Back in Our Groove

Michael:

is busy and had an awful Saturday being on call. But, on Friday, he randomly had a window in his day and told us to come eat lunch with him. It was great! We were at the zoo with friends, which was a great morning, then we booked it over to Michael's work to pick him up. We went to a Mediterranean place for lunch and Westin was super excited to see daddy. I took Michael back to work and Westin kept talking about daddy needing to go give people shots. He thinks that is Michael's full-time job and it cracks me up. Most kids want a band-aid for their ouchies, Westin always asks us to give him a shot. So we just kind of poke him and make a shot-like noise (?) and he seems happy with the result. Good thing dad's a doctor.

Maddie:

had friends over for lunch on Monday and our kids had fun running around our backyard. And eating rocks and throwing sticks at fences. I always feel like I need a swing set but then I watch kids perfectly entertain themselves outside with nothing and then I don't want one anymore. Back and forth. We went to the zoo for the first time since Christmas, and I loved meeting up with Michael afterward. I finally feel like we are back on our game of making plans and getting out. It felt like as soon as I got a handle on two kids, potty training turned things upside down. But we're back to a groove and it feels good. I also worked out before my kids woke up for the first time in my life this weekend. (Don't judge me, you people with a 5am routine.) Michael was on call Saturday and I was so sad to miss my High class, so I got online and found one that started at 6am so I could make it back in time. Bennett eats around 5:15 and goes back to sleep, so I hit my class and the grocery store before Michael was on call at 7am. I felt like superwoman, is this how you morning people feel all the time? I also got caught up on all but one editing project that I've had on my to do list for a while, so that's feeling good to get caught up.

Westin:

is way more into playing with mom and dad than other kids (#oldestchildprobs) and I've been wanting to give him more opportunities to be with kids. When we are at our own house and kids come over, he does really well and loves being with them. When we head to another house or the park, though, it's a lot of "Come ON Mama!" His most used phrase of the week is "I'll help ya!" which usually involves pushing a chair over to see what you're doing. His cooking help has turned into mostly snacking on what I'm making, which is honestly maybe more helpful... And it cracks me up when he loves veggies and some other foods he wouldn't normally love on his plate if he feels like he's "sneaking" them while I cook. I left a bag of carrots by him while making soup, and normally at lunch he would never eat those without hummus. But while cooking he kept just snatching carrot after carrot and in reality we were both feeling pretty sneaky. I took him to a baptism with me for one of my primary kids and he was excited. We've been reading about Jesus getting baptized in the Friend and I saw his wheels turning and connecting the dots. He survived filling the font and staying for the baptism with lollipops and cookies... we try to keep sugar levels low around here, then shamelessly use it to our advantage when needed.

Bennett:

is so dang smiley. I love him so much! He's eating at midnight and 5am consistently and I love that schedule. He's still spitting up (when does this stop?) but growing and happy so it doesn't seem to faze him much. I think he loves sleeping in his own room so much. I want these boys to share a room at some point but we need to get Westin out of a crib and Bennett done with night feedings first I think. Bennett has also been taking really long naps so he's already only taking two sometimes in a day. Maybe he's in a growth spurt? I think his whole life has been one big growth spurt though? Babies. Who knows. He hasn't been in his swing in over a month and he's feeling way more grown up lately. Stay little Benny!

Grammy sent big boy underwear! And he just kept saying, "Oh, wow! Wow!"

Eggs Benedict is my favorite (savory) (and guilty pleasure) breakfast and sometimes I just crave it so much! So we had it for dinner this week, since I had left over Yum Yum Sauce that I posted about last week and decided to see if it could pass for a less-guilty Hollandaise. It was pretty good!

First wrestling match, documented.
Myth-busting: Westin IS wearing pants and Bennett IS enjoying it, despite how this picture may look.

Westin seemed so much older than when we went to the zoo over Christmas. They change so fast.

Westin's speech is pretty great, but he always says "Shif!" instead of "Fish" and it cracks me up.

Lunch date with daddy! Westin always insists on sitting on daddy's lap when we're out. Michael's a good sport.
"Uh oh, I made a mess on daddy's work clothes!"

When my parents left a few weeks ago, my dad handed me a paper bag of a few candy bars.
"These are for days you're down." Such a sweet dad. And yes, I eat my feelings. Don't judge.

