Sweet Baby Evie

Sweet baby Evalyn Jayne, or Baby Evie for short. Gosh, I get kind of choked up thinking about this sweet little baby! She's pretty perfect. Time kind of stands still when I'm holding her. Evalyn is a special little name, and so is Jayne...names of some pretty special women in my life. How is it that a new baby can bring so much peace and evoke so much love?

It's been amazing watching her older siblings fall in love with her! Claire is a natural little mother to her, and Bubba is quite protective. The bow in the picture lasted for almost a week, til the Bubba-chub Monster decided she didn't need it any more!

Life sure is good.

Lately

loving: sunny saturdays, bike riding with the kiddos, longer days.
excited for: baby evie's arrival in a few short weeks! being an aunt is the best :)
sad: that my fave go-to, quick-fix photo editing program is closing.
made: banana bread. make it--you won't regret it. i just like the glazy-crusty-goodness.
listening to: bell and sebastian with a little captain & tennille mixed in.
enjoying: spring cleaning--at least getting a head start. getting rid of stuff feels good.

claire decided this weekend that we are officially "best buddies." we even have a song: you'll be in my heart by phil collins. sure love that kid ♥

The 4th: In Pictures

Good weekend. Good family, friends, food, fireworks, fun. Summer is finally here!

Claire Kitty Cat. She looks like a mad kitty, but I promise that as soon as she saw pics of herself, she lived it up. Best $5 ever spent.
Bubba and Sarah take a little break in the shade. It was hot. hot. hot. Bubbalicious takes his strawberries and swing time very, very seriously.
Pretty Sarah Jane. Crazy Claire. Yummy Katie. Boss Claire. Lemonade lovin' Claire. Another lovely Sarah. Stuffed to the max Bubba. (But there's always room for more food in that kid's stomach.) Captain dance-y-pants Claire. That girl sure loves to move.
The $10 roller coaster ride that lasted maybe a minute and a half. Claire tricked Katie into paying for it (she's good like that). Whenever Claire is in the car and we're driving up or down a hill, she throws her hands in the air and yells, "weeeeeeee!" til we've conquered the hill. I'd say her first roller coaster ride was a success. She may look terrified, but that's just how she rolls. She was slightly upset when she couldn't go again.
Proof that we were all together for dinner on Sunday! We headed up to Chris & Holly's place for a picnic dinner and had fun chatting and catching up. I love being together.
A few of us headed up to Pleasant Grove to watch fireworks--yay for good friends! Love me some time with Ms. Katie! (pic from katie)

Go Cards!

I'm not particularly the biggest fan of baseball, but we (my family!) have loved cheering for the Cardinals the last few years. Love me a good Jib Jab! :)

Family Portrait, May 2011

My Family, Mother's Day 2011

We just had our last "phone call" with my brother, Marshall, before he comes home this summer from Brasil! Marsh was able to connect with us via Skype, and I think this was by far my most favorite and memorable call with him. It was a totally different experience to hear and see him! We all got a good laugh hearing Marshall talk...he has such a funny accent. He expresses so much happiness in his weekly emails, and it was fun seeing his happiness. I miss his huge, quirky smile. I think it's one of his best features!

It's still amazing to me that we were able to connect via Skype...5 different computers in different countries all communicating with each other. (And for free!) Simply amazing.

The Slingshot...

After watching the Biggest Loser last night, I couldn't stop thinking about The Slingshot....



375 feet up. 375 feet back down. The best part about the video is that Sarah and I scream at almost the exact same time!

(Mom + Dad + Sarah + Me in Orlando for Christmas in 2009. We found this little boardwalk area and somehow Sarah and I ended up on the Slingshot. Definitely a highlight from that trip!)

Ready for Summer

Miss Claire somehow tricked me in to *wanting* to be outside last night to play with chalk...that little kid is so good at getting her way! She's fun to talk with on the phone and is starting to form sentences that actually kind of make sense, so when she asked if I'd come over to play, I couldn't turn down the offer.She also managed to get into my sister's nail polish and covered her legs in pink because she wanted "pink wegs" (pink legs) to go along with her pretty princess pink toe nails. Oh, and Katie now has a pink mirror and a pink bathroom sink. Gotta love the pink! Back to the chalk...I loved that my phone camera snapped the pic of Claire kissing Katie when it did--I love it! And I totally love Bubba's little smirk on his face when I gave him kisses...sure do love that kid! Dreaming of warmer weather and long summer nights.

Headed to Arizona tonight with some friends to visit Gina for the long weekend. Ready for a break :)

My Significant Brother :)

Spent the evening pulling some things together to send to Brasil to the cutest missionary ever:
One of the highlights from Christmas was chatting with Marshall for a few minutes--I miss having him around and hearing his funny stories. I'd tease Marshall about being my "significant brother" whenever we were out in public, and you could just tell he would be so annoyed with me! I miss looking over during church and see him drawing all over the program for the meeting. I love getting his emails every week and hearing about all his amazing experiences...and funny stories, like this one. I'm excited that he's coming home this year! :)

I'm trying to find single serving little things of peanut butter like they have at hotels to include in the package. If you know where I could find some, let me know!

