Sweet September

Every year I feel like August is 15 weeks long and September is like 5 days. Every year.

Michael:

went hiking with us on Saturday at Balsam Forebay and it was really pretty. We went out on a date Friday to Westwoods with some friends and had a fun time with them. He was home all weekend and harvested tons of grapes from his garden to make some grape juice with the boys. We both got so much done in the little bit of time between our hike and our date because Camden slept through that whole 90 minutes. He never stays asleep in his carseat and that has been hard, but it made a big difference on Saturday when he did! Michael works so hard and we love him.

Maddie:

loved going out with Michael on Friday night, loved hiking on Saturday, loved the cooler weather this week. I feel like basic needs (for me and three other little people) take up all my time right now. Especially food. If I make healthy food choices for us I feel like it takes so much of my time. I spent so long trying to fix up the wheels of my stroller this week with a repair kit but in the end I think I just need to buy new inner tubes. Sometimes spending time and effort on mundane stuff like that makes me super annoyed but I'm learning more and more that life is just lots of work, big and small, and when we do it we're happier. And when we do it we can have more fun later too. I'm feeling extra tired lately, not sleepy, just tired -- keeping a little family afloat is a lot of unexplained work and sometimes I can get lost in it. But I love the sweet little moments with my boys that feel like a pause in it all, even through all the hard stuff.

Westin:

had such a hard time when grandma and grandpa left on Monday. He really had a good time with them last week. His favorite parts of his week are Student Chef Wednesdays (someone in the class gets to help make a fun treat for everyone) and Book Buddies on Fridays (he's paired up with a 5th grader and reads with them, and he says that his book buddy makes him "laugh and laugh and laugh"). He has a best buddy named Weston at school and they seem to have a lot of fun together. He's such a helper and so sweet. We've come a loooooong way with his temper and it fills me with extreme relief.

Bennett:

seems to be picking up that his birthday is happening soon. He even held up three fingers when daddy asked him how old he was going to turn. He has some streaks of being a stinker lately and honestly I laugh even while they're happening even though, such a stinker. It's just so un-Bennett that it keeps amusing us. Although the pen marks on my couch and chair that I keep meaning to hairspray out of there remind me that it's not all fun and games. He's only napping about 50% of the time these days, which is just so much earlier than when Westin started doing that and I can't deal. I planned on taking a wall off his crib when we moved them into the same room but I'm afraid that will just kill the naps all together so, for now, he sleeps in the crib still and sometimes looks at books there for quiet time. His speech is coming along, I can tell he's working hard. My favorite things he says right now are "You help me?" and "I wuv vu". 

Camden:

is just so tender. I left him with a teenage babysitter for date night for the first time this week and he did great. I'm looking forward to when I teach him to fall asleep on his own at 4 months, I think that will give me so much time back. But I'm also soaking up his sweet rocking-to-sleep moments. I am so lazy with feeding him at night -- I've never slept with my babies or fed them laying down and I've been doing both so much. The other night he woke up at 1:30, so I pulled him into bed and fed him. Then he was crying so I put him back in his bed to fall asleep (which made no sense but I was tired) and looked at my clock and realized it was 5:30 and NOT even the same feeding. All my nights are a similar story, which overall I think means I'm getting more sleep but probably creating some bad habits for this little guy. I'm not going to worry about it for another month or two though. He was so fun to hike with on Saturday :)

So sad saying goodbye to grandma and grandpa on Monday morning.
Westin cried and cried and cried. And cried.

When Grandpa and Westin would walk to and from school last week they built lots of rock stacks just to see if they'd stick around.
We found two on our way to school on Monday and Westin thought that was pretty cool!

I've been turning on kids yoga when I exercise and the boys love it.
I exercise whenever Camden is asleep, so these two sometimes need some entertainment when that goes down!

This scene. This is life right now.
Feed, rock, keep him upright, sleep. Think about safely putting him down and get something done.
Eyes wide. Repeat the process.

But oh the sweetness is not lost on me.

This face.

Bennett eating his ice cream bar in a slightly feral way.

More cosmic kids yoga.