IKEA Train: One of three toy purchases I've made for Westin, solid ROI.

Michael and I blew up some balloons for an at-home date activity that was in the sweet package someone sent us. The next morning Westin was SO excited to see balloons in the living room. This is how I found him when I got out of the shower when he was watching a show. Just hanging out with his friends.

Baptism by sugar.

Westin wasn't super into the Women's Broadcast.
He kept saying "All done?" so I can only imagine how next weekend will go down. 

Loves bath time. Desperately needs bath times. #rollsandrolls

More Than Enough

Happy late St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated by making green muffins, my sister celebrated by flying to Ireland. But who's comparing? Apart from dropping too many zeros on fixing our truck this week, we feel like pretty lucky people overall. It's been a while since I felt my T-Swift experience kind of lucky, but being a mom is its own kind of lucky every day. This week my friend's mom released a song that I had fun helping with a little bit. I think it's such a great reminder that every single one of us makes a difference to the children in our life just by loving them and being who we are. We are all in each other's life for a reason. Here's the video:

"More Than Enough"

Michael:

worked a lot this week, then took a test for work this weekend. He also works a lot in our garden and makes our backyard a fun extension of our home. I love how much he loves it, and Westin's favorite things to do are cook in the kitchen with Mom or help in the yard with Dad. He's loving all the fresh oranges growing by our house and is intent on getting a juicer now. Send any recommendations. Also, he is putting together a good supply of sticks next to our woodpile for starting fires, and our neighborhood hawk is now hanging out in our backyard pretty often with Michael. We're not sure if he's eyeing our sticks or our cat, so... there's that.

Maddie:

had a long week. But a week ago a package arrived in the mail from an anonymous friend that has meant so much to us. It was full of labeled things to help when we were feeling down, or feeling bored, or needing a distraction, etc. and I cannot tell you how much it has brightened up these long days for my boys and for me. I have been so grateful for that kind act of service! I never want to forget how meaningful other's acts of service feel at this stage of my life; I want to keep an eye out for young moms for years to come and just help in little ways. Like being nice to them on plane rides and helping to entertain their kids. Plane rides in the little kid stage are no joke. I also loved going to High classes this week, and I know I always say that, but I seriously love them. It's the first time I've loved exercising again since being on dance team in high school. Also, I cleaned my blinds this week and I don't know if I've ever felt like more of an adult. 

Westin:

is a helper through and through. It's his favorite thing to do right now. "Oh, I'll help you!" "Helping mommy!" "Westin do that!" His help can be both helpful and sometimes hindering but he's such a sweetie that either type is appreciated. He has also finally gotten the phrases "Thank you mama" and "You're welcome" down extremely well and is saying them ALL the time. It's kind of hilarious. Every little thing I do for him right now comes with a thank you, and if I forget to say you're welcome every time then he just throws in a "You're welcome, Westy" himself for good measure. He's so much fun right now. We made this delicious recipe for dinner (again) and he put every single thing in the blender for the sauce and had so much fun doing it. 

Bennett:

is a sleeper! Life change over here. He eats twice a night but a couple nights this week he even ate just once around 3:00 a.m. and it felt magical. My favorite part of Bennett's day is going in to get him from his naps and he does a little wiggly dance because he's so happy to see you. It's adorable and such contagious happiness. He's almost sitting up by himself, always spitting up by himself. I love him and his baby ways but I won't lie about being really excited for the days that he's done making a mess of both our outfits multiple times a day. I love watching him laugh so much.

No dandelion is safe in our yard.

He takes a nap the same time as Westin does, wakes up for the middle of it, then starts another nap before Westin wakes up. That one-on-one time between is a good time around here.

Cooking with mom, favorite spot.

Leprechaun muffins! No footprints. No presents. Just spinach in muffins over here, but we'll count it.

From Instagram:

Five months for Bennett! (Last week, as always.) He's getting chubbier each day. Loves, loves his brother. Eats at midnight and 4am now that he's in his own room and I could handle that schedule forever -- such an improvement over here. So ticklish, happy, sweet, and smiley. I love getting to know my babies. #bennettdae

From Instagram:

These brothers always stop me in my tracks when they love on each other. Bennett is forever a willing participant, Westin is coming around more each day. He refers to the Bumbo as "baby's rainbow" and likes to "get baby Benny laughin'" when he's sitting up in it. Also, we just had our first only-one-feeding night and so you know what that means -- a trip is coming up! I swear I always have plans lined up once my babies figure out sleeping and then we backtrack. But it's cool. They're cool. #westindae #bennettdae#daetwylerfamily

Lately I am slow to let this cat hang out on my lap, a direct result of ALWAYS BEING TOUCHED by my children.
So, this happens anytime Michael parks it on a couch for more than 3 seconds.

