24 Hours

Approximately 24 hours ago I called a nurse's hotline because Leila's "cold" had turned into lots of wheezing and coughing....figure, ask the nurse if there's anything I could do....

Nurse said, not much could be done but go to the doctor the next day.

I wasn't worried, I mean, does this little girl scream "I'm sick"?

Leila didn't sleep so well that night and woke up in the morning.

Soon after, Eden came running in my room.

To stall having to wake up....I put Leila in bed with me and told Eden, "You should go get dressed." She was pretty excited because she knew she could do this all by herself.

This is how she came back.

(With the exception that she wasn't carrying the wipe case) But she yelled, "Look mom! I'm a Zebra today!" She was very excited.

Then I gave my doctor a call and went to their office soon thereafter.

It was a family event because Tyson's school was cancelled due to a large storm...and I don't like driving in that kind of weather.

Leila hates doctors....with a passion. Pretty much any stranger that comes within her "bubble" is an enemy. She's a big fan of "stranger danger".

Anyhow, the doctor listened to her breathing, gave her an asthma treatment to help her out, took a swab to be tested, then took her to another room to get "deep suctioned" (a rather traumatizing event).

Then the test came back positive....RSV.

Does this little girl look like a girl who has RSV?

She's the happiest RSV baby ever.

Pretty much they don't anticipate it getting worse. But if a high fever or breathing gets worse...take her to urgent care. But she's contagious for a week and the doctor said that it could take until April before her coughing and mucus clear up. Bleh.

We have a follow up appointment on Friday.

Then while taking these pictures of my children I realized....today's a very stripe-y day.

But my kids sure are cute. We're stuck at home, but at least we're having a good time. Heavenly Father is watching out for us and Leila's RSV is very mild.

Eden on the other hand...."mild" isn't the word I would use to describe ANY two year old.

Another positive, weathers so bad that today AND tomorrow Tyson's school is cancelled. So he gets to spend time with us at home. I don't mind the storm....not at all.

Potty Training and Girls' Room: Part....umm....

Part 4?

It has obviously taken some time for me to get around to finishing this project if I can't even remember the last thing I did to girl's room to decorate (or at least TRY my hand at decorating).

Laundry bags and dragonfly hanger. (Man, I wish I were a good photographer.)

I sewed these laundry bags (one for lights and one for darks) quite some time ago but they were left hanging on the closet door handles for a long time. We had this wood board....so we decided to by dragonflies and spray paint to create this hanger (which we had all items for a long time but kept putting off putting it together until now).

Here's where they are in the room.
And of course....as we're going to Target to buy nails to FINALLY finish up this project and get it hung on the wall....I see pretty much the exact same board with dragonfly hangers for sale. Go figure huh?

And since we got nails, we were able to hang some pictures on the wall as well. (Yes, I realize that we're moving to Colorado soon and we're putting extra holes in walls anyway.)

Tyson's already told me that he's not a fan of the pink wall. Says its too bright. I actually kind of like it (I think it looks better in real life than in pictures) but I'm not disappointed that we'll never have a bright pink wall in our house again.
Then there's this project....
Oh dear. How can I best put it....

Eden and I spend an entire day dedicated to "potty training" and I feel like we've made NO progress. Its true. NONE.

I've already tried the "Potty Training in Less Than a Day" and both of us were tired and frustrated after about 2 hours.

So, this time I thought, we'll just put her in underwear, keep her in the kitchen all day long, have to spend lots of time sitting on the potty while we read books, don't get frustrated with her if she has an accident, and reward her with a treat if she goes in the potty.

Now she just thinks that "potty training" means "sitting on this little pink chair half naked reading books".....which she LOVED.

We read:

• Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes (twice)
• Nursery Songs by H. A. Rey
• Music Play by H. A. Rey
• The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper (twice)
• My First Book of Mormon retold by Deanna Buck (the WHOLE book)
• All You Ever Need by Max Lucado
• You are Special by Max Lucado
• Arthur Babysits by Marc Brown (twice)
• Arthur's Tooth by Marc Brown
• Arthur's Computer Disaster by Marc Brown (twice)
• Arthur's First Sleepover by Marc Brown (twice)
• Arthur's Eyes by Marc Brown
• Arthur Meets the President by Marc Brown

Not to mention looking at a few "I Spy" type books and her nap time and bed time stories.

And these aren't super short books. Eden LOVED it to say the least.

But after spending all that time sitting on the toilet and reading....she still managed to only go potty in it .5 times. Yeah, she doesn't seem to understand the concept. I think (I wasn't watching at the time) what happened was that she was wanting to read a book, so she went to the potty, pulled down the underwear, and sat down. Then she realized she was going...and quickly shot up and started to come towards me.

I tried to help her understand that going in the toilet was a GOOD thing, so I showed her what she did right, gave her a treat, went to dad to tell him and give him a hug....

But she apparently didn't finish going....

