The Cure!!

Okay so all of you who have read my blog know that sometimes I talk about how Madi can be SO demanding and cranky, and just basically out of control..... Well Ladies and Gents! Guess what... yes I believe I have found the answer! But there is quite the story to go along... so here goes:
For a long time we have known Madi is strong willed. I have read books, and articles, and journals. I have done research and some things seemed to help but there was never a solution. That all changed the day I read about red dye 40. It appears that my child has a red dye 40 intolerance... and while that may sound bad... it was the best news I could have ever discovered! It has been amazing... I read about it online when researching (yet again) "difficult toddlers" One mother had stated she came across it and started looking it up and seeing how so many of the symptoms fit her child... Well I decided to look into it a little more. What do ya know.... I started really paying attention to what has that horrible awful red dye 40.... I was so amazed to find what contained it! Grapefruit juice, BBQ sauce, flinstone vitamins, crazy amount of things... So I began to cut these things out, and really read the labels. It has been the most amazing thing! My child hasn't had the tantrums.... you know I wouldn't even call what she would do tantrums... because she has the toddler tantrums, but she would just be uncontrollable, inconsolable, and so upset. Anyways I'm so grateful I came across that article by that mom!! So hopefully maybe I can pass it forward. There are so many things that go along with it too. It isn't just the attitude change, but aches and pains in joints, diarrhea, rashes, itchy skin, uncoordinated movements. Anyways I have gone on a lot of "kicks" of my newest self diagnosis of my child because dr. apts were pointless.... but Brian even is backing me up on this one... Which means it must really be something! He doesn't just go along because... he has to feel like there is more to it.. For example, for a while I thought Madi's upset tummy and bowel problems were due to lactose intolerance... well I tried all sorts of cutting stuff out, but I can't say Brian was nearly as into it as I was... anyways I tell you that story so you understand the magnitude of him going along with me on this newest found cure! :) It's a big deal. So that is my story and I am again SO grateful I came across the article by the other mom. If anyone ever wonders what to do when others have labeled your child "the difficult, strong willed one" I encourage looking it up to see. Those are my thoughts on that. :)

Well school has started again... one last class to go! And i'm a 1/3 of the way through! I also started my first internship and it has been so amazing! It has been awesome and my clinical instructor has been so great! She is a wealth of knowledge and is the type of PTA I want to be someday. It has been super fun to put what I have learned into practice. Some things are still awkward and hard but I hope someday I will be comfortable with them. I actually had the opportunity to sit in on a total knee replacement surgery. It was amazing... very enlightening. All in all this semester has been the most fun and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. It hasn't been easy. Especially because of the circumstances, Madi is having a little vacation time in Washington with her Gramie, Papi and Aunt Alyssa. She is loving her life and all the animals and attention she is getting. And  they have some pretty fun stuff for a little Madison... but it is never fun to be that far away from your buddy. (And just another 2 cents for my red dye 40 theory... my mom decided that Madi was a new person! She couldn't believe how much easier she was to get along with!) 2 more weeks of my internship and then a week down in Farmington and this semester will be over! It has only just begun but I'm feeling like it will fly by! That is my update! So here are some random pictures from the time that has passed!

Oh happy day!!

