Welcome to the family. . .TRON!

Last week Malachi finally got his helmet (orthotic to be correct). After noticing the flatness ourselves and even having an orthotics specialist stop me in walmart, Malachi finally got his helmet. He got it last Wednesday and had a five day break in period. Now he is officially wearing his helmet 23 hours a day (just 1 hour off per day). He has actually done extremely well, but we are going today to have it adjusted, it just won't stay above his eyes. I can't help but feel bad for the kid, but I think he'll thank us in the end.

Sunday was interesting though. . .every little kid that saw him pointed and made a comment. Some kids thought it was so cool that he was already a "football player". Others just didn't understand. It gave me a lot of compassion for people who are permanently in orthotics/prosthetics. Funny enough, I had a lot of people tell me about them, their kids, or friends having helmets. Numerous adults commented that they wished they had been around when they were little because they are super self-conscious about their "flat heads". Well, it is another experience, not terrible or tragic, just a time for learning. The doctor says he will wear it 2-6 months depending on how quickly his head grows. Until then. . .welcome to the family Tron!

Opinions from the experts (YOU!)

Assuming all goes well with our home purchase, we will need to replace all the flooring on the main floor (entryway, living room, kitchen and dining) at some point in the future (who knows when that will be). Since many of you have owned homes I wanted your opinion on engineered wood floors and laminates (we can't afford hardwoods). The bottom two links show the two I'm thinking of. Tell me what you like, dislike with materials, install, color, wear, etc. The engineered wood would probably cost us around $500 more for the area we need to cover. Is it worth the money? Is it a better option or worse option for high traffic areas, especially in a kitchen where there will be water. Thoughts please!

engineered wood

or

laminate

Kiddos!

The kids with our friend, Baby Olivia (3 months old), who we love to babysit!

For Martin Luther King Jr. Day we went to SLC to the new Book of Mormon Exhibit for kids. It was a ton of fun. If anyone is coming to Utah, we would love to go again. . .it will be here for a year!

Makani pulled out the baby bath one day and asked if she and Malachi could sit in. They were laughing so hard and having so much fun (of course it was after the camera was put away).

Makani's First Airplane Ride

New Year's Eve. . .we were all VERY sick

Hide and Seek on New Year's. . .this is one of Makani's favorite games, but as you will soon she is still learning the rules!

Real Estate is so Unpredictable

So, after a couple of weeks of NO response from the agent selling the house on the mountain, we randomly got a phone call yesterday that said: "We got it!!!" YAAAAY!!! I had already written it off as another lost home. We were actually scheduled to see another house in Orem yesterday, but cancelled because it just doesn't compare to this home.

Anyway, the realtor said that there were 5 offers in competition and they did a very specific and detailed credit check and file overview for each offer. At the end of the day, we won the bid because they said we were the most solid offer. To be honest, I think part of it is that they saw Christopher worked for the Church and new he would never be laid off. Another benefit of our career, stability, and people know it!

After we found out, we jumped in the car and met our realtor for a walk through. It was more glorious than the first time. Even better news, the bank is going to fix a bunch of the holes and problems because it won't pass FHA if they don't. So many of our concerns we initially had will be resolved. We still have to have an inspection next week after they fix everything, then we will know whether things are solid. . .prayers are heard everyday!

Looking up the street from "our" driveway. We can literally walk to the grovecreek trailhead from here! We also saw tons of neighbor kids sledding at the church around the corner. The neighbors said they LOVED the area and the ward!

Housing Update

As many of you know, we have been waiting on a short sale to go through since August. We were approved by the bank on our offer, but have been waiting for the mortgage insurance company to approve the offer as well. We were told that for sure by January, we would know. Then, January came and what do you know? It might take months still. The issue, the seller's agent was doing a non-traditional short sale to get the seller's some compensation on the house. He just found out that his application on their behalf was denied! Now, he has to start all over with a traditional short sale, which could still take months. We are fine to wait because it just means more savings in our pocket, however, it might take too long and the bank could foreclose the property and we would be left out to dry. So, we started looking again.

On Friday, I found a property here in PG that just went on the market on Thursday. It is a foreclosure, which means the bank is selling it outright (no third party negotiations, etc.). There weren't really any pictures online, so I wasn't sure about it, but the specs and price seemed to good to be true. It is up on the mountain in a beautiful and expensive neighborhood. The elementary school is the best in this area. The house has 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, multiple living spaces, potential for a mother-in-law conversion, garage, granite in kitchen and bathrooms, large yard, the list goes on. So, I almost didn't call my agent, but curiosity got the best of me. We went and saw it. The house was once beautiful, but has been neglected. There are a whole list of holes that would have to be patched and carpets that will ultimately need replacing, but the potential is a dream, and it could be lived in as is with projects to do in time. So, we decided to put in an offer. There was one other offer already, so we ended up in competition. We were supposed to find out yesterday who got the house, but the offers are so close the bank wants to do an in depth credit check. We submitted our paperwork yesterday and are now waiting. We'll keep you updated!

