We woke up, finished packing for Thanksgiving, and drove down to LA. Bennett played with a handful of Duplos the entire drive and Westin looked at books. Plus a constant supply of bran muffins. Then we played at Shelley's beautifully remodeled house (she did such a good job!) for a little bit before heading to the airport. We flew LA to Denver, then from there to Louisville. Our layover was really short and our first flight left late, so they had to wait for us to run to the plane. We landed around 11pm Eastern time, so 8pm for the boys, and they were tired but did really well. Then after a midnight snack we headed to bed!
Sunday - Wednesday:
The boys slept in until 9, which is really 6 their time but it's fun when the clock says 9. We went to church at 11:00 and Sally played with Bennett in nursery. Westin went to sunbeams without looking back even though he didn't know anybody. Then we all took naps and explored the woods behind Grandma and Grandpa's house. The next day we walked across the bridge to find some donuts and a playground, always a good plan! Then after naps we went swimming at the YMCA and the boys loved it. On Tuesday my friends Ami and Jess from Indy drove down to Louisville and it was so fun to see them! I miss Indianapolis, but I know if I ever went back I wouldn't quite find what I was looking for. I'd find people I love and all my favorite spots, but I'd just miss a time of life that is passed. Those four years were really impactful to me. On Wednesday grandpa made a fire, and between that and his huge pile of leaves, the boys were happy for hours. I made a chocolate pie in the same time that Sally made an apple, blueberry, and two pumpkin pies. Plus she made my pie's crust. Haha she whips up delicious food quicker than anybody I know! That night Ed took Westin on a date to Dairy Queen, and Sally and I took Bennett on a date to get Chinese food and explore Cabela's. He loves the animals there so much! Michael wasn't feeling good that night so he missed out on our dates, but luckily he felt better the next day.
Thanksgiving!
Diana's family drove to Louisville late Wednesday night so we woke up to cousins! We haven't seen them in a while and it was so fun to catch up for a day. We ate lots of food, played outside, and had fun being together. We played games that night after the kids went to bed and I just really love being around my in laws. Michael grew up in such a wonderful family.
Friday - Sunday:
On Friday we woke the boys up at 4:30 to make our early flight out of Louisville. We had a longer layover that day so it wasn't as stressful. I got new coloring books for each of the flying days and that kept them entertained really well. I forgot to make sure Netflix was working while we had internet before leaving, so we didn't have any movies on our flights home or one flight out, which was a rookie mistake. But it was ok in the end. Traveling is stressful, but your'e going to get there and it's going to be ok. :)
We landed in LA, headed to Shelley's, and all took naps while everyone was at the beach. Then we had fun hanging out together. On Saturday we went for a walk and Westin's favorite part is crossing the overpass bridge and getting trucks to honk. He's so happy doing that. Then we walked by the fire station and some firefighters talked to us about their last few weeks fighting the crazy California fires. They showed the kids the jaws of life and some other parts of the fire trucks, and gave them all stickers. Firefighters are incredible. Later that day we played a game of kickball and played on the playground at the Cannon's elementary school. That night we left the little cousins with the older cousins and Shelley and Tony, Pam and Gary, and Michael and I went to get dumplings at Mama's Lu. It was one of the most delicious meals I've had in a long time, and it was fun to be out together. Shelley and Tony always know where delicious food is. We came home and had birthday cake with all the kids for Westin's 4th birthday! And he opened his presents and was thrilled to finally have a trumpet that he's been asking and asking for. I was thrilled that it sounds like a muted harmonica.
On Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting all together, then the Walkers headed back to Phoenix and Michael and I headed to the LA Opera to see our niece Ella sing in Hansel and Gretel. She was so fun to watch! I love that she is performing in that, and we were happy that our time down there overlapped with one of her performances. Tony and Shelley were so nice to keep our boys through church and that afternoon. Tony works magic with Bennett, who has had a clingy streak ever since we left him for our Hawaii week. #worthit
After the opera we packed up and left LA around 6:00. Traffic was rough, and Google maps routed us through the most random, random neighborhoods for so long to keep us off the crowded 5. It took us 4.5 hours to get home, which is just an hour longer than normal, but it seemed longer because Bennett cried way more than I expected. Westin slept door to door, but Bennett could never connect a sleep cycle without crying. But we made it! And slowly but surely we will unpack and get ready for our Christmas season.
***
Happy birthday, sweet Westin! You are four! We can hardly believe it. You love music, and you’ve asked for a trumpet for your birthday for months. You love going to preschool and your teachers say you are super thoughtful and respectful. You remember everything, SO well. You make us laugh every day. Growing up is hard and you can get pretty frustrated sometimes, but we love you and we are so grateful you are ours. We love watching you grow!
