Play L.A.

The boys and I had a fun week in L.A. visiting Shelley and her family over her kids' Spring Break. Westin loved cousin time, and being with the Cannon family is always so fun. Thank you for letting us come play with you! Our week was packed with a day at the L.A. Zoo, beach time, the California Science Center, playing outside, eating delicious food, Beauty and the Beast, Walt Disney Concert Hall, eating more delicious food, seeing Rachel, watching La La Land, and just having so much fun being with family. We missed Michael! We're excited that he's going to be with us for our next vacation later this month.

Michael:

Got home early from work two times this week around 5:00, which has never happened this year. Ironic that he came home to an empty house those days since we were already in L.A... but, you should see his garden. There's not a weed to be found, and he cleaned the house on Monday and then was amazed that it stayed clean all week. When he told me how that felt surprising, I had all these memories flood back from our newlywed days when I would clean the house once a week. I forgot I used to be able to do that, instead of picking everything up multiple times a day... Oh, toddlers. We got back on Saturday afternoon and the house was kind of crazy before Westin went to bed that night. Michael seemed surprised by this, and I said, "So you're telling me that you're kind of amazed that all the work you did disappeared so quickly by the efforts of your kid? Because....I get that, Michael." I really do. But he's still glad we're back :)

Maddie:

Loved being with Shelley's family so much. I really love being around and learning from the Moms in my life that I love. This was my first trip away from home with two kids without Michael, and Westin has reached a new level of tantrum-throwing in the last little while, so that part was kind of emotionally overwhelming at times. Also, Westin threw up three minutes before we arrived at Shelley's house, and after we got that situation under control I promptly set a hot pad on fire. We made quite an entrance... But, then things calmed down and Westin was luckily just carsick instead of actually sick. Apart from that, this trip was so rejuvenating. On my drive home I was drinking Dr. Pepper and snacking on delicious snacks (thank you, Shelley!) while listening to a great podcast series that a friend recommended (God-Centered Mom) and I just felt really grateful that I live close to a few family members during residency. That was meant to be.

Westin:

Needed cousin time, and he always acts like a bigger kid around cousins and it's fun to watch. He did really, really well with potty training on our trip and I was so grateful for that. He only had one accident, and he did a great job at being good at telling me he needed to go even when we were out and about and busy. He's becoming more and more strong-willed (a.k.a. being two years old) but he's also still very sweet too. He calls all older (trusted) males dad or grandpa, so he kept referring to Tony as Dad all week. I'd remind Westin that he was Uncle Tony, so then Westin would start saying Uncle Dad. Then he'd go back to dropping the uncle and stick with Dad again. He didn't call Shelley mom, but he did call me Shelley a couple times? And he loved playing with each of his cousins sooo much. He has been asking about each of them by name ever since we got home. He slept in a pack n play while we were there and he filled that thing up, this kid needs to move on to wide open spaces. He doesn't seem into that idea though. Tonight when I told him he could start sleeping in his big boy bed whenever he wanted and then he could share a room with Bennett when baby moved into the crib, his eyes got big and thoughtful. Then he said, "No, baby doesn't sleep in Westin's crib, Westin sleeps in Westin's crib. Baby sleeps in the green bed." (Our Pack n Play is green.) So, Bennett, don't get any roommate ideas soon.

Bennett:

Is a great napper either on the go or in his bed, and I'm grateful for that. We had a fun-filled, busy week, and Bennett took naps when he needed to all through our different activities. He didn't sleep great at night, he randomly started to want to stay awake and make happy, loud noises at 4am. Better than crying? But no where near as good as sleeping. Then he'd finally fade back off to sleep and Westin would be up for the day at 6am. Luckily our days were so fun and busy that the tired didn't catch up to us too much until we got home, and then we had conference weekend to relax. Bennett is such a sweet spot in this family. Ella kept saying "Bennett is 99% happy, and when you fix why he's sad he just stops crying!" And that perfectly sums up Bennett.

