Loving Louisville

This week was such a treat!

We loved being with Grandma and Grandpa in Kentucky. The Midwest has a big, big piece of my heart. I haven't even been back to Indy since living there but just being back in Louisville feels a little like home. We had such a good time, the boys were in heaven. I'm so grateful they have such fun and loving grandparents.

Westin loved seeing some big construction work when we watched trees go through a grinder, and Bennett was all about watching all the birds in grandpa's bird feeder -- cardinals and blue jays and woodpeckers. Both of them used about every piece of paper in grandma's house to color all sorts of pictures, and they loved playing hide and seek before bedtime with all the lights out, holding flashlights. Camden went on this trip without being a walker and came home pretty proud of his new stepping ability. His record is about 10 steps and he loves to walk and walk while holding someone's hand. His brothers even do a pretty good job in that role sometimes and it's adorable. Camden also looooved grandpa and Michael said, "I don't think he's ever reached for anybody when he had me." He wasn't offended though -- this week I asked him what it's like to be loved as much as Camden loves him and he said, "Exhausting. But really sweet." Haha. We've never had a baby be so far from being a mama's boy. Westin loved Michael but he still wanted me around sometimes, and Bennett was a mama's boy for quite a while. But Camden... it's all about dad. It made my flight to Louisville pretty easy :) I tried to take my turn but he wasn't interested. But the way home was different -- he wanted to be where his brothers were for most of the time, and he cried for both me and Michael quite a bit. But we survived!

Other trip highlights were walking across the bridge to Indiana and the boys picking out big lollipops, playing on the playground there, Michael catching up with friends in Evansville, Kendra and her kids meeting us at the park and eating lunch after, making a fire for hot dogs and s'mores, Westin helping grandpa with empanadas, Bennett helping grandma with cinnamon rolls, doing a temple session for the first time in over a year, waking the boys up to see a raccoon on the back deck, driving to Cincinnati to eat dinner with the Woolfs and catch up with them while the boys had a Friday night movie night with grandma and grandpa, hiking to a neighborhood waterfall, driving through cute Madison, Indiana and seeing another pretty waterfall at Clifty Falls, seeing the chicks at the tractor supply store, a constant stream of deliciousness from Grandma's kitchen, seeing Camden climb the stairs (but never the last two) for his first time, over and over, late night Tater Hole tournaments, and just soaking up time together. We loved our trip so much and we're grateful we got to spend such a fun week with grandparents.

Dinner with the Woolfs was seriously so much fun. We just love them, and being with friends from our dental school life is just special to us. Becca just knows the ins and outs of my life in ways I can't even describe, and thankfully I don't have to describe them to her. We just share our long road path and family balance situation and road trips with little kids and lots of boys life. When I broke down on my last Utah trip I texted her, "broken down in Wyoming." And she just knew. She knew I couldn't update her more because my day would be spent holding and entertaining Camden for 6 hours straight in a tiny mechanic office, and she knew I'd be "on" that day in the exhausting way and it would all catch up later. But just sending her that text gave me comfort because we have cheered each other on through soooo many road trips and she just knows. I am excited for their new job and life changes coming up, and I also just mourn the simplicity they're leaving in the same way I look back sweetly on some parts of our simple Fresno life.

Some parts ;)

Seeing Kendra's kids and catching up with her was so good for my soul, too. I was told in a significant blessing once that "I will make many dear friends in this life" and I do not take that lightly -- these dear friends mean the world to me. I see how our lives get busier and busier and faster and more complex, and they just mean all the more to me as we navigate it all from where we're at. I'm amazed by my friends all the time. Their examples really do mean a lot to me. It's so funny to me that Kendra has in laws in Fresno and I have in laws in Kentucky, and even though our Cedar paths are going to cross less and less, we're still keeping tabs on each other in unexpected ways :)

We flew home early early this morning and the boys did a surprisingly good job being awake for so long and having a chill day at home. They are so good. I love the way they play and play and play together. Today they colored wings and cut them out and kept working on "learning to fly" and they're convinced they got a couple inches off the ground for a bit. They want to go somewhere high "to test out these wings!" and don't worry, I take my job of keeping them alive very seriously.

Here's to a week back to reality! But Covid has us feeling pretty grateful for the pieces of reality that we have right now. I can't believe we're back to March after such a strange pause of a year.

The boys LOVED watching these tress being chopped up.

Camden was.... not so sure. And pretty cold. And pretty cute.

Painting the empanada edges.

Bennett blew a whole bottle of bubbles. He was very focused. And soapy.

The highlight of this park visit for Bennett was when he found a tiny turtle on that hill.
Made us all miss Mr. T a little extra :)

Camden ended up wanting OUT of that backpack and OUT of our arms and just to walk and walk and walk on this hike holding hands with Grandma and me. He was taking about 10 steps to our one step, until he got pretty tired, and then it was 20+. Sloooooow moving but adorable :)

Cutest little chicks!

A wood-turning show thanks to Grandpa. His creations are always so fun to see.

Grandpa doesn't mess around with fire-making.

I feel completely at home when I'm at Becca's home. This night was so happy for me.
And seeing Jaxson as a big(ger) kid was just so sweet. He's hilarious and so good and it's just fun to see who he's becoming.

Going through some family history photos post-Tater Hole.
Sally and I had a pretty good track record through those tournaments :)