We bought our first home, and Michael signed his contract to join Fort Collins Oral Surgery.
Big changes are coming!
Shelley was so nice to watch Westin and Bennett in LA while Michael and I took a long weekend with Camden to head to Fort Collins and check out neighborhoods. Buying a home is a much more consuming process than I ever predicted. There's just a lot of fate involved in that process. I'll never forget the ups and downs of the first and second offers we put on houses, and then the way things came together for the third. And third time was the charm! We have a lot of painting ahead of us, but I can totally envision what our house can be. The location, the walk to school, the commute, the neighborhood, the backyard -- we are so excited. I'll never forget Ali and Becca helping me from afar as the process hit ups and downs we didn't expect, and all the heavy decisions that you just have to commit to or walk away from. The way we found our realtor (through a friend of a friend of a friend who had a rental but was also, we later found out, an amazing realtor) was an answer to prayers because she was incredibly helpful.
Also I always want to remember the dinner we spent with Michael's future partner. He and his wife were so incredibly kind, and personable, and I was so extremely impressed with their children. I just keep thinking about their family. The way their kids were truly good friends with each other, none of them looked at a phone the whole night, they were so fun to talk to, and it was just so nice to finally meet them. I have felt so much peace about our big changes coming up since meeting them.
Camden was a trooper on the trip -- last Sunday he went through 11 houses with us, never able to fall asleep on the drives between each one until we took a 90-minute break so that he could get a rest. Then we needed to stop for gas and it woke him up... oh little babies. He took a long nap in our hotel the next day before our dinner plans that night, and a long nap the next morning soon after he woke up. And he's been catching up on sleep ever since and sleeping quite well since our trip. He even slept his first 12-hour stretch with 0 wake ups! But has woken up once a few times, too. Which is way better than what we were dealing with just a couple weeks ago.
Westin and Bennett always have the best time with the Cannons. They went on fun walks, picked strawberries, ate a lot of sherbet, went swimming, played so much with cousins, drew pictures, hopped on Westin's preschool Zoom meeting for joke day, and they are just so happy with family. I'm so grateful for Shelley's help with the boys and Katie's help in Colorado. It was SOO fun to meet baby Finn and see Jack and Oliver. Our new house is 90 minutes away from them and we have never been so close to family before!
The last few months have been putting together puzzle piece after puzzle piece, with so much thinking and prayer and stress and faith to figure out how this should all come together. All we've wanted was to go where we feel like we're supposed to, and make a good life for our little boys. Each step has been work. Then it comes together. Then it's the next step. I haven't even written a "We're moving to Fort Collins!" post because it has just felt like a process. Each step illuminated a little at a time, but no big bursts of light. But now we can see the final picture, and it's time to put in the work to make the transition happen.
Oh, moving.
Making rock stacks like when Grandpa Miner was here!
Bingo time with his class
Camden getting into the car playing scene
We've been having picnics outside tonight and somehow this is our only "outdoor"ish blanket. Didn't notice that our banana bread was keeping Ariel modest. Also, banana bread and a parfait may not sound like dinner to you but we've reached the point in the COVID game where anything pretty much goes.
Empty LAX. So super strange.
Robbing a bank, or getting on a flight? Felt so weird to be back in the world after weeks of being so strict about social distancing.
Cutie cousins
Cutie cousins again :)
We walked to and from the elementary school from two of our top choice houses just to get a feel for it. This poor cutie was just exhausted.
Shelley said they flew through sherbet that weekend. Lucky boys.
Blurry but I was just so happy to see him sleeping well after all the go-go-go.
A little FoCo exploring and watching a crazy talented kayaker in the rapids.
Accurate depiction of how Camden felt most the trip.
Freezing water but he was in heaven, Shelley said he swam until he was almost blue and was just so happy.
Sweet baby Finn!
"Bonk!"
No better view on an airplane... We even watched a movie! Ford vs. Ferrari. We really liked it.
I skipped blogging last week and it is solely because I no longer know what day of the week it is.
My friend texted me to check in one day and I said, "Our day has been hard, but we've had a good week." And she said, "I don't know if I should tell you this... but it's Monday." I had no idea it was Monday.
The days are running together, getting mixed up, some are long and the weeks are somehow short. We are living in limbo thanks to COVID and finishing our time here so soon, but we're enjoying this slow time together.