Seeing the Endeavor at the California Science Center. Michael's grandpa worked for Rocketdyne, so that made this exhibit even more fun to see. I loved all the footage of moving the Endeavor through residential streets.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt Disney Concert Hall

"Instrument Petting Zoo" before the concert.

"A Rose for Lilly"

Beauty and the Beast! I was so, so impressed with this movie. It seriously exceeded my expectations and I loved it SO much.

Ella's friend loves babies, and Bennett was a happy camper.

Bennett experienced swings for the first time on our trip.

This kid was so happy, and sufficiently worn out.

Pixar Exhibit at the California Science Center

Pixar Exhibit at the California Science Center

Pixar Exhibit at the California Science Center

Pixar Exhibit at the California Science Center -- He loves Dory.

Pixar Exhibit at the California Science Center -- Westin loves his pockets so much, but typically needs help getting his second hand inside. Toddlers are such funny creatures.

Rachel came for a couple days in the middle of the week! And the Cannons were dog-sitting Snoopy. Westin loved him, and I am starting to wonder if I am ready to add a dog to the mix over here. My friends in Indiana convinced me that a puppy is harder than a newborn, and every time I remember that conversation I lose my motivation.

We loved meeting up with our friend Christian from our Jerusalem group! He even rocked our summer shirt for the occasion.

L.A. Temple

Beach day! Westin loved the sand way more than he did last summer in Florida. He never ventured out to the water, but we did see dolphins!

Movie night with a cookie instead of bedtime. Can't beat that.

Moana!

Like I said... this situation is getting tight. Gotta figure out how to skip the pack n play soon. This kid does not know how to sleep with us though, he has literally never slept in our bed.

Ella loves the Great British Baking Show and it inspired her to make delicious macaroons

Tater Hole! Grammy and Papa are so much fun.

Disclaimer: Quinn put the Lakers hat on Bennett. Still a Jazz fan over here.

Walt Disney Concert Hall with Ella and Quinn

Cuties! Clayton and Westin are just one month apart. Still mostly parallel play happening here, but they're going to be besties.

My feeble last-minute attempt at coming up with some sort of Montessori style activity to occupy Westin during General Conference.

Aaaand he was back to us after about 4 minutes.

A text from Michael while we were gone: "Hey, I'm about to buy two raspberry bushes, two blueberry bushes, and a grapevine, unless you tell me no really soon." He cracks me up. Check out that sunflower!

Back in Our Groove

Michael:

is busy and had an awful Saturday being on call. But, on Friday, he randomly had a window in his day and told us to come eat lunch with him. It was great! We were at the zoo with friends, which was a great morning, then we booked it over to Michael's work to pick him up. We went to a Mediterranean place for lunch and Westin was super excited to see daddy. I took Michael back to work and Westin kept talking about daddy needing to go give people shots. He thinks that is Michael's full-time job and it cracks me up. Most kids want a band-aid for their ouchies, Westin always asks us to give him a shot. So we just kind of poke him and make a shot-like noise (?) and he seems happy with the result. Good thing dad's a doctor.

Maddie:

had friends over for lunch on Monday and our kids had fun running around our backyard. And eating rocks and throwing sticks at fences. I always feel like I need a swing set but then I watch kids perfectly entertain themselves outside with nothing and then I don't want one anymore. Back and forth. We went to the zoo for the first time since Christmas, and I loved meeting up with Michael afterward. I finally feel like we are back on our game of making plans and getting out. It felt like as soon as I got a handle on two kids, potty training turned things upside down. But we're back to a groove and it feels good. I also worked out before my kids woke up for the first time in my life this weekend. (Don't judge me, you people with a 5am routine.) Michael was on call Saturday and I was so sad to miss my High class, so I got online and found one that started at 6am so I could make it back in time. Bennett eats around 5:15 and goes back to sleep, so I hit my class and the grocery store before Michael was on call at 7am. I felt like superwoman, is this how you morning people feel all the time? I also got caught up on all but one editing project that I've had on my to do list for a while, so that's feeling good to get caught up.

