Lip Syncs and Bake Sales

Asher had a fun preschool trip this week. I feel really lucky to go on those things with him right now. It's funny how you have so much one-on-one time with the oldest kid and the youngest kid, and life feels so different with each. He was adorable trying to act like a butterfly through the butterfly gardens, because he thought that might make a butterfly want to land on him. What a joy to have a preschooler.

I'm having so much fun watching Westin be so independent. The way he walks home a little ahead of us right now so he can have time to grab a snack, before riding his bike to his friend's house and riding to football practice with them. His Star Squad meetings or Minecraft Club mornings, his lip sync rehearsals with his friends, baking cookies for the youth bake sale. He's just a busy guy but our happy location means that he's just walking or riding his bike to almost all of this and it's just so fun to see what he likes being involved in.

We had a Zoom meeting this week with my friend Janette who is helping my family get ready for Disneyland next week. Jenny and Ali and Matthias were on the call with Michael and me and it just had me so excited to get together for a good time soon :) I love that my family and Michael's family make the effort to get together. Cousin memories are so special. My boys are counting down the days!

Westin's lip sync audition went well this week. Those boys cracked me up and I hope they get to be in the show. I'm glad I'm not on the judging panel that has to cut cute acts!

It was a little crazy doing the youth bake sale on Saturday morning before flying out to California that afternoon, but it was a good day! Flying feels so easy with this crew now, although Southwest policies are making it more annoying to use them -- not knowing if you're going to get to sit by your kid is stressful! But not like, pay $40 a person for it kind of stressful :) Haha. It'll work out.

Always the winner in this game lately,
and I can't quite figure out how he's so consistent about it!

Spotted, feral little bro at Camden's soccer practice

Camden loves when it's Tuesday and he gets to stay after school for soccer

Fifth grade studs in tutus getting ready for the school lip sync.
These guys crack me up.

Our garage has moved into our house.
I'd like to say we know where everything is right now, but, 
it's a lot.

Butterfly preschool field trip at Spring Creek Gardens

Studying the caterpillars

Asher thought if he acted like a butterfly then one might land on him :)

This one was his favorite.

"Mom, I found a tiny snail!"

Garage is about to get a glow up

When all is said and done we should hopefully be able to fit a truck in here one day.
I still love the Corolla though, for what it's worth.

More garage-in-house.

Youth Bake Sale!

These kids worked hard selling their baked goods at a couple different locations on Saturday.

Preschool pictures from the last little while.

Westin's last flag football game this season!
This team was so much fun to play with.

 

Bennett the Champion

The sports of spring:

Camden and Bennett, Karate. Camden, Soccer. Westin, Football. Asher, Soccer. Mom, Tennis. 

March Madness watch parties are the best. Bennett was the ward champion thanks to Michigan and a clerical error (don't worry about it).

Pre-K soccer is so joyful.

Documentaries about how AI will take over the world in unknown ways are less joyful.

Packing for big trips is so much.

Cousins coming into town to help with big trips is so kind. 

Bennett!
The ward champion of March Madness!

Michael already had all this Michigan gear from an assistant and Bennett was decked out in his champion's colors :)

Early early temple trip to see Joyce baptize her grandma.
What a special thing.

Homemade challah bread makes the very best french toast.

Waltz lessons for youth night.
"I hate this. I hate this even more than piano." -Westin Daetwyler

Ready for soccer!

Mighty Kicks Pre-K soccer is so much fun to watch.

Even more fun to do soccer with a buddy!

Indiana!!!

A Monday off of work and school always feels like such a bonus,
but add in a championship game for Indiana and it was a GOOD long weekend!

Monday was catch up day -- haircuts, FINALLY laying out the rug under the furniture in Camden and Asher's room which was a spatial challenge, cleaning up, starting Bennett's science experiment (trying to grow plants with something that's not water -- apple juice, lemon juice, milk, and miracle grow), errands, and then Michael made an IU fruit platter.

