Summer fun!

The beginning of our summer has been pretty fun so far. We obviously don't have any children in school yet, but the warmer weather these days tells us that its time for Summer FUN! The last few weeks we've been having some summer fun...

In May we had a fun day with some of our favorite friends (Thanks Z's!). They treated us to a yummy lunch and we let the kids play together. We also let the kids fingerpaint with homemade fingerpaints (edible). Merrilee had fun experimenting with this new art medium and Alice just liked to eat it...I think Alice also found a new crush...<3

Alice trying to hold hands with Baby Z. 

Enjoying this fun chair and G&G B's

On Memorial Day, Ben worked in the morning, and then we went out to lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Brewer. After lunch we headed over to their house and just visited and relaxed out on their back patio. When we got home, it was Alice's bed time and then Merrilee and I had some nice cuddle and story time. It was a nice day!

The weekend after Memorial Day, my brother and his wife came to town. On Friday, the girls (my sister, my sister-in-law and I) went to IKEA. I got a few bins and baskets for organizing things, but had the most fun watching Merrilee play in the 'toy' section. She was quite the little cook! :) I love going to IKEA. I get so many ideas and just long for the day when I have my 'own' home to experiment all my awesome ideas on.  

We had fun going out to eat Friday night with just the adults (Tucano's never fails!). Saturday morning Ben and I took the girls to the first day of the Provo farmer's market just to walk around and take in the sights, sounds, and smells. The coolest thing I saw there was this guy playing the most beautiful, intriguing music on an instrument I've never seen or heard of...the Nyckelharpa...apparently a sweedish fiddle. It was so cool! After the Farmer's Market, we got in the car and headed up to Provo Canyon to meet everyone at Bridal Veil Falls for a little outdoor outing. We got there before everyone else, so we just enjoyed a nice leisurely stroll with the girls along the trail and then stopped in a shady spot to let the girls explore and wait for everyone to show up. Once everyone got there, we went to the falls and hung out for a while. It was a warm day and it felt nice to wade our feet in the cool water. Merrilee had so much fun throwing rocks. She spent the majority of the time just picking up rocks and throwing them!

After Bridal Veil Falls, we all drove up to Heber and ate at a local burger joint called Train Burger. It was delicious! They even had these awesome electronic soda dispensers...it kind of blew our minds. After lunch, my brother and his wife continued on to Park City and us and my sister's family drove home to Orem. We just rested and hung out the rest of the day.

 The Monday after this exciting weekend was really HOT. It was the first day in the 90's here. I pulled out the girls' little wading pool after their naps in the afternoon and we spent a couple hours having some water fun in the backyard. The girls had a lot of fun and they looked so cute in their tiny swimming suits. Can't wait for another really hot day to have some more water fun!




Yes, I realize these are the same picture of Alice, but I just love it so much in both color and black and white...

This past weekend was the Orem Summerfest. We went last year to the Summerfest, but didn't really do anything because the girls were so little.  It is a celebration of the city of Orem complete with food, entertainment, booths, and carnival rides and games.  I got to sing with the Orem Chorale on Saturday morning as part of the 'entertainment'. There wasn't much of an audience yet in the morning, which was good because somehow I got roped into singing a little solo part in one of the songs that morning. After we were done performing, Ben and I walked around with the girls. It was so nice because there wasn't any crowd at all! No lines, no people to maneuver our stroller around...just a few families here and there. I'm sure the crowds picked up later in the day. Merrilee was fascinated by all the rides. We thought for sure she would be scared of them, but after constantly saying she wanted to ride the cars and the boat and the airplane and the animals...we gave in and bought 6 tickets for her to ride some rides. She LOVED them! (all except the merry-go-round and the little 'pirate roller coaster'. It was about nap time at that point, so that probably contributed to the meltdowns). It was so much fun watching her laugh and enjoy herself on the [rickety]rides. Alice fell asleep in the stroller among all the excitement of the rides. After all the excitement, we took the girls home for their naps and I even got to sneak in a little nap too! :)  Later in the evening there was a parade...we didn't dare attempt to watch it...people had their blankets and chairs set up on the side of the road 5 days in advance (pretty ridiculous if you ask me). We didn't want to try to find a spot  or attempt to brace the strong winds that picked up in the afternoon/evening. The winds were so strong we were wondering if they would cancel the fireworks show later that night, but the show still went on! The girls were in bed and Ben and I just walked to the church parking lot for a good view (one house away) to watch the fireworks. It was a FUN weekend! 