We are getting better at being content with the slow, patient during the stay at home days, and happy with the little things that break up the routine. One day we went on a walk that felt extra fun because we saw multiple bunnies, multiple construction vehicles working, 7 (count 'em, Westin did) garbage trucks, and one even honked and waved. When we were close to home Westin said, "This is the best walk of my life." And it was just a sweet moment to me to see him just soak up something that we do EVERY day during a time that we do very little exciting things. It's still happy to him. We have a good life. On that same walk halfway through I noticed that Bennett's bike helmet was totally folding/pinching his ear. He had complained zero times, not even acknowledged it, and was just loving his walk. That is Bennett. I stopped him and fixed it and he gave me a cute "Tank Vu Mama!" and was on his way, just as content as before. Kids are such good examples when you just look for their good.
My boys have also started being braver about when they see a bug or spider, which I LOVE, and it's partly because they think it's super fun to flush it. So if we spot a bug, they grab a tissue, grab the bug, and run to the toilet together. Then they both make bug-dying sound effects as it flushes. Bennett in particular always says, "Noooo, I want my mama dada Noooo!" which is borderline tragic but also just really funny.
Like I said. We're looking real hard for the exciting moments around here lately.
Pictures for the rest because it's all random these days!
Marcel came around! She's a shy thing.
A Christmas Tree! So many magnet creations always.
A shot from "the best walk of my life" as Westin described it.
Sitting up and being so big.
This, you guys, is the face of our earliest Daddy's boy.
He's already soooo into Michael.
I held onto Westin for 12 months. Bennett is still mine... haha, and Camden is daddy's boy already.
Who wakes up when you cry, Cam Cam? Who feeds you?
Doesn't matter. Heart eyes for daddy.
I panic purchased this little bundle type thing for a swaddle transition during one of our 3am hours-long crying sessions the other night. I don't regret it. He really likes it. Though he still cries in the night sometimes after I feed him, so...
I don't know. Does anyone know what they're doing with kids and sleep?
Because I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about this but Camden's giving me a run for my money.
But it makes him look like a starfish/seal/worm and we just laugh and laugh together about it.
Oh I love these two.
Such a thoughtful plate of cookies. We love the Coombs.
"Look mom, we built a temple!"
Gotta love that dinosaur Moroni.
We took this sign and treat around to all the primary kids.
Before we left I stuck one in our yard and put a treat out for Westin and Bennett.
When we got home they were SO excited to see it, even though they'd just seen me pass out almost 30 of them.
I just loved that easy-to-please, happy kiddo attitude. Cuties.
Mother's Day Illustrations
For some reason Bennett kept showing his speech therapist his foot during their last speech session.
I finally realized that he was trying to show her an ouchie he has on his ankle,
so once that was established he stopped haha.
These cute boys.
This is COVID time.
Westin and Bennett played with Westin's bestie from school on Zoom for almost 2 hours.
They played legos, and magnets, and talked and laughed and talked and laughed.
At one point Westin said, "I don't know what I'm making, but my imagination is going somewhere!"
This was their whole quiet time that day and they were all in heaven. It was both heart-melting and heart-breaking. What a strange time.
Also, that hat.
My dad gave it to Michael a while back because he never wore it.
Bennett found it and wears it constantly now, and it totally fits him.
He even sleeps in it. I went in one night to take him to the bathroom, and he was still wearing it.
When I tucked him back to bed, he said, "Love you mama", turned over, put his hat back on, and fell right asleep.
So. stinkin. cute.
"Mom, Kitty is liking me! Take a picture!"
Trail mix time.
Our neighbor's cat was spying on them and they thought it was sooo funny.
This is here so that I can remember our 10-year Jerusalem reunion we had on Zoom this weekend.
We were in that Zoom room with 40+ people for THREE HOURS.
And it was SO FUN the whole time. Oh my goodness, the love I have for those people and those months.
Nothing can describe it. It both left me with such joy and such a nostalgic funk.
That feels like a lifetime ago and so surreal. Sharing that with Michael is such a happy bonus of this marriage of ours.
Marrying Michael was the best best thing I've ever done. Going to Jerusalem is up there too.
And they're pretty closely connected :)
Mother's Day Lemon Chia pancakes. Michael is a pancake artist :)
We had a sweet drive through mother's day at church,
with brunch, a musical number, and a treat from our bishopric. It was really sweet.
I love that "It really bugs my mom when I..." is blank.
I read the questions out loud with Westin this morning and after that one he said,
"I didn't like that one. I didn't write anything."
I thought that was so cute. I hope he never feels like something he does really bugs me.
Mother's Day with these boys was really fun. I'm so grateful for them.
He also gave me the cutest coupon book,
which was one of those moments where I felt like a legit mom.
I remember gifting a lot of coupon books in my day :)
