Eleven Years and a Dallas Weekend

This week was our eleventh anniversary! I fully thought it was our twelfth. When Michael broke the news to me that we hadn't quite made it to twelve yet I felt like I had to repeat a whole year of life. Why is it getting harder to remember ages and anniversaries.... oh because they're bigger numbers and they come around faster than ever :)

We went out for seafood on Friday to celebrate, plus to get pizookies. Then we had some time together over the weekend when we left our kids overnight with our babysitter and went to Dallas for some practice meetings. Even though it was a super quick trip, there is just a million more hours in the day when none of them go to kids! We have been working out consistently together for the first time in our. marriage, and we had fun doing that in the hotel gym with actual machines rather than our bands and weights at home. 

Our meetings went well, too. Half the day spent with Michael's partner and his wife and going over the practice as a whole, and half the day looking at our personal financials. Making plans to get old with Michael just sounds so fun to me. Maybe not the getting old part, but the being with Michael always part :)

Asher (and all the boys) did just fine being left for the two days and we just love our babysitter for being up to watching the boys that long. They sure love her. 

Asher eats just one time a day on just one side... such a gradual weaning happening :) 
He sleeps through the night 95% of the time now and did fine with me leaving him for short trips two times this month, so I really don't feel rushed to drop this one feeding. It's keeping him a baby for just a little longer.

These two are so clingy at library story time!

This goes well with that sweet nursing picture above.... there are other feedings that leave me thinking we're more than ready to be done :)

I'm never not climbed on by this cutie if I lay on the floor.

Forgot to take a picture of us on our anniversary date, so I took a picture of my dirty mirror and puffy sleeves when we got home. This is a trend I can get behind.

We did a dinner/bowling mystery shop night with all the boys and it was long and at times not great but just really great overall. They only remember the good. Bowling with crawling babies is kind of a stupid idea though.

I moved two of our chairs to our dining table permanently and got a bench instead. I really like the switch.

Cute bench for cute boys.

Our Dallas meeting was by the practice field for the Cowboys and we were feeling guilty that Westin wasn't along to see it all. Still football obsessed.

Working out with this machine really changes back and chest day.
My bands aren't going to feel nearly as great after this.

Emily drove to see us between our meetings ending and our Uber to the airport and I just loved seeing her so much! It's so funny to me that April had two Dallas trips in it. I just love her.

That Taylor Swift Weekend

This week was good but this weekend was so great... just the best!

Westin started soccer this week, and sweet Bennett's team was dissolved because of no coach. I started working with a new Comma client this week and loved having some writing to do. Michael took Camden on a little Sonic date (mystery shop, of course) on Wednesday and they both loved it. I started taking Luna to a class to be a good dog. She's so good at certain things and just...... so much to learn in other ways. We're working on it! Apologies to all neighbor children she has jumped on. She has learned to not jump on my kids but she seems to learn person to person, not overall principles. Oh boy. I took Camden and Asher to story time at the library Monday and to a park on Thursday. Asher still struggles not having a morning nap but working hard to get him to just one. 

On Friday, I woke Asher up to nurse him around 4am before I left for the airport. I flew into Dallas and Emily and Ginny picked me up and it was SO FUN to see them. Such sweet forever friends. We ate lunch at Cava, got Sprinkles cupcakes, then got ready for our weekend's main event... Taylor! I had the biggest headache trying to get Taylor tickets. In the end, Ticketmaster sent me a weird email saying I could buy two Denver tickets if I wanted them and they ended up being reallllly good seats, which is so fun! But we were trying to plan a girls trip and had to shift gears since in the end I could only grab two. Then Emily kept watching Dallas tickets and finally found a decent deal on some that weren't behind the stage... ha, this tour is in high demand. So we jumped on them and made a halfway spontaneous weekend happen!

