Chun Family

Opinions from the experts (YOU!)

2012-01-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

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

laminate

Kiddos!

2012-01-25T08:01:00.001-08:00

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

2012-01-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-10T08:18:00.001-08:00

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!

2012-01-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-16T07:03:00.000-08:00

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!!!

Thought on Mothers

2011-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

My Mom with three of her ten!

Sweet Michelle-- I'm so glad I finally live close enough to spend time with her! She truly is A-MAZING!

Today is my Mom's Birthday. Today is my sister-in-law, Michelle's, birthday. Two days ago was Makani's birthday and a commemoration of when I became a Mom. How grateful I am for loving women who sacrifice regularly for their children and help set an example for me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

This morning my sweet mother-in-law sent me an email that made me sit down and think about some of the hardships, heartaches, and successes of motherhood. I felt impressed to share the following experience with you now:

We have been sick in our house for about two weeks now. Makani always having the worst of it. She is completely bipolar when sick: an angel one minute and something "less nice" the next. It has definitely caused some frustration and praying for patience. Yesterday, Makani had her 2 year old check up. Christopher had to work, so I took both kids by myself (which I am pretty comfortable doing these days). Yet, as soon as we walked in the door of the clinic, Makani began to cry and run outside (she was just here two weeks ago when we discovered she had "hand, foot, and mouth" disease). The whole experience is so traumatic for me. Makani screams every time a nurse or doctor enters the room. She clings to me with strength I didn't know a two year old could possess. She looks at me to help her like her life depends on it. She kept asking if we could put her shoes back on and go home. The doctor could not even get her to open her eyes to look at him. Her body was as tight as a clenched fist. Her sobs were heart wrenching. I felt like she was going to hate me, and it hurt. It hurt so bad. What would she do when they brought in the needle? Would she hate me and run to her father, the hero? Regardless, it was just a check up, she needed to be there. It was good for her. As a mother, I have to do what is right for her. My love allows me to watch the trauma, so she can be healthy and strong. It was a small glimpse into the sacrifice of our Heavenly Parents who watched the agony of their precious and perfect son, Jesus Christ. My experience doesn't compare to so many, yet a simple office visit lends new understanding:

After all was said and done, Makani settled down, looked me in the eyes, and with a great BIG hug, said, "I love you Mommy! We go home now?" Hand in hand we walked out that door, with giggles and smiles at the fish tank as we exited. She will always love me. I will always love her. It is the nature of mothers and children!

As I write this simple experience, I am reminded of experiences in my own childhood that must have been hard for my parents to watch. From hospitalization at four years old, to sporting injuries, to tragedies when I felt "broken", my parents have stood by, seemingly helpless at times, but strong and loving in my eyes. If as a parent you question your abilities and capacities, just remember,

Love will always be remembered in the end!

If you are the child, be like a child: forgiving and loving! At the end of the day, we can walk hand in hand, giggling with joy at the little pleasures because we have LOVE!

P.S. More posts and many pictures to come!

Malachi's 2 Month Stats

2011-09-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here he is, the big boy. . .

Length: 24 inches = 85%

Weight: 14 lbs. 1 oz = 93%

Head Circ: 40.1 cm = 52%

That explains why he doesn't fit in 3 month clothes anymore!

Catch Up!

2011-09-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

As usual, it is time to play catch up with our family. My pictures uploaded backwards (still can't figure out why my cut and paste stopped working. . .frustrating!!!), so you will get our events from most current back to the summer. Enjoy! (thank you to loving parents who sent us pictures, since our camera decided to go blurry on us)

"Our house". . .maybe. . .we'll see. . .

We put an offer on this house a few weeks ago. It's a short sale, so we just have to wait for the bank to let us know if they accept our offer or not. It is just down the street from where we currently live here in Pleasant Grove! We'll keep you posted.

Malachi is 2 Months Old, Makani is 22 Months Old

Makani is a great big sister. She loves to help Malachi and gives LOTS of kisses! These two kiddos make me laugh everyday! Makani just started sleeping in her "big girl bed". She loves it, but I know why. . .she has lots of room to play and sing on her daybed. I love listening through her door and hearing her singing primary songs (most often "I Am a Child of God") and reading her scriptures (most quoted favorite, "and it came to pass" or "and the Lord said")! She is also quite the little gymnast. I've been teaching her things like forward rolls, bear crawls, frog jumps, etc., but I only have genetics to blame for her flexibility. She also loves going on walks to see the horses, the goat, and then to the "blue park". We have a picnic with our neighbors everyday at noon under our apple trees. We picked our first apple yesterday--delicious! If left to entertain herself, Makani will most often be found reading a book, coloring, or trying to "help" Malachi.

Malachi is growing faster than his clothes can keep up with (he's already in 3-6 month clothes). He smiles, laughs, and loves to be where the people are. He just started sleeping about 5 hours at night. He holds his head up by himself and has amazing strength in his legs. He usually settles down to classical music and loves when we sing songs. We look forward to his 2 month check up this week and will hopefully have stats to post soon!

Thanksgiving Point Farm Country

We went with Cole, Michelle, Lexi and Carter to farm country. The girls loved all the animals!

Our camera started getting blurry, so these pictures look so retro. These girls are gonna look back and laugh, I'm sure!

The Career Really Begins

Christopher finally has students again and LOVES it! It is a lot of hard work, but very worth doing something you love! This is Christopher "reading" in his office on a day off.

This is his classroom which he decorated himself! My favorite are the foam Ten Commandment tablets he carved himself (top left).

Brother Chun welcomes you! What a great teacher!

Malachi's Baby Blessing

Grandma and Grandpa Jacobsen drove from Missouri to stay with us for a few days and be a part of Malachi's special day. We loved having them and miss them a ton! We had fun hanging out and going shopping. We even toured "our house" with them to see what they thought. The day of Malachi's blessing we had a dinner in the backyard afterwards.

Sadly, this is really the only official photo we took. I still can't believe we didn't take any of Malachi or the grandparents and priesthood brethren who were there. In addition to those in this picture, we also had Uncle Don and Aunt Vivian Ostler, Grandma and Grandpa Bingham, and Michelle Chamberlain.

Makani LOVES her Auntie Camille!

Malachi's 1st Week Home

Makani and I had some girl bonding time. We painted on clear nail polish and put her hair in a pony tail! She loved the one-on-one!

Kanoa came to visit and see the new baby. We always love having him around, especially Makani!

These were taken his first week home.

"Jima" Came to Visit and Help with Malachi

While my Mom was in town we went to the Thanksgiving Point Botanical Gardens. They were simply amazing! Mom, Makani still talks on her "cell phone" with "jima"!

Grandpa Chamberlain Turns 90!

This is one of the minute to win it games. You place an oreo on your forehead and using only your face muscles have to get it in your mouth! It was hilarious!

Neal's Birthday!

Random?!

The rest of the pictures should be under some of the above headings, but got scrambled.

Grandpa Chamberlain! Lookin' good for 90!

Makani's favorite pastime!

Makani got a new hat from her Jima and Grandpa. It came all the way from Turkey. She also got a new doll. She is a great "mommy".

Christopher with his two little ones! He's a fun Daddy.

My beautiful flowers from my Mom when Malachi was born!

Predictions

2011-07-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

Predictors	Time	Length	Weight	Hair
Christopher	10:02	18.5	7Ibs 2oz	Brown - little
Maleah	9:30	18.5	6Ibs 10oz	Brown – little
Mom Jacobsen	10:20	21.25	7Ibs 30oz	Brown – Dark
Dad Jacobsen		22 (unless he has Christopher’s feet-32 inches)	8Ibs 2oz
Mom Chamberlain	9:35	18	7Ibs 4oz	Black - little
Celeste	10:24	18 (toes-finger toes)	7Ibs 6oz	Black – more than Makani
Heather-Nurse	9:15
BABY BOY	8:58	19in	7Ibs 14oz	Black-more than Makani

2011-07-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Boy

38 weeks 1 day

Delivered at 8:58 pm

19 inches

7Ibs 14oz

Black hair

"Strong muscles"(he gets that from his dad)- according to the nurses he kept pushing his legs against them and with Maleah he kept lifting up his neck to look around

Very observant and was looking around at everything since he arrived. Also very tired.

Maleah is doing fantastic! We were all surprised how big he was for how small Maleah looked. She is her usual chipper self excited about the cute new baby and excited to see Makani. Thank you for your thoughts, concerns, and prayers.

2011-07-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

2011-07-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

2011-07-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

2011-07-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

The Update!

2011-06-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy as usual around here and I can't believe how fast things are moving! As many of you know, the whirlwind has been going in our home for a while with many things up in the air. I just wanted to fill some of you in who I may not have personally talked to.

For the past few weeks, Christopher has been working full-time at the Utah County Health Department as an unpaid intern. He has actually loved his job and staff and will miss his experience there when he leaves. He has had a broad range of assignments from "handy man" to compliance checks (sting operations with the police where they send in an underage minor to buy cigarettes and see if the stores card properly or sell). He has gained a greater perspective of his public health degree and is grateful for the opportunity to see the world through different eyes. For those who may read my other blog (which I haven't updated yet), we still have so much food storage and can't believe how far the Lord has made it stretch for our period of unpaid employment. We don't feel like we've missed a beat. What a miracle!

We recently had Christopher's CES New Hire Orientation in SLC. It was in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and will be an event to remember forever. Some of our dear friends were also hired, so it was a great reunion with some of the other student teachers. At lunch that day, we received our school assignment: PLEASANT GROVE HIGH SCHOOL!!! We were thrilled, especially considering Christopher just finished at the Jr. High there and we jokingly told the HR Director we wanted to live there (he lives in PG himself)! Wow, are we spoiled or what!?!

As soon as we found out our assignment, we began the hunt. . .house hunt, that is. In a matter of a week, I saw dozens of houses with a realtor. All I can say is: pictures can be deceiving. I left embarrassed for some of the crazy things we saw. We finally found a beautiful house in PG with a great price tag. Unfortunately, 11 other people thought it was a steal of deal too! 11 offers in two days, way above the asking price. We couldn't compete. . .so, I said goodbye to buying for now. The renting hunt was just as emotionally draining and hard to swallow. The market is saturated with renters right now, so rent prices and demands are extremely high.