Welcome, 2011!

Let me (and Claire, Bubba and Katie!) be the last ones to wish you a Happy New Year! It totally made my whole year when the trio showed up this afternoon! I happily drop whatever I'm doing when those kiddos come for a visit and get a few good laughs in. Love them.

I think this year, more than any previous new year, I've been so excited about the idea of a new beginning, a fresh start, new opportunities, and big dreams. This is going to be my year. So many things on my list of things to accomplish in 2011.

2010 was an amazing year:
• story of Jack the Snowman
• katie and I attempted to "scrapbook"
• Michael Buble concert with Sarah!
• learning that Katie would be having a baby with "outdoor plumbing"
• spending time at home for my birthday
• BSB concert with Katie, Michelle and Gina!
• CHA in Chicago and then spending a little extra time with Mom and Sarah in Chi-Town and driving back to St Louis
• Baby Caleb aka Bubba was born
• mom gave my room some much needed attention and left behind some beautiful sunflowers :)
• another trip home and flying solo with Claire
• falling in love with little Claire's smile all over again
• quick trip with mom to Houston for the Quilt Festival and staying with Beth!
• our first white Christmas, spending time with the family, talking with Marshall on the phone, hearing stories of mom & dad's courtship, eating at The Peel, minute-to-win-it games, stories, playing Just Dance on the wii, laughing hysterically over nothing, getting a visit from the "Christmas man"...basically the best Christmas ever!

Lots of ups, a few downs, and everything between. It was a good year. High hopes for an amazing year!

Much love, me

(ps...story about the top right pic: we told Claire to make a face like Bubba, and that's what she came up with. Love her!)

Weekend...

Sniffle. Clean. Breakfast with Dad! Conference. Move furniture. Cough, cough. Watch more Conference here. Clean room while watching Conference. Get ready for day (at 5:00 pm). Sniffle. Cough. Head out to Deseret Book with roomies and dinner. Come home, take Nyquil. Bed at 8:30.

Airport run at 6:00. Return rental truck. (More on that later.) Breakfast...german pancakes! Finish cleaning-slash-organizing-slash-get rid of more stuff. More Conference. Cough. Cough. Dayquil this time! A little more Conference. Sniffle. Sniffle.

It's been a crazy weekend, but so, so good. Saturday morning Conference session was just what I need. President Uchtdorf quoted Leonardo da Vinci, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Watch here. "What does this have to do with flying an airplane? Well, let me tell you..." Classic.

Currently missing this little lady:

(us flying to St Louis...she LOVED looking at all the airplanes!)

Last week I took Claire with me as I flew home to St Louis for the weekend. We had a little mini family get-together for mom's (50th!) birthday and little Caleb's baby blessing. It worked out for me to fly home a little earlier than everyone else, and because Claire is still under two, she got to come with me! She was perfect while we were in the air, but it was at our layover in Denver that she had her inevitable meltdown. We (barely) survived the meltdown and I might have thought about leaving the kid in Denver...just kidding!! (I love that little girl a little *too* much!) I have so much more respect for parents flying with little kiddos!...it's hard! Claire (oh...and her mom and brother) won't be back in Provo for two weeks, and I'm going crazy with out them here. I'm hoping the next two weeks go fast.

And here's to hoping this little sickie will feel better. Soon.

Saturday Morning

Spent the morning over at the Brewer home...mom packed up and headed back to St. Louis after being here for 3 weeks. Sad morning. (But we'll all be home in a few weeks for mom's birthday!)

Caleb is excited to watch his first BYU Cougar football game--he even dressed up for the occasion!


He's such a cutie-patootie! Claire is still working on loving her little brother, but I have a feeling these two are going to be the best of friends!




Grammie realized a couple days ago that she still didn't have any pics of her and Caleb, so we had to fix that!


This is what we look like on Saturday mornings, sans makeup and crazy hair...yikes. (But I secretly love this pic.) (We somehow end up taking pics like this kind of often...like this one.)


As mom was getting all packed up and ready to head to the airport, Claire decided to be a little sneaky and try hitching a ride to the airport...


Claire's plan didn't work, and she was quite upset when we pulled her off the car! She threw a little (ok...bigger than little...) tantrum when she realized that grammie was gone. She kept looking in the garage wondering if she was going to come back. It's a good thing we're going to visit soon!

(ps...my favorite part of the pic above is that you can see Claire's little belly button in the reflection! haha)

I think...

...they just might be related.


(the picture of Claire--if you can figure out which one she is--was taken by Katharine.)

Those Brewer kiddos...just can't get enough of them! Claire is learning and trying to be so gentle with her little brother and wants to cuddle right up next to him. Caleb couldn't be a cuter lil' guy!

How To Eat A French Fry. By Claire.

The more dip the better! :)

And a cute preggo pic of Katie! :) She was looking so cute in this dress this afternoon...it seems like overnight she grew a cute little tummy!



Thank goodness we had a beautiful day today! The last two days, we've seen snow, rain, wind and hail...craziness, I tell ya! The trees at my complex are in full bloom and it's beautiful. Love this time of year.

Girls Day!