Two minutes later she had a LARGE accident on the floor. Then said, "Uh-oh. Am I in trouble now?" I said no, it was just an accident but she needed to try and go on the potty.

I put on a diaper at night.

This morning she woke up and said, "It's Potty Training Day again!! Let's read a book!"

I'm not sure what to do....

Although, when I put her diaper back on for nap time she kept tugging at it because she now finds her diaper more uncomfortable than her underwear. I guess maybe that's incentive?

I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is....

There's something in her little brain that just needs to "CLICK". Then she'll understand and never have a problem again. She just hasn't quite figured out WHAT she's supposed to be doing. And I can't figure out how to explain it to her. Hopefully it clicks sooner rather than later....

A Smile On My Face

TO START....

Alright...I think my last post may have given the impression that I'm some sort of depressed soul with little self esteem.

Not true.

In a nutshell, I was attempting to say "I realize I'm flawed....I should make some improvements." (hmm....maybe I should have just written THAT....that was much shorter and gets the point across.) But I'm not a dreadfully unhappy person.

WITH THAT SAID....

Here's something that truly puts a SMILE on my face...

Laundry.

*sigh of happiness*

Just saying it makes me happy....Laundry. :)

EXPLANATION:

My husband came home a earlier from Utah than I did. While I was away he gave me a wonderful gift. He fixed our dryer.

It wasn't broken....just burdensome.

It would catch on clothes creating large, brown marks and streaks on our clothes or putting rips and tears in them.

My OLD Laundry Routine:

1. Before putting clothes in washer, turn all clothing inside out.
2. Do up any buttons or snaps (baby clothes were a PAIN...snaps, snaps, snaps)
3. Wash clothes in washer.
4. Take out all clothes with loose ends, strings, collars, and/or looser buttons to hang dry (cause otherwise they would get caught in the dryer and ruin)
5. Turn on the dryer for 30 minutes.
6. Hang or lay flat items that couldn't go in the dryer.
7. Once 30 minutes are up. Check on the clothes in case something was caught.
8. Rotate some of the clothes around cause some would get caught in crevasses and end up a tight and undried wad at the end of the cycle.
9. Turn on the dryer for another 30 minutes to finish drying.
10. Fold clothes.
11. Put clothes away.

Now, thanks to my wonderful husband....

My NEW Laundry Routine:

1. Wash clothes in washer.
2. Dry clothes in dryer.
3. Fold clothes.
4. Put clothes away.

Oh....just thinking about it makes me so smile. I am happy.

"The Re-Vamp" A Novel by Bethany

As a warning...there's a REASON I call this a novel. If you read all this, bless your heart.

I am scared.

I admit it.

A few posts back I talked about New Year's Re-Vamp (I don't like the word "resolutions"...seems like I'm only doing temporary changes in my life and then find myself going back to the same old rut I was in before).

I've pondered. I've prayed. And I keep going back to the same thing over and over again.

And I suppose it took me this long to decide to focus on it because.....it scares me.

The goal: Happiness

That's what I decided to call it, because that is what it all comes down to in the end. Happiness.

Blog Reader: "Wait, being happy scares you?"

Me: "Why yes, yes it does."

Let me explain...

Have you ever heard the phrase, "The more you know, the more you know you don't know."?

It's true.

I've been doing some soul searching...probably started about a year into married life. And the more I got to know who I was...the more I realized my flaws...and the more I became unhappy with myself as a person. ("Unhappy" might be a strong word...perhaps "Confused" is better.)

I really struggled trying to find the connection between "Who am I?" and "Who do I want to be?" They seemed to be polar opposites but I never considered myself a bad person. I was stuck. I liked who I was...but I hated who I was at the same time.

Then I went on a trip with my family to Oregon.

This was back in the summer.

It was a long drive back from Oregon to Utah and I had an in depth conversation with my husband. We were playing a game of "describe a person as a whole in one word".

Then the game turned to me.

We were stuck. Unable to define who I was.

The only word we could come up with was "potential". (Sounds so harsh like "you just ain't good enough right now", but we meant it more like "has lots of goals and aspirations in life that I'm able to reach")

Tyson and I decided to "ask around" to find out better words for me....

We pulled out the cell phone

*Call mom

*Call sisters

*Call everyone else that was on the road from Oregon to Utah

This was their list of descriptive words for me:

• Friendly
• Happy
• Easy Going
• Caring/Motherly
• Daring
• Dedicated/Devoted
• Responsible
• Passionate
• Detail-Specific

We further questioned "Daring" and my dad explained that he was referring to my younger days when I sought adventure...but apparently life got to me and scared me away from being that person. I find myself far from daring now...

We also sought explanation for "Detail-Specific" and my sister owned up to that one. She was saying that I was the type to follow a recipe when cooking and follow a pattern when sewing. I'm a follower.

This list was good. Very good.

