That new insurance is going to be pretty handy.........

Elli had an announcement this Christmas............

You guessed it! We are going to be parent again! Watch out world for another Elli! I am about 10 weeks along and we are stoked!

New Insurance!

Oh, and a full time position at work, which led to the better insurance!

I am now the full-time teacher in the Infant Room. This means I work with infants aged birth-->2 year. Mostly the kids I have are 6 months to 18 months. I can have up to 4 infants at a time. Crazy? Sometimes! Fun? Yes! It makes me realize that I can handle anything! Especially because I will never have more than 2 kids under the age of 2.

This has definitely been an answer to prayers. We were talking about Keith going to school and what we felt we should do. Which varied from selling our condo and becoming poor college students while Keith went to school full-time to moving in with my parents and him going to school full-time. Well the NEXT DAY my boss pulls me into her office and tells me the Infant Room teacher is stepping down and the position is mine if I want it. OH YEAH!

The cool thing is that it won't be many hours more than what I already do. I will only work about 32 hours a week, and then get all the benefits. Like 3 weeks vacation a year!

Anyway I am SUPER STOKED!!

Other news:

Elli is starting to sign! She will do eat and all done. We are working on drink and thank-you.

So the day to day thing wasn't working for me. Oh wells!

Have I told you that I love to buy clothes for Elli? Sometimes I just want to go buy her a whole new wardrobe because I find one outfit that I love so much! That would be silly though since I do like most of the clothes that she has now. I guess its a good thing she keeps growing so I can get her more!

So I wanted to do more family pictures this week, but it is probably not going to happen until Elli's nose looks good. She was at her grandparents, playing outside and took a spill. Lucky her nose caught the fall, huh? She has also had really bad poopy diapers lately. Yesterday alone she had about 8-holy cow right?! Which also means it has given her a really bad rash on her bum. She really didn't like having her diaper changed before, but now it is ten times worse with her screaming at the whole time. Lovely bonding experience, eh?

On a positive note, we had my nephew Peyton over this last week. It has been a lot of fun and I think Elli will miss having him around. He is 4 1/2 and is a lot of help. I haven't been feeling very good for a couple days now and he will help me take care of Elli. It makes me excited for when we have more kids, though it would be a while before we had a 4 year old.

Life is really good right now. Our anniversary is coming up and I am really excited for a vaca! It is much needed. I just hope I can start feeling better soon!

Day 7

A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

Who else but my family!!! I love them soooo much and they mean the world!

Day 6

My superhero.

Who else.......but my mom! She is amazing because she is a mom and is one of the most generous and loving people I know!

Day 5 - I know that should have been yesterday!

A place that I have been to........how about the happiest place on earth! With the best people on earth!

Day 4

A habit I wish I didn't have..........

That would probably be throwing my clothes on the floor at the end of the day, lol. My side of the bed is always a mess.......not to say that Keith is much better!

Day 3

A picture of me and my friends.......yeah its been a while since one of those!!








and of course my best friend!

Day 2

The meaning behind our blog name.....
Well nothing too special. I got it from Micheal Buble's song "Everything" and since this blog is about my family for the most part-it totally fits, they are everything!

The Challenge

So Becky, a friend whose blog I follow, started doing this 30-day challenge thing on her blog, and I thought it looked like fun!

Day 1- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

A recent picture was interestingly hard to find.....for some reason they are all of Elli!



Since Elli is part of me, I decided this counts....;)

Now for 15 interesting facts....I had to get help with this.....

1- I love to read, if I start a book at night I read it waaayyyy later than I should even though I know I will regret it the next day.....I did that twice this week :)
2-I am pretty strict with our budget, but some days I just throw it to the wind and do what I want anyway.
3- Listening to people eat noisy things bothers me, like I have to move away from them. Unless I am eating, then I can't hear them.
4- If Keith and I go to bed at the same time, he has to rub my back for at least 5 minutes.....its a requirement.
5- I try fish every once a while, hoping that I will like it.....I never do.
6-When I get home from going anywhere, I have to use the bathroom, I think I subconsciously have a fear of public bathrooms.....some of them are really gross!
7-I like to wear make-up, but I am too lazy to do it every day.
8- I cut my hair short so that I don't wear it in a pony tail every day, because I totally would.
9- If someone is talking to me and I don't really get what they are saying, but I'm not really interested, I will just nod my head like I understand.
10- I like to watch TV, but not necessarily movies.
11- When I'm pregnant, everyone drives me crazy!!!-except my own family.
12-I love school--not all classes, just those ones that really make you think.
13- Elli comes first--always!
14-Sometimes Keith comes first--but even he knows Elli comes first :)
15- I don't forget things quickly--if you make me upset, even by little things, you better fix it fast!