He loves to leave his shirt on his head like this when changing clothes; he barks like a dog and says "Westin puppy!" while he runs around like a puppy. Then he says "No Toby!" very forcefully, which may or may not be the name of our incredibly annoying neighbor dog.

I found him like this. Just snacking on a string cheese, contemplating life.

Sweetheart.

Finally filled the last empty wall in Westin's room with letters and numbers. He loves letters but numbers are still a little confusing to him. He tries to say that 2's are S's, 3's are E's, etc. 

He hast started giving Bennett turns with his toys. These turns last for about 3 seconds before, "No, now Westin's turn!" but this is a start. We'll take it. And Bennett doesn't seem too disappointed.

He loves daddy's cowboy hat and wants us to both put it on often.

Playing Catch Up

Michael:

didn't see Westin from Sunday morning to Thursday night, so that was a bummer. On Saturday he got home from the hospital around 8:30am instead of the expected 7:00am and we were all just so ready for him to be home with us for the weekend. We went with friends to pick oranges at a grove near our house Saturday afternoon. We've been surrounded by oranges lately and it's the best. On Saturday Michael took a nap when Westin did and whenever he slightly woke up he would just spout off residency-related nonsense to me and fall back asleep. "Ok yeah, send this to ENT..... What? Yeah I took a culture.... Ok let's take a picture of the patient, let's check on that...." and so on. My list of his  "almost asleep quotes" in my phone has grown a lot during residency. He also spent some of Saturday trying to fix our washing machine which broke that morning. That basically makes me want to declare a state of disaster over here, #firstworldproblems, but seriously you guys. Broken washing machine. This is not ok. Especially when you have a Bennett, who makes a mess of both his outfit and my outfit multiple times a day. When do babies grow out of spitting up? Oh laundry. The machine just stopped knowing how to agitate or spin, so if you are more knowledgeable about fixing that than Google is, hit us up.

Maddie:

got caught up on life this week before my parents left on Thursday. Hair cut, Michael's car serviced, the long overdue chicken pox vaccine I've been meaning to get for a while (long story), caught up on laundry, fridge and freezer full, errands checked off, baby clothes put away and 6-9 month clothes pulled out for Bennett (that kid!), etc. It felt so good. Also, I haven't eaten salmon for five years because it randomly started making me super sick every time I ate it. It was my favorite food and it's so good for you, so that was so very annoying. While my parents were here I decided to try it again, because I figure I might as well bargain for a night of throwing up if I know I have back up helpers around! So we had salmon for dinner and it was so delicious and happy. Then it was even happier when I didn't get sick! Favorite food, back on the menu over here. I have a new calling at church that feels out of my comfort zone -- I can happily teach Relief Society any day but doing Sharing Time has me all flustered. Figuring this out.

Westin:

is doing great with potty training except for the parts that are not great. I'll spare you details. But overall I really am impressed with him. On Thursday we were driving to the park to meet friends and Westin said all on his own "Daddy at work today. I miss him." I didn't even know he knew the word "miss" and it kind of broke my heart, but we played at the park and cheered ourselves up. He had so much fun having grandma and grandpa here and after they left he kept asking when they were coming back home. They always get us donuts the morning they leave to make things a little less depressing and Westin was all about that. He loved when we fed the missionaries this week and just kept asking the Sisters if they have tummies and a belly button. His obsession with The Belly Button Book is going strong. He is also in love with my Instant Pot, and so am I.

Bennett:

hit five months but I haven't taken his little monthly photo yet. Always behind on those. He rolls like crazy, both ways. He's still being swaddled to sleep though, and I need to figure out how to wean him off that. He hates laying down when he's not wrapped up and just repeatedly pulls his own binky out of his mouth and then yells about it. Sooo we still swaddle. I moved him out of my room last night and even though I felt kind of guilty, everyone slept better. He's not sharing a room with Westin yet because Westin has yet to have any desire to vacate his crib. I sometimes tuck him into his toddler bed at night and then he says "Ok all done, sleep in crib!" So Bennett is still pack and playing it, now in our guest room. I'm ok with slow transitions up in here.

