Broncos, Barbie, Boy Life

First full week of school, the boys loved it. A little update on everyone:

Michael: is in the Elders Quorum presidency now, misses working with the youth but enjoys who he works with now, too. He had a lot of his call time stacked together earlier this year, a slower summer of call, and another busy call season coming up. His office is always so much busier in the summers than any other time, so September is about to be kind of a slow down for him. He got a crew together to play tennis last Saturday and went out this Saturday to practice serving. He took Westin to a Broncos preseason game on Saturday night and Westin was so unbelievably happy and excited about it.

Maddie: went to my first Young Womens activity, a get-to-know-you night. This is a big change for me! I'm excited to get to know the girls. I also feel like I haven't related to teenagers since I was one, here we go. :) I loved our date night this week, to dinner and Barbie. I haven't stopped thinking about that movie since watching it and it was beautifully done. I have a ton of pictures at the end of this post with thoughts about it and posts/comments about it because I just want to remember how this movie made me feel when I first saw it. I haven't been so moved emotionally by a movie in I don't know how long.

Westin: highlight was for sure the Broncos game. He started piano with a teacher that's not me this week, and did a great job at his first lesson. He's loving third grade, LOVING playing flag football with one of his friends on a city team, and wants to go to school early every day to eat breakfast there. Second breakfast. He's a hobbit.

Bennett: is loving first grade. He keeps saying school is the best ever, and he got ready for school both Saturdays and Sundays since school started and was a little deflated when we realized what was happening and broke the news that there was no school that day. He loved when their babysitter came Friday night for our date night, he loves playing with her so much.

Camden: Didn't seem to miss the big kids too much this week, he loves playing with Asher. He's constantly playing with his Nugget furniture. Constantly. They're pretty much animals with it and it's hilarious and kind of a ticking time bomb. Actually he did bite his tongue and made it bleed a lot this week when jumping around on it, so, bomb went off already. But ticking again daily. 

Asher: Finally got a haircut today, he got out of the last two haircut rounds because I ended up doing them while Michael was at work and he's still a two-to-one ratio for haircuts, I can't do it by myself. But we cut his hair together today and he's looking fresh. He only eats carbs. And not even the good ones. Loves his socks and shoes, loves going on walks, loves petting Luna from the stroller while on those walks, and loves toast. So much.

I love FaceTiming this little angel Annie. I need to see her again!

This was cracking me up. Camden had no concept how this teeter totter worked but was having fun with his friend Wesley, who was doing all the work. Camden was just kind of shimmying forward and backward fully thinking he was helping it move too, but his feet never touched the ground. It made me laugh to watch them, both content with the situation haha.

Not sure how much longer I'll have this view when it's time to go get his brothers. I love it.

Worst errand helper ever!
Haha this is us registering our new car,
and Asher let his voice be HEARD in that office.

Loveland sweet corn festival! Delicious.

They had a Barbie and Ken photo booth there, which was fitting because we finally saw it the night before. I have been thinking about it nonstop.

Asher is good at lounging on our big pit sectional downstairs. Also loves being flipped onto it by daddy. Also loves rolling around on it. But sometimes he lounges.

Westin's life was made on Saturday night with some preseason Broncos tickets.
He was in heaven.

Loves stuffies. I love him.

He said cheese behind the wolf and thought it was so funny.

This is kind of ridiculous but I was so moved by the Barbie movie this week and even MORE moved by conversations I had about it after some of those being on Instagram, so I'm putting these screenshots here for my own memory.

First Day of School!

The end of summer! I can hardly believe it. This summer felt twice as fast as last summer. 

Michael's Wednesday off hit the day before school starts, so we did one last hurrah for summer. We woke up and went to Urban Egg for breakfast (mystery shop, some habits die hard), and the boys loved getting french toast and blueberry pancakes. Then we went to the Denver Zoo and it was pretty darn hot but still such a fun day.  

Thursday we started school! The boys were really excited. Westin picked out some very blue shoes, Bennett picked out a shark backpack, both of them were so excited to see who was in their class and to be back at school. I love taking them to school. I'm so grateful we can walk together.