Ladies and gentlemen I took my final on Thursday, and I have made it through another semester! This one was by far the hardest, but I must say it is a good, nope lets say great, feeling to have made it through! I only have 2 semesters left. Summer starts on May 29th, and I have one class and one internship. Mid- July I will be done with summer semester, and I will only have 2 internships in the fall semester that will run from August to November... and then it will be the national licensing exam and then I will officially be a PTA....... granted I pass those things I just mentioned......:) Yay! There is light at the end of the tunnel and it feels SO good!
I had a week to prepare for my final, and so I decided to take a road trip and do absolutely no studying at all. (This decision was encouraged by my wonderfully supportive husband whose outlook on schoolwork is very enlightening) Best decision ever! Madi and I went to Idaho to meet the newest addition to our family! Cannon. Such a sweet little newborn. I was so proud of Madi, she was very gentle and soft, and we had even practiced some lullaby's on our 10 hour drive to Idaho and she sang him one! Hush little baby... it's a favorite now. :) However she found his bouncy seat to be super appealing and she totally stole it. Don't worry I'm teaching her that stealing is wrong, and even more so when it is a newborn... :) When she first saw Cannon she wanted him to sit in the bouncy seat right away! That was where he belonged in her eyes... ha ha "right there mom!" but I was selfish and wanted to hold him! So I did... hee hee... Then, Anthony and Betsy were kind enough to let her "hold" him... (I was freaking out... so I made them do it...) And she did much better than I anticipated, which was a huge relief. But then she decided if he wasn't going to use that seat, she would. I think we might have to go get hers out of storage. That was by far her favorite seat in the house. When it was available she would plop her 23 lb. body into the little seat... I cringed, but Anthony assured me it was built for up to 30 lbs. However when Cannon was sitting in the seat, she wanted to help him bounce... but to her the bigger the bounce the better.... so needless to say, she didn't get to bounce him all that much. :) Mr. Cannon is so sweet, cute and lovable... have I mentioned that yet? I was amazed to see how small newborns are! Ha ha you really do forget that your child was once that size! Anyways it was a great break to see cutie Cannon and spend time with some family.
While we were in Idaho, Madi and I stayed with our friends which was amazing. They have 4 kids and so their house was a haven for Madi... It was fantastic! There wasn't anything she could break, and if she could, there was a good chance it had already had its own struggle with a different child. It is always so great to go see them. They are such a great example of how chaos can be organized and delightful! I love their family and I'm so glad they let us crash their place for a few days. Madi enjoyed playing with them and they were all a huge help! They even baby-sat for me one evening while I went to the temple. I miss being that close to one...
I'm going to post some pictures of our trip... and hopefully they will load in chronological order.. But you will see us all packed up and heading out, meeting Cannon, Playing with friends, Madi learning all kinds of new technology, and the awesome weather that followed us home. :)
I'm in such a great mood it makes me wonder why I go to school... ha ha but I know if I wasn't doing it, I wouldn't feel this good on "break"... So it really makes me appreciate my situation. I'm growing more aware of how blessed I am to have such a great husband who supports my decision to do this, and lets me spend his money on this.... He has yet to benefit from me starting this adventure.... and yet he still is great and helps me finish... granted I have adopted his outlook on schoolwork and I must say... it is a much better approach. :)
Well I hope you enjoy the pictures! I just want to mention my favorite things about Cannon.
1. HIS HAIR IS AMAZING.... and its so soft... (he was all snuggled up and I found myself rubbing my chin on his hair! didn't even know I was doing it)
2. His snugliness.... I just made that word up, but he is so snugly and I just loved it
3. His very relaxed nature... he was so chill, he would start to wake up and then stretch really big and then his arms would just flop into relaxation... So cute.
I'm a very proud auntie I must say!! And just in case you haven't caught the vision, Cannon is a super cute baby of whom you should admire! :)

 Packed up and ready to go!! I think we have everything!...... Literally I mean I think we have everything! :)

 My plan worked!! I didn't let her nap, and we left around 3 and within the first 10 minutes she was out... You can see Elmo didn't even get a chance to get thrown on the ground!

 An awesome dinner. A McDonalds chocolate milkshake.

 Mountains! Ahh yes I remember what they look like now!!

 Prized Madi being pullled around by her friends... :) She was loving life...

 A swingset to play on in the back yard!! What more do you need!??

 Friends to paint her nails?? Life doesn't get a whole lot better than this!

 Baby Cannon!! Look how precious he is!

 A snuck a picture in while he was sleeping... just after a bath... look at that awesome hair!

 Speaking of hair!! We crimped Madi's hair... it was fantastic!

 She got to go investigate at her friends pre-school... I wish I had something like this to take her to here... she loved it!

 I'm so impressed by her ability to run electronics. It is amazing to see how quickly she learns. You can totally tell this generation is built to use electronics... I can't wait to see what Cannon can do. Uncle Anthony was showing Madi the loops of the iPad.... she was in heaven.

 And I was in heaven holding this little guy! Seriously look at that amazing hair!! So sweet.

 After a big stretch... back to relaxing... I love his face!!

 Madi rode in Grammy's truck... there was a DVD player in the headrest... wouldn't you know? And she got to use headphones... she was so content.

 In the picture booth in the mall... where Madi ran the show of what we would do and when we would do it, and for how long we would do it.

 Upon getting ready to leave this is what welcomed us onto the road...

 And during the drive home.....

 Yup... still more snow. Fortunately the it was warm enough the roads were just wet.

 Halfway home stop... I felt as though I should help instead of taking a picture... but anyone who can get themselves into a position like that, should be able to get themselves out right? Ha ha... It worked out.

 Pit stop 3/4 of the way home to get a snack and a new toy...

Home at last... I think she was pretty happy to be in her bed. :)

Hope you have a wonderful day and thanks for reading my blog!

An addition to the family!!

