Christmas 2008

Well, Christmas has come and gone again. A wonderful time was had by all. Its always fun to share Christmas with my parents and brothers, I enjoy having them close by. Lincoln was out of the hospital and enjoying the festivities. It was the first time the boys have seen him since the surgery. They wanted to see his scar, which is afectionately called "The zipper" (you should see how many staples are holding this thing shut..yuck!). We also got to talk to Noah on his mission in Japan on Christmas eve.
Everyone went above and beyond this year. Mike was spoiled rotten with camping gifts. A camp stove, GPS, Queen size sleeping bag.The 8-10 man, two room tent was the cherry on top of a perfect Christmas for Mikey. As for me well,am I the only girl in the world that asked for a new electric sander, soldering tools & rolls of vinyl?

The boys as usual were spoiled rotten by the grandma's and grandpa's. They had a blast. Asher didnt know what was going on but, he loved the lights and all the toys. He started crawling across the room for the first time Tuesday night, so it was fun to see him cruising around. Here is proof of the occasion.

Christmas Dinner...the soup is butternut squash served with prime rib and the fixings. Delicious!

Grandpa Chamberlain reads the Christmas story.

Hunter and Zach listen to the Christmas story.

Madison and Tanner try to listen.

Lincoln and his loot

Tanner, too tired to smile.

Asher playing with plastic bags...yes I know this is dangerous!

Zachary loves PLAYMOBILE!

Neals gifts to me never cease to amaze and entertain.

Hunter was santas helper this year, passing out gifts.

Lincoln says: "MY precious" (you have to use Gollums voice when you read this)

Asher and the baby quail puppet grandpa gave him.

Zacharys favorite...the gumball machine.

Madison with "eyes all a glow"

My "Asher-boy" at his first Christmas

Carol of the Bells

Why I love Christmas, Reason #5

All I want for Christmas is my two kidney's back...

Forget the two front teeth. This month we love Christmas for reason number 4:
MY brother Lincoln and his new kidney!!!

Many of you have been asking about my younger brother Lincoln (18) and his health. I will give you the quickest version of events.
Lincoln has suffered since birth with Ureteral reflux (Urine flows from the kidneys, through the ureters, and into the bladder. Each ureter has a one-way valve where it enters the bladder, preventing urine from flowing back up the ureter.
Reflux nephropathy occurs when these valve-like mechanisms between the ureters and bladder fail, allowing urine to flow back up to the kidney posioning them). He was in the final stages of failure and was waiting for a kidney transplant. Both my parents were tested. Eventually, there were a few hiccups with my parents as donors. Without getting into all the details, last Saturday (Dec 13th) Lincoln was called and told they had a kidney for him in Philadelphia. They asked him to come immediately for a transplant.

Coindencidently, 1.5 hrs from Lincoln in Hershey,that same morning, Mike had the amazing experience of witnessing an organ harvest....(due to HIPPA laws thats all he could tell me)

Anyway, Lincoln had the transplant and stayed in the hospital until Friday (19th) evening. He is home now and recovering. Im not sure about all the details with his recovery. What I am sure of is that God is aware of each of us. Nothing is coincidence. God is an amazing architect, designing blessings. He orchestrates things precisely. If we could see all the pieces of his masterpiece and how they create the whole, we would be amazed at the things we DON'T see, blessing us and guiding our lives. Im grateful Lincoln has a new kidney and has been touched by a miracle. Merry Christmas, kid!

Christmas Reason #3

Yummy Egg Nog French Toast
2 eggs
1/2 C. store bought egg nog
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp. cinnamon plus
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
6 slices bread

Whisk together eggs, egg nog,vanilla and spices. Heat a griddle. Dip bread in egg mixture, allowing it to soak in slightly. Butter the hot griddle and place soaked bread on the griddle. Cook on each side until golden brown. Serve with butter and powdered sugar or syrup.