We had a fun little girls day while mom and Sarah were in town last week! We kicked off the day at the baby doctor for Katie's ultrasound and she's having a...boy! The sweet nurse explained that the baby had "outdoor plumbing"...us girls were laughing and Joe couldn't have had a bigger smile on his face! No girl's day is complete without pedicures and pizza! Best pizza in Provo: Pizza Pie Cafe...go check it out! We missed my sister-in-law, Holly, but that just means that next time mom and Sarah are in town, we'll have a big 'ol party!



**Has anyone else's Blogger dashboard layout changed?? It's driving me crazy...I have to post pictures and videos in this crazy, round-about way. Grrr...

On Family...

Ever have those moments when you're overwhelmingly grateful for someone or something? Right now I couldn't be more grateful for my family and the influence they are in my life!

On Sunday, Katie, Joe-Joe, Claire and I headed up to Salt Lake to spend the afternoon with my brother and sister-in-law. It was so fun to just be together as family and enjoy each other's company. We Skyped with Mom, Dad and Sarah at home, and for a few minutes, we were all together. (Marshall was with us in spirit :) We weren't together for anything in particular, but just being with the people I love--in person and virtually!--was just what I needed on Sunday. I wish we all lived closer so we could be together more often!

While I was at school in Idaho, I had no family near by, and was lucky to make it down to Utah a couple times a semester and visit with aunts, uncles and cousins. I get asked fairly regularly how I ended up in Provo if I didn't go to school here. I have a few different reasons why I'm in Provo, but one of the main reasons is that I'm near family here! Before Marshall left on his mission, 4 of the 5 of us Bowerman kiddos were within about 45 minutes of each other. Pretty impressive, huh? Living close to family at this stage in my life has been such a blessing. I'm grateful everyday to have a brother and sister so close!

Last night after Family Night, we (naturally!) had the Olympics on. If you didn't get the chance to see the interview with Kevin Pearce's family and Tom Brokaw, take a few minutes to watch. I couldn't help but hold back the tears as I watched this family pull together during such a difficult time. What an example of strength, courage and faith this family is to so many people. This was such an inspiring interview and made me want to be a more positive person during tough times.

{Pearce Family}

It's all about family, isn't it?

Happy Birthday, Dad (I mean Santa)!

(Circa 1989.)

I was flipping through my scrapbook the other night looking for something and came across this note I left Santa 20 years ago--written on dot matrix printer paper! Ha! My favorite part about this note was Santa's hand writing...aka Dad's handwriting disguised with little curls on each letter! I remember thinking that Santa had the coolest handwriting! (Make sure you click on the image so you can see the cute curls!) Finding this little gem made me smile...how could you not?

It's official--I have the best dad ever! I wish I could give you a big birthday hug, but I'm excited to see you next week in Florida!!

Love you Santa Dad! Hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Proof That Claire is Cooler Than Me

I visited Katharine's blog this morning to find THE FUNNIEST pictures of Claire and Luke! (Luke is Kath's totally cute boy!) Claire gets what she wants! Watch out Katie & Joe...Claire still has 15 years til she's date-able age! Good luck with that one! :)

And ps...I think they're pretty cute together, if I do say so myself!

Just My Luck...

...especially after just having my bumper fixed!

Saturday afternoon, I was leaving a store and walked toward my car to find that the back end was completely smashed! I could not believe it--especially because it had only been three days since I had the new bumper put on! I walked closer to inspect the damage and see if there was a note. "Great," I thought. No note. No one around to claim responsibility. No one standing around who might have seen the accident. I got my camera out to take pictures of the scene. (I always carry my camera with me for situations like this!) It seemed crazy that my car would get hit that bad in a parking lot! I was trying to figure out how someone would've hit my car head-on.

Then I looked to the next aisle over and saw my car. Phew.

***

Oh. One more thing. Cutest niece award definitely goes to Ms. Claire:Total Babe. Wanna see more pics? (Of course you do.) Click on over to Katie & Joe's blog!

Handmade Birthday!

Little Miss Claire is one today!! Can't hardly believe it's already been a year since she was born...it's hard to imagine life without that lil' munchkin!

When I saw this alphabet tutorial, I thought it'd be perfect for Claire! My alphabet didn't *quite* turn out as good as the photo in the tutorial, but it works, right? :)

Lessons learned:
• sewing machines and magnets (and needles!) don't mix well
• make the letters a little bigger next time
• next time I'll be sewing by hand
• perfect way to use up small scraps of fabric



I think they turned out pretty cute for round one. I learned a few things and will change it up a little next time!

Happy Birthday, Claire!



(next major purchase: a camera!!)

Pics from when Claire was born here and here. Crazy to think this was a year ago! Time flies...

Trunk or Treat!

Our ward was having a "Trunk or Treat" for children in the area at our apartment complex and I've been dying to see Claire in her costume! I begged Katie to bring her over, and I was so glad they came! Claire rocked the boots in her little outfit...she couldn't have been cuter! The best part was when Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was playing and Claire was totally shakin' her booty...she was definitely the cutest girl there!

I think I'm done with candy for the year...I think today alone I had a month's worth of candy! I have a feeling it's going to be hard to fall asleep tonight! :)