Merrilee was holding onto me for dear life on the Merry-go-round. She HATED it! 

We are looking forward to more summer fun complete with (hopefully) camping, family, hikes, bbqs etc. etc. Oh how I love Summer! :)

Alice

This very long post is devoted to our little Alice Mae. On May 18, our little Alice turned ONE!!!  I can't believe how fast this past year has gone! Alice is such a spunky little girl, always moving and wiggling and exploring things. She does not really like to be held and is VERY independent. She won't even let us feed her food from a spoon anymore! She has to feed herself, so we just have to cut or mash up her food so that she can get all messy and do it herself! She will bat away our hands if we even attempt to feed her from a spoon. She is always happy and smiling (except when she needs something, then she really makes it known to us!). Lately, some of her favorite things and activities are:
~ throwing toys
~ hitting faces
~ crawling like a speed racer across the room
~ playing and giggling with her sister
~ reading books
~ kicking walls
~ going for walks outside
~ exploring grass
~ singing songs (Nerdy side note to my music friends:  She totally can sing the S-M (m3) interval! Its amazing! This really is the first interval that babies and children can sing in tune! )
~ saying "Hi" to everyone she sees and also to her favorite toys and objects
~ playing rhythm instruments or playing with anything that makes sounds
~waking up 2-3 times per night to have quality bonding time with mommy (*Yawn)
~ splashing in the bath
~ snuggling with her little bunny blankie and sharing it with others

Alice brings so much joy and excitement to our little family. She's always keeping us on our toes, that's for sure! You can just tell she is just so happy to be alive here on earth and lives life with passion.

So some updates on Alice's health...I took her for her 1 year checkup a couple weeks ago. It sure was different going to a different pediatrician. We sure missed Dr. Nielson. I will definitely not go back to this pediatrician we saw for Alice's checkup. He was very impersonal and dismissive. Anyways, Alice is still tiny, but growing steadily, around 7% for weight (16.9 lbs). She looks like a 6-9 month old, and still wears these sizes of clothing, but does things like a 1 year old. Its really cute to watch!

As far as her neuroblastoma goes, we are still monitoring. (If you were not aware of her health situation read posts here and here). The last many tests have been clear (except for elevated dopamine levels still in her urine, but I guess that's not too worrisome.) We scheduled another round of MRI and lab tests for the end of June. She isn't showing any symptoms or anything, but we just want to be sure everything is still clear. The oncologists we are working with think that the cancer has most likely resolved itself (which is somewhat common in babies under 1). It is really miraculous that a little baby body can fight away cancer without any outside medicine or help! (FYI this type of childhood cancer gets a LOT harder to fight once the children are older, like 2years +).

I am confessing right now that I am a horrible journal keeper...these blog posts are kind of like my journal so that I can preserve memories and happenings in our family. I figured this post would be a good place to remember Alice's birth story...So, for those who are interested, here's the birth story. For those who are not interested, skip down to the bottom for pictures! :)

So about a week before Alice came, I was 37 weeks and some days along and the doctor was getting a little worried because I was consistently measuring small for dates.  We got my fluid checked the next day via ultrasound just to be sure everything was ok.  Apparently my fluid level was "borderline", meaning there was enough fluid in there for baby, but if it got any lower, it might be risky.  The ultrasound specialist sent me straight-way to talk to the doctor.  He wanted me to go to the hospital to get an amniocentesis to check if the baby's lungs were developed enough to deliver early. If they were, he wanted to induce. I didn't really understand why he would want to induce me just for 'borderline fluid'.  In the ultrasound, the baby looked healthy and like she was thriving in there.  Anyways, the next day I went to the hospital for the amnio.  Before they did anything, they did an ultrasound to double check the fluid level. The hospital ultrasound people were a lot more thorough and experienced.  According to that ultrasound, the fluid level was good...above borderline. The specialist doctor at the hospital said there was no reason to do an amnio or to induce unless I wanted them to.  I said no way! I wanted this baby to come when she was ready! So the doctor sent me home and told me to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy...which only happened to be exactly one week longer!


