Just save the cake top!

Happy Anniversary!  December 18, 1999... so many moons ago.

13 years of wedded bliss, er unending happy times, umm, an endless array of riding off into the sunset...
fun times, hard times,
great times, yucky times,
laughing times, crying times,
best friend times, and silent treatment times.

And as we mark the 13th year of our together forever, I can honestly say that my sweet husband is truly one of my favorite human beings. really.

Sometimes I see him doing something with the kids, or fixing something around the house, or diagnosing some funky skin issue by looking at a picture that a friend has texted over (which he usually can do within about .5 seconds in looking at the picture... amazing on a whole new level, as they all just look red and rashy to me!), and I take a step back and think, "wow!"  as in, "wow - he really is one of the most amazing people I have ever met, he is so cool on so many levels, and I get to be lucky enough to grab onto him and enjoy the ride!" 

He really is my everything.

Plus, he's really HOT!! 

I mean, really, how can you not love a man who can make a rain-drop sound with his mouth??

An not only wear a baby wrap, 

but truly EMBRACE the baby wrap

no, I mean REALLY embrace the wrap

and love the baby inside!

He really is the most incredible husband
father
doctor
bishopric counselor
friend
tickle monster
kids first date taker
wrestling master
chess operator
present wrapper
Gourmet cooker
Creme brulee maker
Skiier
(lift-almost master ;) )
teacher
trainer
tear wiper
builder
pine-wood-derby car crafter
trip planner
detailer
hug giver
omelet maker
and so many more-er!

Which is why, every year on our anniversary,
I pay homage to the one wish that he had at our wedding reception.
Really, he was so wonderful in the 'go with the flow' attitude of agreeing to what I would like to have at the wedding.
The whole time, his one and only wish was to make SURE that we saved the top of the wedding cake.
He has visions of snuggling up together on our first anniversary, with the traditional eating of the wedding cake top.
I have no doubt that he had the whole evening already planned out for us even before our reception was finished!
So we left the cake in my parents freezer, and moved across the country.

And truth be told, I completely forgot about said wish
Until the time drew close for our first anniversary
and he sweetly reminded me about his one wish, to eat our wedding cake on our anniversary.
So I decided on our meager budget that it would be worth having it cold shipped from our parents house to us.
And I called my mom to make the arrangements,
only to be told that many months prior the freezer has broken
and everything in said freezer had perished.
EVERYTHING
yep - the ever-wished for cake top
gone.
GONE.

You may as well have told me I had just lost a limb.
How would I break it to my dear, sweet, ever so tender, yet, ever-expectant of his one wedding wish hubby??!
Would we even make it to a second anniversary when the news was shared??!

It was with much trepidation that I slaved over dumped out a cake mix and made a new cake,
Which was presented to him on our first anniversary with the words,
"A New Cake for a New Year"

And much to my amazement,
but not really surprise,
we ended up having a good laugh over it.
And ate the new (read: fresh/non-freezer-burned!) cake,
a new tradition was born.
And had been followed each year with a new rendition of "the cake top" cake.
Some years, fast and furious.
Other years, decadent and decorated.
But every year we mark the completion of yet another year of marriage
and the beginning of another adventure together
With the eating of the cake top.
New
Fresh,
and full of fun possibilities of great, adventurous flavors.

Which, after all, is the mark of each anniversary, right?!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY!

Here's to another new cake,

and another new year full of fun and adventure!

                                                                                                Here's to eternity!

Welcome Welcome, Little Adam

Introducing our newest Brewer Babe...

Adam Walter Brewer
Born: November 9, 2012
Stats:  7 lb 15 oz  20 3/4 inches long
Birth Story... quite hilarious, and daddy got redeemed after not believing mom was in labor with last baby... he had to convince me to go into the hospital (sitting in the parking lot telling him I was going to get sent home, and I was even embarrassed to take my bags in... trying to talk him into going shopping at Kohls!)... finally go in - at a 5, then 15 min later at a 9 - to which he lovingly whispered in my ear, "aren't you glad we aren't in a dressing room??!"

And just a short while later, little Adam made his grand entrance into the world...

And of course, we had to outfit him in the 'right' gear :) 

 So small and snuggly!

Jerry's department photographer came in and took to shots of Adam - she did an amazing job!  He was less than 24 hours old in these shots!

 Daddy's first snuggle with Adam

Daddy trying to give Adam a taste of the finer things in life... a DQ Blizzard!

Seth the proud big brother (and Josh the eager little big brother!)

Josh finally gets his turn!

Sarah marveling as how small everything is on Adam!  ("look at his tiny toes!")

Ben couldn't get enough of Adam (and still is the first one in our room in the morning to hold him!)

Elizabeth loves her new 'living doll'!

The ever-expanding crew :)

Adam in all his BYU glory

From a great photo shoot with ubber talented photographer friend, Jolene Reed :)

Welcome to the world, Adam - We sure do love you!!

my summer mantra...

I am raising hard-working children...

not straight lawn lines

Long live squiggly shapes in the grass :)

Boys, boys, boys

It seems like ever since I have learned that we are having a boy, I have been acutely aware of the decibel difference between the genders.  

At one point we were in the van driving - with the girls in the middle and boys in the back.  There was not a peep coming from the middle row, but you would never be able to tell, because the raucous from the back was filling every square inch of the car.  Hubby and I started laughing when we realized that for a good 30 seconds, the sounds were not audible words, but rather 'blasts' and 'shots' and 'light saber zaps,' with the occasional 'hi-yah' and 'ahhhh' thrown in.

Yep - boys come with their own sound system intact, and in the 10 years since we have been privileged to parent boys, I have yet to find a volume control - just one switch... on/off.

At times, it's hard to tell if they are just play fighting, or if it has once again crossed the line from 'brotherly love' to 'brotherly brawl' 

... and I sometimes wonder if they are really friends, or just see each other as moving target practice.

At night, however, after all is said and done.

And the sweet silence of sleep envelops the second floor.

It both makes me laugh, and warms my heart to walk by the bigger bed room (with enough bed space for three people)

 To find it empty...


and then walk into the smaller room to find all three bodies huddled together for the night.

... and I am once again renewed in the hope that we just may survive adding a 4th boy after all.

seize the sleep!

the sweet, silent sleepy times of mommyhood!

hellloooooo!

Hey world - yes, we are alive and kicking... 

Here's a snippet of what we have been up to in our neck of the woods...

We've been hangin out,

 skiing

school lunch eating...

3D pajama wearing...

Christmas prelude playing...

Disney World trip anticipating...

Snuggi-ing...

Ear piercing...

Park Playing...

Wait, What??!  PARK playing??  In Minnesota??  In JANUARY??!!

Yep...

We have had quite the random winter around these parts... not a lick of snow until just a few days ago.  In fact, just last Monday we were outside, in short sleeves, playing at the park!  Jerry is so sad that he hasn't had his normal snow-blowing bonding time.   I have even found myself with a little wistful snow longing myself... but mine is for purely selfish reason - I just want a big blizzard to be able to have a snow day and snuggle up inside with some hot chocolate and a good book :)

If you envision it...

and then scout it out on craigslist to get a smokin deal

and rent a uhaul to get it yourself,

and then finally bite the bullet and pay someone to actually assemble it for you

 So you can watch the progression

and try to ward off the kids

who are chomping at the bit and can hardly stand to watch it go 'so slow!'

and get a little antsy yourself...

Then the kids will come

and stay...

and play!!