A Mish-Mash of Emotion

My emotions have been (a-hem), well, difficult to deal with lately.  I have had an especially hard time the last month or two.  It has been hard to have Dad sick and in the treatment center.  It's been hard to leave family behind after spending a long time with them in Utah this summer.  It's been hard to figure out what our next move should be in our family's infertility battle.  I'm dealing with these emotions and coming to terms with them.  Here's an update on all those fronts!

I have been going through pictures again!!!  I found a lot from this summer that I consider to be from the BEST DAY EVER.  I've been trying to explain to my shrink why I had such a hard time coming home from Utah this past summer.  I have no idea what the answer is to that question, but maybe if I show him these pictures he'll get it better.  How can you not have fun and be happy when you watch children having such fun!?

Dallon

Olivia looking lovely as ever

Alex, who became super-swimmer boy

Dallon and Isaac jumping in tandem (well, trying to at least)

Isaac looking like Mr. GQ

Erin and Phoenix being sweet sisters



A pod of cute swimmers



Pretty Savannah

My Dad goes home tomorrow from the ""Country Club," as he calls it!!  It's actually the care center he's referring to that he's been in for approximately 100 days following his stroke.  I'm so excited and happy that he's going to be able to sleep in his own room and see family members every day! 

Dad and Mom with my kids at the "Country Club"

  Alex has been playing "Fall ball" this year and he's been having fun.  Most games were rained out but we still had fun cheering him on when we could!

Our infertility journey has taken a hiatus this summer.  My body needed it and so did my psyche!!  My Doctor told me last May that I needed to get my BMI down several points before attempting In-Vitro fertilization, which is the next stop for us.  When you hear you're too fat that is NEVER a fun conversation.. just in case you have never had one.  However, since this was not some kind of revelation for me I knew it was the best thing for me, even putting aside my wishes for more rug rats.  I've lost hundreds of pounds in the past (most fat people are super good at losing weight), but this time I wanted to try something different, something that might actually stick.  So I dug in, increased my work-out intensity (turns out I've been taking it too easy on myself in my routine work outs), and cut back on my calorie intake and I lost 20 pounds (give or take).  I'm half a point away from the BMI I need to be at to do the procedure!  Get this:  I did it sans Weight Watchers, Personal Trainers, Nutri-System, Jenny Craig or hypnosis (all of which I have done in the past).  Plus, this is something I can stick to easily.  Now I know this is a drop in the proverbial bucket for me in terms of what I should lose, but I'm happy with finding a way to take it off slow and sure. 

So, this is what's been in my emotional pool lately.  Just thought you'd like to know!

Why Do I Always Do This?

Every year I think I do this.  I wait until forever before updating my blog when I get home from Utah.  It isn't intentional.  I think I feel like things are too crazy for a while school gets up and going again.  Then I couldn't figure out how to use the new tool bar in the "New Post" section and so I frankly gave up.  Now I'm back and there's lots to talk about so let's get it goin'!

Oakley just prior to her barfing episode

Mindy in her new shirt ready to hike up with Oakley on her back.

The Mount!

Livi and Val stuck together via ear buds!

I realized I didn't finish my posts about the rest of our trip to Utah this summer!  We went to Timpanogas Cave with my sisters Mindy and Amy and their families and we had a really fun time.  It was so warm that day and I'm so miserable in this crummy Seattle weather lately that I just look at these pictures and get cozy!!  But I digress...

Dallon

Totally breaking the rules and climbing where the Ranger told them specifically not to climb...led by my sister, Amy, the teacher, no less!!



RESTING!!



Jordan and Oakley (he's wearing a long sleeved shirt, guys.

Marie

Alex up above

Even though the hike was taxing (we sea level folks have less oxygen up in those mountains) it was beautiful and I loved holding Martin's hand while we walked up the trail.  The kids had a great time with each other.  Livi and Valerie had their heads stuck together with their ear buds listening to Taylor Swift songs and singing together as they hiked.  Oakley got sick before we even started out and threw up all over Mindy, which I have to say, was hilarious.  We had to buy Mindy a new shirt, but once we got going up the mountain Oakie-Doo seemed fine and even fell asleep part way up and was asleep all the way through the freezing cold cave!!  Jordan, my 17-year-old nephew hiked up with Oakley on his back most of the way without even breaking a sweat!  Oh, to be that young and in shape again...

The day after this day my Dad had his stroke following his knee surgery.  He's been in the Crestwood Care Center since shortly after that.  I just found out today that my Dad will be coming home in a few weeks!!  I'm so happy he's progressing enough for that to be an option!!  Thanks for those of you have asked and wondered after him.  I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.  It's been hard for the family, especially my parents.  I will write more about what we've been up to later!!  At least this is getting me blogging again!!

