Cute Dogs & Boring Grown Up Stuff

 This week we found a cute Golden Retriever to visit us because we still miss Rosie girl back in Fresno. Duke was here for about a week and was such a good dog. Boys were in heaven! Then we had another cute puppy right after him, and also checked on our neighbor's cute dog that weekend, so the boys had fun having lots of dogs in their life. Ironically it makes them want a dog more though rather then giving them their fix! We're alllllllmost ready for a Golden around here.

We had some insulation issues fixed throughout our house this week too, which meant that Camden and I had to make ourselves scarce while the boys were at school. It was also rainy, and Covid still complicates the world, so... we just bounced around and had a pretty random day! Then we got the all clear to come back home around 2 and he still took a short nap that day, so he did ok.

Now our fireplace is all torn up and ready to actually work and not let cold air stream into our house. It'll be a cooler summer and cozier winter from here on out! After all the work was done they did a test that showed our house was 33% more efficient now so that's going to make a difference.

Work is going well for Michael, the boys love school and are both sad that it's ending this month, and Camden cracks us up all the time. I'm trying to stay on top of things around here but it is feeling like I'm just outnumbered and falling a little more behind each day rather than catching up. But we're looking forward to nicer weather and being outside more!!

Sweet Duke. Sweet Bennett.

Not the most positive post but this cracked me up.
I was totally motivated by those personal pan pizzas.

He was freaked out by the efficiency test.

Camden loves big brother hugs these days.

I'm sending books out about three times a week and it always makes me happy.

Wood scrap obstacle course

Cleaned the church,
and they were the only kids there so they had fun eating all the muffins we brought!

Mornings and Bedtimes are struggle.
Hoping Ralphie can help us out.

Kings Canyon National Park

Michael:

Had his weekly day off early on this week, on Monday. We took off to finally explore King's Canyon, which is right next to Sequoia but for some reason we've only ever done Sequoia a few times. It was fun to explore somewhere new! We loved the kid friendly hikes and awesome waterfalls. It was a fun day together. He had so many sad situations at work this week. His patient situations just make me feel so grateful for every normal day we manage to not have a freak accident around here... Kind of a jaded attitude but some of his stories are just unfathomable to me. Others make me really glad for the kind of choices we'll just never make. Don't go to parties at 4 a.m., guys. 

Maddie:

Loved having a day outside with the boys at the beginning of the week, but I've felt like I'm falling apart ever since that day. No more hikes or full days happening over here. My old BYU roomie Emily and my friend Ginny put together a girls night to celebrate baby boy and it was so sweet of them. I also went to dinner Friday night with a few friends as a little goodbye dinner for one who's moving soon. Her husband is finishing up oral surgery residency right now and they're off to Oregon. I'm so excited for them!

Westin:

Misses his routine for sure, he does better with a nice and full week ahead of them and that's just now how our summer is going to roll. But we got a blow up pool this week and he loved that! But we're going to have to exchange it for a different one for a few reasons, so he's been missing it already. Michael left some notes for their boys in their little mailbox they share in our room and he has been loving it ever since. He loves notes. He'll sleep with them, ask me to read them to him regularly, and just carry them around with him throughout the day. Such a sweetie.

Bennett:

Has such a tender heart! I feel like it's normal to have a little journal of funny things your kids say but I want to start a little journal of tender-hearted things he does for me. He is so observant of the way people are feeling, and little ways to make them happy, and just wants everyone to be happy around him. Anytime I am stressed he does a cute little fake laugh and makes me make eye contact with him until we are both laughing together for real. We watched some extra cute dogs this week and he loved that. One of them was named Sasha and it's one of my favorite words Bennett says now. We are going to a speech evaluation on Tuesday to help him out a little, but I do notice he's improving more lately than he has in the last little while. I'm excited to be able to chat with him more and more :)

So much water right now. The river was pretty daunting.

Found notes from daddy first thing that day!
He always notices that mailbox flag being up ASAP.

My current "entertain the kids as much as possible from here" spot.
We read lots of books from here and pretend it's story time at the library, so they sit in the floor around the chair
and bring me more and more books. I'm all for this stationary activity right now. :)

Rookie mistake -- sending them outside not in their swimsuits. Should've known! :)

Cheerios on a pipe cleaner stuck in play dough.
I think Westin requests this activity when he really just wants to eat all the cheerios.

Double headlock... this kid has no fear with animals.