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!

Four Generation Weekend

 We had no school Monday so I took the boys to the Denver Children's Museum with my friend Jamie and her kids (plus a few others). They love going there. Our membership is about up so I don't know if we'll renew it or not, but our visits have been fun!

Young Women's was so fun this week. We went to a coffee shop with our older class and the girls wrote a script for a mock Hallmark movie. We laughed so much and I just loved listening to them be creative.

Each of the boys picked one thing out at the Book Fair this week. Asher, Mighty Pups (a Paw Patrol book), Camden, a Shark book, Bennett, a book about dragons on Mars, and Westin, a 2025 book of sports facts. I could have shopped without them and brought home all of those except maaaaybe the dragons on Mars, I don't think I saw that one coming.

We had parent teacher conferences this week and I'm so proud of our boys and their growth. Bennett has been working so hard at reading and speech this year and it totally shows. Westin doesn't love a few things about school but he is always kind and a good presence in his class. Westin doesn't like to spend his own money, and he was eyeing a Broncos poster at the Book Fair the whole time we were there. I told them all they could pick one thing. When I saw him staring at it so much, I told him that his one thing could be a poster if he wanted it to be. He told me he'd rather have the book, and I reminded him he could spend his own money on something else if he wanted. He almost did, but in the end just left it behind. After parent teacher conferences and talking about how much of a positive presence Westin is at school, Michael and I went and grabbed the $5 Broncos poster and wrote Westin a little note that night. We left it on his bed, and he gave me the tightest hug at bedtime when he discovered it. That kid sure just loves what he loves, and we love him a lot.

We fed the missionaries Thursday except we didn't because they didn't come! Haha I was grateful that made me make a real dinner instead of throwing something randomly together instead. And they felt bad when we checked in with them and they quickly came and gave us a message. I am just happy they're in our home at least monthly so my boys can see that and someday figure out if they want that.

I skipped Book Club that night and went out to a coffee shop with two friends instead and it was totally what my heart needed. And the next day Westin halfway babysat while Michael and I went to Sushi and Captain America with the Behunins. Our babysitter came halfway through for a well check :) But Westin's growing up!

Saturday was Camden's Mom's Tea for his preschool performance and he's just such a big-hearted, sweet guy. He told me that his favorite part of preschool is the shows (the performances they do), and he kept praying all week "that Mommy will just really love Mom's Tea." Such a sweetheart. We loved our morning together.

We came home to a happy house full of cousins and Grandma and Grandpa Daetwyler and Great-Grandma Malin! We were so lucky to have them all visit this weekend. We went to Warren Park, played outside in the sun, caught up with Grandma, watched an insane surfing documentary :), and just had a good time having them all at our house. I'm so happy our boys will have this solid memory of being with their Great-Grandma. 

Children's Museum Crew

This firetruck is probably the most loved spot in the whole museum for these two.

We did a cooking class and the kids loved making this Korean dish.
It was delicious!

Mornings with Asher.
Workouts and Wordle races. I just love this stage so much,
and Asher's age so much.

Q for quilt day at preschool!
Camden wanted to bring this cute airplane scene that Grandma Sally made.
He loves sleeping with it.

Reese's Eggs... My forever friend and foe.

"Hold on, I need to pet Kitty!"
Can't walk by her without giving her a little love!

Ready to go to Mom's Tea!
Camden has been looking forward to this.
He told me that his favorite part of preschool is the shows (the performances they do),
and he kept praying all week "that Mommy will just really love Mom's Tea."
Such a sweetheart.

His cuppy cake song is just the cutest.
And they put up a drawing of each mom and then tell you a few answers to questions from an interview with your preschooler about you. Camden said I look pretty when I dry my hair and that I like to go to concerts with his daddy because I love him. He also said I love to cook steamed clams and crab legs, which, is a whole story and the bottom line is no I don't but my kids randomly love choosing those things for their birthday dinners haha. Bennett's teacher who declared those her favorite foods on her All About Me poster never knew what an influence she'd have on the Daetwyler boys.

Grandma and Grandpa are here!
Plus cousins for a day. And we had beautiful sunshine.
Such a fun time!

Great-Grandma Malin is here, too!
I just think it's so special that the boys got to have this weekend with their great-grandma. 
I love that she got to see them in their element. 
She told me, "It's really fun to watch your boys. They play with each other and they don't fight and scream, and they're just such sweet kids."
What a special thing to have four generations together for a few days.

Easter + a Spontaneous Staycation

 Michael was on call this week and got hit SO hard. Some weeks aren't too bad, but this trauma call week was pretty rough.

