what a goober-bub-a-chub

she makes me laugh all day long. i love 'tricking' her by making the red flash go and waiting to actually take the picture. she always squints when she sees the red light!

bashful

we've been seeing a lot of this lately

she thinks its it hilarious to look between her legs

can't figure out why! but it makes us laugh a lot

the crazy continues

although the traveling is over the whirlwind of 'life' goes on. among work, we squeezed in a ward party, errands, and a camping trip this weekend. woah- camping? yeah, we got a tent two YEARS ago right after we got married, and this weekend- the weekend of our anniversary- we finally put it to good use. i think joe was a little surprised with how well i did while 'roughing it'. it had been an extremely hot day but a coming storm and being up in the mountains made the weather perfect. thanks to lindsay for being a champ and watching claire for us!

as ive mentioned a few times, my little brother is leaving for his mission tomorrow. can hardly believe the time is finally here, and im sure he will be coming home before we know it. if you are interested, you can follow his journey here.

can hardly believe that school starts next week- is summer really over? i don't think i am ready for fall just yet! i know a lot of people are ready for fall, but i haven't quite gotten my fill just yet. i am a HOT weather kind of girl. although i might be *slightly* excited for some really good football games...

have i mentioned what today is? just a little anniversary for my love and me. when visiting home a couple weeks ago and helped throw a reception for my friend, we commented several times about how so much has happened in the last couple of years it seems like its been so much longer, but at the same time its gone by so quickly. either way, i really, really love my hubby. i love where we are and can't wait to see what the future brings.

and we're back!

all the trips are done for now, thank goodness. now on to normal life. claire has the flying thing down, and the fact that she always charms the stewardesses (resulting in special treatment!) makes it fairly do-able. being alone turned out better than expected- got a lot done, had some quiet time to myself, spent some time with linds, and got a few extra hours in at work. wanted to share a few pics from claire and joe's trip to NC.

claire with some of her greats- typical face.

more greats. so funny

all the brewer cousins. she adores all of her cousins. and i think they adore her? really wish they could see each other more often. yes she is wearing tennis shoes. she needs them.

and now my buddy is back!

so..... my mom had a wheat grinder and a bread maker that she wasn't using, and over the last couple of trips we have gotten the machines through the airports and out here to utah. linds and i decided to try them out last week, and the first attempt at wheat grinding was successful, and uh, quite funny (pictures and a video later lindsay?). we got a delicious loaf of bread from it, and i am now hooked. my kitchen is now a bakery. claire normally does NOT like machines, but she was highly intrigued by this one!

perhaps she liked the delicious smells coming from it? i am HOOKED. and i think claire will be inheriting my love of bread.
with this little thing making bread is CHEAP, EASY, and makes my house smeall HEAVENLY. a thick slice spread with a little butter and homemade jam, oh so nummy. anyone need a loaf?

all alone

{looking at a blog- oops}

i am all alone today in more ways than one. this is the view that i have had all day. two people have come in. both visits lasted less than 20 minutes. i am weak- i've cereal today and thats it. sound like i'm plugging my nose. can barely hold my hands up to type. eyes are drooping. i feel like my head is in a pressurized cloud and my body being run over by a truck. and then reversed and run over again.

and i'm going home to an empty house. hubs took bebe to get to know some aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, greats, and so on. i moved all the furniture out of the way last night to clean the carpets and now it really looks like its an empty house. sweet.

the gathering place

we're halfway through the weekend already, and its been a whirlwind of cleaning, eating, driving, tulle candles and cake, bikes and lots of laughs and giggles. linds, marsh, and monster got here wednesday afternoon, i got here wednesday night, chris and holly made it friday morning. mom marsh and i drove up to navuoo thursday night and attended our friend's sealing. it was beautiful and we were grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful event. drove back down here, put the finishing touches together for the house, everyone came, we ate and chatted the night away, cleaned it all up and went to bed. this morning was the bike ride- so fun! beautiful trails and the perfect weather this morning. for a few minutes everyone but me has left the house for various things.

{my little buddy}


{me and the bride! good high school buddies!}

{bride and groom- miranda and tyler. so beautiful!}
{monster.... i mean.... monkey! yeah monkey}

{siblings. not sure what is going on with my neck.}

{fyi- this pipeline originates in alberta, canada, and will eventuall reach the gulf of mexico. part of my dad's project he's workin' so hard on!}

next up- ice cream, bowling, more laughter, pictures, cafe rio salads, church, probably some tears, and then we head back. for now i will share these few pictures (from a few hundred already taken) from whats gone on thus far, and then enjoy some more time at the gathering place.

favorite quote so far- 'you didn't have those the last time we did this!'

the funniest- watching claire in her squeaky shoes

most memorable- will happen tomorrow when we say our goodbyes to little bro marsh for 2 years.

have you heard?

i work at this great little wedding gown boutique. its called abella bridal and let me just say, it is fabulous. they have truly stunning gowns, and they are so unique and differenct than the typical utah wedding dress. know anyone getting married? send 'em my way! we're down in the riverwoods shopping mall in provo.

check out wedding gowns here

we have a new line this year, but its not on the website yet. check them out here

we also have tons of fun prom/homecoming/bridesmaids dress.

and a blog- lots of photos of real girls in the dresses

so, if you are in the area, don't be a stranger (read, i am really bored and need someone to come visit me!)

lame lame lame

took a little blogging hiatus the last couple of weeks.

honestly, got a little bored with it. but i'm back at it.

