I am happy to say that the big fat man has gone back to the North Pole for another year! I tried really hard not to be such a scrooge this year! I put up lots of decorations, I tried to do Christmas things with my family, I even tried to be a little bit more understanding about Santa. I still don't think I really am a Christmas person, though. After it is all said and done, I now have to spend at least a day putting all of this Christmas crap away, and now have to find places for all of the STUFF that we got for our NON-Christmas. For not getting much for Christmas, our kids were sure packed like sardines in the Burban on the way home! We survived and for any of you that we spent one of the 6, yes 6 Christmas parties with, we are now taking reservations for our house for next year! I am pooped out from going from place, to place, to place. So if any of you would like to spend Christmas with the Chambers family next year in sunny St. George, get your reservations early! I am sure I will change my mind by next year, but for now it sounds really nice to not have to travel next year!

Kindergarten had their annual Polar Express party, this morning. It was a lot of fun. Karlin really enjoyed decorating her box for the train parade and wearing her pajamas to school. They had a lot of fun centers for the kids to do. I was just glad that I got to go and take some pictures of her. Kamren was at preschool and Daxton was taking a nap in his stroller. It was kind of nice to actually be able to concentrate on just one child, even if it was only for an hour.

So only in a blended family would THIS conversation happen. Today, my girls were fighting over who was going to be their little friend, Taggerts' Mom! I intervened by saying, "One of you can be the Mom, and the other one can be the Step Mom"! That seemed to solve all of the problems, and the next thing you know Taggert was getting bossed around by his "Mom" and "Step Mom"! I was laughing!

We decided to take the kids to the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie for FHE last night. It was way too cold out there to brave the live nativity at Tuachan, so I thought this might be a little bit better-at least we would be inside! I kind of thought I must be going crazy to even think this would be a good idea with Daxton around! The boy can't even sit still for 5 minutes, let alone a couple of hours. We decided to take his carseat in, thinking that the longer we could keep him contained in that, the better it would be for us. Well, boy were we right!!! We put him on one of the chairs in his carseat and he stayed there THE ENTIRE MOVIE!!! I was shocked! Tony and I didn't even want to look at him, for fear he would see us and want us to get him out! He watched about the first hour and fifteen minutes of the movie and then fell asleep. It was amazing and I was in complete shock! The other girls loved the movie also. It has a lot of singing and dancing in it, and they were all dancing in there seats and in the aisle. What a great, and unexpected night of FHE!!!

Somebody, please, have me committed, right now!!!! My son is going to push me over the edge! He has been flirting with this whole walking thing for about a month and a half, but I really wasn't prepared for the day when I would turn around and Daxton would be walking towards me all the way from his bedroom into the kitchen where I am unloading the dishwasher. The boy looks like a victim of abuse with all of the knots that boy has on his forehead! He thinks it is okay to just start walking towards walls! I don't know who told him that a wall could catch him, but that is obviously what he thinks because he walks to the walls, or into the walls I should say, every single day! I used to laugh when I would see those helmet things in a catalog that are for beginner walkers, but now I think I actually need one! I think if I survive this child, I can survive anything!

Ogden has an annual Santa Claus parade that we have gone to for years. My Grandpa was an MC on 25th street for many years, and when he passed away they asked my brother to take his place. It was very touching to see my brother out there doing what I had seen my Grandpa do tons of times before. He did a very good job and we are very proud of the way he has honored our Grandpa's name.

I want to tell my family thank you for harboring all of us for Thanksgiving! As usual, my Mom cooked way to much food, we could have fed a small country with all of those mashed potatoes! But, it was all really good and now I have an additional 5 pounds to lose, thanks to all of my overeating for 4 days straight! We had a great time and I am glad to be back in my own home where my kids can rome free and my Son isn't getting into something everyother second! Oh wait! He is still doing that! Thanks again to all of my family for putting up with all of us!

My Mom, my Sister, and I at Time Out for Women in September.