If you want to do this too, here is the list!

Day 1 - A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

Day 2 - The meaning behind your Blog name

Day 3 - A picture of you and your friends

Day 4 - A habit that you wish you didn’t have

Day 5- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

Day 6 - Favorite super hero and why

Day 7 - A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

Day 8 - Short term goals for this month and why

Day 9 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends

Day 12- How you found out about Blogs and why you made one

Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play

Day 16 - Another picture of yourself

Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have

Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them

Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else

Day 23 - Something you crave for a lot

Day 24- A letter to your parents

Day 25 - What I would find in your bag

Day 26- What you think about your friends

Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned

Day 30- Who are you?

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My baby girl is now a toddler........and duly called one! She has been standing up and walking all over the place! She loves it so much! Every time she comes by me she grins, laughs, and giggles! It is seriously the cutest thing she has done! I am so grateful to have the experience of being Elli's mommy. She is such an angel and has truly taught me to put others first. She is the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the last thing when I go to sleep. She is my life.

I hope you had a good day baby girl. Get ready to show off your new moves next week at your party!

Happy Anniversary!!!

I love my husband! He is seriously the most thoughtful guy I have ever met! He remembers important dates so much better than me and makes them so special!

So today was the anniversary of when Keith proposed! We went to Wheeler Farm with Elli this morning. She loved the animals and enjoyed being outside so much. It is always fun to see her experience new things. Later in the day we went and saw the movie Salt. It was pretty cool! It was the kind of movie that had a good story line and plenty of action-a perfect match for both of us. After the movie we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse-can't go wrong there!

And I got some awesome shoulder massages! (I still hurt, and it makes me not feel good all together!)

All in all I got the best guy out there! Sorry ladies, no contest! (He even did the dishes last night, and got up with Elli twice!)

So thanks for an amazing anniversary babe! I love you!

Weaning - 1 Me - 0

So I have started weaning Elli. As of yesterday she is totally not nursing and is on whole milk. A couple weeks early, i know, but she was ready and willing so I took advantage. We were down to nursing twice a day, so I didn't figure it would be too bad. She is doing great, I'm not! This is nothing emotional, although I do love cuddling with her. I just never knew it could be this uncomfortable! I worked today with toddlers and infants, and I could hardly hold them! I am so tender and full that any bump kills!

I hope this doesn't last long........it really stinks..........

The Fabulous 4th of July weekend!

This weekend was THE BEST!!!!


It isn't often that we have so much fun packed into one weekend, and it was a change well needed.

On Saturday Keith had to work, but was able to go in early, which was awesome! We were able to go to his parents house for a 4th of July BBQ and family get together. I really do love my in-laws, they are fun, hilarious at times, and all-around good people. After food and games we lit fireworks just out front on the street. Man, those boys are crazy! I stuck to sparklers. Elli loved the lights and didn't get scared once at all the noise.




On Sunday, we went to church, of course. It was fast and testimony meeting, Keith got up there. He is always so good and going up and baring his testimony, I am very proud of him for that. After church, we took naps and then hung out with some of our favorite people, the Degraws. They live 2 floors beneath us and we do a lot of stuff together. When we were changing Elli's (fondly known as 'Lela' by their little boy, Ethan) diaper she escaped!




HAHA It was super cute. Our neighbor doesn't usually like naked pictures, but thought this was pretty cute with the leggings.

On Monday, we totally screwed up Elli's nap schedule. Seriously, she was so tired and would fall asleep almost every time we were in the car. We first went up to Brighton and hiked up to Mary's Lake. It was mostly up hill, so it wasn't the most easy, but it was beautiful landscape.



We went with Keith's friend Dale and Keith's sisters, Becky and Jessica. They are a lot of fun to hike with and we were glad to have them with us.




We got home around 3 (at which time Elli hadn't taken an afternoon nap yet) and decided to go swimming. I though for sure Elli would fall asleep in the car and stay asleep while the others swam. Just in case though, I got her all dressed in her swimming suit and ready to go. Well, she fell asleep in the car, but I guess she just couldn't stand the excitement and woke up to come swimming with us for a couple hours. Then Keith, Dale, and I went to see The A-Team. HAHA It was soooooooo funny! I loved it and totally recommend it.