Then off to the Baileys for the championship, and I still laugh about Matthew's prayer when he thanked Michael Daetwyler for bringing them all together that night and prayed he'd have a good night ahead haha. The game was SO GOOD! Fourth down risks, close score, awesome plays, and walked away with a win and history made. Man, what a fun season. Mendoza is so awesome, and so is their coach.

Winter is finally showing itself around here, with low temps and snow this weekend. We sure did have a weird start to it all, and it looks like it's just going to warm back up soon. We went out with Dimonds on Saturday to get Mexican food and it was COLD. I assumed no one would be downtown because of it but it was as full as any other Friday night. Coloradoans don't stop for cold :) Then the next day we took the boys to In & Out and Scheels for burgers, fishing rods, and ferris wheel rides. We also got the Wii out for the first time in years and that was an entertaining indoor activity. Michael and I did a Tonal workout together while all four of them were laughing upstairs on the Wii and Luna was laying by them, and it felt like a winter living milestone. It used to just be SO HARD to be stuck inside, but this weekend we did just fine.

The rug! This has been rolled up between their beds for weeks because it sounded so hard to get it under the beds and the dresser. And it was. But we did it! The boys were a big help.

Messy but dooooone. Well, the walls need things on them :)
But SO close to done.

Starting that science fair project!

IU!

These boys are just chanting "Pick six. Pick six. Pick six." 
Haha so cute.

Let's goooo Indiana.

Kitty now trusts all laps in the house!

Look at these cute Dimonds.
So grateful for their friendship.

Scheels day!
That store is full of good stuff,
but we walked away with just a fishing rod and a few lures.

Ferris Wheel Rides!
I loved this.
This weekend was dark, in the news. I rode this ferris wheel with my boys just feeling so grateful for their safety and mad that so many would willingly dismantle the beautiful democracy and safety we've built and earned in this country. It's so wrong. Minnesota is carrying such a burden.

First Temple Trip

 The big event this week was Westin's first temple trip!

We went on Saturday with Quinn's family, and their friends Levi and Wendy also came, plus some supportive leaders and bishopric members. I just loved being in the temple with Westin's amazing support crew and it was special to be there for his first baptism experience.

We hiked on Saturday at Lory State Park, which we for some reason have done every winter but never in the summer :) It's just a good little winter hike I guess. 

Friday night we had the Beattys, Behunins, and Baileys over for greek food and the Indiana game, and I made Pastel de Nata for the first time. It turned out pretty darn close to what we ate in Portugal! I did puzzles with the young women while the football game was on and I just felt content. I guess I've grown to love football but it's for different reasons than Westin -- I just love when we get together with friends way more during that season and have fun together. Also we are just loving this Indiana run SO much. Championship here we come!

Filling in that new blank wall!
Hanging this mirror was so tricky because our vanity mirrors are built into the wall on the other side.
I drilled into the wall for 2 seconds to hang this mirror before remembering that and I just shudder to think about drilling through the mirror on the other side...would've been such a pain.
So I waited for Michael to get home and we hung this together, luckily it was juuuust big enough to mount on either side of the mirror on the other side if I scooted it over just an inch from where I was.

These don't look like much, 
but we made Pastel de Nata! 
A Portuguese dessert that we ate every day last April.
I wanted to make them before Emma Bailey left on her mission. 
The Baileys, Beattys, and Behunins came to watch the Indiana game this weekend so we sent them home with some for Emma.

Luckily these cute Young Women came over during the football game too,
so we had some puzzle time! They finished a 500-piece and made some good progress on a 1,000.

Westin's first temple trip on Saturday!
So happy he gets to do all these milestones with his bestie, Quinn.

We loved being there with him that day.
He had a few other friends come as well, 
and it was just a good crew to be with in the best place we could be.

Sweet of our bishop to come support them that day.

Hiking in Lory State Park.
Michael really wanted to see a mountain lion.
There have been lots of sightings reported here lately,
but, our crew is just too loud to ever have such luck :)

1,000 puzzle pieces of donuts! This was fun to finish.