After numerous disappointments and heartfelt prayers, we are happy to report that miracles still happen (do you think I believe in miracles? I see them everyday!!!). I will spare you all the details, but just wanted to say, we finally signed a contract!!! This morning we signed the next year of our life away to a 3 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment in Pleasant Grove (about 3 miles from Christopher's work). They are installing new carpet and painting the entire thing on Monday. We will move in on Friday or Saturday next week!!! We are so excited to have actual rooms for our kids!

We also had our closure meeting in SLC for Christopher. We signed all of his papers and he will officially be a salaried employee on June 11!!! Having medical benefits and a retirement plan makes me feel like I'm beginning a life of "real" adulthood. . .blessings and responsibilities! There are so many miraculous details with this hiring process! We still can't believe it! Maybe it will hit us when we get our first paycheck!

Wanna hear another miracle story? Ask me about Christopher finishing his online class. . .PASSED!!! Here we come diploma!

A little Makani update--she is the most adorable little girl in the whole wide world! Her vocabulary is growing exponentially and so is her waistline! We recently had her 18 month appointment and the doctor was pleased that she is now in the 20% for height and the 25% for weight (he said we could stop pumping her full of whole milk if we wanted. . .is he callin' her fat?!?). She has always been "underweight", so this was a great milestone. The doctor was also pleased with her verbal skills. She says dozens of words, lots of two-word phrases, and even says the evening prayer for our family with help. It is strange to try to remember when she couldn't communicate things verbally. I understand her perfectly well now! She is a great helper, the funniest dancer, and loves to sing her favorite songs! She is truly a joy in our life.

As for baby boy- I am currently 31 weeks with no known problems. I will have my eight month appointment on Tuesday, so I am excited to see how he is growing. I am already convinced that this little guy is going to be a whole new ball game for us. He is non-stop action all of the time. We can't wait to see him!

I know I'm leaving out so much, but I think those are the big milestones recently! Here are some of the memorable pictures from our family photo shoot:

Is it possible to be Too Grateful?

2011-04-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Once again, the pictures come first since I can't seem to cut and paste :)

Makani playing with her Easter presents in her diaper (she soiled her pajamas)!

Makani received some bubbles, hair clips, new shoes (jellies), and alphabet magnets in her basket. Christopher and I were given the DI special "Jots and Tittles" (a Mormon Trivia game) and jelly beans!

Sledding in April

Jonathan, Celeste, Grace, and Elena after a "deathly descent".

True Blue Cougar!

What a handsome graduate!

Gotta love the "Y" in the background

I can't tell you how overwhelmed we feel with blessings lately. When the Lord promises blessings, he goes above and beyond your greatest aspirations. Luckily, many details are written in my personal journal, but I will give you all a brief recap of what is happening here. This post really won't do justice to the intricate details of miracles in our family recently.

1.We got our official "You're hired phone call"

Christopher and I received the phone call on April 14 that he is going to be officially hired as a CES employee and he doesn't have to wait until June to receive details. He will proceed as an April hiree. We will receive our assignment and sign paperwork sometime before May 18. We will both attend New Employee Orientation in SLC on May 18. There are so many miracles packaged within this experience, I can't even begin to tell you. . .

2. Christopher Walked in Graduation on April 22!

Not only did he walk, but Daniel and Marie got to walk with him! It was an amazing and emotional experience to see the three of them walk together. I promised Christopher I wouldn't list some of his achievements (except for one. . .he found out yesterday he got straight A's this semester!!!). However, graduation day was a commemoration of more than just a Bachelor's Degree. His accomplishments go far beyond graduating. . .he is the most AMAZING husband I could ever dream of. I am so proud of him and his faithfulness in the gospel.

3. Spending Time with the Pittmans

We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED spending time with family, especially our excursions with Jonathan, Celeste, Elena, and Grace! From hanging out and eating Papusas to sledding and playing music, we had a blast and were sad to see them leave!

4. Easter and the end of an era

We had a beautiful Easter service at church on Sunday, but were sad to say goodbye to so many beloved friends. Ever since we got married we have loved our ward family. Many of the families that have been in our ward for the past 2.5 years finally said goodbye as they move on to "greener pastures". We love them all and wish them the best!

5. Daniel and Marie were married on April 25, 2011

We are so excited to welcome Daniel Hansen to our family! It was a crazy day, but a beautiful wedding. Despite the normal and not-so-normal complications, everyone rolled with the punches and the wedding turned out AMAZING!

My only sadness was on behalf of Makani. She was super fussy and wouldn't stop crying, so I had to leave at the beginning of the ceremony (Christopher filled me in later). After taking her out, I realized her bottom gums were sore and almost bloody. . .she was teething her k9 teeth. I gave her some medicine and she seemed better. I felt like an awful Mom for not realizing sooner her ailments were real, not just tantrums. To make me feel more guilty, she woke up the night all of our company left with a terrible barking cough. I took her to the doctor the next day to find out she had croupe! Poor girl was so sick. . .Maybe, this is a lesson for all of us, even in marriage. . .give each other the benefit of the doubt and don't assume the other person is just "throwing tantrums", even if they are :) In the words of Elder Marvin J. Ashton, "Charity is expecting the best of each other". Let us all have charity in our marriages and families!

So many more things to tell you, but alas, I will quit with this one!

Some Milestones

2011-03-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Potty Training

Makani recently received a gift from one of my best friends from college, Angela. The gift was not only for her, but for me as well--a potty!!! We have not been really adamant about potty training yet, but just wanted Makani to get used to it. At first she was afraid of it, until we showed her how it worked. Now, she loves sitting on it.

Last week after breakfast we did our usual routine and put Makani on the potty and read her a book. Before we knew it she went #1 and a little #2!

These are the pictures right after she went potty and got her 1st sticker!

I guess it's time for me to get serious about this "business"!

Nursery

I recently found out that my ward starts kids in nursery at 16 months old. So, last week we took Makani for the first time. I wasn't sure how she would do, but dropped her off and went to Sunday School. Christopher and I loved being able to pay attention and hold hands again (just like dating :), but right after class we both raced down to the nursery to check on Makani. Lucky for us our nursery has a peep hole, so we looked in and saw the cutest thing. The music girl was leading "Do As I'm Doing" and Makani was dancing, singing and trying to follow along. She LOVED nursery!

Yesterday we took her again. This time every child, with the exception of one, was screaming when we arrived. I wasn't sure how Makani would react this time. So, I took her to play with Cora (the only happy child) and left. I went back after Sunday School to "peep" again. . .just dancin' and singin' Makani. After church the nursery leader said she did great and discovered that Makani LOVES bubbles. I guess she wouldn't stop giggling when they blew bubbles. I am just thrilled that she LOVES to go. She really is a social butterfly!

Dumpster Diving

So, we didn't exactly have to get into a dumpster, but our neighbors put a table next to the dumpster for a couple of days. After realizing that nobody was coming for it, I asked my neighbors if they were throwing it away and if we could have it. Being given consent, Christopher was kind enough to hall the dirty thing into the house. This is a solid wood table that seats 6 and expands to seat 12. It was almost just like the one I grew up with, and it was FREE. I wanted it, but it was nasty! It had gum, mud, food, stamps, marker, etc. all over it. I thought it would be a great project for our family, so the project began. I even enlisted some help from my nephew as part of learning "work" in preschool! (Now before you call CPS on me, the kids only "worked" for about 5 minutes then ran off to play. . .and the nasty parts had already been cleaned. I just had them using brushes and water).

Makani originally started with the old cleaning toothbrush, until she tried to put that thing in her mouth. . .YUCK! I promptly switched the tools. What good helpers!

Christopher and I originally planned on staining it, but it was pretty scratched and hashed, and we have to create our own "leaf", so opted to paint it. We spent the weekend working on it, with some minor setbacks. Hopefully, we can get the top coat on and have the final pictures up in the next couple of days. I thought it was a great first project! Definitely not perfect, and some things we will do differently next time, but I plan to have many more projects in the future. I love the satisfaction of creating and working with your hands, especially when you get to see the end result!

A Funny Video for your Viewing Pleasure (It takes a minute or two to get to the funniest part, so just keep watching)

It's A . . .

2011-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!! We just wanted to let you all know that we had our ultrasound this week and found out we are having a baby boy! I am soooo excited! To be honest, we weren't going to find out the gender because I loved waiting with Makani, but with some extenuating circumstances, I decided it was better in this situation to be prepared.

After we left the doctor's office, I was so excited and told Christopher that the only way the day could be any more perfect was if we got an internship offer. Well, guess what? It was a PERFECT day!

To make a very long story as short as possible, Christopher is walking in April, but can't officially graduate without an internship. No diploma means no CES job. So, we've been fasting and praying to find something, particularly something local that would finish by the end of spring term (mid June). Everything seemed like a dead end, but we just kept looking and setting up interviews knowing something would turn up. On Sunday we fasted for an internship and on Monday Christopher had an interview at the Utah Department of Health (literally a 15 minute walk from our house). They told him they needed an intern from May to August, but after interviewing him, they offered him an April to June (30-40 hour/wk) internship! Not only will we stay local, meet our time deadlines, but he will also love his projects (a lot involve working with youth on tobacco prevention, car & bike safety, etc.). It truly was a "red letter day" (and to think, Shakespeare said, "Beware the Ides of March". . . not for us!).

Thank you for all of your prayers! Things are truly falling into place. We know God is in the details!

My New Blog

2011-03-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

If you want to check out a new blog I just started, feel free. . .

http://eternalhappinessfound.blogspot.com/

Our Growing Love

2011-02-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Being that it is Valentine's Day, I thought it was appropriate to share with everyone how our "love" is growing.

For those of you who don't already know (up until now we've only announced to immediate family):

CHUN BABY #2 IS DUE TO ARRIVE AUGUST 4!!!!

We are so excited to welcome a new little one into our family and have our love continue to grow!

Today I had my 4 month check up. We got to hear the heart beat again today! I love it!

We are scheduled to have our ultrasound on March 15! We are very excited. We are still trying to decide if we want to find out the gender on this one (we didn't with Makani)! The doctors all say to wait because it makes it more exciting in the delivery room! The only reason I am even considering finding out is because I know nothing about what is happening in my life after April. On the other hand, I really liked waiting last time. . .What do you think?