here's life as of right now

little bug: the cutest monster ever. sleeping through the night consistently. throws tantrums over nothing, eats like its her last meal, and runs into everything. trying to teach her what no means- so far, completely unsuccessful. however, she has completely mastered the stairs, going up. going down, she still thinks she can walk down every time, and someone will catch her. she thinks she is the funniest thing around and has developed quite the chuckle. LOVES the pool, bathtime, and anything involving water.

the hubby: still my bestest friend. working two jobs, getting ready for a heavy semester come fall, and lookin' good. (lost some weight- so proud of him!) getting close to finishing school, but will be prolonging it just a little longer to add a coaching minor to the exercise science major. its going to be a long, tough year until that happens, but so worth it in the end. egd (estimated graduation date: december 2010).

moi: same old, same old. decided that i am done with school for the time being- on campus anyways. i'm not far off, and it will get done (promise! i know, trust me i know how important education is) will likely be taking some online classes, but for now i just want to be a mommy. it brings the greatest joy in life, and the few hours that i do spend at work each week i really miss playing with little monster.

in other news: we sold our corolla, manny. it was sad to see it go, but now we get bikes! which i am pretty excited about. now just to my little corolla from high school.

my little sister sarah spent the last two weeks out here nannying for a friend. it was so fun to have her around a couple times! we had a sibling dinner one sunday, and it is so sad to think that this will be one of the last times this will happen for two years! my little bro marsh is getting ready to leave for brazil in just a few short weeks. which brings me to the next few weeks...

heres the scoop:

all the sibs are flying out next week for: a wedding reception at the homestead for a good friend from high school/last time together for two years/time to spend with future sister-in-law/marshall's farewell at church/vacation. will be a slam-packed weekend, but we don't do these things any other way except for jam-packed.
the day after i get back, the hubster goes to his homestead in nc with the monster for a week with his fam. most of them haven't met claire yet, so we decided it needed to happen sooner rather than later.
the week after that = two years of married bliss for us
the week after that= start of school

the end of summer is approaching a little too quickly..... you had better believer that i will be hanging on to the last golden rays as long as possible. now if only we can put off the snow as long as last year, i will be just fine (that was claire's birthday, in november that we had the first snow.)

maybe i'll find some pictures or a video or something for later. now off to work.

oh so busy

i feel like i am playing catch up constantly these days.

mostly:
watching joe catch the ball at softball,
getting caught up on sleep- claire is sleeping through the night again!
trying to catch claire before she destroys a folded laundry pile, a stack of diapers, toilet paper, trash cans, shoes, etc.
getting caught up in YW- lotsa work, lotsa fun
catching claire's vomit before it gets the carpet, furniture, me....

i love the feeling of being busy- don't get me wrong. just be patient while i get things back to how they should be again.

speaking of busy.... i was feeling a little cooped up yesterday and decided we needed to appreciate nature for a few minutes. so off to bridal veil falls (marshall had never been). along with everyone else and their dogs. we left after just a few minutes- no chance to enjoy nature when wet dogs are splashing us on every side. made us really want one.

coming up this week:
YW activities
Harry Potter- way more excited for this than twilight!
youth conference
sarah comes to visit!
shots- boo :(

and coming soon:
trip to a dairy farm
trip to stl
trip to nc
pool time
get excited!

one more little update- my sister in law laura and her family said good bye to their adorable litle garrett last thursday. he was here on this earth for a very short time, but we know that he is still an important part of the family. his time in this world has left a positive influence on many, and we look forward to meeting the little guy some day.
we love you bell family!

thoughts

just wanted to share some thoughts spurred by this picture.

meet garrett. one day old. my newest nephew. hes fighting for his life right now. his big sister can't touch him. in fact, no one can really touch him without causing him severe pain. i haven't even met this little guy but i am already so in love with him. i may never get to meet him in this life, and while the thought wrenches at my heart, i know that he would be able to be pain free.

my sister-in-law is so incredible. she knew early on that garrett would not be like his loving siblings, but she carried on nonetheless. i can't imagine the strength it takes a woman to go on while never knowing the outcome. the faith of this woman.

i sat tonight holding my baby as long as i could while she fell asleep. shedding tears of grattitude just to be able to hold her, i looked over to a painting of the Savior hanging on the wall. more tears fell as i knew that He has already done it all for garrett, for me, for my sweet baby claire. for everyone. He made it possible for me to have a family. and not just for a little while. how sad it would be not knowing that no matter what happens to little garrett, he would be an eternal part of his family. i took a class at BYU that was centered around a book based on "The Family: A Procclamation to the World" and i doubt i will have another class like it. i memorized this document word-for-word, and one of my favorite lines continues to be "... the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." NOTHING in this world will ever be more important to me than my family. i strive daily to make sure that the things that i am doing will help my family reach to my goal of eternal life together.

many people in the spotlights have passed away in the last couple of days. and they left behind so many grieving family members and friends, who don't know that they can be reunited. how deep their sadness must be at this time. i pray that they may somehow find comfort and peace.

i was reminded today of what happened exactly eight months ago. my father just happened to be in the best possible place at the time, and was blessed to have the medical advances that are available today. i almost lost my dad eight months ago, and by a true miracle he was in a hospital when his heart basically stopped. this was only five days after claire was born, another miracle in and of itself. how incredibly thankful i am that we have modern medicine- garrett has made it this far and my dad is still here because of it. we are truly blessed

garrett, there are so many who love you. you are an angel, and a sparkle in your parent's eyes. we wish we could be closer so that we could at least meet you.

just some thoughts.
the procclamation
more about our savior
how to be an eternal family

the fourth

from linds' blog. watching the fireworks in the street- she wanted to watch them but couldn't stand the noise....