Dal & mommy's day at the pool!

So today I experienced one of those moments that keeps you so emotional you want to cry even 15 minutes after the fact. Dal and I spent 2 1/2 hours at the pool today. It was actually really fun. I thought I would be bored chasing him around but I really enjoyed it. He has such a personallity now. All of the people at the pool were talking to us and all of the woman were so suprised at how out going and fearless he is. Every time some on walked by he would say "Hi" over and over and then as they passed he would say "bye bye" several times until he would get a response. He loves playing with other people's pool toys and steels every one's stuff (even though I have spent a ridiculious amount of money on pool stuff this week). No one seems to mind cause they all talk about how he is the cutest thing they have ever seen. He is pretty adorable! So he would run up to the edge of the pool whenever his stolen ball would roll in and try to bend over and grab it. Of course I was right there the whole time and most the time he had a life jacket on. After the 2 1/2 hours we left to eat and swing at the park. Then we decided to come back. So when we got to the pool my hands were full from carrying all of his pool floaties and life jacket (that he wasn't wearing yet). Mean while, Dal runs over and steels a ball and bounces it right into the pool. I set my keys and phone down and was watching him as he dashes for the ball and runs right into the pool without hesitation. I jumped in with my dress on and my brand new leather sandles(that I didn't want wet) with the same vigor Dal had going in; it was a reflex I didn't even know I had. His head went completely under before I could get to him but when he came up he didn't seem that bothered. He coughed a little water up and hugged me for a minute, then was ready to get back in and play. While I was holding him franticly he just kept saying "ball, ball, ball." When that kid has his mind set on it, he is bound and determined to get it. The mothers that were only feet away watching came over to fish his green crocs out of the water for me and said they have never seen a mom react as fast as I did. They joked with me and said "good thing you put your keys and cell phone down cause you wouldn't have thought twice about setting them down." Its so true, nothing crossed my mind in that moment except for Dallin. So I put his life jacket on (its the coolest life jacked cause its has the floaties that go around your arms and then it straps all the way around you and clicks in the back so children can't fall forward on their faces very well cause their arms keep them up) and kept playing with him. He had long forgotten about the incident, but I still had a strong urge to cry for about 15 minutes after. It is so hard to imagine something bad happening to your child. I am so glad I was close enough to save him right away.
Anyway, that is my crazy story for the day. Time flies when your havin fun!

Dallin's 1st AAA baseball game!

Today was Dallin's first baseball game. Its was so much fun! He loved playing between the seats with Boston and David, 2 of the little guys that were their with their (APX) mommy's. Boston and Dal would sit together on the same seat and play with their toys. It was so adorable. I thought Dal would want a hot dog, since normally that is about one of the only things I can get him to eat, but he wouldn't eat it. I enjoyed a juicy hamberger! I forgot how greasy they are compaired to turkey burgers:)
So I was nervous taking Dallin to the ball game since he is potty training. He is on his forth day. Last night he slept in underwear and was dry when he woke up. Same for his 3 hour nap. He is doing better at night than in the day now. He did great at the game though. He went twice in the public restrooms, thats a first! He is such a trooper. He still hasn't got the whole pooping thing down yet. That was a challenge today. I'm exgausted and can't wait for matt to get home. I just realized our computer is still set on Utah time so all my posts show 2 hours earlier.
I'll have to post pics of the game later when I get copies from my friend, Katty's, camera. She is so sweet. She let me barrow a shirt for the game. Super cute. What a sweetheart. Gotta love her.

Look at those big convincing blue eyes!