Well we got home around around 10 and finally Elli was able to get some rest. She is still feeling it today, so I feel bad. But we had tons of fun and it was totally it!

Things I love about Elli........

So last night Elli threw up 4 times, and once this morning. It was the first time that she has thrown up instead of spit up, I can definitely tell you the difference. Want a visual? Probably not, but here it is......we had watermelon and pasta for dinner.....gross..... Surprisingly though, I really wasn't grossed out by it at all. I just feel so bad for my little girl. Because she doesn't feel good she has been super cuddly all morning, and I love it! It made me start thinking about all the things I love about my baby girl. So here they are:


-I love the looks she gives. She is such a riot! When she is walking toward you she will give you this serious look that is almost a glare! It is the funniest thing and so much fun to see her experiment with her face.

-Her squeals. When Elli gets excited or just see's me or Keith walk by, she squeals and races after us-of course she is devastated if she doesn't get to us. It is the funniest thing when she see's a dog because she doesn't know what to do and flips out with excitement!

-Her cuddles. Being sick right now is the cutest thing. She will lay with me on the couch and lay on my tummy. It is super cute to watch her cuddle with Keith as well.

-Her kisses. I'm laying of the floor and she comes toward my face and I know it's coming. SPLAT! Big wide open mouth kiss. Hahahahaha. Sooooooo slobbery and wet, but cute and adorable because she is my daughter.

-Her noises. I love listening to her chatter and learn new ways to use her tongue. She is always learning new things and trying out new sounds.


These are just a few things I love about my Elli. There are so many more, but I have a house to clean so they will wait for a future post. I love my baby girl!

Talk about a life or death situation!

So, crazy experience today! We have a pool in our complex, which we haven't used much in the past years because it wasn't heated, but this year they are heating it so my neighbor and I decided to take our babies swimming. It was a beautiful day, not too hot and not too windy. Well when we got out there, there were 3 kids already out there-unsupervised.

Well the kids didn't have very good manners first of all. They were nice enough kids, but had NOOOOO sense of personal space-very annoying. Well a while later two more kids and their mom came out and the kids jumped in while the mom when and laid down on a lounge chair. Well the youngest of the original kids didn't know how to swim (WHY WOULD YOU LET YOUR KID GO OUT TO A POOL NOT KNOWING HOW TO SWIM!!!). Well he went out a little further than he could reach and grabbed onto a little girl that had come in later--well what do you imagine happened? Both kids couldn't reach the bottom, and the boy was pulling the girl down! The mom wasn't watching and the girl was under for a couple seconds (which seemed like minutes to me) when my friend and swam over as fast as we could, while holding our babies! Thank goodness we got them both up and to the side of the pool. At that point the mom finally sat up and came over to see what happened. Her little girl was sobbing on the side of the pool and the mom didn't even hug her! She just told her to stay away from that boy. If it were my kid I would have found his mom and given her a piece of my mind!!!!

I am grateful that we were there. I hate to think what would have happened if the mom hadn't have seen this happening..............

KIDS SHOULDN'T BE SWIMMING ALONE-ESPECIALLY IF THEY CAN'T SWIM!!!!! Some parents..............

Maybe it's the way I grew up........

I have never really played video games, and I don't really mind. Keith and his siblings, on the the other hand, loved video games and still do. Since we got married Keith hasn't really played much, only a handful of times. I appreciated this because I didn't really want them in the house. I believe that there are more interesting and productive activities in life.

Well, I had heard a lot about the Wii. My in-laws had one and so did a lot of people I knew. After talking about it for a while we decided to give it a try. I thought it sounded different than other video games and would be more interactive.

Well...............so far, its OK. We have Wii fit, Mario party 8, and Wii play. I do enjoy the mario party 8 board game stuff, especially with other people playing with us. The other games are pretty fun too. I guess I just can't see myself using it that much. The way people talk about it, I thought we would play it a ton, but it just isn't that interesting to me still. I feel bad about it sometimes. I know Keith would like to play it more than I want.

My conclusion on the Wii? Eh, its fun, but its still a video game, and I don't want my kids playing them much. Maybe once a week....for an hour....on Saturdays or something. We will see, Keith is good at persuading me, but I want my kids to be healthy and use their minds creatively.

