Things I need to Work On

Do you ever think about yourself and get annoyed? I do that. There are some things I realize I need to work on and maybe if I write them down, and check back every now and then I can see what type of progress I am making. Some of these things have been lifelong battles for me, where some are more recent annoyances of myself.

1) Something I have always struggled with is my first impression I give to people. EVERYONE who knows me tells me something like this "I thought you were so stuck up when I first met you" or "I thought you hated me when we first met" Either I have a stuck up look on my face, or I am straight up stuck up. Who knows? Someone please tell me.

2) The way I treat Dave when others are around can be frightening. People probably think I am verbally and emotionally abusive to my hubby. I like to joke around with Dave a lot... If you know me you know what I am talking about. Dave claims he loves it that I can dish crap out to him, but others think I am mean to him. I really do love him and I realize I should tame it down when I am around people who don't know me too well.

3) Picking out my eyelashes. When I get stressed, the eyelashes get thin. I really don't like that I do this, I wish I could stop. With Dawson's latest poop issues, and Landon's latest issues (I'll explain later) my stress level has shot up. If you ever see me, and see me picking out my eyelashes, tell me to stop. I wont get mad.

4) My laziness to get "ready" in the day. I think when I get ready and actually fix my hair and put makeup on I feel overall better throughout the day. I don't do this often anymore because of Landon. (Here is where I describe his latest issues) For the past month Landon has decided to become the biggest "homebody" known to mankind. If he keeps this up he will become more of a hermit that the guy across the street, and dragging me along with him. I can't even get the kid to go the park unless I bribe him with an otter pop or something. He wont let me leave him in nursery, or even with my mom. When I actually do get him out of the house he whines the WHOLE time that he wants to go home. When I suggest we go somewhere he gets really anxious and wants to know when we will be home, if I'm going to be there, and what we will do when we get home. I am losing my mind.
Then, when we are home he tells me all day "I am bored out of my mind" you run out of things in your house to do with a 3 year old hermit. Suggestions?
So, back to my problem? I need to work on getting ready in the day even though Landon doesn't want to go anywhere.

5) Yelling at Landon. I get on his case too much. I need to step back and realize he is only 3. I always feel bad after I have yelled at him, then peak on him when he is peacefully sleeping. Then I feel like a terrible mom.

6) Make better dinners. Since my no dairy diet began, I have kind of dropped the ball on making good dinners for Dave and Landon. I really want to work on this one. Sorry Dave..

7)Letting Dawson sleep in bed with us. This one just might be the hardest one of all!! I love snuggling the little guy, and feeding him is so much more convenient. I swore I would never do this again after Landon, but here we are...

8) Falling asleep during movies. Dave and will rent a movie and get all excited to watch it once the kids are asleep. I typically fall asleep about 5 minutes into it. I get sooo frustrated when I do this. I even drink caffeine on occasion to stay awake. Dave says he doesn't mind, but I know he's got to! Drives me bonkers!

9) Being a blunt person and saying how it is. Some people say this is a good thing.. but it's not. I offend people regularly..I'm sorry if you're one of them.

Dawson's Poop Saga

A couple of posts ago I talked a little about Dawson's poop problem. In the days that followed that post his problem seemed to be getting better. However, things took a turn for the worst last week. Dave and I noticed some blood in his diaper.. This isn't new to us really. Landon had the same problem when he was a baby. His blood showed up a lot sooner that Dawson's, so we thought we wouldn't have to deal with it. Anyway, what my kids get is a Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance. Which means their colons cannot break down the protein found in milk and milk products. The blood in their poop means their colon is in "crisis state" meaning, it's getting torn up because the protein is constantly being pushed through their colon without the ability for it to be broken down. Sad huh? Since I breastfeed, this means I am completely off dairy until I am done breastfeeding. This isn't an easy thing since I LOVE dairy (who doesn't?) but at least it will help me lose the baby weight!

There isn't anything I wouldn't do for this little guy! :)

Home Tag

Carlee tagged me on this one.. It looked fun, so I thought I would give it a go. Here are the rules: Take pictures of your house and post them as they are RIGHT NOW. No cheating!

1) The kitchen sink.

Yeah... pretty exciting.

2) Favorite Room.

This room took us 3 years to get once we were in the house. It sat bare for three years! I was so excited to paint the wall too. Dave is very against painted walls. It took a lot of begging and pleading. He has since said he will never paint another red wall.

3) Messiest Room.

Our family room is very rarely clean, this is where we live! I know it's not too messy, it gets MUCH WORSE! (I tried to get the whole room without the hideous dear head on the wall... )

4) What the kids are doing right now.

Notice all those white things by Landon? He used to cart around my garments and steal them out of my drawer. My mom decided she would cut up some of her old G's and give him scraps, his obsession is out of control. He not only sleeps with one, but like.. 20. He calls them his silkies, and would bring them everywhere if we let him. He also has to sleep with his "I Spy" bag, and his Book of Mormon. Are all kids this OCD?

