Trauma from Trauma

Michael:

is pretty miserable on this trauma rotation. He leaves before 5:30am and has gotten home as late as 10:30pm. His Saturdays and Sundays are supposed to be half days but his ICU list is so full that he's gotten home as late as 8:30pm on those days and only as early as 6:00pm. He's tired. One day off a week isn't a very natural rhythm, especially when it can fall anywhere in the week so the stretches can be pretty long at times. We feel so bad for him! He's exhausted when he gets home and he's not loving hospital life right now. We went to Dry Creek Park on his day off and then ate barbecue sandwiches at The Meat Market for lunch. It was kind of a disaster -- such a messy meal with kids and windy outside. But we did it :)

Maddie:

is going back and forth from bursts of busy to laying on my couch for all of nap time or after my kids go to bed. I try and get a ton of stuff done when I feel ok in the mornings, and then I just can't keep up the pace once my nausea hits for the day. I have started a "before baby" to do list and also a "boy names" list in my phone and I'll let you guess which one is waaaaay longer. In a lot of ways I'm having flashbacks to our first year here -- pregnant, so tired during the boys' nap time even though I have a long list of to do's, Michael working 90+ hour weeks... all flash backs to first year Fresno life. On Tuesday my friend Emily had us over for her Fat Tuesday traditions of jambalaya, fried pickles, and Mickey-shaped beignets. She's from Florida and keeps the South alive in her life and I love it. Our kids have so much fun together.

Westin:

loved having preschool at our house this week and especially loved that our turtle came out of hibernation (again) while his friends were here. They found lots of worms for him to eat and loved seeing him devour them. Mr. T is so hungry after his long naps! He has come around on random sunny days throughout the last few months and then goes back to sleep for a while. I don't know if he's entirely sure how long hibernation is supposed to last, but maybe he'll be around for good this time as temps warm up. Westin's sweet preschool teacher lost her husband to cancer recently, just two weeks after being diagnosed. She'll be moving soon and he's going to miss her so much. He just loved Mrs. Beard.

Bennett:

On Saturday I took the boys to a nursery east of Fresno for their "ladybug release". They let kids help them release thousands of ladybugs over the weekend to help with all their plants. The boys loved it and it was cute to watch them explore. Westin was a little concerned with ladybugs crawling up his sleeve and Bennett may have unintentionally smashed a few as he tried to set them free, but it was all out of love. Then we ran errands and played at the playground by the River Park Farmer's Market so that we could just be busy all day until nap time and not miss having Michael around at home. We watched two dogs this week which is Bennett's idea of heaven. 

Westin loves to juice a few blood oranges with all the other oranges to make reddish orange juice.
He thinks it's just the coolest thing. He always saves the blood oranges for last.

So happy these chef hats and aprons are finally getting the use they deserve around here.
I still don't know why they were ignored on Christmas morning and not used until March,
but they've been a big hit lately! Kids are weird :)

Fat Tuesday with the Ryan girls! Our three boys and their three girls, we keep life balanced.

Bennett and his beignet. A love story.

Emily made such delicious beignets! I love how much that family loves Disney.

We chanced a day at the park on Michael's day off even though it seemed like it might be rainy.
We were lucky and it was a pretty nice day!

Throwing sticks in water. Never gets old.

I have made this meal soooo many times. Greek salad w/ homemade dressing, and lemon chicken.
Text me for the recipes because you need this meal in your life. 

I haven't publicly expressed my love for our Traeger lately, but I do still really love our Traeger.

I've found a new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! Which is pretty crazy because I've been faithful to my other recipe for years. But I think I'll make these every time from now on, which is a big deal. They're different than each other enough that both might have their place though.

Preschool, F is for Fish and Friend

Rainbow fish scales

Mr. T came to play while all our friends were over! Bennett was over the moon.

Taking one last huge worm for the road.

Lady Bug Inventory

Time to set them free!

They chose a lemon tree to set them loose on.

Ice Cream after the Farmer's Market because I can't be by Haagen Dazs and NOT get caramel cone ice cream.
It's the best ice cream flavor I've ever had and I think about it so much. Don't judge. :)

Westin chose straight up chocolate. Makes me proud.

Bennett posing oh so seriously for a picture with Rosie girl.