Back to School 2012 (and a few glimpses of summer)

 Drew started 2nd grade this year and he loves it. He has a male teacher this year, which he thinks is super awesome. He has lots of friends and is the sweetest, kindest, smartest kid I know. (Not that I am at all biased...! :) 

 He is so affectionate to me and can melt my heart with the way he looks at me so lovingly sometimes. He will say things to me like "I love everything you make for dinner, mom" and stuff like that. lol Oh, this boy is good...

 He is still enamored with his baby sister, and I think the feeling is mutual. (Although she is almost 2 1/2 now, so not really a baby at all anymore- how did that happen so fast?) I feel like I have been blessed with some really great kids. They have their moments of conflict, but most of the time the kids all get along great together and really look out for and take care of each other. I'm not sure how I got so lucky in that department!

 Rachel was not about to be left out of the back to school photos, and of course, Drew didn't mind!

 (Am I ever going to get a picture of her without boogers or crud all over her face? Oh well, She's still adorable to me!)

 Last spring we worked hard putting up a fence in the backyard (I was thinking that way I could keep Rachel contained this summer and not have to worry about her running off) and we bought the kids a trampoline, (which has been a semi-hit) but they still prefer to play either in the front yard or mostly, inside...figures!

 Allie started kindergarten! She loves it so much and can't wait to go every day. She is a smart and curious, sweet little girl. And she is a great helper to me. She is a great little buddy and I love spending time with her. She is so spunky and comes up with the funniest things. Since she is in afternoon kindergarten and Rachel takes a long nap in the afternoon, it has left me with a few hours of quiet time to myself, which has been nice.

 I feel really blessed that I have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. I really do see it as a huge blessing every day.  I know that what I am doing right now is the most important work I will do in this life, and I am trying so hard to give it my all! Being a mom is awesome!

 Again, Rachel is not to be left out of anything. I can't believe how fast she is growing. She talks quite well and it is nice being able to communicate easily with her. She is super affectionate and loving, and is actually pretty manageable for a two year old. She's not a big tantrum thrower. She has the most beautiful strawberry blond hair and big blue eyes. Her favorite thing to say to me is "What are you doing?" (even when it is obvious) and "Mommy hold you!" (when she wants me to pick her up- I refuse to correct this one, because it is way too cute.) These two girls are so precious to me! My kids are the joy of my life and I can't believe how much I love them.

Here's to a great 2012-2013 school year! So far it is going great!

Christmas Card 2011

I have really tried to simplify things, and by doing so have decided to not send out a Christmas card this year. We really have had such a terrific year, and I would have liked to do a card, but time is so short these days and so something had to give. However, if I were to send out a card, it might go something like this:



Well, things here in the Chamberlain household are great. We are all happy, healthy, and enjoying life and getting ready for Christmas. Marshall recently started a new job as an assistant controller in the controller's office at SUU. He is really excited for this new opportunity and has had such a great experience so far working for the university. For the past year and a half or so, he has been teaching accounting classes at SUU full-time and that has been a great experience for him. He has really enjoyed the opportunity of working with the students. He is still going to be teaching a class here and there as needed on an adjunct basis, which will be fun for him.


June 2011


I am doing well, like I mentioned before I am just crazy busy. I wish I could buy some more time in the day do get done all the things I want to get done. The list never seems to get any smaller, but really I wouldn't have it any other way. I was called as the 1st Counselor in our YW presidency last spring, and that has been very enjoyable for me, and has added immensely to the busy-ness...but in a very good way. I am learning and growing a lot and really love working with the girls. Our kids take up most of my time, which, also, I would not have any other way. I can not imagine anything else being more fulfilling in life than having the privilege of raising these precious little ones. I feel really lucky that I am one of those people who truly enjoy even the mundane day-to-day tasks of being a mom-messes, diapers, dishes and all- it is all just so worth it!

Drew is now 7, and Lego-obsessed. He has decided that he is going to be an engineer-he said he wants to go to either Utah State or BYU to get his engineering degree. (And I know he is serious about this. I can totally picture it!) He is amazingly artistic and creative, and comes up with the most ingenious things. He can frequently be found designing vehicles and robots, etc. out of Legos, and then designing the step-by-step instructions on how to assemble his creations. He loves first grade, and is great at reading and math. He is such a sweet and sensitive boy, and is such a joy to have around. He is still very much in love with his baby sister Rachel. I am certain she will have a protector for life in him.

Allie is 4 1/2 and she started preschool this fall, which she is absolutely in love with. She asks me all day long "is it time for school yet?" which sometimes drives me nuts but I am so glad she loves school the way she does. She has quite an extensive stuffed animal collection, and has a name and a place for every last one of them. She is my little helper buddy every day, and I love having her as my sidekick. She always wants to help me with whatever I am doing, and sometimes gets upset if I do things without her. I hope she always keeps this quality of helpfulness! She has such a cute little personality and is such a joy in our home.

Little Rachel is now 18 months old, and is just as precious as she can be. She is at that age that I want to freeze in time and remember her like this forever. She is a pretty good little talker and loves to follow the big kids around and do whatever they are doing. She has the most spunky little personality and always makes us laugh! She loves her baby doll, and loves to carry it around and wrap it in a little blanket and "mother" it. (Allie never was much interested in dolls, I find it interesting that Rachel seems to prefer them over any other toys. Maybe she is destined to have lots of kids someday?) I feel very blessed to have these precious daughters. I hope that one day when they are grown, they might become some of my closest friends, as I am with my mom. I consider the relationship that I have with her to be one of my life's choicest blessings.

