NEW BLOG...

We're starting a family blog and giving it a name that the boys all like better. We're champions of the motto here, "Change is good..." So if you're looking for updates and want to follow our doings and goings, this will be the place.


throughourgoggles.blogspot.com

Boom!

We're playing (trains, of course) and a big clap of thunder startles everyone. Isaac dashes into my arms. Then he looks up and rushes around the room. "Gotta get puppies, doll, baby and bear baby. Keep them safe!" He then comes back to my lap and we keep everybody safe.

Compassion in a two year old is very endearing. And it's nice to know that just being there with him makes Isaac (and everyone else) feel safe.

Isaac Uses Words

After being forced into the car against his will at the end of a library visit, Isaac screams and protests in the back seat for several minutes, "I want to run!!!" I wait him out for a little bit and then say, "Isaac, can I talk to you now?" Isaac announces: "I am not HAPPY! I want to run." Me: Isaac if you can stop screaming, you can run at the playground at Benjamin's school when we get there." Pause. "Nee-Mom. I happy now!" (Hearing him describe his emotions was too, too funny).

Isaac has also taken to complaining when any member of the family seems to be ignoring him, "You're not talking to me. Dylan not talking to me"...etc.

Without a doubt Isaac has lots of words now.

All Is Merry and Bright

Benjamin (Conversations inspired by his latest creation on canvas):

"I am an artist. We should have a Family Home Evening all of us around the kitchen table. You, Dad-Eric, Isaac and Dylan. I will teach you how to be an artist like me!"

"Does an artist do dishes? What else does an artist do?"

"Does my tree make you happy?" (Absolutely!)

"That's a heart. Because there is love in our family. Dad-Eric loves Nee-Mom. Nee-Mom loves me. I love Isaac. And Isaac loves Dylan."

We're loving everything, everything Christmas at our house. The boys are full of jingles and high spirits and our trees are just about the happiest things ever. We all can't get enough of the twinkling lights and Benjamin is begging to sleep next to our tree. I can't blame him. I think we could just stay next to the tree all day long and be pretty content. Some good music, gingerbread men and some Christmas stories--what more do we need?

Dylan for Hire

Looking for work. Will do windows. Kisses left on your windows--extra.

Kitchen Complete!!!

Modern Art? No this was a wall from the kitchen when we bought the house. Mud-pie Wall.



Before:

After:

A dream and several pieces of sand paper, many coats of paint, many late nights, two pregnancies, an entire book on CD, putting the project aside in order to do other important things like rocking babies and reading books and sending the kids away to play with friends later...



Was it worth it! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It all made a very happy place even happier. I still love every window in this room (even though or because they regularly get spattered with bits of Dylan's dinner, the boys kisses and hand prints as they look for birds).

NOBODY TOUCH A THING! We're not going to eat here, play here, make messes here, push cars through the chairs here...well, for at least a few hours anyway.

The Job Possibility That Eric Passed On...

Medical Entomology Coordinator,
Equatorial Guinea Malaria Control Initiative

The Equatorial Guinea Malaria Control Initiative (EGMCI) is a five-year, $25M program,
funded by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and by Marathon
Oil Company, which seeks to substantially reduce morbidity and mortality caused by malaria on the Equatoguinean mainland. The EGMCI’s interventions are centered on indoor residual
spraying, distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, case management, and
monitoring and evaluation.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience required of the Medical Entomology Coordinator:

• MA in Medical Entomology (or equivalent) with experience in designing and implementing
vector control programs for malaria control.
• Field experience working as an entomologist preferably within a malaria control program is
highly desirable. PhD studies will be considered as compensatory for lack of applied field
experience.
• Good interpersonal skills, team player, able to work under stress. Sensitivity to the concerns
of the developing world and able to work with local and national authorities and community-
based providers from different cultural backgrounds.
• Good oral and written communication skills, Spanish with knowledge of English and/or
French an additional asset.
• Highly computer literate, familiar with Windows® programs for word-processing,
spreadsheets, database management, statistical analysis, presentations, and electronic
communication.