Today is my Mom's 25th Birthday, Again!!!! Okay, maybe she is a few years older, but she still acts young, so we will just leave her at 25! I want her to know how much I love her and how much I appreciate her! She is my best friend, I talk to her at least once a day and usually 3 or 4 times a day! I don't think I can make it a whole day without calling her, it would make me crazy! I am so lucky to have a Mom that is willing to give everything to us kids, without even thinking twice. She is an amazing example to me, and I am very lucky to call her my Mom! I only hope that some day, I can be half as great a Mom to my kids as she has been to me! Thanks Mom!
Love ya!

My kids love to feed the ducks at the St. George Golf Course. We have been doing this monthly, for about a year and a half and since it now gets dark before 6PM, we went on Saturday this time! As usual, the kids and Tony, had a great time. Kenzie loves to chase the ducks and make them fly away from her; Karlin loves to feed the one goose that kind of is I guess disabled because its wings are always out; Kamren just loves to throw the crackers or bread at them;and Daxton, well he just loves to eat the crackers himself! I think my husband always takes us there because he enjoys the animals most of all. I think I just go along to take pictures and watch how amazed I am every time, that they never get sick of going there!

So, I know I have told several of you about this Website, but I figured I would put it on my Blog because it is a great way to get movies and save a little money. I came across it the other day, and was a little sceptical as to if it would work or not. Well, I tried it today and got 2 movie's for free-great for a Friday night! I wrote down 3 of the codes before I went to the Redbox machine, 2 of them worked and 1 didn't. I reccommend taking a few of them with you, in case one doesn't work! Your welcome, in advance! I got so excited typing, I forgot the website!! It is www.insideredbox.com

This has been a little harder for me than I first anticipated, O.K. A Lot harder! Coming up with 7 things about myself that wouldn't make most of you want to call the guys with the white coats, was pretty hard. Some of these things STILL might make somebody want to call, but go ahead-I could use a vacation!

1. I am obsessed with my children having their hair look neat! It is sometimes a little unnerving that I am so obsessed! I do their hair in the morning, they come home and take naps, I do their hair again, we need to go somewhere at night, I do their hair again! I am sometimes fine with it not being perfect when we are home, but when we go out it HAS to be done. I have even found that I am far more patient with them when they look cute! What a bad mom I am! Even Daxton, the boy has already had more hair cuts than a 5 year old! Every 3 weeks I either take the kid in, or borrow some clippers and the kid is only 9 months!

2. I have always wanted to be on a talk show! Maybe Suzie Orman could help with my extreme spending habits on Oprah, or Dr. Phil could help with the never ending sleep problems at my house. Who knows, maybe someday!

3. My husband and I are POLAR opposites! Sometimes it actually scares me a little how different we are! Some examples: He cleans with water and by stuffing everything that is out in a drawer or closet-he is the ultimate surface cleaner! I, on the other hand, want to clean everything with bleach and like to have my closets mostly organized. Well, besides my clothes closet, it is a mess right now! He also loves to stay up late, and I am dead on the couch by 10. I think school and learning are important, even for myself, he thinks learing is for the birds-too time consuming!

4. I do not like my kids to be in my room! It took me a while to figure out why I would freak when I went in and somebody had thrown my pillows all around my bed, or put their little finger prints on my mirror, but I finally figured it out! It is because their little grimy hands and faces and bodies mess up the rest of my house daily and I just need one room that isn't marked with their slime!

5. I apparently LOVE to read! My friend and neighbor gave me the Twilight series to borrow, and I haven't put them down in a week. Instead of my normal, hurry, hurry, hurry with my kids. I have turned into the do whatever you want, mom. It has also been good for my anxiety to get a glimpse into somebody Else's world and kind of lose myself in it. So, if anybody knows a book I HAVE to read, let me know!

6. I have never really been a fan of my husband being gone on a overnight er, but since he had become the Young Men's President he goes about once a month with the scouts and I actually enjoy him being gone. I can do whatever I want- read at 5 in the morning, take a bath late at night or in the middle of the day. Maybe I just like being home alone. Nobody needs me, nobody messing it up-that must be it!