Notes: To increase the recipe: for every three additional pieces of bread add one egg, 1/4 cup of egg nog, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Reasons I love Christmas: #2

The movie "A Christmas Story" has always been a favorite of mine. Its a tradition and I watch it a dozen times during the holidays. Mainly because it brings back fond family memories. The cussing scene always reminds me of a funny memory. You know, the scene where Ralphie drops the lug nuts into the snow and lets the bad word fly. This always reminds my of my favorite Christmas time memory. Although it may embarrass my mother. Im going to tell it anyway...

When I was 12 we were living in my grandparents house in Farmington Utah. They were on a mission and we were "taking care" of their home. My grandparents had a part of the kitchen that was a tight squeeze when you turned the corner, due to the stove edge on one side and the fridge on the other side. Now the trick was that the electricity flowing from each appliance created an open circuit. You had to be careful not to touch them at the same time or you would complete the circuit and shock the crap out of yourself. We all knew it, from several bad experiences as kids, and we would avoid it as much as possible. On occasion it was fun to have a neighbor kid jump start their heart a little but usually we were smart enough to turn sideways when walking through it.
My mom, who is a wonderful person and not partial to curse words (unless provoked) was coming a little too fast around the corner one morning. I remember that it was Christmas time because I can still remember the Christmas tree dimming a little as the electricity was pulled from the house into my mothers body. She whipped around the corner and grabbed the fridge and the stove at the same time. ZIP!!!! She was knocked to the ground in agony. All I saw was the slow motion of her falling, mouth gaping open, spit flying and the muffled words escaped her lips..."DAMN.....IT....!".
The room was silent. I was trying to hard not to laugh. She clearly was in pain, but I couldnt resist. She lifted her eyes to mine. Fire burn hot as the devils home. Glaring at me, see raised herself off the floor. Walked over to the sink and got herself a drink. If cartoon animation could be seen at this moment, you would have seen steam coming off the burning embers in her body, as she quenched it with her water. She clearly got a good jolt. Then she turned and a sneaky smile spread across her face. Feeling relief, the rest of the kids all started joining in laughter. Imagine 7 little kids laughing hysterically at you. My brother leans to me and says "Did she say a bad word?" and my other brother says "Yup, Dads gonna spank her bum".
It made an lasting impression on me, even now I still think it was funny as hell. Wait, it did leave an impression. I meant HECK.

Home for the Holidays

Its fun to decorate for the holidays. Heres a few pictures I took of some of the stuff

Heres my front door. I think the vinyl turned out nice. I debated over the message, religious or fun. But my missionary mode kicked in and decided to let the neighbors know where we stood.


My visiting teaching gifts. Can you tell that I am obsessed with brown and chartreuse, even during the holidays?


Dinning room tree. Vinyl on the wall reads (see below)

Lines from "Twas the night before Christmas".

We werent expecting Asher this year, so I need to get another stocking hanger.


I love Christmas!

The worst lyrics

The worst lyrics of any Christmas song has to be the line from the song "Merry Christmas Darling" by the Carpenters.

"The logs on the fire, fill me with desire..."

So my husband walks around all day singing this line in a falsetto voice. On occasion, amongst the appropriate company, he will ask. "What kind of desire does it make you feel, when you see LOGS on a fire?"

Can I ever escape the potty humor? If this song comes on, I turn the song off immediately.Then I hear Mike upstairs singing it loudly. It gets very annoying!
Dang you Karen Carpenter and your silly little song!

12 reasons I love Christmas

Number 1:

Found my camera!

I found my camera. So I put up some more Thanksgiving shots under my Thanksgiving post!

Me and Him, Him and Me

I found some old pictures of the twins. It tickles me to see the two of them together. Now all they do is fight. Reminds me of a Shel Silverstein poem, "US":

Me and him
Him and me,
We're always together
As you can see.
I wish he'd leave
So I'd be free
I'm getting a little bit
Tired of he,
And he may be a bit
Bored with me.
On movies and ladies
We cannot agree.
I like to dance
He loves to ski.
He likes the mountains
I love the sea.
I like hot chocolate
He wants his tea.
I want to sleep
He has to pee.
He's meaner and duller
And fatter than me.
But I guess there's worse things
We could be-
Instead of two we could be three,
Me and him
Him and me.

