There is such a thing as TOO MUCH Food Network

While in Boston we were limited on TV channels due to our very tight budget. So when the kids were allowed TV time the only channel they could all agree on was Food Network. I figured it was safe. I knew I wouldn't have to worry about anything inappropriate scarring my children, (except Giada, seriously woman, someone buy her a cami!) but little did I know that this channel would end up scarring me!

So in case you aren't familiar with the Food Network channel, it is basically all food, all the time. Every show is dedicated to the preparation of some sort of food, my kids' favorite shows are "Cupcake Wars", "Chopped" and "The Next Food Network Star".

So a month or so into our new life in Boston, we woke up to a sticky floor in the kitchen. Camden was apparently thirsty in the middle of the night so he decided to get himself a cup of juice mixed with additional water and who knows what else, which he did manage to pour all over the floor while getting just enough in the cup to spill on his bed and on the carpet. I was NOT happy and he got put in the corner.

(This was C's main source of punishment while we were in Boston. It was kind of hard to take toys or privileges away since he hardly had any to begin with! He had to have a towel on his head when he got put in the corner because after awhile we realized his special pink hair stuff was leaving marks on the walls.)

A couple nights later Aric and I woke up to some noises (mind you it was a 900sqft apartment, if someone was up it wasn't hard to hear them). I made Aric go check it out. In my 2 am grogginess I heard him say "Uh Jess, you better get out here" so I drug myself off of the mattress we shared on the floor...

...where we found Camden in the kitchen helping himself to some cheese and making some homemade lemonade with lemon juice and sugar...

We were not happy about this. We explained to him again how this is not okay and he cannot help himself to the kitchen in the middle of the night. At this point I was getting annoyed, we didn't know what to do. We couldn't lock him in his room because he shared it with Maya and Eden who needed to be able to get out to go to the bathroom at night.

A couple mornings later we found this mess spread out all over the kitchen...this time he had taken out a pot and it was sitting on the stove as if to cook something!!!

I couldn't believe it! Not only another gigantic mess but the waste...THE WASTE!!! I had just opened that jam, that relish and the mustard! AND he poured salsa on top of my yummy cake left overs that I was saving for myself to eat when no one was looking...I was so angry. He got yelled at, he got put in the corner, he lost his snacks and dessert for the day. There was wailing that I'm sure made our neighbors that lived next door wonder what kind of torture I was putting my child through...(though I assure you it was nothing more than the torture my nose had to endure every time I walked out of my apartment into the hall, whatever inscense they were burning or spices they were cooking with made me want to cry everyday.)

After getting in huge trouble, Maya was trying to comfort him. That is when I heard him say something about making a special dish...he also used phrases like "trying to be creative" "I liked the texture" and "something savory" and that's when it dawned on me that it was that blasted Food Network that had possessed my 3 year old!

I had good long talk with him about how there was a reason they didn't let 3 yr olds be on Chopped and that it was dangerous and that if he wanted to make something he needs to ask me and we will do it during the day...yadda, yadda, yadda. Thankfully that talk did the trick and we didn't have another kitchen incident while we were in Boston...unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about living here in Utah. So sadly, we have had to cut back on his Food Network viewing again...

Backing it up...

So clearly I have been absent in the blog world. My facebook has been hit and miss as well as my presence on instagram. I could blame it on the holidays, Aric being gone for almost a month and still adjusting to our new life here in Utah but truth be told I just needed to take a step back. There have been a lot of emotions to process and it was hard for me to do it while blogging. Looking at Boston pictures was, and is, still hard. Documenting life here didn't feel right either. I'm still accepting that this is my new home and my emotions have been all over the place so I didn't even know what to say about it...but lucky for you...Now I Do.

But before I get to my new life here, I want to finish documenting my life in Boston. I am so grateful for every minute I was there and I want to honor it. I have always loved Boston it has healed me twice. It's crazy how a place can become so sacred because of what you experienced there. So even though my heart is still heavy over it, I want to go back there so I will never forget it.

My last Boston post was the girls going back to school. Well here is a peek into my life with C while they were gone all day...

We did a little bit of pre-school stuff everyday. If only the days were as peaceful as this picture looks...

Running to the grocery store was a regular part of our week. Produce didn't last long in Boston due to the high humidity so we were constantly going to the store. Camden loved this strawberry that was "almost as big as his head".

The days were long inside the apartment so C came up with creative ways to pass the time. He was obsessed with rollerblading and skateboarding while we were there so he made these rollerblades out of knee pads.

Most days he was literally bouncing of the walls and this picture perfectly represents what it was like when we got stuck inside all day...he was just a blur of loud movement in a very small space.

We found this Cookie Monster play dough kit on clearance for five bucks and it was the best five bucks I spent! That little guy made for hours of fun...

C and I went on a few day trips but it was hard because we had to be home right at 2pm to pick up Eden. Riding the train was always an adventure. He liked to tell me in great detail where we were going and how we were going to get there.

One day we went downtown to the public gardens just the two of us. He loved playing on the monkey bars.

Camden figured out how to work the camera and we have a ton of random pictures thanks to him. It was another way he passed the time...

We were only able to fit one small container of toys for him in the car. He got bored with those toys rather quickly after of few months of the same things day after day. Thanks to Tia Ana who sent these dinosaurs and semi trucks that used to be Sammy's, C had some new stuff to play with.

Camden hated going shopping with me but every now and then we found something that made him glad he was dragged along. This hat was only $5! I had to buy it. He looked like the love child of a Wild Thing (from Where the Wild Things Are) and Tina Turner.

I couldn't decide which picture was more awesome so you get both...