A Very Happy New Year!

Family Pictures: fond memories of our growing family

Hiking in the summer in our new hometown, Pleasant Grove

Projects, projects, projects- A home in slow motion

Malachi's first experience with rice cereal-4 months old

Makani watching as her brother takes over her old high chair

Our Thanksgiving turkey

Can anyone tell me why my cut and paste still will not work to place my pictures in a more cohesive order?

Well, I have been stalling on my blog hoping that I could round up a bunch of pictures from family to post, but I decided I will go ahead and let the magic of words paint the pictures for you. If I ever do get the pictures, I'll dedicate a whole post to the goodness :)

I begin with a question: Why does time speed up with my age?

Honestly, I can't for the life of me figure out why time has to speed up as the best things in my life are happening. I have thought a lot lately about Einstein's theory of the "illusion of time" and am mindful of how it actually matches with some of the gospel teachings we have, but the blurring of past, present and future hits a little too close to home lately. I use this "illusion of time" as the culprit for my absence from the blogging world ;)

Anywho. . .2011 has been an incredible year with such amazing blessings. We began the year acknowledging that life was nothing short of a miracle everyday. The tender mercies of the Lord abound in our lives and I often wonder if I have met my quota for miracles, but they just keep coming. Among some of the highlights of the year:

(My whole 20 minutes of posting just got erased. . .so, here's to an abbreviated version, haha)

January-March: School, seminary teaching interviews with General Authorities, work, kids, pregnancy. . .

April: Christopher, Marie and Daniel all graduate from BYU

May: Christopher gets a public health internship

June: Christopher is hired as a full-time Seminary teacher at Pleasant Grove High School; we moved to Pleasant Grove

July: Grandpa Chamberlain turns 90! Chamberlain and Bingham reunions.

July 22: Malachi Joseph Chun was born simply and beautifully!

August: Madison leaves on his mission to Fortaleza, Brazil (woot, woot!); Family visits to see the new baby; Put an offer on a short sale here in PG (more update to follow).

September: Malachi is blessed; School is in full swing for Christopher and loving every minute (teaching the Old Testament this year)

October: Lots of social gatherings and involvement in our new ward. We celebrated our 3 year anniversary!

November: Makani turns 2 and continues to amaze us with her abilities beyond her years!

December: We were blessed to go to Nazareth, PA to spend Christmas with my parents and some of my siblings. It was nothing short of a dream! I have only fond memories and greater love for my family!

As I reflect on the past year I feel as though the theme for me is greater LOVE. I love my sweet husband more than I can express. He remains my truest friend, my better half, and the most Christlike person I know. He is always improving and seeking to do right amidst pressures nobody but God will understand. I love my Christopher Joseph more each day! My children also continue to expand my ability to love. I cannot imagine life without them. They seem to have always been here. My love for my extended family blossoms each time I think of them. I may not be the best at keeping connected, but I think of them and their talents and examples each day and LOVE them all. From Australia, to Brazil, even right next door in American Fork, I LOVE them all!

Most of all, my love for my Savior, Jesus Christ, has grown. I am learning more about his great love each day. It is beyond my comprehension to think of what it must have been like to condescend into a mortal tabernacle and be subject to the pains and trials of humankind. A God, who chose to set his powers and abilities aside, to experience life in the same frail existence as us. How excruciating was the pain he endured to be able to truly succor us. How great was the love to abide the torment of death. How great was the power to ultimately take up his life again! How great was the love of our Heavenly Father to sit by and watch it all happen, that we might be able to choose eternal life through His son, Jesus Christ. My faith and love will grow each day, as I come nearer to Christ! May we all enjoy the blessings of life given through the very wellspring, Jesus Christ!

Video Updates!

Here are a few videos for you enjoyment. Halloween and Makani's Birthday Party are included. We had a blast this fall with many crazy events. Halloween consisted of attending our church carnival on a previous night and going out on the night of Halloween to only one house (We went to our neighbors when Makani had an "accident" and that was the night!). It was still a ton of fun just to see her so excited!

Makani's birthday was simple, but fun. We decided to do a "Pajama Time" theme based on one of Makani's favorite books, Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton. We had Lexi (my brother's daughter) and Kanoa (my sister-in-law's son) get dropped off in their pajamas on Saturday night. We ate pizza, colored, danced, built a fort and read bedtime stories, and even had dessert. It was a blast! I hope the kids had fun. Makani is still talking about it everyday. She also acquired some of her most beloved new toys: new crinkle blocks from Auntie Marie; a strawberry shortcake doll from Uncle Neal; a stroller to push around her dolls from Uncle Cole and Auntie "Shell"; and bathtub paints from "Auntie Shell". THANK YOU!!!