A Cold, Low Key Week

We had a cooooooold week, some mornings our walk-turned-short-drive to school was 0 degrees with single-digit highs. Brrr. But next week we're hitting 65 so, we'll survive.

We've just been so consumed with news and following Ukraine this week. Westin picks up on so much conversation now and his wheels are always turning turning as he has to learn that there are just mean people in the world who cause a lot of pain. I am so amazed by the Ukrainian people and all they're doing to fight for their country. 

Westin is a huge helper and LOVED starting Harry Potter this week. Bennett is an angel and has a hard time when someone makes him sad, we had a hard episode at a playgroup this week and it made me so sad for him. Camden is such a goofball and we're all obsessed with him, and he went to nursery by himself for the FIRST time today!! Asher is hitting the four month hard times but I just am expecting it this round so it makes it easier. That four month is just a rough go of things and then we transition to falling asleep awake and longer stretches becoming more consistent. Eyes on April but he's a sweetie until then and we're ok :) 

We ate at a restaurant for the first time as a family of 6 this weekend, went to a pizza place at 4pm to keep things easy haha. It went pretty well! I want my boys to be good at that and they really did great all things considered. I took all four boys to Westin's basketball practice and game on Saturday because Michael was on call. Camden sat by me for 90 min with a car to play with, Bennett sat on my other side content, and Asher bounced on my lap happy that whole time. For 90 minutes. I feel like I had the hardest time lasting of the four of us because my back feels like an old woman's back some days but, we all made it haha. 

And now we're off to make Snickerdoodles today and find something National Geographic to watch. Love these boys.

Cuties always coloring

Our mudroom cabinet came! I ordered this 6 months ago and we have been anxiously waiting for it through all of our winter clothes chaos around here.

Now I can take down this hook behind our door where the kids coats and backpacks kept ending up,
which makes no functional sense. It was always a lot of smashing each other and not being able to open the door all the way.

Just gotta find baskets. The laundry room lighting is super yellow.
And in my House Painting of 2020 I never did get to this room and its original 80s wallpaper.
Honestly, I don't hate it. And I'm tired :)

Someone was playing with mom's phone and I think I know who.

I love this kid. Such a little buddy lately.

Cutie Camden.

New ward new playgroup!
Camden's nursery leader had a bunch of us over for lunch and she seems so sweet to try to get him used to her and not be such a nursery struggler.

Bennett wanted me to take a picture of his palm tree!

Musical Saturday afternoon

He thinks he's hiding from bedtime :) 

Asher's First Big Weekend

Happy Valentine's Day!

We woke up Monday to heart-shaped raspberry rolls and some Valentine's treats, and the book Heartprints. It's such a cute book reminding kids that the little kind things they do are not little. Then that night we had heart-shaped pizza for dinner. 

The boys took bug-themed Valentine's to school and they were so excited to bring home their Valentine cards. Bennett loves a little Abby in his class -- he chose "the very most beautiful bug" for her and when he opened her Valentine he said, "Oh wow, she really loves me." So adorable.

I worked more on my pantry shelves this week -- clamped them to my patio table and cut them lengthwise with my jigsaw since we're still not a table saw household and probably never will be (see: Michael's finger episode, December 2011). But it worked great! I did the same thing for my picture ledge, but I wish I had a neighbor friend with a table saw... but it worked. Then started the process of layering stains and polycrylic layers and painting the trim and support pieces white.

This weekend Asher had his first big social life, with a game night with couples from our new ward on Saturday, and then his first Sunday at church the next morning. Camden still wouldn't do nursery by himself but I think he will soon, he has a cute crew in there! Then we came home from church and immediately took Asher to Michael's assistant's wedding just north of Fort Collins. It was beautiful and fun to see such a happy event after events being cancelled for so long. The boys were stoked to play with a babysitter for a few hours that day -- we opted to not take all four and I do not regret this decision. Asher was exhausted and had one of those blow outs that only happen when you're not at home, BUT it was all a success and he's such a sweetie. I can feel his newbornness slipping away.

We had some more snow dump this week and we're getting a little bit over that! But March feels close. But we also get lots of snow in March haha. But mentally it feels like a milestone.

Cute little coat rack came, to make up for the fact that I got rid of our entryway coat closet.

