Catch Up: April

My 2016 unintentionally became "The Year I Never Blogged"
because it intentionally became "The Year I Learned How to Be a Mom,"
and I hate the empty space over in those little drop-down year menus to your right.
So, each month is getting a retroactive rewind post.

April:

This month marked 4 years of marriage! Michael's graduation party was a much anticipated night of dressing up and having fun with friends. It was at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. My last girls' night in Indy was also so fun and so emotional. Those friends were something special, and so was our overlapping stage of life. We had fun finishing off our Indy bucket list at Conner Prairie and other spots around town. Westin started walking! We took our final trip to Louisville and drove around Kentucky with Michael's parents when they were speaking in a small brach. Hiking in Natural Bridge State Park was really fun, and our visit overlapped with Michael's grandma. Stephan and Cathryn visited us from Evansville before we moved. Still no luck with finding a rental, and pregnancy was still sick. But we still loved spring in Indy through all the crazy.

Graduation Party

Last Girls Night
Back to Front, Left to Right:
Gabby Pena, Amanda Delp, Taylor Apple, Summer Naylor, Ami Bunker, Debbie Snideman, Juli McFarland, Mary Cate Palmer, Andrea Thayn, Michaela Burns, Eloana Rueckert, Bethany Hale, Rachel Pierini, Brittney Maxwell, Courtney Montagna, Tonya Dahl, Alisa Pulham, Me, Dawn Jenks, Becca Woolf, Jocelyn Davis, and Holly Kirkwood.

Baby Cows and Little Lambs!

Dolphin Tank at the Indy Zoo

One of our favorite walks. 

Both of us carrying kids on our hike!

Louisville walks.

All boys really want to do is throw rocks in streams.

Walking boy.

We walked these bridges in Manchester Village so many times.

Sweet boys -- finally started playing with Ezra right before we had to move.

Pacers Game Mystery Shop

LeBron! But he didn't play...

Westin loved Stephan from the second he met him.

We love Stephan and Cathryn so much!

He loved MoTab videos and one put him to sleep after lunch. I put him in his crib ASAP!
Can't risk a nap being shorter than usual :)

He loves getting mail.

Always wanting to make a mess of my make up.

Westin learned to walk by using this car seat in his room. He would prop himself up on the box and then start testing out steps toward me or Michael at bedtime. It is so much fun to see them learn that milestone.

He loves this hat.

Lots of nauseous days at home but this boy didn't mind.

Catch Up: March

My 2016 unintentionally became "The Year I Never Blogged"
because it intentionally became "The Year I Learned How to Be a Mom,"
and I hate the empty space over in those little drop-down year menus to your right.
So, each month is getting a retroactive rewind post.

March:

Spring in Indy! I was SO sick with my second pregnancy. Michael was home much more because of graduation requirements finishing up, but he did have to take another set of boards since California required the WREB. That was a big stress on emotions and finances but when you have to do something you just do it. Westin was becoming more and more fun all the time and started to walk around then. He was obsessed with his dad and loved watching for him to come home in his blue truck from school each day. Bike rides were the best part of most of our weekends. Saying goodbye to the Toblers was heart-wrenching, she was such a kindred spirit all through school and pregnancy and becoming moms together. So many forever friends from our Indy time!

We tried to get prepped for our Fresno move but rentals couldn't be found that much in advance, so it was actually a pretty frustrating time in terms of moving prep. We ended up reserving a pod that month because we knew that we had a crazy string of events between our move and our residency start date and it was just the only way to go.

Indianapolis! Spring. Little Westin. Friends. Finishing School. 

I loved these weeks, even with the constant nausea.

Children's Museum in Bloomington

Loving Michael's end of dental school schedule and mini adventures around Indy. This was in Bloomington.

Easter Dinner with the Bunkers and Montagnas

Westin LOVED Ami Bunker so much. I'll never forget the times she just took him from me in Sacrament meeting or Relief Society so I could listen to something at church, including when Michael spoke in sacrament meeting. She is an angel and I will always love her.

My first broken Japanese dish. I cried! They mean so much to me.
Months and months later Michael's mom found out this one broke and gave me one of hers. She is so so sweet and now I love the dish even more. I'm obsessed with my dishes!

Easter Sunday

Announcement letter to our cousins.

Those Indy bike rides are so special in my heart.

This view.

Feeding ducks on the canal.

Conner Prairie.

First time that Michael could come along for shots at the pediatrician. So sad!
But don't worry baby boy, they're because we love you.

First time getting ice cream after said shots :)

I'll never forget how much I laughed at this girls night with Becca. SO funny.

Dinner in the car at Sonic and this boy wanted to drive.

Last walk with Miles and Westin. They were Indy buddies in the wombs and out.

Saying goodbye to these forever friends. Both expecting our second little boys!

Women's Session of General Conference

Just another Manchester event.

Almost walking!

Spending our days outside.

Walking with daddy to the creek.

I still associate the smell of jasmine with pregnancy sickness
and it's one of my least favorite smells in the world because of it.

The only way I got any sleep those days. I needed this WAY earlier with this pregnancy so I bit the bullet and bought the pillow. It even got to ride in the car instead of the Pod on our cross country adventure because I wanted it every night.

I am SO sick in this picture. When I saw these pictures I immediately remembered those days of surviving and staying home a lot. It was sad that it overlapped with my final months in Indy, but I really had no regrets. We made the most of our time there and I love that city forever because of it.

Always watching for daddy's blue truck at this time of day and getting SO excited when he'd see it!