Cutest little school picture boy.
He really wanted to wear his Captain America shirt that day.
He's also already asked if I can make sure it's clean for his birthday in November.
We can never be too prepared.

Saturday hikes! Camden's first ergo ride.

It was 50 degrees, which is half of what most of our week was, and we were in the clouds.
It felt like a different world than the long-lasting Fresno summer.

Sweetest. I loooooove hiking with a happy baby strapped to me.

Bennett was our little pack horse (his choice).
He was totally into stuffing that backpack with all our snacks and hitting the trail.

Crossing the dam

All three out. And then Camden stayed asleep in his car seat (which he never does) up until our date that night.

We love to get all ready for church then watch some home videos.
Bennett's TV-watching posture is inspiring.

Boston & a Baby Blessing

Maddie and Michael and Camden:

headed to Boston for the week! Michael had his annual conference there for oral surgeons from all across the country, and I was able to go with him thanks to a spouse scholarship. Camden came along for the ride, too :) We left on a red eye flight Tuesday night. All of us slept! I was sure I wouldn't, but we all three slept most of the way to Chicago, and even got some more sleep on the next flight to Boston. 

On Wednesday we walked all around together and explored Castle Island. Michael went to a dinner with people from work and then to a Red Sox game, and I put tired Camden to bed in the hotel and then worked out and had food delivered and watched Grey's Anatomy. It was the best.

Thursday morning I had a walk and a breakfast with the group that gave me the scholarship (spouses of oral surgeons from all over the country) and it was fun to meet them as well as the six other scholarship recipients. A little while later I had a cooking class and luncheon with the same group. I was really nervous to bring Camden to all these events, but a few interactions leading up to the trip made me feel pretty passionately that I wanted him to be there and I wanted to show that young mothers should still be involved in the things they want to be involved in. He slept through the walk and the breakfast (I literally just picked his swaddled self up from his bed in the hotel, put him in the stroller, and he didn't wake up until two hours later), and he slept through the beginning remarks at the luncheon. He started fussing before the cooking class started so I wore him in my wrap through all of that. Then I fed him as lunch started, and he was happy in his carseat/stroller while I ate. He seriously was such a sweet boy the whole time and I was told so (SO) many times on this trip that I seemed really calm. (The TSA agent was particularly intrigued by how calm we were.) I thought back to how stressed out becoming a mom made me and how hard it was when we brought three-month-old Westin to a dental conference (in Boston, ironically), and how easy this experience seemed in comparison. Motherhood is a muscle that just grows and gets stronger.

Michael had meetings all day Thursday and then we met up after my luncheon (and his lunch with a friend from dental school who's in an oral surgery program in Pittsburgh) to interview with a practice from Denver. The surgeon was really nice and I was grateful to meet her. Michael has talked with her on the phone before but it was great to cross paths in Boston. From there we walked to the beginning of the Freedom Trail and did a self-guided phone scavenger hunt through Boston with the other chief residents, and Breanna and her husband (Breanna is Michael's awesome program coordinator). We ate Italian food in the North end for dinner, and grabbed cannolis. 

On Friday I had another walk and breakfast with the same group, as well as a little meeting after with all the scholarship recipients. Camden was awake this time but just happy and smiley. Michael had some other meetings and classes and some other interviews. We are pursuing opportunities all over right now and trying to figure out what feels right for the next step for our family. It feels weighty, and I kind of hate it. I just want to be where we're supposed to be, and sometimes there's no "supposed to". That night we ate dinner with everyone who had come from Fresno -- the other chief residents, attendings, some local oral surgeons, some past residents who went through this program years ago, etc. Camden fell asleep as we wheeled the stroller into the restaurant, and didn't wake up until we wheeled the stroller back into our hotel room. He was seriously so wonderful on this trip and it felt like a little mother-baby honeymoon.

On Saturday Michael went to the conference and I slept in with Camden and had a slow breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to a park across the street and played ping pong before riding up to Harvard Square. We ate at Pinocchio's for lunch and then met up with Melissa from Jerusalem and Trevor from Michael's mission. I love catching up with friends and hearing about their paths in person. From there we rode to the airport and flew home through Chicago again. At this point Camden was a little sick/sniffly (the biggest reason I almost didn't go on this trip was because newborn + germs...), so he didn't sleep very well. I basically nursed him for hours, but that's better than crying. So it really wasn't too bad.