Tyson and I then talked and talked and talked.

Then we separated our thoughts on paper and made lists (which my mom also mentioned that "list making" was something she thought me and Tyson had as a common bond together as a couple....we are list people.)

Here are the conclusions:

I have two big problems in my life. But both problems have both positive and negative aspects to them. 1. I'm a people-pleaser. 2. I'm a homebody.

Problem #1: I'm a People-Pleaser

Positive Side:

• Responsible
• Caring/Motherly
• Dedicated/Devoted

Negative Side:

• Compromise Myself (don't stand up for myself)
• Hide My "Light Under a Bushel" (stops my progression in life)
• Afraid to be Myself

Problem #2: I'm a Homebody

Positive Side:

• Easy Going/Content

Negative Side:

• Need Security
• Stay Inside My Comfort Zone
• Need Predictability
• Avoid Confrontation

Now that I've separated these out, I feel like I can still be MYSELF but realized what I can CHANGE to become a better version of myself.

So....happiness.

Becoming my best self.

Being happy with who I am....and just being happier in general.

Be more outgoing, think less of what others may or may not be thinking about me, like me for me, don't be afraid to take a stand and share my thoughts, have confidence.

I've also found my weaknesses lie with not being patient, not letting go of the past, and not being a worry-wart.

These are a big part of why my goal is called "Happiness". I decided that I need to simply be happier with myself, more patient and loving towards others, and don't think and worry so much. Let life happen. Find joy is small things. Have confidence in myself. Don't be scared. Don't feel intimidated. Just be happy. Even on those days when I'm unhappy and don't feel like trying to change my mood...just do it.

So, for those of you still reading this novel....there's my goal: Happiness.

I've written this partially to go out of my comfort zone and show myself to the world and partially as a mark of accountability for my actions.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Bethany, signing out.

Picture Blog

Alright, 9 posts of pictures found on my picture blog if you are interested...

http://tysonandbethany.blogspot.com/

Home Again, Home Again

We are finally back in Missouri...

I'm sad to be so far away from family, friends, temples, and "vacation mode" where I give myself budget money to spend on clothes and going out to eat and other unnecessary items that I don't allow myself to buy during the rest of the year.

I realized that I hadn't been able to post pictures and thought "I'll post some, I didn't take that many pictures anyway."

Wrong.

...33o pictures...

So, I chose a few pictures as a glimpse into my vacation.

And I've decided that I'm gonna post several pictures on my (long time, unused) picture blog tysonandbethany.blogspot.com. It may take a while, but this way people who are interested in looking at all my pictures are free to look and enjoy. :)

Crazy Fun.

Snow.

Girls' Outings.

1st Foods..Wide Mouth...Happiness.

Family Pictures.

Running Fast in Lightening McQueen slippers.

(And many other Christmas gifts)

Squishy Cheeks.

Jungle Jims.

Happy Baby.

Children's Museum.

Pleasantly Surprised

The new year rolls around (faster and faster every year) and I find myself ONCE AGAIN planning to re-vamp my life and kick myself into gear.

I hadn't really planned on "New Year's Resolutions" until Sunday during Relief Society. They talked about Elder Uchtdorf's talk in general conference and related it to New Year's resolutions. It got me thinking...

*me thinking*

"I need to re-vamp my life."

*It was a short conversation*

I created some goals and started thinking....then I remembered last year's re-vamping (click here if you are interested in visiting my past).

In a moment of daringness I decided to take a look at that old blog, planning to say to myself "oh man...better luck this year".

And my face then turned to one of pleasant surprise.

Last Year's Goals (I may forget one or two...I'm going off of memory here):

• Read Infinite Atonement....DONE
• Keep a Cleaner Kitchen....DONE (for the most part)
• Rid of My Fear of Hand-Washing Dishes....DONE
• Get Rid of Using My Little Plastic Cards and Go Cash Only....DONE
• Looking Better on the Outside to Feel Better on the Inside....DONE (for the most part)

*Swelling with Pride*

Now if I can only do as good on my NEW goals...

I'm not exactly sure what my new goals are going to be....yet. But I have decided to base my goals on the four most important relationships that Elder Uchtdorf mentioned in his talk:

1. Relationship with God
2. Relationship with Family
3. Relationship with Fellowmen
4. Relationship with Myself

So, I've decided that I want to write out 4 daily tasks to accomplish that day, one task per relationship. I do want to come up with one larger goal, find out which category it fits in and have that day's goals always working towards that larger goal.

Unfortunately, I'd have to say that some of the things I really want to improve in my life...I'm not exactly sure how improve...cause its more of a state of mind.

Examples:

• Improve my dying need to please everyone.
• Feel that my self-worth is dependent upon what other's think of me.
• Don't be afraid to go and do, be more confident and outgoing.
• Don't let little things get me down.
• Don't compare myself to others.

You know...things like that...

But I'll figure it out and get back to you.