Back to Routine

Michael:

had a residency party on Saturday night to celebrate the residents who are finishing up. It was an outdoor family party at his director's house, and we had fun seeing the people he works with. His chief resident made a super funny movie about the year, and he also sent everyone a blog with a list of all the fun camping spots his family has discovered in the Fresno area over the last 4 years. We are going to have fun looking at that and exploring. I am so excited for Michael to finish this week at work and officially be a second-year resident. This last year has been.... .....
I just thought about how to finish that sentence for like 20 seconds, and I'm giving up. But someday when I reread this I'll feel the same way I feel now and that will be enough.

Maddie:

loved having my parents here so much. It was so nice of them to drive me and the boys back from Utah so that we could have an extra week in Cedar with them. They left on Wednesday morning and that was the start of the first day alone with my boys in 3 weeks. I had to relearn how to be alone all over again. Residency. I'm tired. Michael is tired. But life is really good, too. I just feel like post-vacation life always has some gloom to it, but post-vacation life in residency has me realizing just how much I'm alone with my boys and some days I am better at handling that than others. On Friday we met Emily and her girls for dinner and that was really fun, we missed them.

Westin:

seems so old lately. For example, on our drive to church today he said, "We saw Lydia get baptized. When I am older, I will get baptized. You gonna baptize me, daddy?" And I looked at Michael and literally said, "Who is that old kid back there?" I feel like kids change exponentially after little plateaus. And his vocabulary just took off recently, as did his concept of self and others. He has started thinking about me and my world rather than just his own. For example, the other day I put him to bed and for the first time he seemed to think about what I was going to do once he was asleep. He said, "What are you going to do mama? Go poop?" I think he's learning there are things I like to do without him.

Bennett:

was sick for the first time this week and it made me so sad. Such sad little coughs, sneezes, nose bleeds?, and rough nights. Friday night was particularly bad, and finally I went and made the bed in our guest room and brought him in there because I was afraid Michael wouldn't be able to sleep at all if I kept getting up with him in our room (Bennett has been sleeping in my closet since we got back from our trip -- it's a big closet, don't worry, and I think the dark space gives him more sleep). That was still rough and I just don't know how people sleep with their kids; both of mine do not know how to sleep if I'm there by them. So after tons of awake time for the both of us, I put him back in his bed around 4:00 a.m. and we both got maaaybe a 90-minute stretch, which was the record for the night. He seems to be feeling better today, fingers crossed that keeps going. His kisses are my favorite thing right now. I have so many moments where I just think about Bennett and Westin and how grateful I am that they are here with me right now, living this stage of life with me.

His face lately when I say "Smile!"

Strawberry Jam time!

Cedar Week

Michael:

came back to Fresno right after my high school reunion to get back to work. We're so grateful for him. He is in the middle of a rough schedule this month, but once we get to July he will be a second-year resident. It's so hard to believe we have been in Fresno for a year. We missed him when he was at the hospital all of Father's Day, but we celebrated him the day before.

Maddie:

has really nice parents who agreed to drive me and the boys back to Fresno after a week in Cedar City, since Michael drove our car back earlier. It was so, so nice to have some time in Cedar that wasn't already full of plans. I don't remember the last time I had days at home just to soak up time with my parents and my hometown. It was good for my soul.

Westin:

seems lots older these days, even Michael felt like he was older when we saw him after our week apart. He sleeps so well at my parent's house (no windows in the little room I sleep him in) and it was so nice to have some later mornings. He loved time at grandma and grandpa's house as much as I did. Lots of playground time, walks to visit our neighbor dog, stopping to watch construction at SUU, sending sticks down the ditch and catching them. Cedar was good, simple fun, and we loved it.

Bennett:

is the easiest little traveler. Best nap-taker. Happiest people-watcher. Cutest smiler. Funniest little personality. I loved riding in the backseat on our road trip home to California while he just stared at me with so much love in those blue eyes he somehow has. He has started "talking" when you make his same sounds back to him and it's adorable to see how happy that makes him. We had lots of family time this month and we needed it.

Post-haircut spray down and plant watering.

I went to my mom's reader's theater club with her because I heard that Peter Sham was speaking to them that night. He directed a play that I danced in when I was growing up, and he was so much fun to learn from and work with. He was so surprised to see me last week and it was so fun to reconnect. He now directs the Neil Simon festival and I am definitely heading back to Cedar to catch Noises Off.

He loves watching them, but when this one started toward him he took cover fast.

Loooooves his grandpa.

DaNae's cute boys!  

Melts me.