In summary, we just feel really blessed. We have felt the Lord's hand guiding us so carefully over the past year, and have been amazed as He has led us down a path that is so much better than we could have ever planned for ourselves. Our faith has grown as a family as we have faced and overcome challenges together. We have been amazed at the way that He has provided for us, and answered our prayers in the most obvious and significant ways. We just feel overwhelmed with gratitude for all the blessings that we have been given. Hope you also can feel the love of our Savior in your lives, especially during this special time of year. We are looking forward to 2012 and we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Playing Catch-Up

I really wish I had more time to blog. Unfortunately, I barely have enough time to get things done, much less go back and write about it later. (How do people with small children find the time to keep up their blog regularly? I really don't get that...?) Anyways, I figured I could take a few minutes and do a quick re-cap of the past few months. Better than nothing, right?

 Every October we take a drive up the canyon to see the fall leaves. I love this picture of the kids with their Nana.

 Halloween. Spiderman and the fairy princess were good to go, but baby black widow was still taking her nap, hence I don't have any pictures of them all together.

 This is the one and only picture I took of Rachel. I made this costume for Allie a few years ago (its a turtleneck with some black pantyhose stuffed with cotton and sewn together. It is a tad bit ghetto which, in my opinion, makes it all the more awesome!

 My kids have the cutest daddy ever. He is such a kid at heart, so naturally kids are drawn to him! We love daddy!

 Back in July (long story short) my grandpa Dial moved up to Enoch, and now we are in the same ward and everything. This has been such a priceless opportunity for me and my family to become closer to him. He is 94 years old and still remarkably sharp. He has told me lots of stories about his life, and I have really enjoyed getting to know him better.

 Our oldest child, Drew, recently turned 7 years old. It was his dream to have a party at the aquatic center (indoor pool/ water playground) He had been talking about it since his 6th birthday, and so we had to say yes! It was super fun. We invited a few of his friends and cousins and unfortunately, this very awkward picture is the only one I have to show for this party (of him in the water.) This is probably because #1 I never remember to take pictures, and that is probably because #2 our camera is a big piece of crap. So this is what we have. Better than nothing? (Don't answer that.)

 Serving up the cupcakes. Every year he always wants chocolate with chocolate frosting. His mother taught him well!

 This was last weekend at Marshall's family party up North. We do an annual Christmas dinner followed by a fun white elephant exchange. It is always such a fun party, and so great to see everyone.

Marshall and his little bro. playing fooseball.

Allie in Preschool

 Allie has started preschool. She is going to the same one that Drew went to and she loves it! The preschool is right around the corner from Drew's elementary school which makes carpooling easy! I am happy that my kids have such great educational opportunities and that they think school is fun. It is hard to believe that she will be starting kindergarten next year. I love this girl so much, and we have so much fun together during the day. She is my special helper and loves to help me cook, bake, and even clean and do laundry and dishes! She is such a joy to have around and has such a free little spirit which I love. She helps me to remember not to take myself too seriously. Love you, Tiny!

First Day of School!

Drew recently started first grade...he loves school and his teacher and is so excited to finally be able to take his vintage Spider-Man lunchbox to school every day. (It is actually mine- I got it at D.I. about 12 years ago, complete with 1980's thermos inside.)

Drew is such a smart kid and being in school really makes him happy! His only complaint has been that three recesses a day is too much. Marshall and I were joking that that is probably the first time in the history of kids that those words have been uttered.

Front Tooth!

I can't believe my boy is old enough to have a jack-o-lantern grin!

Rachel's 1st Birthday

I can't believe my baby is already a one year old. (Ok, I admit, technically, now she is actually 14 months old, because I have been way too busy to blog this summer!)



We had a fun little family bbq at my mom's house, where of course she got her traditional first birthday cake, made by Nana- with pink icing and sprinkles!



At first the stickiness was a distraction, but it didn't take her long to figure out that it was worth it!

She got some fun toys from grandparents.

Our little Rachie is such a joy in our home. She has the best strawberry blond hair ever, and the most gorgeous baby blues I have ever seen! She is a smart little thing, and knows how to get what she wants. She is learning new words all the time, and tends to be fiercely independent. She walks well when someone gives her a finger for balance, but chickens out and plops down as soon as we let go and then crawls at lightning speed. We are not sure when she will figure out how much easier it is to walk. She is actually pretty good about not getting into stuff like cupboards, plants, etc, she seems to know her boundaries, and responds fairly well to "no" and so we haven't really needed to babyproof anything, which is a first. She doesn't really even try to go down the stairs-she goes over to them and looks down, especially when she knows the other kids are down there, but she is good about them even though I am paranoid that she is going to try it one day and take a big fall (we have 15 stairs going down!) She loves to babble and talk and you can tell she knows exactly what she is saying, although we sometimes wish we had a translator! She is definitely still very popular with her big brother and sister, they dote on her and treat her like a little treasure. I love how much they love her and are always watching out for her. I hope they are always like that.