March Madness & Bike Rides

Two pictures.

All I have from this week are two pictures. 

One from a bike ride, and one from our house the moment before it was filled with 25+ people to watch the BYU vs. Alabama game. 

But it was much more than those two moments I captured!

On Monday we went to Trivia night with the Behunins and Gregories, which is one of my very favorite things. Tuesday we watched our hallmark movie that the young women made and they make me laugh SO much, plus the Lord of the Rings videos the young men made which were amazing. Wednesday Michael was home and we got some things done. Thursday I rode 9 miles with Camden (Asher on my bike) to and from my presidency meeting for Young Women. We're trying to get on our bikes more! Then that night we hosted a bunch of friends for the (heartbreaking) BYU game, but friends and pizza are always fun even without a win. Friday Michael went to a cabin with a lot of guys from the stake where they had some meaningful discussions about fatherhood, marriage, plus spiritual and professional goals and situations. He has such a unique network of men out here and I'm so grateful for them. 

On Saturday morning I took the boys to clean the church, then took Bennett to a birthday party. Michael came home and told us all about his fun cabin time, and picked Bennett up. Westin went to a dragon show with a friend at the Lincoln Center, which Bennett had gone to the day before on a field trip, and I loved that they both independently got to see that.

Sunday was Ward conference and I really loved our special ward council that morning. We talked all about receiving revelation for your calling. Bennett said the prayer in sacrament meeting and he was so cute about it. "My name is on the program! Can I keep it? I'm kind of famous!" Then he said, "Heavenly Father... please help us have a good day... and feel the Holy Ghost.......... amen." Haha such a sudden and short ending and we just loved seeing him do that. Westin just stared at him in disbelief all during Bennett's excitement to go say the prayer haha.

Sunday was a slow day where we happily found some cookie dough in the freezer to cook, watched more basketball, and stomached as many board games as we could with our little Asher addict. 

I love these guys.

My Power Trail guys!
They ride two miles while I walk every morning,
and then we've been going on rides after that with Asher on my bike seat.
So Camden ends up clocking quite the mileage and he never whines, just loves it!

The calm before the BYU-crew storm.
Not the ending we wanted, but so fun.

Spring Break with Boones

 We spent most of our Spring Break week at the Boones helping out with Ali's first week home from the hospital.

Westin and Bennett LOVED time in Lehi. Westin loved going to the store alone with Jonas, Bennett loved learning chess from Lydia, they helped out with chores and watching dogs and taking care of chickens. They really love their cousins so much and I think it was really fun for them to have an independent week where they were the youngest ones around instead of the oldest. I was so grateful for the Miner family for taking care of them all that week.

I took care of the littles while Ali recovered and Matthias fit one more week of work in before using his precious paternity leave. The kids were pretty emotional once their parents came back in the picture. It's so hard to suddenly have them back around but not fully back around due to work and healing and helping the baby. I think they were 100% ready for me to get the heck out of there by the end of the week, this aunt who kept trying to run their show all week. When we get together in July I will be nothing but the fun aunt to them, zero rule enforcement will be happening.

We made it home to Michael on Friday afternoon after a smooth and safe trip, which always gives me the biggest sigh of relief. He sure missed his crew and we were so happy to be back in the same spot as him! Saturday we had fun getting together with a bunch of friends to watch BYU make it to the SWEET SIXTEEN. Westin is so into March Madness and we've had basketball on constantly. Such a fun time of year.

Leprechaun morning!

These kiddos were so excited for leprechaun cereal.

Annie looooooves holding the baby.
Annie haaaaaaates not holding the baby :)

Green kiddos!
That's a doll, not Isaac. Just FYI.

Annie was highs and lows and lows and highs this week, poor girl.
Quite a journey to become a big sister.

My dance coach came to our Midway book signing and I loved seeing her so much!
I haven't seen her in probably 15 years.

Asher did not love that I left him with Jenny for a day for book stuff with Kindal,
while all his brothers were in Lehi, too.
But soon he was totally fine with it and was a pretty big guy :)

Did we forget to take a single picture together during our signing?
We did.
But we loved having a day together and grabbing dinner after before it was back to real life.

Asher was very into yoga this week.

Sweet Wild Kratts afternoons,
whew these kiddos are a lot!

Oldest cousin, youngest cousin.
Hard to believe this big, sweet Jaren is ready to turn his mission papers in next month.