7. I cannot say to myself that I am not going to eat something specific! I don't think that even made sense! If I decide, "Okay, I am not going to drink soda, especially not caffeine", that is the very first thing I want morning, noon, and night- and I don't even like soda! It happens all the time when I try and eat better, the bad things are the very first things I eat! No wonder I will never loose my last 5 pounds!

I am now tagging, Dustin and Faith, my Mom, Susan, Jen Statham, Monica Mary, Kristie, and Julie. Good luck, it only took me 4 days to figure out what 7 random things I was willing to tell about myself!

Kenzie has had a loose tooth in the front of her mouth for over a month now! We thought the thing was never going to fall out! Boy, was I surprised when it came out last night and left a HUGE whole in the girls mouth! I am scared to see the size of tooth that is going to have to come in to fill that hole up! We laughed, though, when she came to us and said she didn't want money, she just wanted to keep the tooth. She decided to start a teeth collection, and then when they all fell out, she said, she would give them all to the tooth fairy at once! I guess that is one good way to get my kids to start a savings account! We told her that if she really wanted the tooth, that we were sure her tooth fairy would just leave the tooth also! She woke up happy with a tooth and 8 quarters under her pillow!

We had a great time at our neighborhood trunk or treat, on Halloween! I love that I don't have to take my kids house to house! Not that it was really cold down here, but I prefer the "get it over with in a hour" version of trick or treating! And we were done in a hour. They were happy because their baskets were full and I was happy because I was already done trick or treating! Daxton didn't make it to long! He fell asleep after about 15 minutes of getting candy. Good thing I was really just taking his basket around to get candy for myself-like I really need more candy!

Wow, am I tired and Halloween isn't even over! We have had so many parties the last couple of days, my kids are going to be in a candy coma by the time Halloween is over tonight!

Kamren had her Preschool party yesterday. They got to sing a few songs for all of the parents and then go trick-or-treating. My daughter, was the only one without a costume on because last year the preschool didn't allow costumes, and this year they didn't send a note home saying yah or nah, so I just went with last years rules! My bad!!! Oh well, she didn't even notice!

Next, we had Karlin's Halloween parade, this morning. She was a very cute Jasmine, but very distraught that her mom was helping in her sister's class and not hers! How dare I!!! So daddy to the rescue, Tony went and helped in her class-What a hero!!

Next, Kamren, Daxton, and I went to Kaylee's middle school where they have trick-or-treating to all of the classes! Kamren got her entire pumpkin filled up! Kaylee loved showing off her little baby Yoda. I actually had to pry Daxton from her to leave. I think she was just enjoying getting out of class!

Finally, this afternoon, I helped in Kenzie's class because I signed up to be one of the party moms for the year. It was a really fun party! I enjoyed meeting all of the kids that Kenzie always tells me about and I really enjoyed helping. I love all of their different little personalities, it is amazing to me that even at 6 there are already so many different ideas! There are the talkers, the "that's stupid kids", the quiet kids, the goof offs, etc. I love that my little Kenzie is the kid that does everything by the book, at least what I have seen of her. She is so afraid of getting sent to the Principal's office, which she has never even seen, that she is great at school. Not at home, but at least at school! We made these cute Tootsie pop spiders, which I got off the Family Fun website, we played bingo, did the donut on the string thing, and decorated cookies. I asked Mrs Foy if she could take Kenzie home with her for the rest of the evening, because that is WAY to much sugar for one afternoon! I actually came home from the party, and my sweet sister had made chili for my family like our mom used to when we were kids. She is the best, thanks Stac!

All in all, it was a fun day, and we still have Trunk-or-Treating to look forward to tonight!