Ready for the flight! Bennett only ever has a binky in his bed, so you can tell we were pulling out all the stops here.
Headed to find some donuts!
Bennett was so happy to ride this little pig he walked by.
Then they found a chocolate version and had to ride that too.
Jess and Ami! We caught up and went out to Red Robin, then had chocolate cake and caught up some more. I'm happy Westin got to hear Ami's awesome book-reading skills firsthand, she even pulled out her New York accent to read "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" that she brought for the boys.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Fire Station in La Canada
Driveway Games with Dad
Books with Tony and Dad
Kickball time! We did adults/tinies vs. medium/big kids. I'm not sure how fair it turned out but we definitely had fun :)
Birthday time!
Westin's cousins are all so sweet to him.
Ella and Lily made him a Captain America cake and he was so excited to wear his matching shirt.
Trumpet dreams coming true.
He loves it so much.
LA Opera - Hansel and Gretel
Disney Hall and downtown, right by the opera
Tons of traffic through random neighborhoods, all avoiding the 5 together. Holiday traffic...
is feeling some residency burnout but nothing to do about that but get up and go to work the next day. Or take a vacation! Which we are doing all next week. :) Wednesday was interviews all day for the next group of residents, who will be first years during Michael's chief year. That's crazy to me! I remember interview season like it was yesterday and I'm so grateful he was on this side of it this year. Michael mentioned how freezing it was in our house this week, and it was 68. Two and a half years in Fresno has changed us drastically in the weather department.
Maddie:
has four to-do lists on my bedroom wall -- trip prep, packing list, cross stitch orders broken down into to dos, and my Christmas to do list. It feels like my master planning station and it has helped focus me so much. I'm so impressed with anyone that can function and get things done without a list. Lists, lists, lists for me. My Notes app was the saddest thing to lose when my phone went missing last year. (I still don't know if I'm allowed to stay stolen since that sounds better than lost -- I know right where I left it, went back, and it was then stolen... can I just say stolen? Or do I have to accept that I lost it? Tangent.) I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving with family and coming home to put up Christmas and get into our Christmas traditions.
Westin:
seemed to have an off week, but his highs included LOVING swimming lessons, being kind on the playground when the kids he was playing with weren't being kind to other people, building cool Duplo creations all the time, and being such a good eater. We'll skip the lows. He's so excited to go on a trip. He keeps talking about going to Utah (we're going to Kentucky) and the beach (it's snowing there), and then I straighten him out and he gets just as excited about Kentucky and snow. But he keeps getting kind of mixed up, and also, does he think there's a beach in Utah? I think he just puts all his fun trips together in his mind and knows fun is coming and isn't sure exactly what it will look like. Oh to be a kid :)
Bennett:
Knows that right when we get home from preschool drop off is bedtime -- he goes to his pack n play, tries to climb in, and says "Buh-Bye!" to me. I help him in and he gives the best tight hugs and eskimo kisses before going down. Then he also knows when he wakes up after it's time to go get brother. He immediately goes to put his shoes on (typically on the wrong food and won't let me switch them) and says "Go go go!" He's so funny. We've been feeding our neighbor's cat this week and he loves it. I say, "Let's go feed Coconut!" and he puts his shoes on immediately and loves looking for her. When we guide his prayers he repeats everything we say in Bennett language, and my favorite is when we say "Thank you for Kitty" he says "Thank you, Meow Meow". He is pure joy when Michael gets home from work. "Dada!!!!!" with the biggest hug ever.
We're off to Thanksgiving!
Palmer the Puppy came back to visit and he is a STRONG 7 month old little guy now!
Woke up with teenager hair.
So into story time these days. We're sad it's over until the spring now.
Preschool Thanksgiving Party
Washing farm animals at the Lutheran church Mornings with Mommy
I know this is not an attractive picture. But we made ribs on our Trager for the first time and they were the best ribs I've ever had! Loving that grill more all the time. Don't worry, we took some to friends. That's a lot of ribs.
is back on service and we're feeling it. He had his first week of second call this week, which means going in when a younger resident needs him and rounding on weekends. Saturday he was gone from 7-5 and Sunday he was gone 7-2, then 4-5, plus a long week before and a long week ahead. He said it feels like tomorrow should be Saturday and not Monday. We were grateful for the time he was home on Sunday! We made ribs for the first time, his in the Instant Pot and mine on the Traeger. We voted Traeger in the end but it was fun to try different ways and see what we preferred. Then we had fun having our friends Richard and Lindsey over on Sunday night, we've been wanting to get together with them for a while but life moves fast for everyone.