We were so excited to see the boys Sunday morning!

Westin and Bennett:

had a BALL with Grandma and Grandpa Miner. They were staying with us after Camden was born when I found out about this scholarship to Boston, so they were here while I went back and forth about going. They said they would come back out if that would help me be able to go, and I was so grateful to them. They afforded me a week of just so much -- networking, bonding with my baby, time with Michael, learning about our next step, doing some things that are out of my comfort zone, and feeling a little bit like pre-motherhood Maddie for a few days. My dad walked Westin to and from school each day and my mom gave Bennett the extra love he needs when his mom isn't around. They took them to the food trucks and on walks, pizza and movie night at home, read them stories, and just gave them a great week of grandparent time. I am forever grateful to them for all the ways they help us during this stage of life. This week breathed life into me and I couldn't have had that experience without them coming back out to Fresno, which is no small thing for them to do.

A Baby Blessing:

On Sunday we blessed sweet baby Camden and I was so happy we could do that while family was in town. I love baby blessings so much. Michael got emotional right as he started blessing Camden, so there was a long pause after his first name. My dad leaned over after a moment and whispered, "Edward!" because he thought Michael had forgotten Camden's middle name. Haha I knew Michael was catching his emotions and not forgetting anything, and it made me laugh. I think half our ward still thinks he forgot Camden's name and the other half just thought it was so sweet that Michael was emotional. Camden was blessed to have a heart that connects with others and forms friendships that will bless lives. He'll have a strong bond with his brothers and be an example to them, and he'll look out for those less fortunate than him. He will have a knowledge of the love his earthly and heavenly parents have for him and that will carry him through trials in this life. I feel so bonded to sweet little Camden and I'm just so happy he's here and healthy and mine.

This was such a good week!

Boston Memories:

-Laughing during our ping pong match while Camden slept in his stroller

-Randomly eating breakfast with ladies from Evansville

-Meeting a couple women who particularly stood out to me and empathized with where we're at right now

-Waking up next to Camden in the hotel after his early morning feeds

-Feeling so content during my first night there after smooth travels and a relaxing night in

-Walking miles and miles through Boston with Camden

-Eating good food and not having to plan or cook any of it

-Pictures from my parents of happy little boys in Fresno

-Being asked to "Tell me why Michael is great" in our Denver interview and just loving the opportunity to answer that question

-Eating Al's and Berryline

-Thinking about all my trips to Boston during my walks and how that city just connects so many stages of my life. 

<3

First zucchini harvest!

I have about 1,000 pictures of this scene.

And I also have 1,000 pictures of Westin that look just like this.

I put him to bed just like I normally would on that red eye flight and he was out.

Fish n Chips at Castle Island

Sleeping through the luncheon after our cooking class

Morning walks with the alliance group

The Chiefs and Breanna

Chocolate Ricotta forever

This scene on the wharf. Oh Al's. Forever will have my heart.

Merged right into the global warming protest. Yes.

Followed it to the state house before I veered off to explore Beacon Hill.
Camden slept through it all, but I know that he wants us to make good choices for our planet, too.

Boston has little pockets of beauty everywhere. It's my favorite big city in America.

Would have been an even more picture perfect scene if there wasn't some carpet cleaning happening.
But what do you do.

Angel travel buddy.

My boys in Boston!

We sent a picture of this to Westin and he thought it was extremely cool.
Michael stopped by on our last day and asked for a pen and paper pad with Westin on it,
and Westin was super excited to get those when we got home :)
Michael's such a sweet dad.

Two out of three ping pong! I won the first and last games,
and Michael is maintaining that he scored more points overall.
We're both super good losers.

Watching his parents play some mean ping pong.

Harvard

Westin ran in a jog-a-thon fundraiser while we were gone.
Here he is with his best bud, Weston. They love that they have the same name :)

Always gotta climb that tree after school if we have time.

Food Truck Saturday!

Baby blessing day! In the sweetest outfit from his Grandma Daetwyler

Fast asleep after the whole experience

Big brothers looking too big