March Madness brackets for everybody!
I love that Asher kept picking Liberty (Paw Patrol!) and San Diego (SeaWorld!) all the way to his final game.

Grandpa can get any baby to sleep.

I was very content entering in all my kids brackets to our online pool while watching my dad rock little Isaac to sleep. 

100 lessons to read is a journey.... but Camden sure is a cutie working hard at it!

Baby's first walk!
I loved wearing him in my old Moby wrap.
My muscle memory remembered how to put it on even I logically thought I didn't know how.

The little bros really missed the big bros this week.
They loved having them at Ali's house for our last couple days.

Ali's first walk outside. C-sections are so much.

What a crew...
I remember Ali taking care of me when I just had Westin. We barely saw each other that first day, just passing the baby back and forth and trying to get sleep and showers and food.
Now we keep 8 people alive and the baby is the easy one :)

Westin asked to hold him again before he went to bed his last night and I thought that was so sweet.
They'll be almost the same distance apart as Westin and Jaren.

Travel Day! We're professionals.
I love picking up my traditional Texas Tab on the way home from Utah.

Michael grilled us the most delicious dinner when we rolled into town Friday.
He sure missed his boys. And me :) He's such a good dad.

Big BYU Game!
We watched at the Baileys with a bunch of friends and the boys were all SO HYPED.

Root Beer Floats to get us through the stress.

Asher is so happy that Kitty has started trusting him for some lap time lately.
That means he's growing up! She trusts he won't be too crazy or she'd never do this :)

Welcome, Baby Isaac!

We started the week with Grandma, Grandpa, and Grandma Malin at our house and the boys loved their days with them. Lots of Cover Your Assets, biking to Sprouts, and going to parks. 

On Thursday I drove the boys to Utah and we stopped at the hospital on our way to meet sweet baby Isaac. Ali had her third c-section, fourth baby, and this marked our last little cousin on both sides for my boys. What an era! We were so happy to hold that sweet little boy and meet his healthy little self. Such a special time.

From there, Westin and Bennett left for a week in Lehi with Logan and Jenny's family. A Spring Break with big kids! They were so excited to spend a week with their cousins. I'm missing them!

I headed to Ali's house where I held down the fort with 5 kids under 5. Elise and Camden, Dallin and Asher, and little Annie. It was wild and crazy.

Ali and Matthias and Isaac came home on Saturday and her kiddos were SO excited to have their baby brother home. They have already held their brother more than any brothers held babies in my house for like, their entire lives. I just don't have boys that are into babies :) BUT they did hold little Isaac and it was so cute. We're heading into a few more days here to get Ali through her first week home! 

Camden loved playing Cover Your Assets with Grammy

What a fun thing to have four generations together for the weekend. 
We felt so lucky to have time with Grandma Malin and Grandma and Grandpa!

A new cutting board from Grandpa!
He always makes such beautiful things!

Our Young Women made their own version of a Hallmark movie and I just think they are the best.
This is my friend Carrie playing the role of "train station sign" and this makes me laugh so much.

Meeting baby Isaac! We met him right on our way into town and it was so happy to see him and Ali doing so well.

Their last new little cousin!
The end of such an era.

And then I went home to handle this crew for a couple days :)
What a busy group of cuties!

Little Annie.
It's hard to not be the baby anymore and she was feeling all the feelings this week!

Those 3-year-old boys.
I just straight up think living life with a 3-year-old boy is a gift,
they're hilarious.

Always felt accomplished when I got everyone out for a walk.

Camden loved watching Elise do Waterford preschool.

Caught this cute girl just looking at a picture of her Grandma and Grandpa.

Pi Day!
Quiche and mini Apple pies for dinner.
The kiddos loved this dinner.

Pi Day over in Lehi too!
Westin and Bennett loved their days with their fun cousins.

Sweet baby Isaac

They're home!
The kiddos couldn't get enough of holding the baby.

No smell matches this.
The most tender, sweet time.

Sweet family, all here!

Slow mornings trying to keep this crew quiet for whoever is managing to still get some sleep :)
Lots of tag team efforts and late night calls and texts!

Morning basement play before the craziness that is breakfast.

Led some early morning yoga sessions haha.

I just can't get over these mountain views, ever.

Some leprechauns got us ready for St. Patrick's Day!