A baby changes everything

I am already completely immersed in Christmas music again. I love it, I play it all day. "Hippo for Christmas" is currently the favorite with the boys. Even Asher will bounce to the songs. So, here I am, standing at the sink washing dishes, when I hear Faith Hills new song "A Baby Changes Everything". I must have been washing dishes in my tears, I was crying so hard. What is it about good songs, that just get you?
I have always been touched by music. Wherever I go, the hymn angels seem to visit me.
I can be standing in a meadow, at a monument, at a beach...and the songs just come to my mind. Usually, they are songs of gratitude, hymns, or love songs.
This new Christmas song seemed to touch me on many levels... The birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of my own children.
I thought of my life 10 years ago, and thought about myself and the person I was, and the person I wanted to be. The changes that come with maturity, embracing the gospel, becoming a wife, becoming a mother are amazing. Even more amazing is that they are possible and can be permanent becuase of a baby born in Bethlehem.
I imagine Mary, holding her new born son, the Savior, and it brings me to tears everytime. I still remember those first precious moments holding each of my children for the first time. Christmas always helps me to Remember.
I empathize with the songs lyrics... " Once was lost and now am found, a baby Changes everything"..

Faith Hill
 
More CMT Music
 
More CMT Music Videos

Thanksgiving Feast

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was much enjoyed and much needed.
The 20 lb turkey was a success and the sweet potatoes were, oh so good! (Thanks Jenny!) We had 8 kids under 3 yrs old. And 6 adults. It was delightful!!

We feel so blessed and are grateful for our many friends and family members who have woven their lives into the tapestry of ours. We love you all and are thankful for you! Hope your day was wonderful!

Update on Twilight

So I saw the movie.
Didnt love it, didnt hate it. Many, Many, Many uncomfortable scenes and oddities. I found a review that sums up the way I felt about it

"The early scenes between Bella and Edward are thoroughly awkward and unintentionally funny. Pattinson, groomed as a just-add-hair-gel heartthrob, seems to confuse "brooding" with "constipated," and saddles every line reading with so much Byronic teen angst that you wonder if director Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen," "Lords of Dogtown") has played a terrible joke on the book's fan base and crafted a cruel parody. But, like the teen romance it portrays, the fumbling first act gives way to a more relaxed and confident manner." -by Marc Mohan, Special to The Oregonian

Seriously, the scene in Biology class is the stupidest thing I have ever scene. They totally missed the whole point. He is supposed to want her so badly that he cant control himself. But as Entertainment Weekly writes " he acts like he's suffering a seizure (or an attack of bad Mexican food)".
Dumb and major Dumb...
Overall, I give it a C+...a bigger movie budget and better studio could have done much better. I hear they are making a sequel..I hope someone takes it off SUMMIT'S hands, it wasnt great.

First Snow

Since I use this as a online journal, I figured I'd mark today on the calendar. The first snow of the year fell on the ground during the night.
The boys went out in their new snow gear to play for a while. Zach was more busy eating the snow than playing in it. After I noticed him eating dirt and leaves, we had a discussion about the yellow snow.
Let he walked around looking for more of it, being sure to tell Tanner that we "DONT EAT THE PEE-PEE SNOW, ITS DOG PEE FROM THE SKY".

Its cold here. Finally, it feels like fall should. This week the temps are in the 30-40's. No snow yet, but definitely freezing!
Appropriately, I decided that we should eat something that was a staple in a hearty fall diet. CHOWDER!
Seriously, I have the best recipe ever:

1/2 cup cooked diced bacon
4 medium potatoes, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 ribs of diced celery
2 cups water
2 cans corn
3 tlbs butter
1 can chicken stock
1/2 tsp Garlic salt
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
2 cups half-and-half

Preparation:
Sauté bacon until browned and crisp; add chopped potatoes and onions and celery. Add chicken stock, corn, and seasonings; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. on Medium heat, in separate pot melt butter, add 1 tbsp flour, stir until creamy add all but 1/3 of the half and half slowly to mixture, stirring constantly. In a bowl, mix 1/3 half and half to 2 tbsp flour (we are making a roux here). Slowly pour this cold mixture into the warming cream on stove. Heat until it starts to come to a small boil (make sure to regularly stir). Add to pot with corn and potato's.
Feeds 5-6 adults.