He loved this hat so much he wore it all the time. He insisted on wearing it on a lunch date with me and Aric at Panera.

We went to the library a few times a week. I miss that library. It was a home away from home for us.

This kid kept me on my toes, he made me laugh and smile about as often as he made me want to scream and pull my hair out...

This is what happens when Aric remembers I packed the clippers and we all need a good laugh. Before: George Jefferson....After: Lil Bill

 Oh how I love this boy. His spirit is ten times bigger than his body and his verbal skills are still off the charts. His 4 year old sense of humor is so hilarious because it is so advanced for his age. His lack of fear scares me to death and has given me an absurd amout of gray hairs but I am so grateful for my little "all day" buddy. 

#349 Why Everyone Needs an Uncle Tia...

This is my Tia Ana (Tia = Aunt in Spanish)

Camden calls her UncleTia.

When she found out C was obsessed with Spiderman she delivered BIG TIME.

She had my 17 year old cousin, Sam's, Spiderman costume from when he was five. C had a Halloween party he was invited to on Saturday so she sent him a special package last week. He was beside himself with joy when we surprised him with her package.

He couldn't get that costume on fast enough!

He immediately tried to climb the walls...he was so disappointed when he didn't "stick". In fact tonight before he went to bed he asked me if we could buy some sticky stuff to put on his hands and his feet so he can "climb and do other cool stuff".

He tried to wear it for 48 hours straight. I only made him take it off to eat.

He took this next picture of himself using the camera and the self timer...I never showed him how to do it. He just figured it out by himself. I've got one smart little Spidey on my hands!

C is Three

This boy is three and it's breaking my heart a little tiny bit...

He had a little party with his play group a few days before his birthday. Having your birthday Thanksgiving weekend is tricky. He wanted a motorcycle party...

 On his birthday he got to have a family party.

This picture he is showing us how old he is...

These are the motorcycles he got from his sisters...

These are the Mr. Potato Heads he got from Grandma Kathy and Papa Ron...

C wanted to go to McDonald's for his birthday dessert and Papa Joe and Abuelita were able to join us...

C wanted a chocolate shake instead of cake so that is what he got...

I love this kid more than words can say. He completes our family, he completes me. He says the funniest things all the time. He loves people. He loves to be funny. He loves to dance and sing. He loves Buzz and Woody. He loves the movie Cars 2. He likes to draw faces. He likes to talk in different voices/accents. He makes me crazy most days but I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Happy Birthday to my little man!

Life Lessons Learned While Potty Training

Back story...I started potty training the second week in September. The girls had just started school and I decided to dedicate all my attention to it. Well the first two days pretty much sucked like I expected they would, we had some success but Camden pretty much decided he wanted to be in control of the situation. He totally knew what he was doing it was so frustrating!

Well my dear friend, Cami, who has the patience of Job, and loves C, and wanted him to live to see his birthday next month, decided to offer the service of all service and take him for two days to re-jump start our potty training. She worked so hard with him and it paid off. I took over on day three and it was still hairy for the next four days, but here we are a week later and my kid is in undies! We have only had two days accident free, but we have entered the Only-Diapers-At-Night phase of life...WHOO HOO! It truly is a miracle. One more experience that has strengthened my kids' testimony of prayer.

So here is what I learned while potty training...

1. Embrace the inevitable...there are times in life that you know that something hard is coming. You see it, you hear it, you feel it deep in your bones. You pretend it isn't going happen, you hope that if you just don't think about it or talk about it, it will just go away. But eventually you have to acknowledge that it is happening and you just have to face it head on.

2. Having high expectations is the fastest way to get disappointed...keep expectations low people.

3. Recognize when you need help, and accept it when it's offered...I hate realizing that I need help, even more I hate asking for help. But sometimes it is necessary to humble ourselves and accept the loving service when it is offered.

4. Accidents happen...things we don't expect or want to happen, will happen without our control. Getting mad just makes people sad and uncomfortable. Learn to go with the flow.

5. Let yourself not just enjoy the little moments but celebrate them...dancing and singing at the top of your lungs is a great way to make an ordinary day pretty awesome.

6. When you make a mess clean it up right away...u have to take responsibility for your mess and don't just do a half way job cleaning it up. Do a thorough, deep clean.

7. Acknowledge your successes...it's so easy to go through an entire day and feel like you have done nothing of real worth, but there are so many little triumphs everyday that are so easily overlooked.

8. Find what motivates you...we all lack motivation from time to time. It's important to find out what will push you and keep you moving forward. From exercise to scripture study, I need motivation. It changes depending on what is going on in my life. (Found out today that Aric and I are taking a trip to Hawaii next month so that will be motivating my exercise!)

9. Patience is a virtue worth developing...this will be a life long quest for me. For me being patient means I am giving up control over something. I like having control of my life and relationships. I don't like waiting for things. What I have learned is that being patient will always be hard for me, but when I can be it is so much better.

10. Don't ever give up!...It's so easy to throw in the towel and say "FORGET IT!" But you have to remember all the hard work you've done and the waste that it would be to let it all go. Just the idea of starting over should be enough to stay focused on the goal.

(One of C's prizes for going potty were these "super hero" wrist bands. Thank you Dollar Store for having such fantastic treasures!) 

I am beyond happy that my boy is potty trained. When Aric and I decided to adopt, one of the first things that went through my mind was "Oh Crap! I have to potty train another human!" To say I have been dreading this task is an understatement. But now it is done. It truly is a bittersweet moment. I am grateful that I won't have to do this again, but in the exact same moment there is a sadness realizing that I will never have a baby again...until C poops his pants and then I remember that it really is a good thing.