Overview of Position: The Medical Entomology Coordinator (MEC) is responsible for in-
country technical and implementation support for all vector control activities including indoor
residual spraying (IRS), environmental management, the distribution of long lasting insecticide
treated nets (LLITNs), as well as the information, education and communications (IEC) for these vector control strategies. The MEC will supervise and support the work of the IRS Advisor and the OWDG Vector Control Team to ensure the effective implementation of IRS activities, with technical support from Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC) and the MCDI Home Office. S/he will oversee development of an LLITN “keep-up” campaign. The MEC will assume primary field-level responsibility for establishing and overseeing the management of the Insectary and Vector Control Laboratory, receiving technical support from MRC and other partners as pertinent.

Start of activities: October 2008

Location: Position is based at EGMCI offices in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, and entails
occasional travel inland.

Term: Twelve months (renewable)

MCDI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including paid housing and health
insurance, two trips yearly to home of record and free anti-malarial medication.

Applicants should send CV and cover letter to mcdi@mcd.org
The subject line item should read Malaria Program Medical Entomology Coordinator


We particularly liked the added benefit of the free anti-malarial medication. When I was dating Eric, I was excited that he was this science guy that was doing something to keep people from getting nasty diseases all over the world. Sounds romantic until you have to pop some quinine pills, right?

So we'll not be helping to save the world there this year!

Fall Fun

We've had our first Halloween outing at the church. Benjamin and Isaac have been very inspired by Neverland lately. Benjamin wanted to be Peter Pan and Isaac wanted very much to be Captain Hook. We thought that Dylan could be the baby but it would be more fun if he were Mr. Smee--plus it's cute when his belly sticks out. For once I actually had all their gear ready way ahead of schedule. But then the boys decided that their puppies needed costumes too. "See Mom. Pup-pup's rattle in his belly sounds just like Tinkerbell." So we've been doing a lot of flying around here with Pup-pup shaking all that pixie dust on us. I wonder what else pixie dust might do for us? Can't wait to see the rest of you in your Halloween finery.

P.S. Boy did Isaac get a kick out of the Trunk or Treating. His little eyes just GLOWED when he figured out how the gig worked. And did he ever work it. He would stand in front of someone. They would give him candy and then instead of moving on, he would just keep on standing there smiling. So, of course, people couldn't resist him. So, he would get some more candy. This would go on until I would nudge him towards the next vehicle. He would not for anything in the world let anyone else carry his pumpkin full of treats. The allure of sweets...and it was after all the promise of sweets that kept him in most of his costume most of the time--including wearing the "bib" (what he called his frilliness up front).

No Fear Here

These three guys obviously did not inherit their father's fear of high places. Here's the latest view from "On Top of Stone Mountain...." And even when mountain climbing, Isaac still thinks about swimming...

A Question

I've been smiling at a memory the last day or so. When I was in the fifth grade, I was trying out to be part of an after school group called, "Olympics of the Mind." I remember very much wanting to be part of this. Teams would be challenged to first design a creative solution to a given problem. This solution would then be presented at a competition. Secondly, team members had to "spontaneously" respond to questions posed in a session the day of the competition. The more quickly you could respond and the more creatively, the more points for your team. Since I was an absolute failure at dodge ball, kick ball and PE in general, I was thrilled to have a chance to use my head instead of being hit in the head.

Part of the tryout included a take home question.
How could you use a telephone book to entertain a child?

I filled pages of my notebook. The glory days of my eleven year old self. Indomitable! And I made the team.

It really does make me smile too--the thought of using a telephone book as our best source of education and entertainment. I wish I had those notes so I could see if some of my crazy ideas might actually work!

Maybe I should hand the boys the phone book tomorrow and see what will happen. Except I know that I couldn't just hand it to them. I think I have finally learned that it isn't the toys that they enjoy, it's how and who brings them to life. The best toys in our house are props for our stories.

So my mother hope today is that the boys will always see infinite possibilities in everything--even in phone books!

Besides. It may be all we can fit in our suitcases when we leave Atlanta.

