Kicking off November Birthdays

 Happy Birthday to Michael!

We celebrated Wednesday but it wasn't too exciting for him with two kids at school and a verrry pregnant wife. He got some new shirts and requested falafel and apple crisp, and he... worked in the yard a lot. Oh adulthood. Our leaves are just sooo much. Last year I painted all while he was working on them and this year I grew a baby all while he was working on them but I promised to help him next year.

We also celebrated Westin's birthday this weekend with a birthday party Friday and a date night with him on Saturday. My parents got here Friday during the party and he was a happy kid with friends and grandparents around. It was sweet of them to take care of Camden and Bennett Saturday night so we could have some one on one time with Westy. He's in a hard emotional stage lately and he was just a different kid from the minute we left on that date to the minute we got home. One on one time is so important. I am looking forward to fitting it into a solid routine once this little baby is more able to be planned around. But I can also do better at recognizing the one on one opportunities there are even in the busy and routine days.

We are reading the Magic Tree House books together at night and Westin and Bennett really love them. Westin reads one page of each chapter. Camden loves Freight Train more than any other book, and Bennett shows up for any and all books when someone's being read to, whether it's Westin's chapter books or Camden's picture books.

I toured a public charter school this week, figuring out the right path for your kids is super overwhelming. Especially when all kids are so different, and convenience is such a huge factor when you're still in the baby/toddler stage.

My heart is in the NICU in Salt Lake these days and with my recovering sister! It's crazy to have c-sections so close to each other and cute little boys. I can't wait to meet her sweet little guy.

And tomorrow we meet ours! One night to baby.

It feels natural to say I can't believe it, but it's not very true. Been major prepping for this day for months and I DO believe it's high time he comes out and joins the crew :) Such an antsy and surreal feeling going into a night before surgery. Michael is on call this week, which so often doesn't mean too much work but he has been slammed. Long call hours and new babies is sending me right back into residency mode so I actually feel more capable than usual and made a huge pot of soup and two loaves of bread today to set up my parents this week because... my kids are a lot and we all know it :) They're so nice to come take care of us between stretches of taking care of Ali's family. What a time!

Here we go to four kids!

We admittedly watched a little more TV this final week of pregnancy,
while big brothers were at school...
Thanks, Cocomelon.

Sweet nephew Dallin is doing better each day!
I can't wait to meet him.

Camden loves playing catch lately

Of everything we've changed in our house,
for some reason this hallway is one of my favorite views.
It was so much work to get rid of all that yellow.

First Grade!

Pre-K year 2!

We set our rocking chair back up in our room,
so here's my view lately. Boys playing,
and baby stuff slowly coming back into our lives.
So many sweet hours in this chair.

Peek-a-boo is a big favorite lately

My last pregnant walk to school.
These have been... harder every day, obviously. I remember counting in my head how many I had left when it was in the 80s and feeling so worried if we'd make it haha.
I started driving to pick up Bennett during the half day mark, and the last two weeks a couple sweet neighbors picked up Westin for me. So we just did a morning walk each day through to the end.

A birthday party for Westy boy!
I found the simplest most mess free craft and had no regrets.

His one request was a pinata.
I'll never forget filling it up with the candy I bought,
and Bennett running to get his Halloween candy and telling me he wanted to put it all inside too.
I convinced him to keep some for himself but that boy's big heart is the cutest.

Camden's first pinata swing. Our mini Louisville slugger bats sure are perfect for pinatas!

Blurry, but had to capture what it feels like reading to three kids
but one of them is inside of you. I can't believe how big bellies get!

Birthday date!
This kid is a little bummed his actual birthday is Thanksgiving Day,
but at least we fit in a party and a date this weekend before baby.
He requested Texas Roadhouse for the rolls :)

I remembered posting a picture of him loving these rolls when he was just 1 or 2,
so I found it and these two recreated it that night. Can't believe what 5 years has done to this cutie!
So big.

Camden started this Daylight Savings day at 4:45am. 
He'd eaten two breakfasts by 8:45am. 
That's no way to live.
But he did enjoy refilling the eggs with Michael during that time.
Sweet Michael is sure patient with this kid... he's SUCH a daddy's boy.