Some Reflections

2011-02-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

The past week has been a great week of reflection and pondering for me. Christopher and I were able to attend "An Evening with a General Authority" as CES employees. I guess once a year, all CES employees are invited to hear a speaker and have a "light meal". This year's speaker happened to be President Uchtdorf! Marie, Daniel and Kanoa were kind enough to babysit Makani for us and we ventured to the Salt Lake City Tabernacle where we had front row seats. (Thanks again guys!) We listened intently as President Uchtdorf shared messages of how to continually become a teacher and influencer for good in the turbulent world. While he was speaking to those in the CES profession, I felt the spirit of the message in my role as a wife and mother teacher. The only way to be effective is to have the spirit, which requires much diligence on our part.

Previous to this evening, I had listened to a BYU Devotional by Elder Kikuchi who described the bare necessities of living: prayer and scripture study. He discussed the value of true devotionals with the Lord. A time of praying and pondering. While I say prayers and read scriptures everyday, I often find myself in a ritualistic rut. I needed the reminder to not only "say prayers", but Pray. You can no longer just "read scriptures", but study, feast and ponder upon the word of the Lord.

I can tell you that my concerted efforts to do better to be filled by the spirit, so that I can teach others has been tremendously fulfilling. However, I am not perfect, and I have less than perfect days. Sometimes I wonder how much good I am actually doing in my little family. The Lord knowing my question gave me the sweetest experience to show me.

For months (pretty much since her birth) I have tried to read the scriptures and pray daily with Makani, so that she and I would have that habit built in for a day when she could actually participate. For 13 months I thought I was planting seeds more for my benefit than hers. "Can she actually grasp what is happening at such a young age?" Then, in the last month she taught me that she can. Everyday she sits as we read a verse together, she then folds her arms, remains silent, until the very end when she says her version of "Amen" and then she runs off and plays! At first I thought it was a fluke, but she has done it daily now for weeks. This past week she has stopped in the middle of playing and folder her arms and in a whisper, jibbered something I can only imagine, followed by "amen".

On a lighter note, I was cooking dinner this week and Makani seemed to need some attention. So, I put her in her high chair and had her help me with some spoon banging preparations. I tried to explain to her that I was cooking for dinner. I enunciated the word "cook" for her a few times, so that she would associate the words with my actions. Everyday since, she has blurted out the word in PERFECT enunciation "COOK"!

I don't wonder anymore whether the things I am teaching her are starting to sink in! The sweet rewards of motherhood are simple, but oh so rich!

In one of my favorite talks on Motherhood, "A Mother Heart", by Julie B. Beck, she states:

"[A mother] knows that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily mothering is far more lasting, far more powerful, far more influential than any earthly position or institution invented by man. She has the vision that, if worthy, she has the potential to be blessed as Rebekah of old to be “the mother of thousands of millions” (Gen. 24:60)."

And to that I say AMEN!!!

Just FYI

2011-01-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

The past few months have been absolutely wonderful, crazy, stressful, relaxing, and everything in between! We are happy to report Christopher had a great semester (passed Statistics!!!) and is now making the major plunge before graduation in April. He has a hefty load (19 credits), but we are excited to see the end in sight. Christopher will walk in graduation APRIL 22 from BYU with his BS in Public Health. Following graduation he will jump straight into an internship, so that he will officially receive his diploma after Spring term (mid-June). After that we are hoping to find a job with Seminary (the reason for the insane schedule). We'll keep you posted as things develop. We just wanted all of our family to know the official dates, especially for those who have expressed interest in coming. Yay!

The Twilight Zone!

2011-01-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

With the past few months of holidays and finals, I am just getting back into the blogging world. With the wonderful gift of a friend, I now have a computer at home during the days, so hopefully I will stay on top of the blog!

Over the Christmas break (the first full 2 weeks Christopher and I have ever had without school or work!), we decided to go to Russell Chun's wedding in Camarillo, CA. We were only there for a few days, and our purpose was to be with family, but we did sneak away for an afternoon to visit a few mission sites! It was a whirlwind of a trip and we want to go back to see more of our mission, but talk about "twilight zone". The last time Christopher and I were in California we were missionaries. This time, we went back married with a child. It was strange, but really incredible!

I'll apologize now for the backwards order of the pictures, I can't seem to edit anything right now.

Cutting the cake!

The Ohana in front of the LA Temple

Aunt Linda, Russell, Holly, and Uncle Al

Makani helping set up (p.s. this church, the Camarillo Stake Center, is where we had all of our big zone conferences in the mission. It was also the building I served in my last transfer of the mission! Talk about crazy!)

The makings of a reception!

We took a trip to Santa Barbara to be a tourist for a few hours. Christopher and I both served in SB at different times and in different areas, but it was neat that we both knew all the same places! The random apartment buildings--my old apartment!

Playing at a park that my companion and I used to go eat lunch at.

Makani: our little monkey

Christopher and I flew in on the same airplane to our mission (he actually sat next to my companion). Immediately after leaving the airport, our Mission President took all of us to THIS In-N-Out Burger. It was awesome to go back and relive our memories. Oddly enough, we really don't remember each other at all during these times. Christopher was with the Elders, and I was with the sisters and President. We do remember getting everything "animal-style" though. So, naturally, we ordered everything we did that day!

The pier in Santa Barbara looking back at our beautiful city! Can you believe this is winter? Sunny, 70 degree weather!

Family on the pier

I always wanted to see what these buildings were when I was a missionary: over-priced restaurants. Now I know!

The strangest part of being back: taking my family. Oh, how wonderful it is!

Happy Birthday Makani!

2010-11-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

Makani is officially a year old!!! We just love our baby girl. . .I just can't get over the fact that she is not a baby anymore. Some of her recent updates:

She weighs 17 lbs. 3 oz.
She took 9 steps on her 1st birthday!!!
She crawls like lightning.
She says "dada" (dad), "nana" (banana), "iyess" (yes)
She signs "more" and "all done"
When she eats something off the floor she knows she's not supposed to, she will stick her tongue out for you to get it (unless of coarse she really doesn't want you to have it, then she tries to crawl away!)

She loves eating fruit, cooked veggies, bread of any form, and recently decided formula, rice cereal and all things "baby" are not for her!
She has survived her first illness (roseola) and first cold.
She is attached to her first stuffed animal (thank you, Uncle Neal!)
She loves reading books, jogging with Mommy, swinging on swings, digging in dirt, being chased, and playing music!

I could go on, but you get the picture! She is absolutely the greatest blessing in our life! We love our little Makani!

Makani's first birthday--luau style! (My mom and siblings were all in town, so we celebrated a week early!)

We ate pork, rice, spinach, cabbage/carrots, rolls, fruit, and had sherbet "fish" for dessert!

Daniel, Marie and Kanoa came!

Makani received so many wonderful gifts. She is now the most stylish girl thanks to her aunties, uncles and tutus. She is also the new Princess and the Frog! (The giant purple frog is her new best friend! She carries it around from wake up to bedtime!)

MAHALO to all our wonderful family who sent cards, gifts, emails, and phone calls. We appreciate your outpouring of love so much! We had a great time with so many of our family and send our love to those abroad!

HALLOWEEN

Well, our pumpkin didn't survive. . .we threw it out before Halloween!

Our back fence decided to dress up with vibrant colors for the holidays before shedding all of its leaves.

Makani fell asleep before the Halloween festivities began on Saturday, so we dressed her up on Sunday for our family dinner at Grandma's. (Luckily, the costume is big enough that you may see it again next year!)

Makani has finally figured out how to operate her vehicle from Grandpa Chamberlain!

My favorite people in the whole world (one even has a domino in her mouth!)

Playing Catch Up. . .

2010-10-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

It seems there have been many whirlwinds in the lives of my family lately. My brother and sister-in-law recently experienced literal whirlwinds in Arizona, but our family has experienced a different kind lately! In the midst of all of these happenings, we are extremely grateful for the blessings we do have, and especially the knowledge of the Plan of Happiness. It has truly made the hard times bearable, and the sweet times sweeter!

You know the theory of forces, it applies spiritually as well. Whenever I experience trials, I always know God provides blessings either before or after the trial to remind me I am not forgotten. This is one of those times in my life where every trial also came with a blessing in the midst! So, here's a glimpse of what has happened:

I ran my first race ever! A charity 6k run!

My finish time: 32:30. Not bad for my first race!

My brother, Neal, was going to run it with me, but hurt is knee a few days before. So, he came to cheer me on instead. Thanks Neal!

And thanks to my biggest supporters, Christopher and Makani. Makani trained with me everyday and Christopher encouraged me throughout!

Christopher's First BYU Football Game

Some sweet friends of ours gave us their tickets to the game because they were out of town. We left Makani with a babysitter and enjoyed being in the stands, even though we lost miserably!

Dad in Australia: These pictures were taken for you!

Contracting Roseola

Amidst other personal hardships, Makani started running high fevers that I initially thought might be related to her new teeth coming in. After a few days I called the doctor's office and they told me to just give her medicine and a nice soothing bath. Without going into details, Makani broke into a rash after giving her the bath, and I assumed I had caused the rash. I felt terrible!

Ironically, I took a picture of Makani in this very bath (she usually only showers now, and I thought she was so cute in her tiny bucket for a bath!)

After talking with my Mom, she suggested that maybe the fevers and rash were symptoms of Roseola. Sure enough, I called the doctor again and explained the rash without mentioning Roseola, and the nurse confirmed my mother's suspicion. The nurse explained that it is very common for kids at this age to get it. She explained that like chicken pox, you just get it once and then become immune. 90% of people get it before they are 3 years old. Unfortunately, I was one of the 10% who never had it as a child, therefore, I got it as well.

Makani did a bit of playing on her own while I was sick in bed!

The Nightmare

After running fevers and breaking out in rash, I thought my body would bounce back as normal just like Makani had. Well, I was wrong. . .

One night, after running fevers of 103, I asked Christopher to bring the computer to the bedroom so he could do his homework where I could at least see him (I hadn't seen him all day). I fell asleep on his shoulder as he continued to work on the computer.

At midnight, he woke me up to pray with him and the nightmare began. All of the sudden my hands started flailing uncontrollably and the next thing I remember is waking up to a room full of strange men standing around me in my bedroom. Crying. Darkness. Unconsciousness. Needle in my arm. Bright lights. Machinery. "Ambulance". "This has happened before". "Seizure"!

Yes, I had a seizure! This happened to me when I was 12 years old working on a computer when I was sick. I have some seizure triggers, I've always been able to manage them just fine, until now. I was devastated. Without too many details, I still felt extremely blessed. One small miracle was that our neighbors in our ward had just finished a movie when they saw the ambulance lights at our house. They came and stayed with Makani (she slept through the whole thing), so Christopher could follow the ambulance. Other miracles and blessings have been poured out throughout the ordeal! If you want the long story, just ask me! It has been a crazy ride, but I have learned a ton! We had general conference two days after the seizure and I can testify that the Lord will not leave you comfortless!