I took the boys to the library on Monday, then on Tuesday we ended up deciding that morning we needed to get a hotel for the day/night because of the toxic fumes from our insulation installation in the basement. I packed up for all 6 of us during the get-ready-for-school window of the day and it was a little crazy, but we made it work. So we dropped the boys off, then Camden and Asher and I ran errands (recycling drop off and book shipments -- we do these errands soo much), then we went to playgroup at a friend's. Then we grabbed lunch, and went to our hotel. It's kind of hard to check into a hotel with two tiny kids and bags and a pack n play, especially when you're room is on the third floor and not close to the elevator. But, mischief managed. Then we got Asher down for a nap and he was so happy to finally go down. Camden and I had a good afternoon of Paw Patrol and Comma meetings.

Then we picked up the boys, I checked on Luna girl, and packed up for her dog class that night, and grabbed pizzas for dinner. We met Michael at work and he took the boys back to the hotel for swim and pizza and I took Luna to her class and then we all met back at the hotel for hot chocolate and bedtime. Michael went back to the house to let Luna out one more time. We kind of loved waking up in the hotel and eating a hotel breakfast together on a regular old Wednesday right in Fort Collins :) The boys ate sooooo much, they are crazy. So many people were sweet to them during breakfast.

Michael had surgeries scheduled on Wednesday. On Thursday morning Camden started soccer and it was one of the cutest things I've ever witnessed. All the boys had to come to swim on Thursday night because Michael had a meeting, but Camden and Asher are really starting to have fun together so they were really easy while Westin and Bennett had their lesson.

Saturday was soccer game morning, easter egg hunt mid-morning, lunch, monster truck afternoon, and then Michael and I went out for Vietnamese food and to Home Depot for some basement stuff. On Sunday we had a wonderful Easter Sunday! I love our annual neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. The Easter bunny heard that it was kind of driving me crazy to think of "big addition or subtraction problems -- like five digits!" for Westin while I cook dinner, so there was a big old math book in his Easter basket of just huge addition and subtraction and he liked that very much haha. Bennett and Camden got some detailed coloring books and Asher got some birthday cake bunny crackers. Sweet boys. We had Easter dinner outside, which was the first time we've eaten out there after this long, cold winter and it felt great.

 I loved this weekend. I love these boys!

Story time -- they love when the tunnels come out

Our impromptu hotel lunch date when we realized we couldn't be in our house for a long time during our basement insulation process, because of the toxic fumes... Asher took a nap, Camden watched Paw Patrol while I had a Comma meeting on my phone. It was actually a great afternoon!

Hotel baby after a swim

Hot chocolate after a swim. I missed the pizza and pool party because of taking Luna to her Tuesday obedience class, but it was fun to do hot chocolate together when we were all done.

Watching Paw Patrol until school. I wanted to just drive them straight from the hotel so I didn't have to get everyone out the door more than once. I really love our late school start but once in a while it just feels so late!

Watching the little crane bring in all our drywall

Ready for soccer!

My friend Diane texted me a picture of her rocking her Taylor concert t-shirt and I happened to be wearing mine the same day and sent this right back to her. Though this is an Amazon version because.... those merch lines were miles long!

Swim lessons set up a new little kids corner and these two loved it.

Another year of using this spinner to decorate eggs rather than dye and I'm a huge fan.

Westin's Saturday soccer game

Took the boys to a local church's egg hunt, they loved it last year and now when we drive by that church Camden always says, "There's the candyland church!" Just because he remembers all the candy from the egg hunt. So we had to go again :)

Monster truck time!

Camden has talked about monster trucks so often ever since Michael took the boys last year. So this year I took them while Michael was home with Asher.

Sitting by him at this monster truck show will forever be one of my favorite memories. Throwing his hands up in excitement, laughing, looking shocked at the motorcycle tricks... just absolutely adorable.

Easter Sunday with my sweet crew

We did Easter cinnamon rolls because the boys were sad we didn't do them on conference weekend since I was out of town. They tasted just as good a week late :) Yes Asher is crying for one in the background. This kid and carbs. He's my worst eater as a baby, but, he'll get there.

The Easter Bunny brought Westin a math book and he was thrilled. The Easter Bunny predicted this. Bennett got an adult coloring book because he absolutely loves the detailed pictures and spends hours on them, a trick we learned from grandma. They did so many pictures at her house.

Annual neighborhood egg hunt!

I loved when Camden got a dollar in one of his eggs. He knew he should be excited about it but wasn't sure exactly why. "Whoa, look at dis! I got a dollar! What the heck do I do with dis?" Hahaha.

Easter piñata too.

Easter dinner! I'm not a huge ham person... we did pork chops, asparagus, potatoes, and an Easter egg fruit pizza.

This was fun and easy to make. And was more delicious than I expected.

Jamie made the hunt so fun for the kids. We have such wonderful neighbors.