Independence Day

I've been in Utah now for about 6 weeks. It's been so fun!! I miss home, though. 3 weeks ago Martin had to go home (somebody in this family has to work) and I miss him terribly now too. My Dad is doing better after his stroke and living in a care center for the time being. They are trying to get his body working enough so that he can come home. We hope that time is soon! Poor Mom is being run ragged going back and forth from work to the care center to home for only a few hours at night! Anyone who knows my Mom knows what I'm talking about. In an emergency my Mom is the one to have around...she goes and goes and goes. I'm staying at her house under the pretense of "helping out" at home. But really all I do is mow the lawn with Dad's "farm jazzy" (it is sooooo fun! See picture below) and do a tiny bit of laundry.

Dad's "Farm Jazzy"

This is Dad before his surgery. He's on his way to spray something. He's riding on his only form of transportation for the 6 weeks prior to his knee replacement, his "farm jazzy."

Before Dad's surgery and stroke we got to celebrate the 4th of July. It was actually the 5th of July by the time we celebrated but it was great! The kids had a pool party out on the lawn with their cousins Erin, Phoenix and Oakley.

Later that night we went to the fireworks at Farr West park and I have to say that their fireworks were quite literally the best I've ever seen...sorry, Bellevue and Seattle, but you got nothing on this little city. Here's some pictures of us at the park waiting for the show.

Phoenix

Dad being silly as usual

Phoenix, Livi and Erin snuggling for the fireworks

Maddison and Carson

Erin

Oakley excited to see something up in the sky!

Olivia

Chamberlain Family Reunion

We have been in Utah now for a month! I know...a month is a long time to be away from home. All I can say is that if I can't be home, Utah is where I want to be. It's my first home and I still stay in the home I grew up in that belongs to my parents and it's fun to be "home."

This summer has been a hard one because my Dad went in for a new knee replacement and ended up having a stroke the following day in the hospital. Not a bad place to have a stroke, but strokes are not fun...anywhere. Dad is doing well. He has limited use of his left side (especially his leg) but is gaining some use here and there. He is living in a care center for now and we hope he can come home really soon with a lot of work and physical therapy on his part. If you feel so inclined, we would appreciate your prayers in his and my Mom's behalf. This has been very difficult for them especially. He can't walk because his "good" leg is the one that had the surgery. Thus, both legs are out of commission for now. Not a good combo.

Before Dad had his surgery we had a family reunion with Martin's family in Bear Lake. It was such a party! We got to catch up on everyone. It's the first time the Chamberlain's have gotten together at the same time since Lisa's wedding (10 years). I didn't get many pictures of the reunion for some reason (oh, wait, that's because Martin's mom took about a million). However, one day we did go to Minnetonka Cave and I got some photos there. Here's everyone that went that day!

Look at these cute little guys! These boys are all about the same age and they did great on all those (700 some odd) stairs...way, better than me. Let's just say I'm not used to the altitude yet! This is Josh, Caden, Isaac and Sammy.

Here are some more silly pictures of the reunion. Aunt Debbie made lots of beautiful dresses so the girls could all dress up. Here's Olivia, Skylar and cute little Kendall.
Uncle Nasib also playing with the dress-up items. Any man who can wield a gun for his job like Nasib and still feel comfortable dressing up is a-okay in my book!!

The fun thing about spending time with the "cousins" from the Chamberlain side was seeing how similar they all are. Here's a few pictures of them with my kids and you can definitely see the resemblance!

This is Alex and Nathan. They are a year apart. I just notice their smiles are similar (also their love of video games!).

Here's Caden and Isaac. These two are so alike it frankly scares me. Not only are they the same age and look alike, but they have the same temperament and like to do similar things! They had so much fun sleeping in the cabin together!
And, of course, here's Livi and Madison. These two are 5 days apart in age and they have the same eyes and same personality! They are bosom buddies forever and get along so well together! I think Madison got the "tall genes" of the family!
One cold night we went to the beach for dinner. The whole weekend was too cold to do much of anything outside although the sun shone quite a bit. This night we took silly family pictures with the beautiful dusk sun.

Livi being Livi...(freak!)

We had a great time in Bear Lake with the family. We love you guys and miss you all!

School Year Tie-Up

The end of the school year is always a lot of fun....not. I cannot believe how busy life gets every year at this time. Oh, it's a hassle. We've got baseball play-offs, dance recitals, piano recitals, graduation from middle school, graduation from elementary school, volunteering tie ups, weddings, birthdays, Father's day, and our anniversary; oy, the list goes on and on! I barely get a chance to hit the gym in the morning and do some minor cleaning. I get behind on the cleaning and the yard grows wild! Some days I don't get to shower until late in the evening. I always wonder why everything ends up in the month of June. By the time July gets hear I take a deep breath and sigh...(sigh).

Here's some pictures of the kids with their school teachers. Mrs. Burnett was Olivia's teacher and loved Olivia very much. The feeling was mutual. Livi was given a lot of responsibility in her class this year and helped a lot with organizational things in the class, so the two of them became fast and close friends.

Isaac and his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Miller or, as I like to call her, the Miracle Worker. She was a perfect fit for Isaac's first year of all day school and taught him with patience and kindness to which Isaac greatly responded! Thanks for all you wonderful teachers at IVE. We have loved every one we've had for the past 10 years and we are so grateful for the Issaquah School District!