Colorado Time

Michael:

flew from Fresno to Denver on Saturday after a lonely week of being sick and working. He was also the only person home while one of my high school friends stayed at our house, but he barely saw her family. Kendra, come back when I'm actually home and Michael isn't sick and working 90-hour weeks. We'll be way more fun. I was excited for Michael to have a week off in Denver with all of his family. Time with the Daetwylers is always a highlight of our year.

Maddie:

drove from Salt Lake to Denver with the boys and with Ali after Lydia's baptism. Ali stayed one night in Denver with Michael's family then flew back to SLC the next day for work. Then we spent the week with Michael's family having a blast in Rocky Mountain National Park. We hiked, ate lots of good food, played games, explored around our cabin, and caught up with our favorite people. Family is the best! We left on Friday to drive back to Cedar City, and on Saturday I went to my 10-year high school reunion. I know everyone has their own feelings about high school, but I personally feel like I graduated with some of the greatest people I've ever met. I still don't know if I've ever been busier or slept less than my senior year of high school, and I just have a spot in my heart that will always belong to Cedar City, Utah. I was really happy we could pass through the same weekend as that reunion.

Westin:

loves hanging out with his cousins so much. He was a trooper on our drives, too. Michael would carry him for part of our hikes, or he'd walk a good amount, or his Papa Daetwyler would carry him. Grandpas are the best. Westin was excited to see the elk and moose and eagles that we saw that week. I took him on a run around a lake by our cabin, thinking a 3-mile loop didn't sound too bad. I didn't take into account the rain or wind or elevation change (mainly that elevation change), so it ended up being more of an effort than I thought. Then near the end of our loop when we were almost back to where we parked our car, we started seeing tons of warning signs about protective mother elk and "proceed at your own risk" started sounding pretty creepy. Then we turned the corner and right on the path was a baby elk plus two huge females. I stopped and tried to picture sneaking by them with my stroller but it did not feel like a good idea. Soooo we turned back and ran around the whole lake again to get to our car the other way, all while Westin said "those elk were in our way, that's not very nice!" 

Bennett:

did not sleep well in Colorado but he made up for the trouble by being extremely sweet on all our hikes. He loved being on my back in the Ergo so much and it felt like having a sweet little monkey. He never cried on the hikes, just happily leaned against my back and held my arms, took naps when he wanted and looked around when he wanted. He melts my heart. His cousins liked holding him and he loved when they did. He hit 8 months the day we made it to Denver and that just sounds too old. His age has really been making me sad the last couple weeks, I love this stage. Bennett is just such a sweetheart and I want to remember how he is right now forever.

Lots of pictures from our week!

Benjamin and Bennett, cousin love.

Seriously, you guys. Little monkey.

Hannah and Bennett finally meeting.
Kendra, let's never forget when Hannah ran down the slide instead of sitting because that was amazing.

DaNae is the best, and I just really love that we are good at having baby boys at the same time.

Dawson is into the camera, Bennett is into his ear.

I love these girls so much!

Seeing these people made me so happy.

The reunion crew from CHS.

We had water balloons at the family picnic part of the reunion and Westin was so confused about the way they disappeared.

We got a free ice cream cone for filling up our car at this gas station on our way home. I made Westin run to the end of the sidewalk and back for every lick. You gotta burn that toddler energy in creative ways on 9-hour road trip days.

Yeah, this happened. Such a beautiful place. We were up at about 14,000 ft. in the alpine tundra zone.

He's so into food lately. He was all about this sandwich, but not super successful. Don't worry, I broke off little bits for him.

Moose and Baby

Daetwyler girls. Michael has such a great mom and sisters.

Anthon is Westin's oldest cousin on the Daetwyler side and I thought it was so cute how he helped Westin with hiking.

Alberta Falls

All the cute grandkids. I'm so impressed that all 31 of us made it out the door before 8am for hiking most days.

Bennett mostly just wanted to eat his Sheriff's badge.

Yes, Westin is peeing. "Superman peeing" has made our lives so much easier, thanks for the tip Jenny ;)

Friendly. Too friendly.

Nap time for Bennett, sweet little guy.

Before the elk encounter.

Thanks for helping us, Aunt Ali!

Time outs are the best form of discipline for Westin, and at home I give him time outs in his crib. When cribs aren't around and I threaten a time out, I can tell he knows I don't have the necessary resources. He looks at me and tilts his head and says, "What kind of time out?" At church on Sunday in Estes Park he really did need one, so this was Michael's spot. Michael showed me this picture and said, "This is where I gave Westin a time out. But he liked it."

I just love them.