The next Wednesday morning at about 4:30am I got up to use the little girl's room.  I started having contractions and woke up Ben to tell him we needed to go to the hospital!  The contractions were close together and pretty intense. Since Merrilee came so fast, the doctors kept telling us as soon as you feel contractions get to the hospital, don't wait. So we rushed around to get everything together and tell my sister we were leaving so she could take care of Merrilee, and we were off! We got to the hospital at about 5am.  I was dilated to a 4 (just a day and a half before I was at a 1).  The contractions were going strong and then I got the epidural.  This seemed to slow things down for a couple hours...like my contractions essentially stopped...until they broke my water! They broke my water at around 10am and Alice was born at 10:38am! Within that half hour after they broke my water, I started having REALLY intense contractions. They were so intense I could still feel them (with pain) even with the epidural. Ben called in the nurse for me and she checked things out. She said, "Oh wow! There's the head!" She called the doctor to come in (he was about to leave the hospital because he thought it would still be a couple hours). Once they got everything set up for the delivery,  I only had to push once and there she was! (if fact, in the middle of that first push, the doctor said "Ok, you can stop pushing!" haha) :) Alice was coming whether I helped her along or not! 

  A perfect little girl, Alice Mae Brewer, 5lbs 15oz 18in long. The nurse put her on me right away. I did not have this experience with Merrilee, they cleaned up Merrilee before I held her. It was so amazing to be able to see and hold tiny little Alice right away. As soon as we saw her, both Ben and I said "She is so TINY!" She was smaller than Merrilee was by a pound. It was such a miraculous and special moment to see our little Alice for the first time. We knew she was part of our family and she came to our family exactly at the right time. After they got her all cleaned up and weighed and me all taken care of, everyone left the room so that Ben and I could have some alone time with our new little angel. This was so nice. We didn't have this experience with Merrilee either. I tried to breastfeed Alice for the first time and she latched on right away! After a while of family bonding time, we called for the nurses to take Alice and Ben for Alice's bath and to take me down to the mother's recovery room. Recovery was a BREEZE with Alice. I was up and around so quick after giving birth. It was very enjoyable after remembering what it was like after giving birth to Merrilee (I was sick as a dog with a sinus infection and just lied in the hospital bed like a sack of potatoes the whole time I was in the hospital with her!)   

Ok, Here's some pictures of our last year with Alice. We love you Alice! ;)

A couple weeks old. We had to buy some premie outfits for her because she was so tiny!

One month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months 

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

1 YEAR!

 Below are just some cute recent pics of our little peanut...

 More update posts to come...

Women and Mothers

I know this is late, but this mother's day, I wanted to write a post to express my gratitude for the incredible women in my life, starting with my own angel mother. My mom is the best in the world! From her I have learned and continue to learn about love, selflessness, strong faith and devotion, prayer, tenderness....the list could go on. She is the most loving person I've ever known. I have always felt so loved by her. Thank you, mom for being such a great example of  what true beauty is! I love you! :)  

My beautiful sister and Alice

Next is my amazing sister. There is quite the age gap between us (9 years), but she has always been a great example to me. I love living so close to her and being involved in each other's lives. She has firm faith, a fun, friendly personality, and amazing determination and strength through the good and tough times (10 surgeries in the past 6 years!).

Then there is my sweet mother-in-law.  We have similar personalities and I just love being around her when we have the opportunities. She is very calm and sweet, always making sure everyone is taken care of. I am amazed at how she raised SIX amazing sons (my hubby being the most amazing, of course ;). I am grateful for her righteous example of how to raise righteous, faithful children. I know that she is a "mother who knows". She reminds me of the mothers of the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon (See Alma 56: 47-48).