Maddie:
had an overcommitted week but got a lot done. Saturday morning I took the boys to clean the church at 7am and they loved running around and "helping" all the different people in our cleaning group. I was honestly grateful for that early weekend commitment to get us out of the house at the same time as Michael Saturday. From there we ran a few errands, went to a farmers market for breakfast burritos, ran some more errands, and came home with just enough time for some Kratt Brothers and lunch before naps. I was feeling really good that day at how I've learned what keeps us going when Michael is extra busy. If we're extra busy too it's better for all of us. I was wondering why that didn't seem to work as well during Michael's first year and then I remembered #newbornlife. We are just at a much easier stage with our 2 and almost 4-year-old than two under two. I'm grateful for their same schedule and the fact that they both climb in and out of their own carseats. #littlewins
Westin:
loved doing yoga with his friends at sunbeam preschool. We skipped out on his preschool field trip early in the week, he didn't seem to be feelings super well and took a few extra long naps. His favorite Halloween Candy item are Nerds and he is his father's son. Chocolate > Candy. He really likes painting right now, and is into imaginative play a lot lately. He likes to describe scenarios to me and give me my lines and parts. Usually I'm hiking and I find a little lost Kitty (Westin) who I take home to be my pet, and the Kitty apparently needs Halloween candy after being found. He's slick.
Bennett:
says super cute prayers in his super cute language. He has boycotted the high chair for pretty much 95% of his life. The 5% is when he gravitates to our play kitchen after two bites at a meal (typically lunch time, which is when I'm more than ready for nap time) and I make him park it in the high chair to focus. We did church without Michael today and Bennett had a rough time for part of sacrament meeting when he took his own shoes off and couldn't put them back on, but refused to let me help him. I tell Bennett to put his shoes on a good 10 minutes before we go anywhere. But in the end he's not going to do it until Westin does it, so I don't know why I try. He's a total shadow to that older brother of his. They're the best!
Smashing sunflower leaves
Saturday Farmer's Market
Bennett doesn't let prayers stop him from starting his meal. His first few bites are at least very reverent as he closes his eyes and chews... It's my favorite.
Yoga with friends!
Working in our "office" a.k.a. one little part of our living room that seems to be our productive corner.
I did TEN dog daycares this week and it was too much. Bennett loved it. Westin didn't like it. I raised my Rover rates and said no to new bookings for a bit after it. So many Rover pups.
Bennett has started sitting in the bottom of our stroller and laying his head in his seat for our walks? I don't know.
This was from one of the few nights lately that Bennett wakes up a bit after bedtime and cries until we get him out. He then hangs out peacefully with us for maybe 30 minutes, then goes back to bed without a fuss. It typically happens on days I put him down at 6:30 instead of 7:00, or days he didn't see Michael. Usually those things happen on the same day, and I'm sure it's obvious why.
Typing this up quick tonight because the time change + staying up late tonight finally filling out our ballots has me feeling so tired.
GO VOTE!
Here's my favorite image to inspire you to do that:
Michael:
Turned 31 yesterday! We started the day with candles in his favorite breakfast, homemade blueberry coffee cake. He loves it so much! It's the only food I've ever seen Michael eat and eat just because it's yummy. He does not overeat -- if he's not hungry, he's not eating. Unless there is blueberry coffee cake around! I love that he loves it. Maybe I should make it more than once a year... sorry babe. I just can't get over the cake-for-breakfast part. We went on a bike ride to Woodward Park after that, got Blaze Pizza for lunch, naps for the boys, then we were going to go to a place Michael has been wanting to try called Doghouse Grill, but we got there and the place was cray-zy. Of course it was, why did we not think that through?? So we ended up grabbing fish tacos with Emily's crew and it was still a good night. We'll hit doghouse grill on a date someday soon. We were too full for Michael's birthday cheesecake after all that, but we fit that in on Sunday night with the Hintons. It was so fun to have them over and Westin and Colt are besties these days. Michael also finished his VA rotation on Halloween! He left work early so that he could meet up with us at our Halloween party with friends, trick or treated with us, then went back to the VA to finish a few hours of work. Then that wrapped up his four months there. He did... Oh now I forgot the number. 139 implants? He'll have to edit this later. The point is, he got some good experience doing what he's going to be doing in life, and if you know the school and residency road, you know that is a happy thing.