Gotta love nap time, especially on Sundays. I don't know what it is about Sunday, but it's the day when they nap the best. (Nursery can be tiring I guess..)

5) The outside and inside of your fridge.

Cluttery, I know.

6) Your toilet.

I'm with you on that one Carlee... why does someone want to see a picture of this?

7) Favorite Shoes.

I have had these flip flops for about 7 years. They are super comfortable!

8) Picture of your closet.

This is my closet on a good day. I have a hard time keeping it tidy. I have too many clothes and I have a hard time getting rid of them!! There are about 5 clothes rods in our closet and Dave has one of them.

9) Self Portrait of you as you look right now.

10) Dream Vacation.

I didn't see how this fit in the the "home post" so I posted some pictures of my dream vacation that I have been on. Cancun! Dave and I will definitely be back!
We stayed at the Excellence in the Maya Riviera. The rooms were GORGEOUS!!! (as you can see)

The water is to DIE FOR!!!

Now I tag Ashlee, Ashley, Lori, Brandi, Malia, Melanie, Sarah, Melissa, Tammy, Stephanie P, Steph C, Megan, Janna, Mary, Carrie.. I cant remember who else is on my list, so EVERYONE!! :)

What's been goin' on

First off, we wanted to say goodbye to Ryan and Brooke who are leaving tomorrow to Indiana, where Ryan was accepted into dental school. We will miss you guys!!! Dave and I are big time game players. Not video games, but good ole fashioned board games. It's hard finding people to play with that actually enjoy it as mush as we do. Ryan and Brooke have been some of the funnest people to play with! Even though we haven't done it a ton recently (with the new addition to our family) that is what I am going to miss most about you guys!! Landon hasn't known life without Ryan in it, and he LOVES him to pieces. Every time we go to Dave's parents, he immediately wants to know where Ryan and Brooke are. He'll probably have the hardest time without them :( On the more HAPPY note, Good luck Ryan and Brooke! We knew you would get in, and we're so proud of you! We are so excited for you, and hopefully these 4 years will fly by!

Landon and Ryan jumping on Landon's new trampoline.


With Dawson's recent pooping problem, the Dr. told me to go ahead and start him on Rice cereal. I really wanted to wait till he was 6 months old (He is 4 and a half months) but went ahead and followed the Dr's orders. The verdict? He neither hated it or liked it. He just pushed it right back out of his mouth. I know this is normal, but it is frustrating.. does anyone remember how long it takes till they know how to swallow it?


Lately, Landon has been REALLY into playing games. (Takes after his parents!) Any sort of game he LOVES, he makes up his own rules and wants everyone to play with him. When you sit down to play with him, he gets mad that you don't do it right. So, in other words, he likes you to sit and watch him play his made up games. We moved all of Landon's kid games downstairs so he can easily access them. It was a brilliant idea on my part, they keep him pretty entertained! (which is hard for a 3 year old)

Potty training is going GREAT, he never has day accidents, and only occasionally has an accident in the night. One problem... he thinks he needs to take his pants off completely when going potty, and wont put them back on, so Landon is usually pant less. Oh well... I guess this is normal too?
This little stinker here is giving us a HARD TIME. He was a good little sleeper until last week. Now, he is up every 2 hours wanting to nurse, and then he is fussy the rest of the time. I don't know what has gotten into him. Since birth the only place he likes to fall asleep in is his swing. It's been fine with me. But lately, he doesn't like his swing, being held, snuggled, or anything to get to sleep. So I didn't know what else to do with him but to let him cry it out in his crib. I feel TERRIBLE doing it, but it's the only thing that works. The only problem is he doesn't take as good of naps. If he's in his swing he'll sleep 3 hours, but in his crib only about 30 minutes. I just don't know what to do. Suggestions appreciated.
When we were in St. George we went to Walmart and saw this sign in front of one of the parking stalls. COME ON!!!!!! If you have sick kids why the HECK are you at Walmart..?! AND, why would you need a special spot reserved for you? This is weird to me on so many levels.. has anyone else ever seen this?

Poop Post

Sorry if the title scared anyone.. But I have been worried about Dawson, I've called pediatricians, and none seem to be concerned. Here's the problem. He has had diarrhea now for 6 days. (This gets more graphic) His bowel movements have been green in color and VERY mucusy he has about 10 a day and seems to be uncomfortable while trying to get them out. His tiny little bum is starting to get a rash.. He is exclusively breastfed, no cereal or solids yet.. so I don't know what the problem is. Has anyone else had similar problems with their kids? I'm worried sick and would like any suggestions on what to do.

The Host

I just finished this book. I LOVED IT!!! It was a little hard to get into.. and I was really unsure about even reading it. About midway through I had a hard time putting it down. I read a TON of books, and this one was so intriguing to me. I even liked it better than Twilight! (I'm flinching.. waiting for people to hit me..)