This weekend we went to Ed Sheeran, which was a long time coming! We had to wait over two hours for him to come on because of lightning, which turned his start time into 10pm (!). He performed over two hours, and we made it back by 1:30 to take a nap before waking Westin up to watch the World Cup final like we promised :) I was definitely in and out of that game, but I did see the goal. I love how much he loves tournaments.

This was my first Sunday going to gospel doctrine in this ward and not teaching it! I'm in Young Womens now and that feels like a big change. I'm going to do my best to hang onto the parts of that calling I loved (my routine for teaching really did add so much good to my weeks) and enjoy getting to know these cute girls in our ward. 

The start of this school year felt like such a jarring reminder that the older kids get the faster time goes. I never really believed that when kind people would tell me that in passing when I had one or two little ones. But now I'm seeing how true it is. I've started planning out our trips for the next few years because it just feels like if you don't make things happen, life fills up so fast with whatever else wants to take your time. I just love making memories with these people so much. This school year my goal is to be better at simple traditions. Weekend movie nights, family night on Sunday or Monday, each one helping me with dinner once a week, etc. It's going to be a good year!

He put a leg up so you can't get the full effect, but he had a sweet brother help him put on (two very different) socks and it made me laugh.

Breakfast Date! We still love a good mystery shop :)
This is our favorite breakfast spot, Urban Egg.

Went to one south of us on our way to the zoo for the day. Last day of summer, make it count!

I used to feel bad for hyenas and how judged they are, until Michael's mom told me that their guide in Africa can't stand them and sees them be totally ruthless -- he even saw one steal a newborn baby wildebeest once right out of its mom while she was in labor. Like, get them out of the zoos.
Our boys thought they were cool though.
I didn't tell them the baby wildebeest story.

The night before I asked Camden what he was excited to see at the zoo and he said, "Wild horses!" And in my head I was like... there's not going to be wild horses there...
but then there were!
"They're beautiful."
Haha I loved watching him watch them and say that.

My kids always love tank animals at this age. You're just right up close and getting a glimpse into another world. Asher did the first half the day in the stroller, which I was surprised by, and once he was out he was out :) And we moved muuuuch more slowly.

Bunch of animals.

I can hardly believe this. Their fourth year at this school!

Westy boy, you're going to rock third grade. He doesn't have the teacher he wanted or his bestie in his class, so he was nervous walking into the first day. But he came home so happy and excited. Brave boy.

Benny boy! He's got the same teacher Westy had in first grade and he totally loved the first couple days of school. They did a Thursday and Friday and when he woke up Saturday and learned he wasn't going to school, he was sad about it :)

Morning crew! Each year is easier to get these boys out the door in the mornings.
I'm grateful to glimpse that.

Lined up and ready for a good day!

Michael put his Spain flag out before the World Cup final, he has been watching the games with Westin and they're loving cheering them on.

Michael played tennis Saturday, so I took the boys on a walk on a route that I knew we'd run into him on his way home but didn't tell them. He came down the road toward us and Asher stood up in his stroller (did not know he could do that) and yelled "DADDY!!!!!!!" with both hands in the air haha. It was the happiest thing.

Peeking at some cute people at the playground!

Ed Sheeran! We bought these tickets weeks before Taylor Swift even announced she was going on tour this year. Fun to have these concerts finally roll around.

Khalid was really fun to see. Both openers got cut short due to lightning, and then we ended up waiting hours for Ed to come on because of the lightning rules at the stadium.

Got a pretty rainbow out of it though?

He wrote us a note while we waited... a lot of people bailed. We waited from 6:30 to 9:55.

But he came on!!

I love going to concerts with Michael.

Michael and I tag teamed some meetings on Sunday, entertaining the boys at church while the other one was tied up. How did we go to church for 3 hours just a few years ago??

Camden has now made these bracelets a unit with his glasses. Puts them in the same place when he takes them off. Puts them on at the same time. Refers to them as "my glassesandbracelets" and never just one of them. We made them with my roommate Jaclyn before the Taylor concert and he just really, really loves his creations. Cutie. Spot the tattoo from our neighbor's birthday party the day before, too. Living a good life.