Adding Sugar to the Puppy Dog Tails

My boys discovered the dress-up clothes at my parents'. I want my brothers to know that I had NOTHING to do with this. I buttoned the buttons. I took the pictures. Now, years back, I would have offered to curl their hair. And had they been my little brothers, they may have let me (they did a couple of times), so they could have hair to match their alter-ego names ending in with sweet diminutive "a's." But this time, the dresses were ditched for boots before you could even say nylons. So there are still no little girls here, but my Mom thinks Isaac would have been a cute one!

Daily Duties

You wouldn't believe how much I get done around the house with all the help I get.

Got Beat?

We've escaped to a little boys' paradise of cousins, goats, dogs, cats, a tree house, trampoline, zipline, backyard pool, creek, almost mountain like hills, lake, barn, Aunt Susan's extremely scrumptious chocolate chip cookies and to top it all off our vacation destination in Indiana even has...


Lucky us.

It's My Birthday!

This cake wouldn't do...

Or even this one...

It's ice cream I want!

And I love riding my first birthday bike!

Glad we could get it right finally!

Mer-man

Now this isn't something you can just find under the sea anywhere. It's quite rare, but if you find it, you'll never want to let it leave your house. If you could only see this in motion and hear the accompanying giggles, gurgles and belly laughs.

"POOL!"

Isaac has taken to choosing to wear his swimsuit not just to the pool but everywhere, every day if given the opportunity to choose. Who doesn't love swimming? It's one of our favorites of summer.

A Typical Sunday Afternoon

George was a good little monkey, but always very curious. Sounds like some monkeys we know.
Eric receives a thorough exam by not just one but two skilled physicians.
And here it takes three to do the operation. Dr. Isaac sat on Dad-Eric in lieu of anesthesia. He had a piece of a puzzle in his leg. Operation was successful.

Adventure Day

Eric and I saw some cute frogs at the Botanical Gardens yesterday.  A few of them hopped into our pockets and came home with us.  Now what to feed them?

On Top of the World

On top of Stone Mountain with my great guys who love everything about everything at Stone Mountain...what a gorgeous, happy day.

Such a feelin's coming over me

There is wonder in most every thing I see

Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes

And I won't be surprised if it's a dream

Everything I want the world to be

Is now coming true especially for me

And the reason is clear, it's because you are here

You're the nearest thing to heaven that I've seen

There is only one wish on my mind

When this day is through I hope that I will find

That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me

All I need will be mine if you are here

I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation

And the only explanation I can find

Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around

Your love's put me at the top of the world

The Carpenters

What's for Dinner?

Maybe my dinner turned out like this:

Because of all of this happening while I was trying to cook:

Follow the Prophet!

Apparently, Benjamin wasn't left unaffected by the lesson about President Thomas S. Monson in church on Sunday that I taught.

I was pretending to be a bear today.
He got up on the piano bench (podium) put his hand in the air emphatically and said,

"I'm the prophet. Be a nice bear!"

Not a bad message. And short. And to the point.

...on the Apricot tree

It's not popcorn popping everywhere anymore. Many of the trees are beginning to look like broccoli according to Benjamin.

The Language of Brotherly Love?

This morning.
B: "I want a concrete mixer truck pancake. Isaac too."

This afternoon. Dylan eats Benjamin's paper boat inspired by Curious George.

Tonight.
Intermittent Isaac-terwauling from upstairs bedroom.

Eric investigates.
E: "What's going on here?" He looks down to see Benjamin laying perpendicular on the bed so that his legs are on top of Isaac.
B: "I'm TEASING Isaac!"
E: "No, Benjamin, don't tease Isaac."
B: "I LIKE teasing Isaac."
(Yes. That explains and justifies everything, right?)
E: "Don't tease Isaac. HE doesn't like it."

But at last peace. For now. For tonight. Certainly not indefinitely.

It's beginning...

to smell like spring. Even Dylan noticed. Hooray!