Chamberlain Cousins Dinner

After much anticipation, we finally had our cousins dinner! The fall weather changed our park location to the church, but allowed me to experiment with some fall foods: stew, chowder, chili, cornbread, salads, cookies and cobblers. We had fun eating, mingling, and playing "Imaginiff"! We are looking forward to a "white elephant" get together come December!

More adventures to talk about. . .not enough time. . .

For now we'll just say, life is getting back to normal!

Life: A beautiful rainbow hidden in the clouds!

Makani's toothy smile. . .swinging makes everything better!

Family Vacation Destination:Utah

2010-09-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Our two weeks of vacation between semesters was condensed into about five days since BYU ended just days before Christopher began his part-time seminary teaching position. So, we made the most of it with many visitors and tons of family fun. Here are a few of the pictures:

My Dad came to town to bring my little brother, Noah, back to school after his return home from his mission in Japan. As part of that trip, my Dad had "grandpa intentions". He bought Makani some toys. This is just one of them. It has a piano, laptop, telephone, and book. It lights up, sings, teaches, and even speaks English/Spanish! Makani loves it! Thanks Dad!

My Grandpa Chamberlain had quite the apricot season. He knew I was anxious to learn how to bottle, so he brought all of his equipment and apricots and taught Christopher and me how to bottle fruit! Yay for provident living!

We took a camping trip up Spanish Fork Canyon.

This was Makani waking up in the morning!

Driving to the Canyon to hike (I just liked the two bottom teeth poking through. She actually has four teeth now, with two more on the way!)

Makani LOVED hiking!

Looks like the hike wore everyone out!

We took a Sunday trip to SLC!

We went to one of the world's biggest dinosaur museums at Thanksgiving Point! It was AMAZING!!!

And this was a picture taken the first day I realized Makani was mobile:
I set Makani down to get ready for the day and realized her giggles had stopped. So, I peeked around the corner just in time to find her eating the dirt of the plant she turned over. I had to take a picture!
IT HAS BEGUN. . .

Now that summer is over, we are officially enjoying the fall and back-to-school events. Like usual, Christopher is extremely busy this semester. He teaches a high school seminary class at Mountainview in the mornings, then drives to Pleasant Grove to teach two junior high classes, followed by full credits of public health classes in the evening. The good news is, Christopher has his own office to eat and study between classes, and sometimes I even get to visit him! (His principal said they encourage the wives to come and even sit in on the classes if they want. . .). So far, the semester is going well and Christopher loves teaching seminary!

As for me. . .I LOVE being a Mom! Am still working as a Mother's Helper (Makani comes with me still!). Just started HIIT/Zumba/Boot Camp classes again. Just won my first intramural Volleyball game. And, Saturday I will run my first race! Yeah, for a beautiful life!

More Summer Fun!

2010-07-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the family Grace Kamalani!

My incredible sister-in-law, Celeste (Christopher's oldest sister), just had her second baby girl. Weighing in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. we are soooo excited to meet her. This will be Makani's closest cousin in age. . .hopefully, we can get to Georgia soon!

We love you Jonathan, Celeste, Elena, and baby Grace!

A Place to Call Home

Realizing that we may be in our apartment for quite a long time, we decided to use Marie's leftover paint this weekend and spruce up our place a bit. . .the completely white basement walls needed a little life. . .we haven't hung pictures yet, but it already looks more like home!

Our bedroom

Our "spicy" kitchen

The green living room (we did this one a while ago, but I forgot to post)

Needless to say, the colors were pretty bold, so we only did an accent wall in each room, but I love it!

We also came up with a very inexpensive and creative way to change our scary storage room into something more appealing:

BEFORE

AFTER

We found fabric at Walmart for $5 a bolt, so we got a stretchy white cotton/rayon blend and tied the corners to the ceiling covering all the exposed pipes and beams. We also hung a sheet on the back wall to hide more pipes! It looks like a completely different room.

Moving On. . .

Our wonderful friends, Sam and Garin Brooks, are moving next weekend to California to start practicing law, so we got to have a final play date with Elijah Brooks.

Elijah and Makani are only 3 weeks apart in age, but Elijah is so active and teaching Makani the perks to being mobile!

Laundry Day at the Chuns

Makani's clothes were all in the laundry or being treated with good 'ole fashioned Fels-Naptha soap (solid foods sure make a mess), so she loved her cloth diaper and freedom!

She is also loving her "Busy Book" from Aunt Ruth Ann!

Pioneer Day Events

We had a great ward BBQ and Makani made a new friend--Luna!

The Pingree's dog, Luna, is such a sweetheart. Makani kept growling and kicking her legs to get a closer look, so Christopher Makani play with her. Makani was so excited, she couldn't keep from screaming and jumping! It was absolutely hilarious.

This is one of Makani's best friends in the ward, Haydn Wells. He is quite a bit older, but Makani adores him. Jennifer (Haydn's Mom) and I started jogging/walking months ago together. Haydn and Makani have been a great pair ever since!

Later that night, we enjoyed our second annual trip to Mapleton for fireworks with Marie, Kanoa and Daniel. By tradition, we made homemade icecream in ziplocs as we sat and waited for the show. Unfortunately, we didn't have quite enough ice, so the ice cream was quite runny and a little on the salty side!

Makani loved the music, but wasn't too thrilled with the booming fireworks!

Not a toothless Grin Anymore

Makani now has two bottom teeth. The second one just cut through and made its debut today!

God Bless America!

2010-07-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Makani's first giant carrot! She loved it on her gums!

The gang at Grandma and Grandpa Bingham's: Michelle, Lexi, and Cole watching as the twins and Asher attack Madison!

Marie and Kanoa at the Provo Parade!

Makani actually fell asleep with sirens screaming, music blasting, and even obnoxious little boys stepping on her!

I have always loved Independence Day, but with time and understanding, I love it even more! *When I was a little girl my father often spoke about the Presidents of the United States as well as the Prophets (he revered them enough to name almost all of my brothers after them-- Taylor Nephi, Neal, Noah, Lincoln, Madison, Hunter), and it wasn't until I got older that I realized that being the President of the U.S. was not the same as being a prophet. I just heard "President" and assumed they were all men of God. (Sadly, I do not think my children will make that mistake with the political men we often see in office today.) Yet, the founding fathers were truly men of vision and inspiration. It was in studying the foundation of our country that led me to my own conversion about God's intricately detailed plan for the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith. I will always be grateful to those men and women who prepared the way for me to enjoy the freedoms I now have. God truly has kept his eye on this country to make it a place for the gospel to flourish. On my mission I met many modern-day pioneers who joined the church after they came to America. They all thanked God for bringing them to a place where freedom of religion allowed the gospel to find them. I hope that we can continue to give thanks to God for our freedom by worshiping with all of our heart. As well as sharing the gospel with EVERYONE!!!!

(*Many of those inspired men visited President Wilford Woodruff in the St. George temple and asked to have their work done, so maybe I wasn't so far off afterall! I'm reading a great book about all the "Other Eminent Men" that came to President Woodruff and also had their work done. It is incredible!)

I love living in Provo during the 4th of July for so many reasons, but here are just a few:

1. We have the best Patriotic Programs ever! (Steve Young, Jenny Oaks Baker, Alex Boye, Jenny Frogley, bag pipes, war veterans, etc. all in one evening!)

2. Stadium of Fire--This year featured Carrie Underwood. . .okay, so I didn't go, but I watched the fireworks from my front porch while my baby slept soundly inside!

3. A carnival and live music right down the street--close enough to walk, but far enough not to hear the noise. Plus, it is the only carnival I've ever seen that prohibits smoking (not bad for Makani's little lungs)!

4. The only parade I know of where a whole fleet of full-time missionaries (including the Mission President and his wife) get the whole crowd cheering. Not to mention the floats with scripture quotes and polynesian bands louder than a BYU football game!

5. Maybe the best reason of all, much of my family was there to celebrate! Gotta love them barbecues!

2010-06-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Life seems to be speeding up these days, and I can hardly believe some of the milestones we are reaching that seemed forever away.

July 3 will mark the 2 year anniversary of Christopher and I never spending a day apart (and I would like to keep it that way!).

My brother (#9 of 10) , Madison, just started summer term at BYU. . .I thought I would be so old by the time he was in college! It has been awesome to help him adjust to college life. He called me twice about fun Provo activities. . .maybe I'm not that nerdy in his eyes afterall!

Makani survived her first trip to the hospital (more importantly, Mommy survived it too!). We decided to have Makani screened for kidney reflux as ordered by her pediatrician. The whole procedure scared me, but after some research and prayer we went ahead with the procedure. She ended up only having a nasal sedative which did not knock her out completely, but made her oh so giggly! Christopher and I were both there and she did amazingly well. The results showed no abnormalities or problems, so I am grateful that all worked out for the best! The doctors and nurses were all amazing and I am so grateful for their gentleness with our baby!

We bought our first family tent and took Makani on her first camping trip. This is her inside the tent!

The camping trip was inspired by our first family visit to the Manti pageant (it might be the last. . .quite an interesting production. . .maybe I just don't understand how 70s music and sacred things mix?!?) It was a beautiful night and we were in great company with Ryan and Chelsea Martin!!!

Makani is really teething and I expect her two bottom teeth to pop through any day! She is doing well, but more grumpy than she has ever been.

Makani no longer has to be swaddled to sleep! However, now she likes to play during naptime (haha, I'll take that giggle from the bedroom any time)!

Makani gets into crawling position now, but is still not quite mobile.

Oh, and so many festivities with family. . .hopefully, pictures to come after the 4th of July weekend!

TODAY, Makani had her first hairdo and all the personality to go with it. I got a little carried away with the camera. Enjoy!

And the ponytail came out!

This is a common grunting face that came out of nowhere, but unfortunately gets reinforced by everyone's laughs every time!

Oh, how we love our Makani Leah!

A Very Happy Birthday and Mother's Day!

2010-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I thought this birthday was going to be pretty uneventful, maybe even a little depressing. As my sister put it, "one year older, NOT wiser too!" is what I was preparing for, but alas, I was wrong again!