The last day of school was Martin's and my anniversary. Number 16, people...oh, I feel old. I've almost been married half as long as I've been alive! It's a cruelty we have to grow old. For our anniversary Martin down-played greatly what the plans were. He told me we were just going out to dinner and that he couldn't get me a "nice" gift. Uh-huh, whatever. That night he presented me with the most thoughtful gift I have ever received. He gave me a journal that he had been keeping behind my back for the last year. I looked at it for the longest time and couldn't say anything. I was speechless and confused. He had tried to write every day for a year about us and our relationship and family and how he felt about things that happened. I couldn't breathe as I read about some really good (and really bad) days and remembered things I had already forgotten. Who does that??? It was like he made a photograph of our lives that changed daily for a year. It gave me a little snippet of what we were doing and where we were going. I will always be thankful for this present; not just the book itself, but that he thought about "us" every day of the year. What a gift! Sorry, ladies, he's taken....

Alex got his patriarchal blessing early in June. It was an awesome experience for him and me and his Dad. I loved seeing Alex prepare with his Dad to get this blessing and I loved his excitement. He had a lot of questions and understood in the end what he was going in for. He was totally prepared! I will always remember that day and how I felt when the patriarch pronounced those blessings on Alex. I think Alex will too. Here's him with Martin that day. "He looks like a missionary," Isaac said when he saw this picture. Oh, only a few more years, Isaac, and your brother will be a missionary. Yikes!!! I better get him cracking!!

The month of July has been even busier than June, if you can believe it. We have been with family in Utah and enjoying it very much. However, my Dad had a stroke after knee replacement surgery and we are reeling from that still. Things are crazy now and I'm trying to be here without burdening my Mom and trying to help. But I will post more when I have some time! There are a lot of stories to tell!

Spring is for Seven Year Olds

Isaac celebrated his 7th birthday on May 29th. (This is him wearing the hat he got in school).

What did he want to do for his birthday? Get a new Mario Galaxy game and spend literally all day playing it. SURPRISE!! So, that is what he did. He also asked for a telescope. He has been enamored with the solar system and galaxies and planets now for a while. He told me one night as he was looking out of his window at the moon that he likes to imagine there are other worlds behind the moon. He also keeps telling us he wants to learn everything. I do mean EVERYTHING. This kid has quite the imagination and asks some really interesting and difficult questions. Like for instance, he wonders where the exact location of heaven is. Is it in this galaxy or is it in another galaxy? Etc., etc.. He has a love of learning A LOT like his father.

The only problem with getting a telescope for his birthday is that there has not been a clear evening since his birthday! We have had no breaks from rain except two nights. Both of them were nights we got home late and didn't have time to look.

Rain, rain, rain, rain and rain. I know I live in Seattle but this is ridiculous. Since I have lived here (13 years) we have never experienced this kind of spring. Alex has had over 10 "rain-outs" in baseball this year. Every time they try to reschedule a game it has been rained out again, and again. It goes on and on. I've never had a spring like this and it's been really ick, for lack of a better word. And I don't even hate rain!

Anyway, back to Isaac. He is a real trip. He LOVES his primary teacher. He actually has a little crush on her, which I won't complain about because it makes him happy to go to church! She is a really good sport about it and tells us funny stories about him. Like, a couple of weeks ago, after the kids were settled down for class, Isaac said he had something he wanted to say. Apparently, the kids in his class have a habit of hiding from the teacher when she comes in under the tables and in the cupboards or behind the chairs. So Isaac stood up in front of the class and said, "When you guys hide, it's getting old." This is really Isaac. He does not like chaos or unrest and I think he wants the kids to "respect" his teacher, the love in his life. Martin and I were talking about this and thought it was so funny. Isaac is a very quiet kid and ignores a lot of stuff, but for him to bring this up was just awesome (and uncharacteristic)! We hope he doesn't become one of those weird kids that nobody likes....but he doesn't act like a know-it- all so I hope that doesn't happen.

Some of Isaac's favorite things:

1. Mario, Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Bros., and, well, pretty much any game with the name "Mario" in it.

2. Pizza. He eats nothing else. I'm serious about this....nothing.

3. Playing "World Championship Baseball" in the living room with Alex. This consists of hitting this mini ball with a mini bat and running the "bases" while knocking my pictures down and breaking them.


4. Playing "Avatar The Last Airbender" (wrestling) with Alex on the trampoline until they are both hurt/cut/bruised up and Isaac is crying. While they are wrestling we have to remind Isaac repeatedly that he has to scream and laugh more quietly because the neighbors complain. My Isaac is loud???? Oh, yes.

5. Watching Spongebob every morning.

6. Reading the scriptures. He recently got really upset because we weren't including him in scripture study with the older kids. He wants to read the real scriptures now. But he still wants us to read his Bible reader every night. So basically we have to read twice to him.

7. Playing his DS.

8. Laughing...he laughs all the time and it makes us all laugh when we hear it!

9. Making "movies" with his block.


10. Playing with his friends, Isak, Solomon and Miles as much as possible.


Isaac is my sunshine and my sweet boy. He makes me laugh daily. We love him more than any family could possibly love a son or brother!