Has anyone else read it? Monica, I think this should be a book club read!

more Saint George pictures

We ate at In-N-Out Burger twice. Twice too many times for me. This place was ridiculously crowded. I have NEVER seen anything like it. Yes, the food is good, but I don't like chaos. This is Landon eating his fries "animal style."
Whenever we go to St. George we usually eat at the Pizza Factory. I know they have one in Ogden now, but in my opinion, it just isn't as good! Landon loooovvvveeeesss the breadsticks. What kid wouldn't love any type of food on a stick?
My little bro, Joseph and Dawson. Dawson loves him. He just might be his favorite person. Joseph will talk, and Dawson immediately starts to smile.
Behind my Grandma's house there is a pond where two swans live. Landon loved sneaking outside to see them as often as he could. Clothes are overrated anyway.
We went to Samurai 21 (Just like Tepanyaki) Dave took a picture of Dawson just as they did their fire thing on the stove. I don't know if he was amazed, terrified or what.. but I thought it was a funny picture!

Saint George

For Memorial Day weekend we decided to go to Saint George since Yellowstone was out. We had an awesome time! My Grandparents have a home there that they let family stay when they are not there. We love going because it is so relaxing and low key (a must with two young kids!) After our drive there, we were glad we opted out of Yellowstone. Dawson cried the whole time he was awake. Not fun. On the way home we decided to leave at 8pm (bedtime) and it was fabulous! Both kids slept the WHOLE time and we didn't have to stop once! Dave and I are both tired today, but being tired is worth a peaceful drive!

Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

Landon in Snow Canyon
Landon and Dave in a cave. Dave had to pull Landon out of the cave kicking and screaming. He was then VERY upset when some other hikers went into "his cave."
Our "hike" in Snow Canyon. Dawson's favorite part of the vacation.
Beautiful Snow Canyon. (Dawson had calmed down at this point.)
This is probably the best highlight of the trip. Dave was holding Dawson over his head talking to him, Dawson was laughing and loving this. BUT... he had just eaten. Poor Dave. I wouldn't help him until I could get a picture. Funny eh?

Mother's Day Weekend

I'm a little late posting on Mothers day, but we had a fun weekend! We decided to spend Saturday with Dave's fam due to the fact that we were going to be at my grandmas in Salt Lake on Mother's Day. We went to Antelope Island which is a Ross family favorite (not mine.. driving around sagebrush gets old) We met at Dave's parents house and we were ready to go when all of a sudden Dawson, who I am holding, fills his pants. So full in fact, that it came out his diaper, down is leg, and ALL OVER Dave's parents floor. Not just a little either, a TON! We all know how easy it is to get baby poop out of things too, right? WRONG! There will always be a little piece of Dawson in the Ross household now. SO you think a prepared mother would have an extra outfit for her baby. Well, I didn't. So I ran to walmart to grab him something to wear, while I was there Dave called me and asked if I had an extra pair of pants for Landon. Well, here we go again, what kind of mother who is potty training her kid wouldn't bring an extra pair of pants for him? (the answer is me) So, Landon decided his first ever accident would be at my in laws, why not since his little brother did it? We'll see if we get invited back.
Well, we had an ok time at Antelope Island. Landon likes to look at all the animals. Dawson hated it. He hates his car seat and hates being in the car period. He hated it so bad that we are thinking of canceling our Yellowstone trip. The thought of driving around Yellowstone all day long with a screaming baby isn't sounding too appealing.




Mother's Day was nice. Especially for my self-esteem. Landon woke up, came in our room and said "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOMMY! You look like a fat lady today!" Sweet huh? We went to church, had a great lesson in relief society, got a pretty flower after sacrament.
We then headed to Salt Lake. I love that my Grandma still has family get togethers. We've been doing this since I can remember, and I love it. There are only a few times a year I get to see all my cousins, and I love that Landon can have a relationship with all of this second cousins. I also get to see all my cousins that I hardly ever see. I have a lot of younger cousins I hardly know. One of them, who is ten, asked "are you going to have a baby?" I said "No, does it look like I am?" she said "yes" I politely said "thanks" she said "Your welcome."
So, Sunday night I felt great about myself. I took all my frustrations out at boot camp the next morning. ( I really didn't take any of it to heart.. I think it's funny)
The boys with my Grandma Haycock
This is my beautiful sister, Becky and her boy, Mike, Who GOT ENGAGED LAST NIGHT!! WOOOO HOOO!! Congrats guys!! July 11th is the date. That gives me 2 months to lose 15 pounds!!! (ok, I'd be happy with 10)

Landon Ross- Personal Potty Trainer.

Landon has decided he's had it with diapers and is officially done with them.
The other day he woke up from his nap and asked to wear some big boy underwear, so we put some on, me expecting an accident shortly after. It is now day 3 and we have not had one accident. GO LANDON! The funny thing is, Dave and I have not encouraged this AT ALL. I wanted him to be in a diaper for our Yellowstone vacation. (shame on me) Landon had other ideas! Everyone said it would just click one day, and I guess it did for him. We're happy! (hopefully this isn't a fluke..)