Potty training Dallin today was much messier than the first 2 days. He has suddenly lost interest even tho he is the one that started all of this nonsense. He is so silly. My sister Des said that the 3rd day is always the hardest. So i have debated all day quitting since he is so young and waiting till he is a little older. But I feel like if I quit now it might back fire on me next time because he won't take me seriously. So this has brought me to the conclusion that I become the biggest softy when those big blue eyes look up at me and try to sway me from doing what really needs to be done. I just want Dallin to be happy and know that I love him. I feel like when I am strict with him that he will not love me as much. I have struggled with this since I have had him and I am starting to come to the realization that I need to fallow through with the things I say. A talk by Elder Uctdorf really struck me and has helped me with this in the last few weeks. Matt turned the talk on his iphone and we layed down and listened to it one morning. I don't remember what it was called, I will have to add the name later. But it was about a study that a scientist did on on a group of children. The scientist gave every child a marshmallow and told them that they could either eat it now, and only get one, or if they waited 10 minutes they could have a 2nd one as well. Some ate it right away and others waited a few minutes only to sucumb to their hunger and eat it. A few held out and waited the whole ten minutes and recieved a second marshmellow as the scientist promised. The scientist kept in contact with all of the children from his study and kept a journal of their life. After the children were settled down as adults he found that the children who could not wait for the full ten minutes struggled more finacially and in all other area's of their life. But the children that waited were successful in almost every aspect of their life. Elder Uctdorf went on the talk about how waiting and not always getting the things we want or think we need right away is beneficial to us because we learn dicipline and hardwork. I learned so much from this because I always feel guilty when I am srict and don't give Dal the things he wants, but I am realizing it is good for him. He will get a hang of potty training and eating the same dinner as us and going to bed when is it bed time. It really falls down to how consistant I am. Thats the hard part, cause it is not easy to stay on top of everything. I know that if I can teach Dallin that he can't always have the things he wants now but with work and waiting he will be able to have them later in life and this will result in him growing into a much better man because of it. I am still learning and pray every day that I can be the mother that my children need me to be. This whole mom thing is much harder than some moms make it look!

I feel like the talk by Uctdorf also has helped me be more patient as I have to wait for things I want. It has been difficult financially since we got married. There has been so many things that we have had to go without. I have really had to learn the difference in my needs and wants. Since we have moved to Pennsylvania I have really been wanting to buy more clothes. I packed only the bare necessities hoping we would be doing a little better money wise by now, so I could by some new clothes. Well we have been here over a month and I only have 1 pair of shorts and about 5 shirts to my name and my shoes are a pair of flip flops that have worn threw almost completely. It has been really hard for me to experience this because I already have felt like I have given up everything since I have had Dal. I was so strengthened by this talk because it helped remind me that it is good for me to wait. I am learning to be so much more compassionate and understanding of people. I know the Lord will bless us and he is making me wait so I can be a better person. After all, its not like dallin cares if I look like a grunge!

This is actually an old photo from October 2009 but we lost our memory stick in our camera during the move and I wanted to post a pick. I thought this one was appropriate since we have so much fun together while daddy is gone at work!

So its been a REALLY long time since i have posted anything, but now that i look back on how much we have grown and changed since the last post I regret not keeping a journal of our memories as a family. Hopefuly I can be more commited from now on.
It is May 2010 and we are living in Scranton, PA. It is beautiful and green here. Tons of trees; it reminds me of Portland. Matt is working hard selling for APX alarm and doing a great job. I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate him for sacraficing all his time to provide. We have been so stressed with preparing for our future that sometimes we forget to enjoy the journey. It is really hard being without matt while he is gone all day. Especially at night, like right now its 11:30 and he is still not home. It usually starts to sink in aroung 9pm and I want him here to talk to. We hope this trip will be full of good memories when we look back and it will all be worth it.

As for Dallin, he has changed so much since we have been here. In the last month he has began speaking all kinds of words. Some of his favorites are sorry (pronounced, saw heey), go, a ball, juice, bye bye, hi, grandma and grandpa. The way he says his words are so cute.

Dallin has also decided he wants to potty train. Yes he is a little young only being 21 months old but he is very persistant. He is going on the 2nd day of going potty in the big boy chair. He also woke up in the morning and from his nap on the first day with a dry diaper. He is doing AWESOME! What a fast learner you are Dal! Tonight he did mess up twice. He is still getting down the whole pooping in the toilet thing. That one is a little more challenging. I have been so impressed with how much of a desire he has to learn and try new things. Dal does really well with change!

Some of our favorite things to do during the day while daddy is gone our go to the library and read, play at the park, cook together and cuddle. Dal gets really cranky if he doesn't get his snuggle time.

Well I'll try to be more like Dallin and be persistant with blogging.