Happy Birthday Michael!

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!