I made honey cornbread on the side. It was delicious!!! And Zachary ate 2 bowls! Although, I think the Ritz crackers were more the appeal there. But, my family loved it. Even picky MIKE ate it with "green thingys" in it.

The word Chowder comes from the French chaudière kettle, from Late Latin caldaria — or cauldron.
When I think of the word chowder, I think of ciao- ---like goodbye in Italian.
Ciao means literally in Italian, "(I am your) slave", from Medieval Latin.

Hum...well, Ciao Chowder!,.. I will always be your slave, you delicious soup! See you soon, my temping mouthful of goodness.

Twilight

So I'll admit it. I put off reading the series Twilight for a couple reasons.
1) They were so popular-- I felt "peer pressure" to read them. And naturally, I decided that I would go against the grain and hold out.
Needing something to read on the airplane, my mother in law suggested I read them. I gave in, and read the first 3 books in 3 weeks. I am surprised how much I have loved them. I dont read them for any other reason than to get lost in the simple love story of youth. It reminds me of some of my past relationships (isnt that why we all love them?). The danger, the mystery, the adrenaline?
2.) Time-- With 3 little kids, who has time to read a book that has sequels that may or may not come to and end. I didnt want to get trapped into another Harry Potter saga. I guess its too late. Im reading the fourth book now.
3) Vampires--I mean come on! It sounds so lame, but man was I wrong.

So I really enjoy seeing some of the trailers to the movie that is coming out on Nov 21st. I already have my tickets and I am counting down the days!! The casting is pretty good I think. My only issues are the casting of Edward, Carlisle and Alice. These are the actors that most closely match my imagination of these 3 characters.


Hayden Christensen as Edward . Darth Vader he isnt, but a vampire he is!!!

Carlisle as a young Robert Redford (like when he was in The Way We Were), not current old wrinkly Robert

Nora Zehetner as Alice...she was in Everwood for a while, also played Eden McCain on Hero's

My New Niece LEXI JANE

Congrats Cole and Michelle on your sweet little girl! Hey family, if you havent heard yet, LEXI JANE has arrived. Go to Cole and Michelles Blog (linked to this blog on right) to see the photos!!! YEA MICHELLE! Good job! We love you all!

Halloween in Hershey

Halloween is held the Thursday before the 31st in our township. Im not exactly why, there are many explanations. But, the event went on as usual. Mike and the boys carved pumpkins while I was gone. It was nice to not have to clean up pumpkin guts.
Wednesday we went to the Hershey Parade. The kids get too much candy from the parade. Its sponsored by the Chocolate Factory, so you guessed it, tons of chocolate. Which isnt all bad, except its overwhelming for my kids. We usually add some of it to our giveaway bucket to trick or treaters. The kids have too much after they come home anyway. It was freezing cold at the parade, but we had a good time.
The next evening was Trick or Treating. The boys all were Skeletons this year. Zach saw the Pajamas at Gymboree earlier in the fall. He wanted them. I thought "SURE, DUAL PURPOSE PJ'S & COSTUMES?! WHY NOT!". So, Asher followed suit as a skeleton. I was so torn, I have two costumes for every age group from newborn to 4T. I thought about putting him back in my favorite TOM ARMA cow costume, but he stayed home with me to answer the door, so I figured he didnt need to be in a hot costume. I was a black Cat and daddy was well...daddy. No dressing up this year, well, maybe he was a super model, he always looks like one to me!
So, we had a great night! Now its off to the grandparents to scare up some fun over there!

Each of the boys carved a pumpkin. Tanner wanted a mean one. Zach wanted a nice one.

Hershey Halloween parade with the Poulsons. I stole this pic from Jenny. Thanks!

Scary Asher

Zach didnt want to be in the picture. Did I mention that 3 yrs old in the worst age!