This was probably one of THE BEST birthdays I have ever had. My sweet husband knew he would be at school and work all day on my actual birthday, so we celebrated on Saturday! He had a full day of surprises planned for me including going to the temple, shopping for a new wardrobe, meals, flowers, ice cream, haircut, and some good quality time laughing, playing, and reading my favorite Wallace Whipple! Honestly, the best part was his sacrifice of time. He is so busy with school and work, but never neglects us. Just the fact that I have a sweet husband and a beautiful, healthy little girl made this birthday and Mother's Day fantastic! I will never forget turning 25!

I also received many wonderful birthday wishes. Friends from childhood (Rachel), high school (Marissa), current ward, siblings, parents, and even my in-laws all called or wrote to me. Thank you all for thinking of me. I love you all!

We were pretty goofy all day!

I nearly cried when Christopher brought me a dozen roses!

"Beef, it's what's for dinner!"--Homemade hamburgers and potato salad!

This week was also an incredibly fun week because Makani started solids. The following pictures were our record of her very first experience with solids :)

I think it will take some getting used to!

Conference + Easter = Best Weekend Ever

2010-04-09T09:36:00.001-07:00

The past two weeks have been the busiest weeks we have had in a long time! Let me just give you a quick idea of the crazy, but good times! (There are a lot of highlights, so I will just throw in random pictures throughout! This is more of a record for me!)

Christopher finally had his 10-day Seminary teaching experience at Timpview High School. While very challenging, it was also rewarding (you'll have to ask him about the evaluation results!!!)! He also started his new job at the MTC the same week. He was selected to be on a development team for the new curriculum that will begin this June (don't ask him too many questions about this yet. . .it is CONFIDENTIAL???). We are nearing the end of the semester, so most of Christopher's projects and papers also became due. Christopher won the "best actor" award in one of his presentations for public health, and also spiced up a tour of a water treatment plant with a little humor (honestly, it is disgusting to think that fertilizer comes from the remains of our processed water. . .if you want details. . .again, ask Christopher). Among all of this, Christopher still made time for his demanding Church calling and his family! He truly is the most amazing person I have ever met. I think I will keep him. . .FOREVER!

Amidst all the projects, we had so much fun with events and visitors. Last Wednesday, I was invited to attend a Relief Society Leadership Training Meeting with the General Relief Society Presidency! We met in the SLC Tabernacle and enjoyed an up-close and laid back meeting with Sister Beck and her counselors. A very condensed version of our meeting became her talk in General Conference. It was amazing to learn from such powerful women.

That Thursday afternoon my cousins Melanie and Cody Chamberlain came for lunch. Melanie teaches high school in Washington D.C. and spent her spring break in Utah and Idaho with family. It was a blast to spend time with her and Cody. That night another cousin, Jacob Chun and some friends from our mission came up from California for a visit. Marie, Camille and Kanoa came over and we had a big pizza party at our house!

Friday night I had a sister missionary reunion. So many of my companions were there, even Sister Stock from Canada! (I got to spend some one-on-one with her this past Tuesday!) I was companions with all, but 3 of these sisters!

Saturday morning we drove to SLC to enjoy General Conference in the Tabernacle (Makani can't attend the Conference Center--they record and don't want crying babies!). Afterward, we enjoyed our picnic lunch in the Joseph Smith Building because it was freezing outside. We then found missionaries that Christopher taught in the MTC 16 months ago! On our way to find Jacob Chun and Friends, we ran into ELDER CHAMBERLAIN! We honestly walked right into each other! It was an awesome experience to see how much Lincoln is changing. We talked to him for about 15 minutes. He is doing great and seems to be working hard. Their goal is to baptize every weekend. . .in his mission that is feasible (Oh, how I would have loved that!)! It was a great reunion and a highlight of the week! A few minutes after that we met, "Satan"! He stood behind all of the protesters with a sign that said, "My name is Satan. These protesters are my minions." Every time the protesters would start yelling he would shake his "thunder maker". Then, when protesters would hand out pamphlets he would tell the people that took them that he (Satan) wrote them. Needless to say, it was a creative way to combat the radical nature of the protesters! We spent the afternoon session with some great friends, the Greenlands (Kasey Greenland was Christopher's mission companion in Santa Maria)!

Saturday night a young single adult recent convert from my mission in San Luis Obispo, Jenna Stiver, came to hang out. We had a great time reliving the mission. Jenna used to go out with us every Saturday for eight hours straight. Our favorite memory is still knocking car windows as a mile long line of cars waited for a train to pass (they had no way of escaping!) Then, we went over to Marie's for our traditional cinnamon roll bake. The men came over after priesthood session to eat and share their insights.

Sunday, Easter morning brought snow and Music and the Spoken Word. We decided to watch Conference at our upstairs neighbors house, The Martins. It turns out the Easter bunny left us a basket at their house! We enjoyed conference and headed to the church for the afternoon session. Conference and Easter are two of my favorite holidays. So, this was probably one of the most fantastic weekends of my life. I felt like the theme was "strengthening family"! Oh, how I love my family!!! I was grateful that Marie and Camille could come over that night for an Easter dinner. We even started a new tradition of making homemade bread for Easter in commemoration of Christ, "the bread of life".

This week we have been playing catch up from the craziness of last week. However, we got to enjoy dinner at Zupas with one of my old Young Women's presidents, Sister Pett. Coincidentally, her son and his wife live in our ward, so she took us all out to eat. Then we had a Relief Society class with Brother Brinley. He is a famous Marriage and Family Therapist who taught at BYU and wrote numerous books. He is the grandfather of a girl in our ward, so he came to speak on marital communication. He said the key to happiness in marriage is not communication, but living the gospel. The greatest advice he could give was that we pray as couples together every morning and every night. He said, that is inevitably to first thing that goes before your marriage falls apart. The next is intimacy (a sacrament to renew your marriage covenant). It was a great experience to hear an expert in the secular world take it all back to the basics of the gospel.

As you can see. . .my sweet husband is already teaching Makani the ways of the Lord!

From the looks of it, they are reading "go up, thou BALD head" (2 Kgs. 2:23). Hopefully, Makani's bald spot will fade soon. She is sitting up and rolling now!

The Many Faces of Makani

2010-03-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

I decided I should probably take some more pictures of Makani at this age because she is hilarious. Funny enough, she doesn't know she is supposed to smile at the camera yet. Fortunately, I captured some of her other priceless faces that we see everyday, but are hard to imagine. Enjoy!

A lot of these were taken yesterday or over the weekend.

Ooo. . .what is that?

Am I supposed to smile? I'm thinking about crying instead.

Hey! What's up?

Mommy calls this my "Grandpa face". . .totally gummin' it!

Cousin Hannah, gave Mommy this new contraption. Now, I can ride on Mommy's back or sit propped on the floor.

Oh, Daddy has the camera now. . .gotta look UP!

Does anyone notice my arms are down and I just wanna go to sleep. I'm too tired to play!

This is my "just waking up" face!

I can play all by myself now . . . put your feet up in the air, kick 'em like you just don't care!

Deer in the headlights!

Oh, that camera again?!?

Long and Lean. . .Must be Chun!

2010-03-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Makani is 4 months old and I haven't blogged in weeks!!! On Friday Makani had her 4 month check up. Here are the totally Chun stats:

24 7/8 inches=71.37% = LONG
12 lbs. 12 oz.= 28.36% = LEAN
15 1/2 cm = 9.39% = SMALL HEAD

She is totally fitting the long and lean Chun profile of her Daddy, but maintains the cutest chubby cheeks! The doctor says she is growing just fine and is extremely strong! She is not quite rolling over yet, but will roll to her sides, try to sit herself up when you lay her down, and loves "jumping". She has also developed a new habit that makes me happy, but nervous at times. . .sleeping for 9-10 hours in the night! Being a mom with a baby that sleeps 10 hours is hard ;) I just keep thinking I'm gonna get it with the next one.

On the not-so-happy news. . .due to my family history of kidney problems (I had kidney infections at 4 years old, and my brother recently had a kidney transplant), Makani will be undergoing a testing procedure (vcug) in about 2 months. I had the procedure when I was about 10 years old, and it still remains one of the most humiliating and traumatic experiences of my life. So, they have recommended that Makani be tested while still an infant without having to undergo some of that trauma. It breaks my heart to think about it, so Mommas, I need your prayers.

Knowing that Makani will have to go through this pain, but knowing it is for her benefit has helped me understand the Plan of Salvation a little bit better. I cannot fathom how difficult it might have been for our Heavenly Parents to know how much we would struggle in mortality and hurt, but to send us anyway. What's even more beyond comprehension to imagine is our Heavenly Parents, knowing from the foundations of the world that their Son, Jesus Christ, was going to take upon him the pains, sicknesses, and sins of the world (Alma 7:11), and being willing. . .all of us were worth that price to Them!

I have known the love of my Heavenly Parents since I was a child, but as a new mother I am just beginning to comprehend their Infinite Love that knows NO bounds. I truly Stand All Amazed!

2010-02-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

By request a quick video update of Makani. She is starting to laugh for the first time and its the funniest thing. She was pretty tired when we did this one, so she wasn't laughing as hard, but it is still a good one!

The Song of an Angel

2010-02-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I had an experience that made my heart melt. Everyday when Christopher comes home he spends some Daddy time with Makani. He usually takes over the diaper changing and burping, etc. I love it! The best part is he sings to Makani. Christopher and Makani will spend an hour just cooing back and forth. Christopher can get her to converse unceasingly. She smiles, laughs (it's more like a cough at this point), kicks, and jumps in his arms. I have loved watching my sweet husband become such an amazing father. He loves spending time with her and I love watching it. He has also been teaching Makani to love music for which I get to benefit.

Last night I got to feel that joy of music. After getting Makani ready for bed I held her in my arms and began singing, "I Am A Child of God". As I began to sing she locked her eyes on mine, and started singing (cooing) with me. We sang all the verses together without a break. I kissed her, told her I loved her, put her in her cradle and she quietly went to sleep (she slept a full 8 hours!!!). I have sung to Makani everyday since she was born, but last night was different. She was so intent on singing with me. After a long day she was my little angel. Those moments are the reason I love being a mother!

Makani loves wearing her "bear suit". If I am going out with her and I know she is tired I just put her bear suit on her and she falls straight to sleep. It is so warm and comforting. Sometimes I wish I had a bear suit to fall asleep in! (Thanks for the bear suit Gma!)