Westin:

is way more into playing with mom and dad than other kids (#oldestchildprobs) and I've been wanting to give him more opportunities to be with kids. When we are at our own house and kids come over, he does really well and loves being with them. When we head to another house or the park, though, it's a lot of "Come ON Mama!" His most used phrase of the week is "I'll help ya!" which usually involves pushing a chair over to see what you're doing. His cooking help has turned into mostly snacking on what I'm making, which is honestly maybe more helpful... And it cracks me up when he loves veggies and some other foods he wouldn't normally love on his plate if he feels like he's "sneaking" them while I cook. I left a bag of carrots by him while making soup, and normally at lunch he would never eat those without hummus. But while cooking he kept just snatching carrot after carrot and in reality we were both feeling pretty sneaky. I took him to a baptism with me for one of my primary kids and he was excited. We've been reading about Jesus getting baptized in the Friend and I saw his wheels turning and connecting the dots. He survived filling the font and staying for the baptism with lollipops and cookies... we try to keep sugar levels low around here, then shamelessly use it to our advantage when needed.

Bennett:

is so dang smiley. I love him so much! He's eating at midnight and 5am consistently and I love that schedule. He's still spitting up (when does this stop?) but growing and happy so it doesn't seem to faze him much. I think he loves sleeping in his own room so much. I want these boys to share a room at some point but we need to get Westin out of a crib and Bennett done with night feedings first I think. Bennett has also been taking really long naps so he's already only taking two sometimes in a day. Maybe he's in a growth spurt? I think his whole life has been one big growth spurt though? Babies. Who knows. He hasn't been in his swing in over a month and he's feeling way more grown up lately. Stay little Benny!

Grammy sent big boy underwear! And he just kept saying, "Oh, wow! Wow!"

Eggs Benedict is my favorite (savory) (and guilty pleasure) breakfast and sometimes I just crave it so much! So we had it for dinner this week, since I had left over Yum Yum Sauce that I posted about last week and decided to see if it could pass for a less-guilty Hollandaise. It was pretty good!

First wrestling match, documented.
Myth-busting: Westin IS wearing pants and Bennett IS enjoying it, despite how this picture may look.

Westin seemed so much older than when we went to the zoo over Christmas. They change so fast.

Westin's speech is pretty great, but he always says "Shif!" instead of "Fish" and it cracks me up.

Lunch date with daddy! Westin always insists on sitting on daddy's lap when we're out. Michael's a good sport.
"Uh oh, I made a mess on daddy's work clothes!"

When my parents left a few weeks ago, my dad handed me a paper bag of a few candy bars.
"These are for days you're down." Such a sweet dad. And yes, I eat my feelings. Don't judge.

IKEA Train: One of three toy purchases I've made for Westin, solid ROI.

Michael and I blew up some balloons for an at-home date activity that was in the sweet package someone sent us. The next morning Westin was SO excited to see balloons in the living room. This is how I found him when I got out of the shower when he was watching a show. Just hanging out with his friends.

Baptism by sugar.

Westin wasn't super into the Women's Broadcast.
He kept saying "All done?" so I can only imagine how next weekend will go down. 

Loves bath time. Desperately needs bath times. #rollsandrolls

More Than Enough

Happy late St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated by making green muffins, my sister celebrated by flying to Ireland. But who's comparing? Apart from dropping too many zeros on fixing our truck this week, we feel like pretty lucky people overall. It's been a while since I felt my T-Swift experience kind of lucky, but being a mom is its own kind of lucky every day. This week my friend's mom released a song that I had fun helping with a little bit. I think it's such a great reminder that every single one of us makes a difference to the children in our life just by loving them and being who we are. We are all in each other's life for a reason. Here's the video:

"More Than Enough"

Michael:

worked a lot this week, then took a test for work this weekend. He also works a lot in our garden and makes our backyard a fun extension of our home. I love how much he loves it, and Westin's favorite things to do are cook in the kitchen with Mom or help in the yard with Dad. He's loving all the fresh oranges growing by our house and is intent on getting a juicer now. Send any recommendations. Also, he is putting together a good supply of sticks next to our woodpile for starting fires, and our neighborhood hawk is now hanging out in our backyard pretty often with Michael. We're not sure if he's eyeing our sticks or our cat, so... there's that.

