Just put up a blog post on The Chamberlain Family Historical Society.  I've decided to keep them both.  I don't think they have to be mutually exclusive.

See you over there!!

Birthday catchup

day 2 of spring break with the babies.  the big kids are back to school and sophie and i have been on time to seminary 2 days in a row!  we on fire.

Thought i should throw up some pictures of the big birthday madness a few weeks ago.

We went from Sophie's Build a bear party to her school friend alex's party. then doug and i split up to go to luke mccoy's party and wyatt johnson's party. crazy.  not something i need to repeat any time soon.  but we were so glad we made the effort for our friends. luke and wyatt are lifers, i could have ditched alex's (penny's classmate at school and i barely talk to his mom or dad ever, haha) party but we were on a roll so we went.

Went with Luke to the Habit and then he came down to our house for a sleep over.  it looks like they slept on the tramp, but they didn't .  

Just a pic of Simon being awesome. 

Another random photo. the cool car on the yard at the Maggy Haves School

In the midst of Bday week, BROOKE had a BDAY too!! we went to the americana with about 1000 kids between all of us and took over pinkberry. it was awesome!

Little Repunzel love from Gma T. 

Penny and Marghi washing and drying their bears at Build a Bear

How hilarious is this??  many of our school friends have allergies or are veggie/vegan. so instead of spending 50 bucks on 2 dozen mini vegan cupcakes, i made giant vegan rice krispie treats and stuck them on chopsticks and then wrapped them in cello bags with a bow! Doug added the P on the ouside. I brought the candle for the birthday torch. HA! almost like a cake. 

lunch time at maggy haves, i was the lunch mom so i could bring in the birthday snack.  what was the birthday snack, you say?  oh, vegan rice krispie treats.  apparently, i'm not that creative, 

Cute little flag, though!!

seriously last minute bday BBQ with the Swierengas. lyndsay brought her kids down, too!!  it was way fun. 

NOW TELL ME THIS DOESN"T LOOK LIKE THE 4 year old VERSION of the BRIDESMAIDS POSTER??

HAHAHAHA

The only photo I got

Don't know where Charlie went but this is Sophie, Jack and Alli.

Did you see it yet??? It's a good one.

Are you hungry?

This is one for the books. To tonight Sophie is going to see hunger games with a friend boy that we've known since we moved here. They were 3! But since they aren't old enough to date they asked his older brother to go and he invited a girl. And since they aren't old enough to double date the moms decided that the parents would double date with the kids so all 8 of us are going to see hunger games tonight. We put the kids in the middle section and we are in the back row. That we they can't see making out during the movie. Hahaha. Just kidding!!
It's going to be fun. We haven't seen the Deakins in a long time. Hopefully, I'll get a photo of this epic event. I'm sure it'll will be the last time Sophie ok's a double date with her parents :)

cornflowers

So, I've been in a funk.  Just guess who produced this visual metaphor of my life.  Hahahaha!

I think i pulled out of it tonight, though.  feels good. cleaned the whole friggin house. This is how i do it best.

• at night, kids in bed and out of my way
• diet coke
• flip flops are a must.   no slippers, socks, bare feet or anything else. always flip flops
• stretchy pants only. yes, just like nacho.  no jeans
• secondary lighting only.  lamps, hall lights one overhead instead of all three.  seeing everything is too overwhelming.  i know what needs to get done in the semi-darkness.
• iphone with earbuds. 
• pandora: The Decemberists or Brandon Flowers stations. Sometimes fiest. LOUD
• it took me 3 hours, it's now 1:30am. 

Actually, it's now 2:34 because i watched a New Girl and Up All Night. 

Hopefully, this is the first of many posts.  there's a lot to catch up on and i already know i'm not gonna wanna forget any of it. 

like how we brought home Penny's class Guinea Pig "sunflower" this weekend. and it was crazy. kids fighting over who gets to hold her, owen using a towel to pick her up (because penny told us that's how they do it at school) and then dragging wood chips all over the living room. cage doors open and closed and open and closed and her little pink igloo house coming in and out.  poop.  lots of nervous poop from poor sunflower.   Simon especially loved her. he totally ignored all the rules Penny told us about and after a shower one day, i heard the poor guinea pig squealing like crazy. when i went into Penny's room he was holding super tight on her middle, her feet wriggling in the air and he had the biggest smile on his face, "mom, i holding cornflowers."

She barely survived the weekend. 

OH, and guess what we found under the carpet in our bedroom this weekend?  Now, you must know that we rented this house with all 4 rooms carpeted. about one week after we moved in we found hard wood in one of the rooms. about an hour later that carpet was yanked out.  then little by little we pulled all the carpet out of all of the rooms.  When doug checked our room, it was just sub-flooring, which made sense because it's an addition.  ANYWAY, whilst plumbing the shower with a hose (please do not ask me about my shower,  my loathing for it excels just about anything else repulsive in my life.) Doug soaked a section of the carpet.  when he pulled it up to rip out the padding to dry he found a 3 x 4 foot section of plywood and and ENTIRE room of this:

Parquet.  It's kinda cool

I think that's sweeping, not dancing, although he may as well have been dancing, he was so happy to find it and rip out that ugly beige carpet.


p.s. Owen is getting glasses and Sophie's show choir WON FIRST PLACE at nationals in New York last weekend.  will spill the details soon. 
It's 3:06. i'm in trouble. haha

FOUR

Oh snap.  This girl is 4 today?? She is, she is, she is. 

This is right after she woke up at breakfast and she was not happy about her picture being taken.  

We are going to take a birthday snack to her classroom today and then have a BBQ and cupcakes with the Swierengas and then a little party with a few friends on Saturday at Build a Bear!

Should be quite the fun day.  

Happy Birthday, my little love!!!

Remember when you looked like this?

I still remember exactly how this felt. one of the first times i got to hold penny after she was sent to the NICU.
Such heaven. Sometimes i wish i could go back, sometimes i wish she were in middle school already. hahaha.
LOVE THIS GIRL.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MISS PENNY PIE!

decision 2012

whatddya think? should i head over to the other blog and start it up again or stay put?

Pros: this blog is private, not many can see it.
Cons: this blog is private, not many can see it, including my mom who keeps getting booted out and probably 10 of the 13 that wanted invitations.  i think you have to officially become a member for the invite to stick. that tidbit donned on me with newly inducted member, skinny.namanny.  a lot of people are a lot smarter than me. haha.

pros: i like the privacy
cons: sometimes i like to write for people that i know are following but that i NEVER talk to.  it's fun to have people say, i love your blog, when i had no idea they knew about it.

more cons: creepy ward guy with mental illness knows about the other blog. left creepy comments that i ignored completely. (creepy like, burbank has great schools!)

pros: actually read my friends blogs linked to that blog.  have been out of touch with my favorites for a while now.

ya, i'm still undecided.

I did go see "this means war" tonight with lyndsay.

the premise was so dumb but mcg directed and it was hilarious and so much more fun that i anticipated.

which brings me to a personal philosophy of mine. low expectations = the best movies ever. may not hold true with kids or marriage but absolutely works with movies. and maybe marriage.

better konk. the seminary alarm is looming.