P.S. It might be hard to believe, but Makani's hair is growing in at the top! It also appears that darkish (brown/green?) specks are piercing through her gray eyes. . .she is changing so fast!

Cloth Diapering!

2010-01-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

Living the adventurous life that we love. . .I started using cloth diapers last week! Wondering what the pioneers must have done, knowing what my mother did, and looking at my budget, I decided it was finally time to give it a go. Lucky for me I did not have to pay $20 a diaper for the new fancy pants diapers. . .my boss (mother of 5, nurse, and lactation consultant) gave me all of hers for free!!!

While they are a bit older, they are still better than the ones my Mom used which had to be folded and pinned. These babies are high tech with their velcro straps, elastic leg and waistbands, and have extra leak protection. They even came with disposable liners and top of the line plastic pants to cover! What more could I ask for. . .

After the first two days of washing not only diapers, but also multiple pairs of clothes, I realized I needed an instruction manual! Either Makani is very talented at getting everything out the back, or I was doing something wrong. All mothers claim that their children are talented, but this was one area I really questioned. After some experimenting I determined that the little strip of fabric in the back not covered by the plastic pants was the true culprit. It seemed to be the source of all leakage to the clothes, blankets, and sheets. After my discovery, day three with the diapers was golden. Now Makani sports the "girlish figure" of a 20 year old on a twinkie diet. Poor girl only gets the "slimming" diapers when she goes out in public, but only because I don't want to keep a wet diaper in my purse.

Maybe one day fashion will win over practicality, but not today!

P.S. Being a plumber for a year makes cloth diapering a lot easier for me. . .if you don't like bathroom messes. . .please take caution in approaching cloth diapering! haha.

A Little of This and a Little of That

2010-01-15T16:05:00.001-08:00

We are already two weeks into 2010 and so much is already happening. I should first give the Makani 2 month update:

Weight: 10 lbs. 15 oz. (55.18%)
Height:22.5 inches (57.53%)
Head: 14 3/4 inches (18.67%)

Conclusion: Makani is GROWING!!!

She is also smiling, cooing, and slobbering A LOT! (Could she already be teething?). She also hit her record sleep time of 7 hours straight and has remained consistent at 6-7 hours the last 3 nights. She is getting more animated everyday and we are loving it! I'll try to get pictures up soon.

Christopher did extremely well last semester and is excited for this new semester. He is continuing on with a heavy load of Public Health classes along with Hawaiian language and Seminary Teaching. So far he is loving his classes and trying to get as much as he can out of them (we just realized he can graduate next year!!!). Also, he became the zone coordinator at the MTC, so his work is a little more demanding, but he is managing it well. He also just got a basketball for Christmas, so we hope to break it in this semester!

As for me. . .I LOVE being a Mom! Now that my hormones and my body are getting back to normal, I feel like a million bucks! I went back to work this week and felt really good about it. I will only be working one day a week, and can take Makani with me. I love the family I work for and feel like I am really helping, so I am extremely blessed! I also ran my first mile since I was 6 months pregnant. I wanted to die at about the 4th lap, but kept going to finish with the earth-shattering time of 10 minutes 10 seconds! haha. I won't be running any marathons soon, but hope to run a 5k this spring. I've got some work to do. I also went to our ward's exercise group. My friend Chelsie used to be a personal trainer and teaches once a week at the church for all the Mom's and their kids. I went and felt really good, but woke up the next day sore in all the "hard to get" places. Man, I love that feeling.

Another new adventure for me this year is teaching stress managment workshops at my house once a week for women. I've only had one workshop so far, but had an incredible experience. We discussed our purpose as women and how to set goals to fulfill our purpose. The discussion made me want to know how all of YOU view your purpose. I was hoping I could get some feedback on the question:

What is my role/purpose as a woman?

Let me know what you think! I am sincerely interested! Love you all a ton! Happy January!

Happy Holidays!

2010-01-07T11:40:00.001-08:00

Well, I started this post forever ago, but never finished. . .(kinda like our New Year's Letter). I thought I should probably post it for history's sake. Unfortunately, the best stuff is on our video camera. . .we forgot to take pictures of our homemade fireplace, Makani opening presents, the incredible Christmas morning and New Year's, etc. Actually, I have learned something about video taping. . .it is usually not that interesting to anyone except the one video taping and maybe grandparents (Christopher actually put all my home videos on DVDs for me for Christmas. I spent hours watching things that nobody else would even care to about). Regardless, we had an incredible holiday season!!!

Cole, Michelle, and Lexi came to visit. We went to the Museum of Art (MOA) and checked out some crazy exhibits, including BYU's collection of Rembrandts.

Our traditional SLC Temple Square Visit. Christopher found his "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree. I think it was the only tree on temple square without lights!

Christmas Eve brought us a formal ham dinner at home! We also read Luke 2, watched "Elf", and made our homemade fireplace to hang our stockings on.

Makani's First Christmas!

As cute as those little dresses are, she spit up all over it in the first 5 minutes! Haha.

New Year's Eve was a night of culinary genius (All Marie's doing)! We had a million different Asian/Hawaiian dishes all made from scratch (Sweet'n'sour, orange chicken, teriyaki chicken, cream cheese won tons, mauna pua, etc.) After eating we all hung out a little and definitely crashed well before midnight! (I sleep when Makani sleeps!!!)

And Christopher caught me being goofy on the last night of 2009! Bring in the New Year!

Surprise! More Visitors!

2009-12-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

They say that children increase your love, but I didn't know it would increase my love for EVERYONE! I truly am grateful to all of the wonderful people in my life who have taken time to come and visit. Makani has brought long overdue reunions with so many people that I love!

My cousin, Hannah, had her second little boy this month. So, her first little boy, Dennison, came with his grandma (my Aunt) to say hello! (Hannah, he is the most inquisitive little boy I've ever met! It is hilarious!!!)

Aunt Ruth Ann, Dennison, and Makani! Thanks for taking the time to visit!!!

And, my high school friends even made a visit! Jennifer Bailey with her two girls, Hannah and Olivia (Olivia is only 4 days older than Makani)

Kalli Hiller even put us on her world tour! Thanks again for coming! It was a blast to visit with both of you!

And to those of you who want to know why Makani looks HUGE. . .it's because she is! Yesterday we had an appointment and she came in with the following stats:

Weight: 9.4 (that is two whole pounds in just one month. . .way to go!)
Height: 21 inches (two inches in a month)
Head: 13.5 (I think that is what they said)

She is now in the 50% in all three categories! We are glad she is so healthy! We are having a blast and can't wait for Christmas!!!

A Season of Thanks

2009-12-05T17:47:00.001-08:00

As this Thanksgiving came and went I was overwhelmed with the realization of the infinite blessings we have been given as a family and individually. Having a healthy baby has really opened my eyes to the love of our Heavenly Father, but also the love of earthly parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends. Appropriately named, Makani (wind/spirit=a power more felt than seen), has given us all an excuse to share our love for one another even more. Thank you to all who sacrificed so much to be with us both physically and in love! We are truly humbled to count you each as a great blessing in our lives!

Disclaimer: I hesitated posting these because I am missing pictures of MANY of the events of the season. So, if you have some of the pictures, PLEASE send 'em my way! (ie. All grandmas, Ariel, Celeste, etc.)

Makani having tummy time after her bath! I love that I finally caught her with her eyes open!

Family Home Evening at Provo's Winterfest Lighting of Downtown!

I was so nervous that Makani would be too cold and upset to go to Winterfest, but she loved being in Christopher's jacket bundled up. I'm pretty sure she thought she was back in the womb! She loved it so much that she slept through the whole thing!

Makani's blessing day: Four generations
(I know somebody took more pics of that day?!?)

The last of our scheduled visitors arrived today-Grandpa Chamberlain!!!
After my Dad left I couldn't help but miss ALL of my parents that much more (Mom and Dads in Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Australia. . .we love you all soooo much more now that we are parents ourselves!)

We can't wait to see you all again soon!

The Stats Are In

2009-11-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

We have officially become "proud parents" and seem to love documenting every new event with Makani. This morning was the FIRST BOTTLE experience. My doctor said if we ever wanted Makani to take a bottle, now was the time to introduce it. So, I pumped for the first time this morning and left Christopher and Makani to experience the joy together!

Daddy is a natural. . .however, that bottle was apparently not so natural!

When I got home. . .Success! Makani did take the bottle, but apparently she gave Daddy the scowl to let him know she was not fooled! Then she got bright-eyed and played for a while!

AND. . .the results are in from her two week appointment (actually 12 days old):

Weight- 7.4 1/2 lbs. (She was 6.13 at birth and dropped a ton of weight in the hospital, so I was pleased to find that she was 7 oz. over her birth weight! She must be eating okay!)--21.44% (still very little for her age!)

Height-19.5 inches (she was 18.5 at birth)--23.86%

Head circumference- 32 3/4 cms--1.57% (well that explains why every infant hat is gigantic on her!)

Our First Walk

2009-11-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day and it was time for us to experience getting ready and going out.

And here is a video for the Grandmas. . .she doesn't do much yet, but somehow I can still spend hours just looking at her!

2009-11-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Because of high demands of Grandmas we will post more pictures...

We wanted to show how long her fingers are, but she kept playing around!

This is the "bird face" it usually means she is hungry...

This is the "scowl face" that she makes at her dad...

These are her feets. Notice that the second toe is longer than the rest...that's Maleah's toe. Notice that she has a gap between the thumb toe and the first toe that is big enough to grab a banana or unsuspecting specimens.

This is kanoa holding Makani. We kept trying to get pictures of him kissing her, but are camera is too slow.

The cute "jeans" come from her mother...

2009-11-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Christopher...

Maleah...

Baby...

I think she takes after her mom....

2009-11-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

Sleepy girl!

Baby Girl Chun

2009-11-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Born at 11:08am on November the 8th, this precious baby girl weighed in at 6 lbs 13 0z and measured 18.5 inches.

Baby girl, you've come into a family that loves you tremendously. We love you Christopher and Maleah!

Aunty Marie

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Happy Halloween

2009-11-05T10:52:00.001-08:00

We have had some very busy and fun-filled weeks recently. Amidst the colder weather, even snow flurries, Utah seems to transform into a playland of holiday cheer. We love this time of year at our house and always find something to celebrate!

Marie made the best Fall dinner! Homemade bread bowls with homemade chowder! The cold weather inspires food celebrations of all kinds around here!