We are officially Uncle Brian and Aunt Ashley! And Madi has a cousin!! Yay! Cannon was born on April 11th and we are so excited! Madi and I are going to visit next week! I'm excited to see how Madi does with a newborn! I hope she is nice... :) We shall see.
And we have another cousin on the way for Madi!! It is so fun to see our families growing! We have high hopes of moving closer to our siblings so that cousins can have fun play dates.... and lets be honest we are excited to leave this boom town. :)
So I did officially give up on potty training. I said I didn't want to change any diapers in 2012... well that was a huge mistake... probably shouldn't have ever declared that. oops. Anyways we are back in diapers. And i'm not really okay with it.... but for my sanity and my childs well being I have found that is the way it has to be. :'(
I don't want her to go to preschool and get made fun of by the other kids! I don't want that to be her turning point.... So hopefully when she decides for herself that she would like to be potty trained, it is before she is 4! :) But since I gave up we have all been much happier. Actually sunday was the best sunday we have had in a LONG LONG time. Every sunday has always been the same, we all get up and from 7:00 until church starts at 9:00 there are multiple tantrums and screaming... well then we get to church sit down and 10 minutes in it begins again... well we have the "church bag" full of fun quiet things to do, favorite books, yummy snacks, but she rummages through the whole bag in the following 10 - 15 minutes. Then she is ready to go play with kids... well we still have 45 min. So let the struggles begin. Meanwhile we aren't getting a whole lot out of what is being said, as we are simply trying to keep her calm enough and quiet enough to not disturb everyone else. So we do the battles of in and sitting to out of the chapel and in quiet time which = in trouble. So in and out at least 4 times... By the time the first hour is over, i'm exahusted and cranky, brian also has had his fair share and is ready to head home and strap her into lock down... But that is when she becomes a little saint.... she wants so badly to go "play with kids" (At church the first hour everyone is together, then the next 2 hours are separated. So toddlers can go to nursery) But 1/2 the time she has worked herself up so much that she has gotten a bloody nose, so we (the parents) have blood on our arms and shirts and madi has it all over her dress... UGH... anyways half the time she doesn't get to play with kids. Sad for her... BUT last sunday I feel as though she may have caught on! She behaved amazing through the entire first hour of church! NO outbursts!! So she got to go play with kids, we got to enjoy our classes, and we even had a few meetings after church and she did SO amazing! She was happy and not one tantrum... until we were heading out the door... But considering what normally happens we were feeling super awesome! We all headed home and everyone was happy and no one had blood stains! It was a fantastic day! So that being a result I am fine with my child still being in diapers. Don't get me wrong I still feel sad that I spent so much energy and time helping her figure out the toilet, I am praying that when she decides she is ready then she will already know how and what, and then she will have the why. :) That is the hope anyways. Well I'm going to post this and then add some pictures from my phone. We went to the library for story time and she made a crown. If you ask her she will tell you it is her princess crown. I love the way she says princess. "pwinsess"
Anyways then we went to the park, and there are some pics of how we made bathtime a little more enjoyable!! And also how she makes eating even more difficult. But just enjoy the pictures.... They are much more interesting than me!! :)
OH and just in case you are following my forever long college experience, I did finish my labs in NM and I'm so happy! The end was a great one for me, and I felt as though I learned more during those 2 weeks that better prepared me for actual work in a clinic. It was exciting to feel as though I could actually work with patients and not fail as a PTA.  :) Anyways I have 2 more exams and then a short break before I begin my summer semester. I will only have one class, but I will also be doing my first internship. So we shall see how it all works out. Surely it will be exciting. :)  

A little me time....

I am in Farmington, NM right now. Again at my labs for school.... I have been here a few days and have quite a few more to go. It has been a nice break from the daily routine of life, but is full of other challenges too. Right now I should be studying but I became side tracked by wonderful blogs that I love to read and decided I should update my own. :) There are a few things I need to update:

Potty-training:
I have pretty much given up. Yes I have thrown in the towel on the whole process. Right now little miss Madi is having the time of her life with grandparents that love having her around.. (hopefully she doesn't wear that welcome out)... but I decided that she knows exactly what to do! She can tell me what needs to happen when one needs to go potty - so she has the comprehension. She has proved that she can do it - so she has the capability.... So the only thing lacking is the desire... How do you motivate a self-driven, strong-willed, super and i mean super independent, child..... no make that a 2.5 year old, to be motivated to go to the bathroom on the potty? Well you might be saying: a sticker chart - tried it, candy - tried it, big rewards - tried it, toys that she picked out herself - tried it, favorite activity trips (park or library) - tried it, special mommy time with stories - tried it, wrapping little surprises as rewards - tried it, decorating the bathroom one glittery star dangler at a time reward - tried it..... I could keep going, but I feel this list is sufficient. I have tried everything, well okay not everything because that would be impossible as there are a million and ten ideas BUT I have read books, and articles, and online blogs about what to do, and it's not working. So this is me admitting defeat and saying I was wrong. I cannot potty train this child. So now that I have said that I'm sure she will potty train herself and show me how big she is and what an awesome job she can do!! Ha ha  ha... But none of you can mention this new approach to her! I mean this is of course not my last attempt and try at potty training....... :)
Reverse psychology has worked on me numerous times... perhaps I could get lucky and this could work for Madi as well?? My creative bank has run dry and I'm out of options. I don't want to clean up messes for months on end. And I'm tired of changing the sheets on her bed more frequently than I feel necessary.... Many say this is the worst thing you could do, Many say I did the worst thing in trying to potty train her on my time instead of hers, Many say that you can just let them do it and you won't have to potty train them, they will do it themselves.... well I have learned that my child does not fall into any normal categories and she definitely will not let someone else define her, so this epistle is to make me feel better by justifying my actions.... So there you have it. I will not win any mom of the year awards, but I'm pretty sure those weren't coming anyways.

