Colors in Keystone

 Michael:
made applesauce and apple cider this week again, which involved cutting 60+ apples from our tree. He loves using as many of those as he can and our house smells really good when he does. He came with me to Camden's eye appointment on Wednesday and I was grateful to have him there... it took both of us plus the assistant to get Camden's eyes dilated and it was not fun. I was grateful we were there together. He's also the best DJ on road trips and I like listening to the playlists he makes. I put zero effort into finding new music but I like that Michael is good at it.

Maddie:
has 6 more weeks of growing this little baby boy. We went to Keystone for the weekend, which is our last family trip before baby, and it made his arrival feel closer to be on this side of the trip. Katie was so sweet this weekend -- she's no nonsense when it comes to bodies and what they need and after the first day of being all together she called guest services at her condo for a wheelchair, and pushed me all around Vail the next day. I can't say it didn't hurt my pride, but I can say I went to bed that night in far less pain than I usually do these days and I felt grateful that she knew it would just be a better day all around if we added wheels. Vail was beautiful! I had never been there before and it was so fun to see. Michael rolled the wheelchair outside and was sitting in it while watching the kids play on the playground while he waited for me and Katie and Ryan to go to Vail. I came outside and saw him sitting there and thought of how I always watch him running around playgrounds chasing our kids and I felt so grateful and lucky that he is able to do that and just seeing him sitting in that chair watching them made me start crying. #pregnant.

Westin:
is going through an "emotional growth spurt" which is what I'm naming those times when suddenly we feel off our groove together after being in a groove for a while, but it just takes extra patience and extra looking for the good and helping him feel what he feels, and we'll get back to a good groove soon enough. It's just interesting how when one kid feels super easy, and another one has some challenges happening, when the challenges start to resolve the super easy kid seems to have some come up. He has wanted someone to lay by him at night for a bit for the first time in I don't know how long, and in Keystone he wanted to sleep on the floor next to me rather than in the other room on the pull out couch. My dad was always so responsive to me when I wanted him to stay by me until I fell asleep after he read to me, and I really appreciated that, so I'm trying to have patience with Westin's new needs during a time when I feel SO done with my day when I get to my kids' bedtime. He's a sweetie.

Bennett:
will take care of me when I'm old. He never left my side when we got the wheelchair out in Vail. He'd walk right by me with a hand on the armrest of the wheelchair, and stay close to me, and Westin had a few meltdowns here and there that were sometimes directed a Bennett and he never responded or reacted in any negative way at all. He just held his sweet Bennett space the whole weekend and seemed to be extra aware of me when he saw me rolling around instead of walking. It melted my heart and I just see how much he sees people and how sweet he is. His most repeated sweet phrase right now is, "You're the best mama." And I say, "you're the best, Bennett!" And he says, "No, Jesus is the best. And everyone in the world is the best." And I'm like, if you can go through life thinking those two things then you've just got the two greatest commandments down and your heart just came that way. Sweet boy.

Camden:
needs glasses and I cried when we found out. I really cannot imagine that and I'm just so bummed about it but grateful that he has such good health overall and that we caught his astigmatism early. There's a chance he'll grow out of the need but it doesn't seem likely. We go in next Wednesday to get his glasses and then we'll start working toward wearing them full time which sounds..... impossible. But we'll take it day by day. He did better in Keystone than last time when it came to bedtime, and we skipped his nap this weekend which had me stressed out less because there was less pack n play crying time. I am trying to soak up the sweetness of this stage but I really look forward to when we can travel with no pack n plays, or nap times, or crying when putting kids to bed and everyone can just sleep where we're sleeping without stress. We did haircuts Sunday night when we got home since it's picture day tomorrow and Camden did NOT like the experience. But we're good for....6 weeks. Oh boys and their haircuts.

This one is starting to love to color,
even when he's not just doing whatever his brothers are doing.

Always sneaking smiles at me.

Our apple tree is finally slowing down a little,
Camden loves the all access snack pass.

Passed these cuties taking our friend Rupert on a walk
on my way home from a doctor's appointment

This appointment was a total bummer...
dilating Camden's eyes was NOT a fun process,
and we were so surprised he needs glasses.

Rupie and the boys wrestling.

Homemade apple cider, ready for Keystone!

He woke up early in Keystone
(and early all the other days, wherever he is)
but Michael and his older brothers were out on a moose hunt already,
so he needed some serious distracting while he kept asking for "Daddy huggie!"

Then he started posing haha.

So many boys!