Marie, Kanoa and Camille carved pumpkins before Halloween. Kanoa was not particularly fond of getting his hands dirty in the pumpkin (in fact, he hated it!!!)

Christopher and I ran away for a weekend to enjoy our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary! (I can't believe it has already been a year!) He surprised me with homemade pizza, a hotel in Salt Lake, a night on the town, a day of being a tourist (Temple Square, the Capitol Building, etc.), and even lunch at Cafe Rio (we never eat out, so this was a BIG deal!)! Too many details, may bore you, but for weeks we had been remembering our "story" by reading the journals and remembering how much the Lord has guided us in our journey. I am so grateful for such an incredible husband and can honestly say that I love him more today than the day I married him! Here's to another year of adventure!!!

We even tried our cake that had been frozen for the past year. . .not too bad!

After a very busy day of school, work, tests, appointments, and a surprise visit from my Dad this is what we came up with for our costumes at our ward party: The Hunchback and Hunchfront! (For only five minutes of prep. we got some good laughs!)

Oh, so many memories, so little blogging time. . .hopefully, our journals catch the details better. Moral of the story. . .we are having so much FUN!!!

Consistency

2009-10-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

In General Conference Elder Bednar spoke about being more diligent and concerned in our homes and with our families. He spoke of "consistency" as one of the greatest teachers and a destroyers of hypocrisy. He counseled us to be consistent in family prayer, scripture study and Family Home Evening. There are many other areas in our lives that also deserve a measure of consistency like temple attendance, service to others, etc. One area of consistency I am working on. . .keeping family and friends updated, hence the blogging! Also, letting you all know how much I love and appreciate you. Despite my inadequacy in calling regularly, I do think and pray for you consistently. As I get closer to the arrival of my one year wedding anniversary and the birth of our baby, I can't help but reflect on the consistency of the Lord blessing my life, and usually through people like you! Thank you for EVERYTHING!!!

I am grateful for the time I have had to learn consistency on my own and in marriage, and I look forward to the adventure and adjustment in finding consistency with a child. I hope we all take time to evaluate areas where we need to set goals for more consistency!

Some very consistent things in my life. . .DATE NIGHT with CHRISTOPHER!!!

This weekend's adventures. . .

Our "other" front door. . .After choking on the prices for fall decorations I went to the dollar store and made a simple wreath for $2.

Pumpkins from our garden we decorated!

I can't bring myself to make scary things for Halloween anymore

Christopher's skill in carving. . .do you see how small that pumpkin is?

He is an artistic genius. Maybe he should be a dentist with his abilities to work so intricately! (Maybe not. . .I don't want to be missing that many teeth)

Christopher on the tracks for the Heber Creeper

Where two tracks meet as one!

Driving up to the Alpine Loop just to enjoy the Fall Colors!

P.S. Christopher is laughing at the "cheesiness" of some of these captions! haha

The Fall Harvest!

2009-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last week the weather began turning cooler here in Provo and snow was threatening the mountains with freezing temperatures in the valley, so it was harvest time in our yard!

Peach jam, peach cobbler, peach smoothies. . .all winter long!

What do you do with grapes? After priesthood session on Saturday night, Christopher and I washed the grapes as he told me about the session. We kept some fresh grapes out to eat, but put the rest in the freezer. They taste like balls of slushy!
(Isn't he cute!!!)

Other excitement from the past week included my first intentional pregnancy pictures with my first pair of maternity jeans!

33.5 Weeks Pregnant

Christopher's public health class required him to put a sticker on something that defined public health, take a picture, and post it on the class blog. This is what he came up with:

Once a missionary, always a missionary!

Just a bit of journaling. . ."Come Listen to A Prophet's Voice"

2009-09-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I don't remember when my love affair with General Conference started (maybe on my mission, or maybe a little before?), but it is definitely one of my favorite "holidays". It comes twice a year, for two days at a time; you get to ask God any question you want and He always answers; there is always tons of food between sessions; oh and my new favorite tradition of baking cinnamon rolls while the men are at priesthood, and eating them when they get back and tell us of everything they learned; did I mention every list of questions I've ever taken to conference has given me a list of answers and direction to move forward for the next six months?!?

This year I have had the unique opportunity to ponder many new situations and circumstances. I have had a number of my highest highs and my lowest lows over the past few months. Not only did I marry the most wonderful man in the world, but the Lord has blessed us temporally, spiritually, and with the blessing of our little one on the way. Among these wonderful blessings, I have also experienced the heartache that comes with families disintegrating all around me at work, at church, among lifelong friends, family, etc. My heart hurts at times for the struggles that others are faced with and I often feel helpless to do anything for them. Just as the scriptures describe, many are being led away by the "subtle craftiness" and influence of the world. Amid all the blessings and turmoil, I have been extremely curious as to what is on the mind of our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. What does the Lord want to relate to us through his prophet? What more should we be doing or start doing?

Two weeks ago President Monson came to BYU to speak at a devotional. Sitting anxiously waiting for his message I was struck by the peace and joy that comes just simply by listening and being in his presence. His message was unique. . .he highlighted the lives of every prophet of this dispensation since Joseph Smith. It was curious to me at that time, but even more curious after last night's General Relief Society Broadcast. Breaking with tradition, President Monson did not address the women of the world, but instead asked President Eyring to do so. President Eyring said the message that the Prophet wanted him to convey was that of the Legacy of the women of the Relief Society. He went on to describe the legacy that is passed heart to heart through charity. Among other thoughts, I marveled at the lessons of these two meetings asking us to reflect backwards and learn from those who have gone before us. I haven't formed any definite conclusions yet, but am even more thrilled to hear what General Conference brings. Let the countdown begin. . .

No matter what is going on in our lives, or how distant God may seem. . .he is always there and ALWAYS ready to help us. I hope we can all prepare this week to "come listen to a Prophet's voice" and find the peace and joy that the Lord desires for us to have. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the upcoming sessions. Just remember. . .there is always opposition before the glory. . .get ready for the ride!

Summer of Fun

2009-09-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

Now that fall is officially here we should probably give a brief highlight of our summer events and the blessings that were showered upon us!

1. Christopher finished summer term with all A's!!!

2. We enjoyed a wonderful Family Reunion with the Ostler Clan at Bear Lake (due to weather it was actually in Dingle. I love that I can say I went to Dingle!!!) Thanks Aunt Cathy!

3. We received a huge blessing to be able to join the Chamberlain Crew in North Carolina on the Outer Banks for our first Family Reunion with just my immediate family. (With Noah on his mission and Madison at soccer tryouts, we still reached 22 in number. . .crazy!!!)

4. Eden gave us her old camera and we finally have some pictures. . .

The beach house in North Carolina. . .It was giant, but I guess it needed to be with 22 people!

Amidst our long days just relaxing on the beach we also went to the Wright Brothers Museum at Kitty Hawk and to the Hatteras Lighthouse at the Cape!

Our last night there we enjoyed a wonderful Thai meal with our family!

(For more pics and info. . .check out Eden's blog. . .we were still not used to having a camera and didn't get pictures of crab tag, surfing, sand castles, etc.)

5. My sisters and Mom threw me a baby shower while we were in North Carolina. I was so surprised and was overwhelmed because I never thought I would have them all in one place with me to celebrate such a tremendous blessing!

6. We returned home safely and still had a few days to relax before Fall Semester, so we went hiking!

Do you see that pregnant belly protruding? Yay!

7. Our ward has grown by almost 100 new people because of a new apartment complex opening in our boundaries. . .we feel blessed to have so many new people to love!

8. Fall Semester started back up and Christopher is loving ALL of his classes! (Looks like we might have done it right this semester!)

Oh, there is so much more to say, but we were trying to keep this one short and simple! We love our family and friends so much! We definitely count you all as the greatest blessings in our lives! We LOVE YOU!!!

The Update!

2009-08-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

So, the last post is quite outdated and I had to include this update.

Since I wrote the last post we have had a number of new developments. I am no longer working at Taco Bell. About a month ago things got a little "sketchy" there and after many difficulties I finally had to quit. It has been a true faith walk not knowing how or where the income would be, but things have worked out fine. After many prayers the Lord taught me some incredible lessons about self reliance and provident living. I wouldn't trade those lessons for anything in the world. We will continue to live what we have learned, but I have a little more peace because I just got hired as a Mother's helper on Friday. Basically, I and another girl will go just 2 or 3 days a week to help a family of 7 with basic house cleaning. The mom just can't keep up with dishes and laundry, so we will help out and get paid well. She is taking on both of us just in case at any time I decide I need to stop working! The family is tons of fun and I feel like it is truly an answer to prayers. It is only 2-9 hours a week and provides the necessary flex income to prepare for our baby!

Also, I am now 6 1/2 months pregnant and my belly is more than just protruding. . .most people can tell that I am pregnant now and not just getting "heavy"! Although, if I wear a T-shirt people still question me. We had our first ultrasound (and as soon as I can figure out how to scan them into my computer I will post them). We were very excited to NOT find out the gender. For various reasons, we decided we wanted to keep you all in suspense until the day our baby is born to find out the gender. . .any guesses?!? The doctor said everything looks fine! I am measuring about 1 cm (translation=1 week) smaller than the doctor expected, but he is not worried. It may be that my baby will explode later in the pregnancy or come a week later than expected. We are still trying to come up with names, so we will keep you posted. Christopher and I both like the Hawaiian names, as well as family and Biblical names. Christopher and I have had tons of fun experiencing this exciting time together and look forward to our little one blessing our home this Fall.

Additionally, Christopher has been hard at work providing for our family. He has continued to work diligently at the MTC as a teacher. Every three weeks he gets a new group of missionaries, teaches them "Preach My Gospel" and sends them out with a greater love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. (He would hate that I am writing this, but his missionaries love him to death. . .he gets letters every week from one of them in the field. Just this week one of the Elders wrote and said that they ran into other Elders in the Phoenix mission who were also taught by "Brother Chun". They want to have a "Brother Chun" reunion someday!)

Since I am bragging (because Christopher would probably never tell his family these things), I should add that he received a 4.0 spring term and currently has A's going into finals for summer term. He will finish finals this week before we leave for a family reunion in North Carolina. I am so proud of all of his hard work and enduring faith. He is already thrilled for Fall Semester to start back up. He is not set on a path yet, but will take the Introduction to Public Health Major to see how that goes (personally, it seems like a much better fit for his personality than Information Systems)! I love my sweet husband more and more everyday! He is truly everything that I could have hoped for! We love all of you as well and hope you are all seeing the miracles everyday as we are!