Going to school online has been one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced. It is hard for me, and I'm a very hands on person. I like to ask questions when I have them and with this program I have had to become more self-reliant in figuring out problems and learning on my own. I'm very grateful to my Heavenly Father for guiding me to this opportuninty and I do feel very blessed to be in this program. That being said, I will be SO HAPPY... i mean SO HAPPY .... when this is done. I will only have to come to Farmington one more time and that time will only be for 8 days! So fantastic! Then i have my internships (3) and then in November, I will have completed this program and then I will only have my state boards to take to be a LPTA. That will be a very happy day for me. I am writing this to motivate myself to attack the pile of notes stacked on my hotel bed that seem to just be staring at me, waiting for their turn for review.
 I miss my family when I come down here but this time has been different. I'm enjoying my time away as I am able to have some nice quiet study time all to myself. I wouldn't want to live like this - wake up, go to work/school/ whatever for 10-12 hours, come home, go to bed, do it all over again... but it has been a nice break from the vicious 2 year old I left behind. :)
She isn't nasty all the time, we have great moments, but I haven't had one fight in the few days I have been here... Can't say that has happened for a long time. I wake up and don't feel as though the invisible announcer will say "and in this corner we have at 2 feet 8 inches, full of brute strength and endless energy MADISON, and in that corner we have...........mom." Ha ha ha... Alas the break will make me miss those rounds we go.... At least I assume by the end of this I will miss them? Maybe not... but I will at least miss being a mom at home.
I miss my hubby too... It is hard to be away from the one that you choose to be around all the time, and I don't get in the boxing ring with him... so there isn't a whole lot that makes me feel like I need a break from him... He does a great job of supporting me in my endeavors, and I feel very fortunate to have him. He is a very good man.

Well this is officially longer than it should be as I have lots and lots of information to review, but it has been nice to remind myself and document these things. I have said some things that may put a damper on your vision of our little spitfire... But the more I read the more I understand she is just "intense" There is no other way to describe it, but she is intense... However even though the intense madness can be overwhelming and so difficult, it also means she is an intense love bug too. She gives intense hugs, and can be the best intense friend you have ever had. So in all the madness there are those bright shining stars that make it all worth it. At least that is what those parenting books keep telling me, oh yes and those people whose little children are no longer little and have all grown up. So I will try to remember that and enjoy the journey, because I believe that is why we are here. To have joy!


Disclaimer - I said I will try to remember..... that doesn't mean it will always happen.... :)

What a goober!

So I'm really enjoying my new phone and it's awesome I can lie in bed and update my blog with the daily happenings... So these pictures show what happens when the time changes!! Some people don't like it but we love it!! Madi somehow over winter decided the four wheeler was a great thing!!! Yay for us! Finally a year later she uses the toy that we bought thinking she would love it from the beginning. Anyways she does it all by herself... No taping the throttle down or anything!! :) Brian started prepping the area we deemed "flower garden" :) we shall see how it turns out.
The bucket over the head pictures well... Here is the story: madi had an accident and I told her she had to go to the bathroom and get changed. ( potty training update is for later) well I'm cleaning up the spot and I realize it is super quiet. Well that's never good.... So I peaked in the bathroom and I started just laughing! So I had to go get my phone and take a picture. I was so happy to find all that had happened was the garbage can got dumped out. :) not too big of a mess. :) I can handle that! :)

A new way to blog!

So as many of you know, Brian has been very anti smartphones... Well I had been looking at an iPhone for sometime and debating whether it was really worth it. I wanted to do it but couldn't seem to pull the trigger. So on a Saturday I went with the youth to a stake activity and I was gone all day. But when I got home there was this ringing and I found an iPhone hidden! My hubby went and got it for me! To my surprise and delight he got himself one too! So we have joined a new age!! And joined the smartphone family. Anyways I'm trying this out and seeing how well it will work to update my blog. So below are some of the fun things we've done recently. Today was beautiful and in the 60's so we enjoyed the park and got some riding in too! Awesome day. Other pictures are fun cookies we made and random stuff at home. I hope you enjoy!! Happy spring to you!! Hopefully it stays? :)