He loves to be sitting up so much.

Bedtime is way more fun with a grandma and grandpa in the mix.

Four inches gone.

Bennett and Grandpa were best friends this week.

Playing with Grandma and Grandpa

This week has been so fun with my parents visiting. I'm grateful they don't mind making the 8.5 hour drive when we are missing them!

Michael:

had Saturday off and it was the best! We had such a fun and busy day with him. He also successfully started our inaugural fire in our backyard fire pit and it was a success. We weren't entirely sure if this was allowed, but no fire trucks showed up so we called it a win. Honestly the situation would have been win-win because Westin would have been thrilled about the fire truck. Michael went with me to the temple on Saturday and it was fun to have some time with him. He also got some new plants at Home Depot this week, so, he's obviously thrilled about that. I need to do an updated count of the plants around here.

Maddie:

had the perfect day Saturday. I went to a High fitness class in the morning while the boys played with Michael and my parents. Then Michael and I took Westin on a date to the monthly Home Depot workshop where he painted a rain gauge. It was haaaard for me to let him paint that himself, oh man. I'm entering the phase of parenthood where I have to turn off perfectionism and let him do things his way and I couldn't help but laugh at how hard that felt. After that we loaded Westin up into our bike trailer and rode bikes to a group of Food Trucks that come around every Saturday. My parents drove there with Bennett and we all ate delicious Indian food, Mexican food, and pie. Then Michael and I hurried to make it to an afternoon session at the temple while my parents watched our kids. When we got home we started our first fire and had hot dogs and s'mores for dinner. If every day could be Saturday then that would be fine by me. I also gave Westin a haircut this week which is always an experience for us both.

Westin:

is sooo happy to have grandma and grandpa around. He loves waking up and pointing to the room they're sleeping in and telling me "Grandma and Grandpa came home!" He also loved having some alone time with Michael and I on Saturday. I thought he might wonder where baby Bennett was or ask about him... nope. He had no problem at all with that situation. He was obsessed with the fire Saturday night. My favorite moment was when we handed him a marshmallow, and he threw it into the fire. I was confused why he would voluntarily do that with a treat (he's always wishing and hoping for a treat) and then he handed me his other marshmallow and I took a bite. His face looked shocked and I realized he didn't even know that these fluffy white things we handed him were food. He thought they were just one more thing to throw in the fire with the sticks, newspaper, and pine cones that were going down. I laughed and told him it was food, and he took a bite with wide eyes and was like, "oooh!" It's so fun to watch kids experience things for the first time, and it happens even when I'm not realizing it sometimes. He also learned the word "frustrated" this week and enjoys labeling when mom is feeling this emotion... I love this kid.

Bennett:

is so happy to be held by grandma and grandpa and to watch his brother any chance he gets. I sometimes feel guilty when I think about how much less one-on-one attention Bennett gets than Westin did as a baby, especially because Bennett's temperament seems so tender and loving and he soaks up attention like a happy sponge. So my heart is happier when grandparents are here or anyone who can help me give extra love and time to these two boys. He slept 5 hours once this week and I felt like a new woman, but we're back down to 3 tops. He's currently wearing his first pair of skinny jeans and it was no small accomplishment to get them on those thighs. Such a chunky, sweet boy.

New fire pit in action!

Bedtime stories are even better from grandparents.

Bike ride through the high school percussion competition.

Date with just daddy and mommy! Home Depot workshop making a rain gauge.

Michael's fingers are way too valuable to be handling this hammer with Westin... yikes.

These boys are wearing out grandpa but he says he likes it!

Big diapered baby, content in grandpa's arms whenever he's there.

The forever favorite book around here.

Bennett finished a feeding with my nursing cover somehow wrapped around him. It's a good look for him.

Haircut time!

The squirt bottle was used much more than was necessary. Grandpa came out just as wet as Westin.

He stares at the tigers on this outfit so much.

"No stroller, mama!"

Sometimes he looks like such a big boy and I just stare at him.

When you burn dinner this bad...

...you don't feel guilty about cookies and milk as the second course.