Heart pizza for dinner

They have watched any and all episodes of all things Spirit. 
Westin's ready to be a cowboy.

Cutest package from cute Kindal and Rosie.
Westin held those "create your own books" and said,
"I've needed these my WHOLE life!"

I cross stitched for the first time in over a year and forgot how much I really do love slowing down for a minute and just creating something cute! I added Baby Banks in with the Ryan crew and he just definitely belongs there. Love this family.

Plywood getting ready to be trimmed down.

Zonked out at the wedding.
Just before he pooped all over both of us :)

 

Love Week

Gearing up for love day!

We did Valentines this week and picked out some Super bowl snacks. Holidays are all about the food.

Last Sunday night our ward boundaries were completely changed, and our entire stake is arranged differently. We meet in a new ward in a new building. Michael is still in Young Mens and I'll be teaching Gospel Doctrine. Super surprised and intimidated by that calling -- here we go Old Testament.

Michael has loved replacing studying with watching the olympics. Asher seems more alert and awake lately and not so newborny. He hit 3 months this week! Getting rid of baby clothes for the first time was so bittersweet. 

The boys no longer have to wear masks to school as of tomorrow. I'm grateful that Bennett will be able to progress more with his speech without masks. Kids these days are such troopers, the last two years have been so much.

Westin had his last Activity Days this week at our old church. His leaders were so sweet to hold one last activity even though our ward is no more. They made valentines cookies and he's really bummed that his bestie is no longer in our ward. He's also in his class at school and on his basketball team on Saturdays, so Westin said through tears, "I can't believe I'll only see him 6 days a week!" Haha sweetie. Word on the street is that our new ward has lots and lots of little boys in it so I'm hoping we've got some good crews for our boys up ahead.

We're still very much in tired baby mode around here but we also get glimpses of the future here and there during a good stretch of sleep or actually getting us all out of the house. These boys are so sweet.

 

Some Valentine's sweet rolls ready for tomorrow.
I didn't know we had a Valentine's sweet roll tradition but Westin says we do :)
I don't know if that's because that's what we've done in the past and I don't remember or if he just think it's a really good idea... 

Getting rid of our first round of baby clothes and I definitely cried.
Such tiny sweet people wore these tiny sweet clothes.

Reading by the fire is a favorite past time for these two lately.

"Benny boy, hold a handy!"

He tolerates tummy time a little more than my others.
Maybe he'll crawl before he's a year old then hehe.

Sweetest faces. He prefers to make eyes at each other now instead of eat a lot of times.

Happy birthday to our book launch! Crazy to believe our Kickstarter was a year ago.

Chunking up and cute as ever.

Still prefers sleeping in this totally unsafe way...
How do I get this kid moved to his back??

Our newest dishwasher emptier!
He likes to open the silverware drawer and just dump them all in,
then say "I did it!"

"Soup, mama? It's hot it's hot!"

A bunny sighting on the way to school!

Bye to Boards and Grandparents

 Boards are over!

Michael will find out how he did at the end of March. He got home Tuesday night just ahead of a storm. We were unashamedly happy that the storm meant two extra days with Grandma and Grandpa!

Winter here is beautiful but I won't lie that I'm happy we've got some 50 degree days ahead to melt these roads. It does make for some cozy olympic watching though!

This week was more nursing, more pantry redoing, lots of grandparents playing, pizza Monday, some valentines making, a slow weekend, and we just found out our ward boundaries are changing Sunday night. So feels like some changes happening around here!

100 days of school!
He wanted creature power discs for his t-shirt project.

The boys always push our cars out when we leave.
I ran an errand this week and my dad came out and pushed my car and I couldn't stop laughing.

So many hours nursing this baby right here.
Just about another month and he'll want to go to sleep awake in a room by himself, 
and I'm going to miss him.

Always catching them reading, playing, or fighting together among the messes these days :)

Making Valentine's for classes!
Bug themed this year.
My favorite was when Bennett found a bug and he thought was beautiful and said, "Oh I need to give this one to Abby!"

Offered a free printable over at Lighten Print this week and I just love how it turned out.
Kindal is so talented.

Olympic watching party.
Nothing else has ever slowed these three down enough to lay down on the couch together like this :)