We had fun dressing up for the concert in our mom version of a Swiftie outfit. People watching at this concert was incredibly entertaining, people are going all out with their outfits to this show. And Taylor put on a totally entertaining 3+ hours... I do not understand how she is doing this multiple nights a week, week after week after week. We were in heaven singing her songs the whole night and our 2am bedtime didn't even feel too bad after all that concert energy. And Dr. Pepper. So fun! I will relive that night for a long time :)

The next morning we did a day trip to Waco and saw and ate all things Magnolia! That was fun to see in person. Chip and Joanna are fun to follow along with, they have really transformed parts of Waco and created a whole design Mecca. It was so much fun, but truly the best part was being able to just laugh and catch up with Ginny and Emily. We dropped off a bench at Emily's house that night before dinner and seeing her girls made my heart so happy! So did seeing Banks, but I just can't kick calling her kiddos her girls! I love that he joined their cute little crew and shook things up. But seeing them also broke my heart a little, because they are just growing up!! And I know my kids are too but when you see them every day it just hits differently... sneaks up on you, where seeing friends' kids less than once a year hits you all at once. They're such sweet kiddos.

The next day my flight got delayed, and I didn't want to make Emily shuttle back and forth to DFW all day so I just hung out a bit longer at the hotel and watched a session of conference by myself. I also ate Shake Shack for breakfast, because... it was there, I was there, it just needed to happen.

Michael took the boys down to Denver for the day on Saturday and they had a great time with Katie's family and Diana's family. He even brought Luna along for her first day trip. She's getting so big! Still not very trustworthy at all though... needs a full-time chaperone if she's in the house, so she's spending 95% of her day outside. Westin had fun seeing his North Carolina cousin that he doesn't get to be around very much, Ethan knows all things planes and is a fun older cousin to the boys! They also all loved hunting for Easter eggs at a neighborhood hunt and going on a little hike together. I was sad when we found out everyone was getting together that day and I'd be out of town, but I was happy the boys had a great weekend together while I was gone. 

Asher did pretty good without me, he's still hit and miss with sleeping through the night and doing a bedtime and morning feeding still. Michael said he did great Friday and slept through just fine, and Saturday woke up SUPER sad in the night and Michael ended up feeding him a whole yogurt, and then he fell back asleep after 10 minutes of crying. He nursed right when I got home and we'll work to drop his night feeding this week. My heart loves to see my family doing more together and breaks to see my last baby leave his baby days. It's so hard to believe. But life is good and we had such a great weekend all around!

I take a picture of him every time he's in here, doesn't get old :)

He closes the door, not me :)

There are too many pictures in this post of Camden and this muffin batter situation, but I swear I'm already mourning him turning four. Three-year-old Camden has been an absolute, heaven-sent, joy of my life experience. So I decided to not delete any of the pictures :)

Grabbed lunch and then.... found that cupcake ATM asap!

We're Ready For It

We had a definite mom vibe, we knew that All Too Well

Just so much love for these girls.

This concert. Three of the best hours of my life... Taylor Swift is the soundtrack to my last 15 years and I just will always feel like I grew up with her and Harry Potter. I didn't. But I did.

Then, to the Silos! I was so excited to see all things Magnolia.

This girl. I still can't believe we were randomly placed in the same apartment freshman year at BYU, then randomly placed in Fresno for a few of the same years.
I actually think there's nothing random about it, and I will love her forever.

These biscuits are the star of the show when it comes to all the food at Magnolia. So good!
Maybe I should be serving multiple butters on a regular basis, this seems like solid logic.

Lemon lavender donut holes.

The sign they picked me up with at the airport haha...
I'm smiling so big just remembering it.

Meanwhile back at home, Asher was a little out of sorts during the dad and boys Denver day.
Michael and the boys went down to be with his sisters and they had so much fun Easter egg hunting and hiking and playing with cousins.
Asher did take a nap, which is good, just doesn't look like a very comfortable one!
Haha, sweet boy.

The church they redid and moved in Waco over to Magnolia. 

My flight got delayed 5 hours so I ended up listening to a session of conference by myself in the hotel and it's the most I've gotten out of conference in many moons :)

Annnnnd then I had Shake Shack for breakfast, which was also spiritual.


Best. Weekend. Ever.