Spring is here!

Michael:

took me on a date Thursday night and it was fun to eat dinner with just him. A meal with just Michael feels like such a treat. It's just surprising how much we can talk to each other when there's no little voices around! But we love the little voices too. He had to install a new computer at our church this week so the boys and I went with him and ran around the gym the whole time. Westin loved it. We also cleaned the church on Friday and ran around some more, so on Sunday Westin was kind of confused about why we were at Church again and why we weren't running all around. Toddlers have so much to sort out, it sounds hard.

Maddie:

loved going on a date on Thursday -- we've already been on more dates this rotation (which is four weeks long) than last rotation (which was four months long...). Whoops! It's so hard to make those happen when Michael's on service but we need to be better at it. I took the boys to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday while Michael was sleeping after a night shift. Normally those things are great to get us out of the house, and it was, but this one in particular kind of bummed me out to be there without Michael. Those things are just so much better with dad around. I'm having fun getting to know my piano students more and getting the boys outside more as the weather warms up. Fresno spring is gorgeous!

Westin:

was in heaven at Saturday's Easter egg hunt. He got to jump in a dragon bounce house, go inside a garbage truck, touch a huge tortoise, win prizes at some carnival games, find lots of eggs, eat cotton candy, find Bennett's eggs for him, and have a hot dog. Perfect toddler day. We're also watching one of our favorite dogs for a last minute spring break request and Westin keeps saying "Oh I just love Rosie dog." He had a fun week. He also got to sing in sacrament meeting for the first time with primary today and he was sooo excited. He asked about a hundred times before going up there "Is it time yet?" and then after he just wanted to go up and "sing in that microphone again!" But really he didn't sing much while he was up there, and came and sat by me at the piano halfway through the song. Toddlers. Such a mystery in this life.

Bennett:

thinks Rosie is his pony and keeps trying to ride her, or brings me her leash so that I can put it on her for him to "walk her" around the house. What that really means is he hangs on and tries to keep up as she goes about her life. He's so funny. His deep belly laugh is just so Bennett and it makes me laugh every single time. He loved the Easter egg hunt too, but after he found two eggs he just held onto them for dear life and had no desire to find more. That would mean he'd have to let go of an egg, and that just wasn't an option. The other highlight for him was the big tortoise. He just wanted to lay on it. I think animals are Bennett's very favorite thing and it's so cute to see.

This big guy just ate grass while kids loved on him. 

Westin was ALL about this experience.
He kept making the noises that garbage trucks make and pretending to dump garbage with his hands.

Takes after his dad. I think cotton candy is so nasty! He and Michael always gladly eat my share.

Westin does things on his own timeline. Up until this moment he has been terrified of bounce houses and refused to go inside one. At this party I didn't even look twice at the toddler bounce house because I knew his history. He saw it and was so excited, and said, "Can I go jump in that dragon house?!" I said "Sure!" knowing he wouldn't actually want to. We got over to it, he took off his shoes, slide inside, and jumped for 15 minutes. I was shocked but had to act like it was no big deal because #parenting. He acted like he does this every day. The same thing happened with slides. Hopefully it also happens with water and swimming this summer? That's a big one. I'm keeping my eye out for swimming lessons for him.

Two eggs. Mission accomplished. 

Dog + Health challenge + spring weather = lots more walks this week.

We even took Rosie to our grocery pick up and Westin giggled the entire time. So did I. Then I saw all the hair in my car...

So much patience. I have much to learn from Rosie.

Bennett loves watching that brother.

Dad's helpers.

Playing soccer and basketball with Westin in the gym was really fun. He's growing up! And I love it and hate it and mostly love it. Motherhood is emotional, guys.

This picture is my favorite. Westin brought it to me and said, "I wrote my name! There's the W. And the T. And an I. What else do I need? So I told him to do an N, and he did, then an S, and an E. He put them in whatever order and they're not all legible, but I was just so impressed and proud of him! He has W down for sure, and anytime we drive by one on a sign he yells, "There's W for Westin!" Other sightings include "A for Apple! S for Snake! C for CAFE RIO!"

Library crew

Mr. Eric puts on a good time for story time.

"Helping" dad get new glasses. What would he do without us?

Such a cutie.

We wanted to eat cookies. We ate an apple instead. This health challenge deal is laaaame. But good. 

Bennett's nursery picture. It's supposed to be a crown for being a Child of God, but it's a little cut off and reminds me of a dunce hat... haha I love it. Westin refused to wear the hat for his picture... of course. Sometimes I just sit and remember how easy easy EASY going he was for the first year of his life. Then he started walking and walked right away from that. These boys are busy and the best!