Old post that never got up . . .

2009-06-08T13:07:00.001-07:00

And we're back . . . unfortunately, with no guarantee when we will write again.

So, we left off about the time that Christopher and I were swamped with midterms and dreading our insanely heavy load of finals. I have to say I love my memory (or lack thereof) because I can't really remember all the hard parts right now, but can simply say. . .we did it! We finished the semester back in April and I finally graduated with a History BA. (Pictures to come as soon as we get them from my grandparents or my mother)! Unfortunately, the job market does not look kindly on my degree right now, especially since I can't give them a 1+ year commitment. So, I began working at Taco Bell learning to "Think outside the Bun"! (I have to admit that working so hard to get a degree expecting to finally get a "real job" was very difficult for me. I always thought that my education would work some kind of magic, but I am finally to the point where I would do anything for that little heartbeat I heard three days ago!) Oh, just in case you didn't know. . .
We are having a baby!!! Most people already know, but just in case. . .we are due November 15! I just had my four month appointment and everything looks great! We will go in for our first ultrasound in two weeks. I feel great and am glad to see that my lower belly is finally starting to protrude. . .nobody else can tell that I am pregnant yet, but I can! We are so excited! Christopher comes and rubs my belly everyday and we are starting the name game trying to figure out the perfect names! (Oddly enough, we are only coming up with girl names. . .does that mean anything?)

Other updates. . .Christopher is currently going to school part time and working full time at the MTC (Missionary Training Center)! One of his missionaries recently got sick with the swine flu and so Christopher was told he might have to be quarantined, even from me! Ummm. . .bad idea. . .I can't even go a day without seeing him, let alone multiple days! Luckily, he showed no symptoms and was just put on a preventative medication. A few days later entire groups of missionaries were told they could not be sent out of the MTC. They are still letting new missionaries come in, but parents have to forego the "Called to Serve Cry Fest" and drop them off at the curb! Christopher loves his job and his missionaries. He is so dedicated to the work of the Lord and I am grateful he puts 110% into everything he does, including our marriage!

Additionally, we moved! When we got married we miraculously found the perfect apartment with the perfect price tag. Once again the miracles have been rolling in with details so intricate that you cannot deny God has an individual plan for each of us. I won't go into the details here because this post is long enough (you'll just have to ask me). However, I will say that when the Lord makes you wait for answers, it is ALWAYS for a greater purpose. Christopher and I had been contemplating a move for a while. Our one bedroom, one bathroom basement apartment was going to be a challenge to our neighbors with a crying baby. Now we don't have to worry! We found an entire house!This is our little blue house with the white picket fence! It sits on the family property of a couple in our ward, The Holdaways. Our house is located behind their house and they take care of all the property, but we get to use all of the wonderful amenities. Some of the perks of this house is it is 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, has a huge laundry room, craft/study area, food storage closet, a living room and kitchen! Additionally, the yard is enormous and has a patio and grill, a fire pit for BBQ and 'smores, raspberry bushes, fruit trees, and a giant garden! We even get to play with the family dog whenever we want! Best of all we live right across the street from a beautiful veterans memorial park and feel like we live in a real community, not as transient students! Obviously, we don't need all of the space to ourselves, so Marie (Christopher's sister) lives with us as well. It has been an incredible blessing to have her around and I am grateful that I married into such a loving and accepting family! She truly is a great example to me and I love her dearly!

The garden and Madel (the Holdaway's chocolate lab)! More interior pictures to come after we get unpacked!

Valentine's Day in New York City

2009-03-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

We are spoiled. . .what can I say more?

Christopher and I had a free airplane ticket to PA we needed to use before May, so we decided to jump on a plane and visit my parents in Nazareth, PA and enjoy Valentine's Day in NYC (just 1.5 hours from my parents). It was the first time Christopher had ever been to my parent's house and NYC. We had a blast seeing the sites, eating NY pizza, and especially just hanging out with the family! Here are a few of our favorite pictures: ENJOY!!!

We went in the Empire State Building, but it was a very cold and windy day, so we decided not to go to the roof. . .

Christopher and I from the back looking at the constellations on the ceiling and people-watching in Grand Central Station

My older brother, Neal, works for a PR firm in Manhattan and lives in an awesome NYC apartment. . .we had to check it out!

Christopher and I are still convinced that we live in "Foreverland" which means we get to be kids FOREVER. . .so we went to FAO Shwarz, one of the biggest toy stores (and most expensive!)
Note: Sadly, not all of the children appreciated the prestige of this toy story and I heard one child crying because she wanted to go to Toys 'R' Us!

One of my favorite highlights. . .we got to play on the giant piano from the Tom Hank's classic "Big"

What would a toy store be without life-size characters made out of legos? They had Harry Potter characters, as well as Star Wars, etc.

We couldn't resist going to the baby hospital where they have nurses dressed up carrying baby dolls. . . it is funny trying to guess what our kids will look like. . .for all we know they will have red hair and green eyes?!?

Typical street vendor

Inside St.Patrick's Cathedral

Hidden Treasures: On my mission I walked the streets for hours on end and was always fascinated by how many hidden works of art there were (even just graffiti in odd places), but NYC doesn't quite keep their art hidden. . .it is everywhere!!!

Christopher in Time Square. . .my parents surprised us with tickets to Broadway, so we were anxious to get there!!!

Waiting for our show to start we went to the M&M store. . .look at all the pretty colors!

Day 2: My oldest sister, Eden, joined us for the day!!!

We saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from afar!

I was just getting over the flu, so we didn't stay too long in NYC. We still had fun though! We went to the battery, saw street performers, headed over to the financial district (Wall Street) and then went to get the best New York pizza.

The "Bull" on Wall Street
Christopher, way to take the bull by the horns!!!

We had a blast and can't wait to visit PA and NY again!!!

Phenomenal Pizza

2008-12-05T20:49:00.000-08:00

Ever since Christopher and I started dating I have heard all about his famous pizza, but had never been privileged to taste the masterpiece. . .until today! For our date night Christopher decided to surprise me by making dinner. . .he made his famous dough from scratch and prepared all of the toppings while I was obliviously distracted (part of his plan. . .he rarely can surprise me, so this was a good one!) When it was time to put it all together I came out to find the beautiful creation. . .it was seriously the BEST PIZZA. . .and guess what? the yeast died and the dough didn't rise properly which means we get to try it again. . .oh, shame! haha. . .thank you yeast! I don't know how it could get any better, but I'll believe Christopher, especially when it means another pizza for two! (Oh, and thanks to Mom and other family who provided the pizza pan, stone, and board . Yay for wedding presents!)

JUST A P.S.

2008-11-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

We haven't got as far as blogging to the wedding, but for all of you who want to check out wedding pictures in advance. . .visit the website blphoto.com and go to "Galleries" and select our wedding. It will ask for an email address. . .you can put in your own and it will let you in. ENJOY!

Registering for Wedding Stuff

2008-11-30T18:19:00.000-08:00

Next on the list was doing one of my most favorite things (Besides raindrops on roses)...SHOPPING!!! Kind of...and so we went into the world of Bed Bath and what's so Beyond about it? (The prices!) And then headed over to Target. I kept trying to scan a particular item, but the cashier wouldn't let me...I guess I had to wait until after the wedding to keep this special merchandise. Luckily Maleah is probably the only person that I can enjoy shopping with, it makes it a lot easier.

I have to say, that Christopher is one of the most fun people to shop with. . .he is always a good reminder that shopping can be such a great adventure. At the end of the day, we don't care what we are doing. . .as long as we are together!

We're Back!

2008-11-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

So, we took a break from our blog for a while. . . we feel like we have good reason though. Hopefully, in the next few posts you will begin to see the adventures that have kept us busy and away from the blogger community. We hope that you enjoy the events that will follow!!!

The Monte L. Beane Museum

Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away on Judea's plains, there was a museum full of stuffed animals...creepy...yes! So we decided we had to go check it out...Lions and Tigers and exotic Zebras oh my. Not to much to say here except it smelled stuffy and all the exhibits were all a bit stiff...ha!(not funny) Maleah wanted me to mention that this was for an assignment for the most awe inspiring class, Anthropology 101. We were assigned to identify all the animals from the southern parts of Africa. We ended up playing tag, singing the lion king, and goofing around.

Grateful to Have Plan "B"

2008-09-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

When: Saturday night
What: Date night
Where: Supposed to be at the museum, but are plans fell through, so we took random pictures of the mountains, me dipping Maleah in the parking lot, and then we decided to go read Peter Pan and act it out with funny voices. I learned quickly that Maleah does a much better impersonation of Wendy then me. Here in Utah the weather is beautiful. So is the view...and the Mountains and trees aren't half bad either...We will have to do our scavenger hunt at the museum some other night. (By the way BYU stomped UCLA today, just if anyone wanted to know, neither one of us were at the game, but there's a distinct BYU vibe of victory in the air.

Dipping Maleah.(see the white paint in the background)
Our sweet setup for Never Ending excitement and fun in Neverland.(By the way this is on the Church property under the Lamps of Chastity.)
I like taking surpris pics. as you can tell...
Yeah, don't know what to say.
Aftermath: Maleah falling asleep while I'm typing this up. (She had a long day. Typically that's how we usually are when we get together, becuase we are both so wasted by the end of the day, it's usually only a matter of minutes before someone checks out. This time it was Maleah!)

In Response to High Demand!!!

2008-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

The blog of all blogs is now being created. From the producers that brought you the sequel to "Free Willie 3", "Land Before time 25", and the "End of Never ending Story", comes and epic tale of how two worlds collide...CHULEAH!!! [cheers and fake applause echo] So here's the real scoop. We wanted to keep a good journal going of all the events happening in our crazy, yet amazing life's here at good ol' BYU. Plus we wanted to keep all our loved ones posted on all the nick-knacks and what-nots of all our happenings. We are truly blessed and extremely grateful for all the Lord has provided for us and to us. We hope you enjoy...we did!

This pic. is hard to see, but its a picture that we took on our airplane ride from the MTC to our mission. All of the missionaries were goofing around and hoping that they sat next to nonmembers. I'm sitting next to sister Childs and we all took this pic. together. Sorry to sister Childs, I cut her out of this picture for dramatic effect. (We still love sister Childs!) This was one of the last times we would ever talk to each other for another two years, craziness! Who knew at that time what the Lord had in store for the two of us?