We told our kids that if they filled up their sticker charts(for doing their chores and other things), that we would take them on a date. At first, we told them that they could pick who they wanted to go with and then decide what they wanted to do on their date. Well, Karlin has been the only one who thought this sounded like something worth shooting for, and tonight she got the first date. As her chart started to fill up, and her date was seeming to become a reality, she started to ask some questions. The first one was, "Is it alright if I take both you and Dad on my date, because I love you both"? So sweet, but the questions got better. The next one was,"Would it be alright if we go to the temple and see Jesus"? Okay, what Mom or Dad wouldn't be proud by this point! So we took her to eat and Durangos, then to the Visitor's Center at the Temple, and then to ice cream before we went home. Thanks Teresa, for taking all of the rest of the rag-a-muffins, even Daxton. I owe you one! We followed her around the Visitors Center like she owned the place. She wanted to go up the big stairs by the temple, watch the family movie, listen to Jesus talk, and look at all of the pictures of Jesus' life. It was a great date! Tony and I decided that taking one kid with us on a weekly date, is just as good as going out alone. We kill two birds with one stone, we get out together and only have to keep track of one kid, which is cake compared to watching four at the same time!

Well, our "playgroup" ended up being quite a group! When I started making calls, I was beginning to think it may just be me and my girls! I called 6 families, and left messages for all 6 of them. I really thought we were going by ourselves. But that afternoon my phone started ringing off the hook, and everybody I called, plus some were coming. I was so happy to have such a big group! We had a lot of fun. I think the greatest part for me, was that my kids could run around and play, and I could just chat with the girls without kids climbing up my leg, or trying to get my attention. It was great!

We went Trick or Treating at California Adventure, while we were at Disneyland. I had to have my Mom E-mail me the pictures from it though, somehow we got out of the hotel room without our camera, such bad parents!!! It was probably the funnest event we went to while at Disneyland. They had 25 stops all throughout California Adventure. We left there with a giant Disneyland bag full of candy. We tried to tell the kids they don't need to go Trick or Treating now, but they didn't go for it. Daxton's Yoda costume was the only costume I could find that was his size, since I waiting until we got there to get it. I was mad that this was my only choice, but everybody who passed us oogled over his cute Yoda costume. I didn't even know who Yoda was before that night, but boy am I informed now. Kenzie was hilarious that whole night. She wanted her eyes and lips black, because she said she was an evil witch, and she stayed completely in character the whole night-we could barely get the girl to smile for pictures. I am really hoping this isn't a prelude to her teenage years, when she wants to walk around looking like a goth chic!!!

I am kind of shocked by the thought of this statement myself! To think that I should have a daughter in 5th grade, and 11 really blows me away. I don't even feel like I could have an 11 year old. I think it is because I have been in "Toddlerville" for so long now that I can't even remember 11 years ago! I always kind of prepare myself the night before it is Rylan's birthday, because I am not sure how I am going to feel the next morning. This morning, I really didn't think about it first off, it took me a couple of hours. It wasn't until my mom called that I really even thought of it being her birthday today. I think as the years go by, time has dulled the pain of her death, and only leaves behind the few memories of her short year on this earth. I don't really feel sadness anymore for her death, I only feel grateful. Grateful that she doesn't have to live on this earth in a body that would limit her, and grateful that I get to have all of the great children that I am blessed with raising. I don't know that we would have had 4 more kids after her if we had to take care of her earthly limitations. There was only one point today when I actually got a little teary eyed, and that was when I was at Great Harvest having lunch. There was a handicap boy there, in a wheelchair, and my girls started asking why he couldn't talk and why he looked like that. Though I don't know for sure that this is how Rylan would have ended up, I did feel some sort of emotion just thinking of the possibility of it. He was so happy and so unaware of the restricitons his body placed on him. I am so grateful that my daughter got to come, teach us all very valuable lessons, and then return to our Heavenly Father to wait for our return in the Celestial Kingdom. It is an awesome feeling to know that at least one of my kids doesn't have to face trials and hardships to get there, she is already there!

We went tonight and did our normal Rylan celebration at the cemetery. We all go and sing happy birthday to her and then let balloons fly up to her so that she can catch them for her birthday in heaven(that is what the kids think happen to the balloons)! We then have cupcakes and take a picture around her headstone. It is amazing how each year there seems to be another kid in the picture. I was touched by Karlin though, this year. She decided she wanted to leave Rylan a cupcake on her headstone, so that she could eat it when she gets to come back to us. I thought that was so sweet of her.

Happy birthday, Rylan! We love and will miss you always!