Still January.

Michael:
and I have decided not to stay in Fresno. It was always an option up until this week but through so much prayer and thinking and prayer and talking we just feel like we're meant to make a change. Specifics are still in the works but I do feel like there's been a shift with knowing these are my last 6 months here. He went to a dinner this week with his coresidents and had a lot of fun with them. He works with really fun people and great attendings and I'm continuously so grateful for that. He taught Westin's Sunday school class which Westin was thrilled about. We've been catching up on Modern Family at night and I love laughing at that show together. He is going to be vegetarian for the month of February, so, gearing up for that I guess. Oh food.

Maddie:
I saw a meme online that said it was January 74th and I just felt that so deeply. How is December so, so quick and January is sooooo long? I have started listening to Revisionist History and I really like that podcast. So many ways to look at things in this world. Our personal experiences frame so much of our interpretations, and it's just impossible to fully understand each other sometimes. I'm just so intrigued by the way it feels like our political climate is continually more and more polarized, and I just think we all feel things so deeply even when they're the opposite of each other. It's so interesting to me. I feel like health is my part time job right now between the food we're trying to eat and the walking we're doing and my physical therapy appointments. My kids and my own physical health and spiritual health are the only things I am accomplishing right now. I think that's ok. But it sure feels mind blowing to exhaustedly make it to the end of a day and have "only" accomplished those things. What a stage.
I was able to go to Relief Society today because priesthood taught all of primary so that all of the sisters in our ward could go hear Brooke Babcock's special talk about her life. She's lost two babies and her experiences of leaning on the Lord had us all in tears. I'm so grateful for my little family and grateful that all will be made right someday.
Tonight we're having the Ryans over and I just love when we are able to spend time with Emily's family.

Westin:
is an inquisitive little soul and has THE BEST memory. For example. There's a song on the radio we've heard just one time that says "I really wish I didn't like you" and when we heard that Westin said, "Well that wasn't very nice!" So I told him he was right and changed the song. Then weeks later we heard that song again and he said, "Oh, that's the not nice song, that we heard in the van when we were driving home from the party at the church." It was so long ago, and he knew exactly when and where he heard it. He has been asking for pepper on lots of food lately, and is such an observant eater. We've started reading chapter books together and finished a Mercy Watson book and almost finished Toys Go Out. I really love reading to him. He is my buddy.

Bennett:

is working so hard at speech therapy and it's so cute. He now goes without anyone else there but him, since Westin's at school and his therapist prefers that Bennett be one on one with her now. He's doing great with that, and I take Camden on a walk around the nearby park during his 45-minute session. Bennett follows Westin around and does whatever he does. It really is so sweet to watch their relationship. I once heard that you should try and never be the first one to break a hug with your child. And I really do try that, but sometimes it's literally impossible with Bennett! That sweet boy would hug all day. He's such a lover. I love his long squeezes and cuddling when we read books and when he says "Me too cold!" and grabs his blankies to cuddle on the couch. He eats his favorite food on his plate first thing, working his way down to the worst. One of the few opposite differences between him and Westin :)

Camden:

Tried his first food! And promptly spit out his first food. Always the most anticlimactic milestone, in my opinion. We took him to the doctor for his six month check up and he's 30 percentile for weight, 30 percentile for height, and 50 percentile for his head size. Our littlest man for sure! He weighs just over 16 pounds. I think that's what Bennett weighed at his two month appointment. Everyone thinks he looks exactly like Westin, which I've felt like all along, and it's just becoming more so as time passes. We think he has brown eyes but it's still just a unique color, not dark dark brown like Westin's but not light like Bennett's. He's an angel. He's been sleeping some 8-9 hour stretches on his one-feed nights, though sometimes we're feeding twice and doing some shorter stretches. Both feel manageable though. He's such a happy, sweet little guy!

Sunday bread!

We love this bush on our walk.
Any plant that provides happy yellow flowers mid winter is a good plant.

Sometimes I leave multiple laundry loads folded on my bed so I can feel accomplished the rest of the day when I see it.
But mostly I just don't have the energy to put it away after I fold it all,
so it hangs out there for a bit.

Oh this boy.

Bennett is always on one :)

Bennett has fully entered Duplo creation world.
We keep finding little Duplo animals stashed away in little box creations he leaves all around.

I just love watching Camden watch his hands.

First food!