Daycare

I really love my job at the daycare. It has been a great experience to be around lots a kids of varying ages. There are definitely some days that are more stressful than others.

Today, for example, I was with the older kids-which included ages 2+. Well today, I had 15 kids! I did have some help from a 17-year-old who works there, but it was still crazy! I did have one situation that was a little guiltily entertaining for me, haha! From about 1-3 it is what we call 'quiet time', this is a chance for the younger kids and toddlers to take naps in a quiet, non-stimulating environment. Well at about 12:45 I switched someone in the toddler room so I could nurse Elli. At about 1:15 I had just finished feeding Elli and I could hear the older kids just going nuts! Mind you, there were 2 workers out there that were supposed to handling things, but both are kind of quiet and fairly new. Well, someone came to ask me if I could go out to calm things down and get them in order. Most of the kids out there have been at our daycare for about a year-they know the routine. So, I walk out into the big room and all the kids are running around (which they aren't supposed to run inside), without shouting I stop and say firmly, "This is not appropriate behavior for this time of day. I want all the kids taking naps in the other room and the rest of you lined up by the wall."

BAM! Silence! Talk about a feeling of empowerment! It was just really cool to see that they respected me and did what I asked them to do. Made me feel great!

Anyway.....Elli loves the daycare as well. She takes horrible naps there, but loves it just the same. I think she will be a lot like her dad because he is so social as well. What a great blessing to have. It is also a great way for her to be comfortable with multiple people, although she is getting more and more clingy to me (which feels nice at times :) - not so nice when I want to leave though, lol.) Elli sometimes gets beat up on, but sometimes she is the one beating up on others so no worries.

It has shown me how much of a temper Elli can have. Whew! Sometimes when she gets hurt or falls down she cries because she is sad, but then gets soooo dramatic! She arches her back, her face turns red, and she is just mad! Haha, what a girl! I just hope it doesn't last a long time.

I love my little girl, she is so much fun. She is working on walking! She can walk around our condo just holding onto one of my hands-that took a little convincing. I am hoping to get her to walk alone a few steps this weekend and get it on video! I will definitely post it when I get it!

Well, those are my thoughts on today. I'm sure you will read many more stories about daycare-the good and the bad!

Hellooooo world!!!!!!!

I have thought about starting a blog before, and actually started a page back in April of 2010, but I never actually wrote anything. I thought this would be a neat way to document the things that occur in our lives, and help us to remember the good times!

Just so you know about our family, I will start form the beginning. Keith and I(Amber) met in May of 2007. My cousin had talked to both of us about his experience in doing summer sales and both of us thought it sounded like a great opportunity. Keith and my cousin met on their missions in Connecticut. They lived in the same apartment for 6 weeks but still kept in touch-obviously so that we could meet! Haha! Well we started dating in June and in August Keith proposed! We knew it had only been 3 1/2 months, but we knew we were meant to be! We were married on October 19, 2007 in the Salt Lake City LDS temple. It was a beautiful sunny day, with blue skies, and big fluffy clouds.

Keith got a job at RC Willey and I started working at Discover Card. We were loving life together (and still do) and in February 2008 we bought our first home. A condo in West Valley, UT. It wasn't our ideal location, but the price was right. We soon found other reasons to loved our new home as we became fast friends with our downstairs neighbors. We are definitely friends for life :) We totally believe one reason we moved here was to meet them.

Although our lives were pretty great, after a while we felt something needed to change and in November of 2008 we found out we were pregnant! It was the most exciting moment! We were stoked! Eliana Marie Brewer was born on August 6, 2009 (keith's is the 7th! but he really didn't want to share!) It was wonderful to have my mom, sister, and nephew be in the hospital when Elli was born. They drove down from Idaho the moment they new I was going to be induced and were at the hospital until she was born at 12:10 am.



Elli was born at 12:10 AM, weighed 7 lbs 8 oz, 21 inches long.


Eliana has continued to amaze us at every stage of life! She is seriously the most fun! She is currently 10 months and 3 days old and wants to walk soooooo bad! She gets mad at us when she has to crawl and we don't help her walk around! We are still hoping for red hair, and really think it will be strawberry blondish. She is definitely like her dad and very social. She comes to work with mom at daycare and loves the other kids (although sometimes she is guilty of beating up on the ones littler than her, haha!) We are thrilled at how quickly she learns in leaps and bounds!




I will get more specific with future posts! But this is us!