Birthday Benny + Conference

Michael:

was busy this week! He didn't see the boys much from Monday night to Friday night, which was especially a bummer since it was Bennett's birthday this week. We blew up balloons the night before and put them all over the floor in the boys' room while they were asleep. I knew it would be so fun to hear them wake up to them and it totally was.

"Whoa!"

"Bennett, they're for your birthday!"

"Yeah, birthday!"

"I gotta go see the kitchen!"

(Westin runs out of the room, looks at the presents on the table and decorations, says "Wow!", then runs back to their bedroom and doesn't even tell Bennett about it haha)

"It's your birthday, Bennett!!"

Cute boys. Michael didn't make it home for candles and presents on Bennett's actual birthday, or the next day, so we opened presents throughout the day on Saturday and did candles on what was left of his cake that night. He was totally afraid of them and wouldn't blow them out, haha. Michael now has a full week off so he was happy to come home Friday and crash, relax through conference weekend, and gear up to play this week!

Maddie:

had a busy week with appointments and playing. I am so grateful for good friends this week. I rarely have things I need to be at for myself, and when I do I almost always take my kids. But this week I had three different appointments that would've been really hard to have my kids at. I had a friend in my ward call me and say, "Do you need me this week? Is there a day I can watch your kids for you?" And in that tender mercy of a moment I was so relieved to not have to take my kids to my first physical therapy appointment. I called to cancel this appointment twice because of stressing about bringing my kids. And then I'd change my mind and keep it and I am so glad I did. On Bennett's birthday we went to the zoo with friends, which we haven't done in months, and he loved it. While there my other sweet friend asked what else we were doing that day and I laughed that we were celebrating at an orthodontist appointment. That was the only day they could get me in this week and it had to be this week. She told me to bring my kids over to her place during the appointment and I kept telling her I was fine bringing them with me. Then she said, "I really think it's going to be hard to have them there and I promise I'm really able to watch them during that time." I hate putting people out but gratefully took her up on it, and then the appointment ended up being twice as long as I thought, and way more involved -- it would have been a nightmare with Camden. I left that appointment feeling so grateful for good friends who helped me out this week in a way I usually try to avoid. I feel like they showed me such a wonderful example of service and being aware of someone's needs and just being willing to help out even when it's inconvenient for them. I need to be more like them! I sometimes feel like I am lost in my three little people's needs, four if you count Michael (but sometimes he gets the raw end of the deal around here for sure!), and I need to put service into my family's life more. 

Well, that was a long-winded way of saying that I am grateful for friends, and grateful to be taking care of myself in ways I've been putting off for too long! 

Westin:

loves school and has the cutest friends there. This little girl ran up to him after school this week and gave him a big hug, and then ran away. I said, "That was nice, what's her name?" And he said, "I don't know. But Ella is going to bring me a present tomorrow." I said, "Wait, why?" And he gave me this hilarious look and a shrug and I realized in that moment that I think he's a little ladies' man at school. A few minutes later he asked me why that girl gave him a hug and I said, "She must have wanted to give you a hug because she feels like you are her good friend," And he just pondered that for a moment and I just thought it was all so cute and funny.

We talked about conference this weekend and Westin was so, so tender about it. I'll put the full story underneath the picture of Christ that he drew, in the pictures below.

Bennett:

is three! He was so cute leading up to his birthday. He knew it was coming and he'd hold up three fingers when we talked about his birthday. I feel like two to three is a big change. They're such a bigger kid at three. And such a bigger stinker! Just my kids? 2.5 to 4.5 was so rough with Westin, and I feel like the storm is really winding down. And Bennett's storm is gearing up... :) Oh man, but he's so funny and sweet still too. Grandma and Grandpa Daetwyler gave the boys scooters for their birthday and they are having fun figuring those out! Bennett had pizza on his birthday and I'm always amazed at how much pizza these little boys can eat!

Camden:

slept 10 hours on Thursday night, so you know that's pretty much the mic drop of everything that happened around here lately. I've never had a two-month-old baby do that! I slept 7 of the hours and woke up before he did feeling amazing. Especially after I made sure he was still breathing. That first long stretch is always a little startling! He hasn't done it since but it sure was nice. His smiles are so cute and he has started giving them to his brothers and they love it. Especially Bennett. For some reason Camden smiles so big for us when we say "Goo!" in a slightly obnoxious voice, and Bennett has caught onto this extremely well. You can frequently find him saying "Goo! Goo! Goo!" with all his might over at the baby swing, and he loves showing you with his face if Camden is smiling or crying.

General Conference:

was so wonderful this weekend! We made apple cinnamon crepes, the boys built toothpick-gum drop sculptures for one session, fruit loop necklaces for another, quiet time/naps during Sunday afternoon, and pretty much just ate a lot of sugary treats during Sunday morning's session :) I loved the women's session (especially the new YWs theme) and loved going to dinner with a couple friends after. I realized while I was there that I'm going to have a nice relaxing night in when all my boys are priesthood ages and off with Michael. Still figuring out all the different ways being a mom of lots of boys is going to look!

Ready for the birthday boy! But then they sat like this for two days until we could open them with Daddy.
Bennett was totally fine with it and didn't seem to understand that it should have been any different :)

Westin wanted to get him a box of cereal with puppies on it for his birthday breakfast.
Done.

To the zoo with friends!

Bennett loves animals so even though a zoo trip is tight before Westin's school these days,
we still had a great time and I'm glad we went.
I even splurged for feeding the giraffes since it was Bennett's birthday,
then he was too scared to do it and Westin has always been too scared to do it.
So... I got to feed the giraffes on Bennett's birthday. Kids.

Westin really wanted to decorate Bennett's cake with raspberries, and raspberries are the only thing they forgot in our Walmart pick up order. He was super sad but I told him to use the blueberries instead and they went to town.

Residency. Unopened birthday presents and slices from the cake before blowing out the candles.
It is what it is! Michael and I both had the same thought that it was Bennett's LAST residency birthday,
and we were soooo happy about that :)

Thursday was so crazy, with our usual morning hustle, to the zoo, to school, to picking up Bennett's birthday pizzas,
to naps/feeding, to picking up Westin, to dropping them off at my friends place, to the orthodontist,
to picking them up, then to Walmart, then home for dinner and a late bedtime in hopes that daddy would get home for presents.
So the next day when Bennett did quiet time and Westin was at school, all I wanted to do was lay down by little Camden for an hour. And that's what I did. It was my favorite part of my week! It's sad how much I did this with Westin and how little I can do this with Camden, but I know that's just how it goes.
I loved this slow hour with him.

After we talked about conference coming up this weekend,
Westin told me he wanted to draw a picture of Jesus.
He drew this then showed me the dots on the hands and feet and told me those were the nail marks.
Then he asked me if Jesus wanted to die, and if it hurt.
I told him that it did hurt, but Jesus wanted to do that because He loves us.
Then Westin asked me if we could hang the picture up high to look at it during conference,
to remember that we're learning to be like Jesus when we watch.
Kids are so sweet.

He chose to hang it up by our clock and asked me to put it up high,
"So we can see it whenever we wonder what time it is,"
Which I love because he doesn't even tell time yet :)
I think I'll just leave it up there forever.

Palmer visited us for conference weekend.

They were extra cuddly Sunday morning.

The Dots they used for building were suddenly second breakfast.

Westin chose temple, prayer, and Jesus to be our three words to listen for.
Bennett would just frequently go up to the bowls and point ot each one and look at me, like,
"Am I good to grab one of these?"
I love that he didn't fully get what was going on, but knew the basic idea haha.