High Jinx at the High Museum

So, what do you get when you take a "bevy of children" (our greeting from another visitor) to an art museum? After you walk up all the four flights of the roaming ramp in the light-filled atrium and try to keep heads from going through the railings on the top floor, lots of "No, Isaac. Don't touch that Isaac. Stay with mom Isaac." Many understanding and mostly amused nods from staff and gray-haired onlookers living more leisurely life moments. And great joy rides on the glass elevator--by far the most impressive feature of the museum for the boys. But beyond mild Isaac wrestling, it was fun just to see what the guys would do in the world of art. It was definitely new to them. We played some perspective games and find what your eyes like most in and around romps under the benches and twirls in vast galleries. Benjamin always likes a good adventure to the land of skyscrapers and was only disappointed that we didn't end the day with a jaunt over to Ikea. He even grasped enough of the form and shape of the art museum to later recognize it in one of picture books about Atlanta. That made me happy. Isaac also got to do lots of touching and romping in a fun kid-centered learning center and we made a sun-catcher in the toddler craft room. I really liked a piece that a guy created by making a collage of items found in dump site that he formed to look like a portrait on the floor of an aircraft hanger. He then took an aerial picture of his elaborate grouping. Nifty. What could we make on the floor of our basement with our tossables? I also got to see my first Mark Rothko in person. I like those blocks of color. The O'Keefe exhibit was sweet too. I learned that she taught art to children for a time and was inspired by them. I relate. And I did wish a little bit that my art students would slow a little so I could gaze more intently. Some day the boys just might think it's cool that they looked a true Monet in the eye and saw larger than life posies. But for now, if Isaac could tell me in so many words, I think he'd be sure to vote for a construction site for our next field trip. Not a bad idea actually!

Flights of Fancy

Benjamin wanted to fly on a rocket ship to the moon for his birthday. So we did. He was very involved in all the preparations for our trip. He would pour over all the space/moon/rocket books we have from the library and then fill me in on all the details of what we needed. I had to reign him in a little on the space suit and equipment. But when he told me we needed a flag to put on the moon, that we could do and did. May he continue to reach for the stars every year of his life and take small and giant leaps of imagination.

Dinner Conversation

Benjamin: "I don't like looking at that."
Me: "What don't you like to look at?"
Benjamin: "That. On Dylan's spoon. On Dylan's face. In Dylan's bowl."
Me: "You mean his oatmeal?"
Benjamin: "Yeah. That."
Me: "How about I make you some of his oatmeal for breakfast."
Benjamin: Completely distressed look on his face.
Dylan: "Mmmmmm."

Hooray!

161 21 RENEE CHAMBERS SNELLVILLE 38 32:43

271 21 ERIC CHAMBERS SNELLVILLE 44 36:45

(But for official record keepers, it took Eric a full minute to get across the actual start line and he certainly stood out with his fully loaded double stroller among the men!)

Check That Off the List

RUN the REAGAN (Parkway)! It was one of those things that I thought I'd always like to try--just to know what it would be like. So today not only marked the two years of having an Isaac in my world to love, I also ran--yes RAN--my first 5K. That's pretty big for me--I hadn't really thought I could try it, until a friend gave me the right kind of encouragement. I generally don't find reasons to run, so I've never known the glory of the race. (Except for winning three-legged races with Leta at Primary track meets and beating the clock for BYU's Fitness for Life class to get my "A" time. Everything--even running--for that "A.") Besides the number five always sounded so daunting to me. Two of something. That sounds reasonable, but 5K? But then I got a better handle on my metrics and thought more about the distance being somewhere in between five and two in miles and I decided I might manage it. I knew I could walk it, but could I run it and how fast? So I got some new tennis shoes and got serious with my workouts. I have to say, it's pretty cool to cross a finish line! And I had my best time ever! Adrenalin rush!!! Not a bad way to celebrate two years of mothering Isaac and all the heavy lifting that has required.

Eric also amazed me today. He pushed Benjamin and Isaac in the jogging stroller and made great time with his sixty pounds plus of extra load up and down the hills. It was awesome to cheer my trio across the finish line. And the little birthday boy looked so sweet--fast asleep while Daddy jogged under the clock.

GO TEAM CHAMBERS. It's definitely a step (actually lots of steps) in the right direction...what's next on the list?