Maddie:

had a long week. But a week ago a package arrived in the mail from an anonymous friend that has meant so much to us. It was full of labeled things to help when we were feeling down, or feeling bored, or needing a distraction, etc. and I cannot tell you how much it has brightened up these long days for my boys and for me. I have been so grateful for that kind act of service! I never want to forget how meaningful other's acts of service feel at this stage of my life; I want to keep an eye out for young moms for years to come and just help in little ways. Like being nice to them on plane rides and helping to entertain their kids. Plane rides in the little kid stage are no joke. I also loved going to High classes this week, and I know I always say that, but I seriously love them. It's the first time I've loved exercising again since being on dance team in high school. Also, I cleaned my blinds this week and I don't know if I've ever felt like more of an adult. 

Westin:

is a helper through and through. It's his favorite thing to do right now. "Oh, I'll help you!" "Helping mommy!" "Westin do that!" His help can be both helpful and sometimes hindering but he's such a sweetie that either type is appreciated. He has also finally gotten the phrases "Thank you mama" and "You're welcome" down extremely well and is saying them ALL the time. It's kind of hilarious. Every little thing I do for him right now comes with a thank you, and if I forget to say you're welcome every time then he just throws in a "You're welcome, Westy" himself for good measure. He's so much fun right now. We made this delicious recipe for dinner (again) and he put every single thing in the blender for the sauce and had so much fun doing it. 

Bennett:

is a sleeper! Life change over here. He eats twice a night but a couple nights this week he even ate just once around 3:00 a.m. and it felt magical. My favorite part of Bennett's day is going in to get him from his naps and he does a little wiggly dance because he's so happy to see you. It's adorable and such contagious happiness. He's almost sitting up by himself, always spitting up by himself. I love him and his baby ways but I won't lie about being really excited for the days that he's done making a mess of both our outfits multiple times a day. I love watching him laugh so much.

No dandelion is safe in our yard.

He takes a nap the same time as Westin does, wakes up for the middle of it, then starts another nap before Westin wakes up. That one-on-one time between is a good time around here.

Cooking with mom, favorite spot.

Leprechaun muffins! No footprints. No presents. Just spinach in muffins over here, but we'll count it.

From Instagram:

Five months for Bennett! (Last week, as always.) He's getting chubbier each day. Loves, loves his brother. Eats at midnight and 4am now that he's in his own room and I could handle that schedule forever -- such an improvement over here. So ticklish, happy, sweet, and smiley. I love getting to know my babies. #bennettdae

From Instagram:

These brothers always stop me in my tracks when they love on each other. Bennett is forever a willing participant, Westin is coming around more each day. He refers to the Bumbo as "baby's rainbow" and likes to "get baby Benny laughin'" when he's sitting up in it. Also, we just had our first only-one-feeding night and so you know what that means -- a trip is coming up! I swear I always have plans lined up once my babies figure out sleeping and then we backtrack. But it's cool. They're cool. #westindae #bennettdae#daetwylerfamily

Lately I am slow to let this cat hang out on my lap, a direct result of ALWAYS BEING TOUCHED by my children.
So, this happens anytime Michael parks it on a couch for more than 3 seconds.

He loves to leave his shirt on his head like this when changing clothes; he barks like a dog and says "Westin puppy!" while he runs around like a puppy. Then he says "No Toby!" very forcefully, which may or may not be the name of our incredibly annoying neighbor dog.

I found him like this. Just snacking on a string cheese, contemplating life.

Sweetheart.

Finally filled the last empty wall in Westin's room with letters and numbers. He loves letters but numbers are still a little confusing to him. He tries to say that 2's are S's, 3's are E's, etc. 

He hast started giving Bennett turns with his toys. These turns last for about 3 seconds before, "No, now Westin's turn!" but this is a start. We'll take it. And Bennett doesn't seem too disappointed.

He loves daddy's cowboy hat and wants us to both put it on often.