Let's all just take a minute to recognize that Michael's paragraph has never been so long around here. That guy is busy and wonderful and just so good. You're the best and we love you!
Maddie:
Deviled eggs and dogs. That was my week! My friend Ali and I made 36 deviled eggs with spiders (olives) on them for our Halloween party. And our Rover gig is blowing up more than ever this month and we've had so. many. dogs over. Including a 90+ pound lab who is the reason I wasn't freaked out on Halloween night when Michael went back to the hospital. EVEN when I went outside TWICE to put my trash cans away and saw a man in a hockey mask and regular clothes just standing across my street. Twice. 30 minutes apart. Honestly when I type that out I get more freaked out than I was that night, because, 90+ pound lab. So grateful for him that night. Chaco (12-pound mini pinscher) was also around. He brought less comfort, but he's cute. I was so grateful Michael left work to do Halloween with us and then went back. I know that made for a late night for him, but it made his boys so happy and I love that he is the dad that he is. I have been buried in a Christmas to do list full of cross stitch orders, Christmas cards, a few Christmas gift projects, list planning, and prioritizing in my mind. I want to get so much done before Thanksgiving. Also, reading the Book of Mormon every morning since President Nelson's challenge has totally amplified the time that I have in my life, completely. And added patience for sure. So grateful for these blessings.
Westin:
Loved being Lightning McQueen multiple times this week! Preschool Party. Library Story Time/Trick or Treat. Halloween party, and trick-or-treating. Plus trunk or treat last week. Can I also say that I am SO IN FAVOR of costumes that just go on top of regular clothes in a minute, and come off whenever they're not wanted anymore. Easiest Halloween ever. He loved trick or treating so much and was super into it, and the whole time we drove home he kept saying "I'm so sad, it's a long time before it's Halloween again. Let's just keep trick or treating." I think the highlight of our evening was the mac n cheese costume our friend made for her little girl. So stinkin adorable.
Bennett:
Was the cutest monkey, especially when drinking water from his red Solo cup. It looked just like a monkey was drinking. I was loving watching him trick or treat because it was such a perfect example of how little ones just grow up faster when they have a big sibling around. Westin would've never known what trick or treating was at that age (because we would've stayed home instead for sure... is that bad? I distinctly remember a zoo trip on Halloween instead of any costumed festivities when he was Bennett's age), but Bennett caught on quick and followed his brother around with candy in mind. He was just so determined and he was just so cute in crowds of big kids at doors to me. Man, these boys are so fun! They make holidays so fun.
We made pumpkin muffins on Halloween with no flour and no sugar in them because we knew what the rest of the day had in store for us. They were pretty good but whenever chocolate chips are involved I think I undo all the good from the other healthy parts of the recipe, because we do not hold back with those.
I taught sharing time in primary again today and I won't lie, we are looking forward to 2-hour church around here! Especially because next weekend is one of those dreaded sharing time plus Michael on call Sundays that are rough for me. It's been months since Michael has been back on service (back in his oral surgery clinic) and we are not ready for the on call days and his one weekend a month at the hospital. But his internal medicine and VA rotations have had weekends off, so I can't complain.
But for a second I'm going to complain -- we're sick of residency.
Ok! Back to glass half full, in pictures:
Woodward park bike ride! It's 4.5 miles from our house and has a nice trail for most of the ride. Westin got out of his trailer and said he wanted to "run up and down and up and down and up and down" that hill. And he did! We all did and it was so fun and the weather was so nice. Then we sat in an amphitheater spot and Westin said we should have church. He said an opening prayer, led us in singing I Am a Child of God, gave a talk, then said a closing prayer. I thought it was so funny, especially when Bennett would go into full prayer mode anytime Westin did.
Birthday breakfast! Bennett was a big fan of that coffee cake.
Halloween Party Time! Thanks Bellistons and friends for the fun time!
X-Ray at Sunbeam Preschool
X Snacks for Sunbeam Preschool
Ranger the 90 pound sweetheart
Stations at preschool
Halloween at preschool
Ranger + Chaco, usually I forget his name and call him El Chapo
A blurry trick-or-treat moment. That mac n cheese! She even had nutrition facts.
Popcorn may have been the highlight of the party for these two. Bennett also found another little friend dressed as a monkey and the two of them just ran around together. They knew they belonged together.
The Ryans were so sweet to have us over for dinner last Sunday. We invited them over and they insisted we come over there on our primary program Sunday. Such a sweet friend. Every time we eat with them I feel as comforted as when she made delicious comfort food during our freshman year of college. She's such a good cook and such a good friend!