Grandma Dunn

Grandma Brewer

The Grandmothers in my life are very special to me. Grandma Dunn has always been so supportive and loving to all her family members. I love hearing stories of how she raised SEVEN boys and ONE girl. She has always been energetic and kind. Even though we've always lived far apart, I've always felt so loved and cared for by her. Grandma Brewer is Ben's grandma, but I feel close to her like she is my own (biological) grandma too. We've been blessed to be able to live near her since we got married. Grandma Brewer is ALWAYS thinking of others and how to serve. She is so very kind and one of my favorite people to spend time with. She is very strong-willed with a very strong faith that she shares by her shining example to all around her. My Granny Lois has always been special. I've not spent very much time with her, but I know she loves the Lord and loves all around her. She is very willing to love and serve those around her and is just as sweet as can be. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Granny Lois)

Emily

I am blessed to have some amazing Sisters-in-law.

~Emily just joined our family a few months ago, but she's a keeper! ;) She is so good for my brother and I can tell she is an amazing mother. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. 

Song

~We had the opportunity to live with Mike and Song for a few months while Ben did an internship in D.C. I learned SO MUCH from Song about motherhood and wifehood (is that even a word?) I was still very much a new mother with Merrilee being only 6 months when we moved there, and I found out I was pregnant with Alice while we were there also! Song showed me and helped me realize the kind of wife and mother I aspire to be with my children and family by the way she ran her household and loved her children. Through her example, she taught me about housekeeping, sewing, cooking, how to be a good friend/neighbor, how to show your children love throughout the day...the list could go on. I know we were supposed to go out East for a reason, and I know that this is one of them...so that I could learn from Song's example of love, patience, kindness, hard work, and tenderness. (Miss you Song!)

Hoku

Jeralyn

~Hoku and I go way back...to middle school band! Yep we sat next to each other in the flute section of the 8th grade band. We also went on a YW backpacking trip together a few years later. I am so happy that we are sisters now! Hoku is an amazing example of superwoman! Her ambition and hard work are inspiring (working, schooling, motherhood)! She is very loving and FUN to be around.

~Jeralyn and I also go way back! We were friends in High School and we always thought it would be funny if we both married Brewer boys and became related. :) Well, now we are! Jeralyn also has a fun personality. I've always admired her quiet strength and easy-going attitude. She is just so sweet and I love talking with her when we get the chance. The way she treats all around her shows what a kind-hearted person she is!

Kylie

~Kylie is so awesome. I've always loved how friendly and outgoing she is! She is an amazing mama and crafter/homemaker extraordinaire! I find her easy to talk to and relate with and she's just one of those people you want to be around! I'm glad we've gotten to spend some time together every few months! 

And then there are all my Friends. I don't have room to write about each one of them here, but they are my best, lifelong friends, my friends from high school, my friends from college, my friends from church, my friends from the community...I feel like I have many friends who uplift me, inspire me, encourage me and are examples to me. These are the women who are making a difference in my life everyday (whether they know it or not) just by their examples. 

There are so many women and mothers in my life who have helped me become who I am today and who continue to help me to progress and refine my womanly and motherly attributes.Thank you all for being the women you are! 

Some catch up with photos

Ok, so here's some random catch up with some photos...

My mom came into town a couple weeks ago and we had a grand time. We went to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving point, played games, and just had fun!

 

 

  
 My mom gave Alice a few early birthday presents... a precious little dress and 2 baby dolls (Thanks Nana!).  I couldn't get her to look at the camera because Merrilee was distracting her. Oh well.

Ben and I had our anniversary date. Dinner at Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point. It was very lovely and delicious!

 

Merrilee loves to be a helper these days, especially in the kitchen! Sometimes it ends up being way more of a mess, but oh so fun! :) Here are some after pictures of helping with a recipe that involved flour...(its a little hard to see, but she was COVERED in flour! hehe)

Alice is just getting cuter by the day! She has 2 bottom teeth and one (huge) top tooth in right now. She's so silly during bath time! ;)