And some that are finished

Hooray! Some of the work that is done!!


First, a shot of the living room. I had a hard time choosing a color for the main part of the house. Brandon didn't want beige, so I took a pillow from my couch and went to the paint store with a gold color in mind. Since we moved from places where the sun shines most of the year to a place where the sun shines 50 percent of the time, I figured we could use some artificial sunshine.


And this is my new flooring! It replaced the urine-stained carpet. It is really beautiful and it is laminate so the upkeep is minimal. I debated about putting real hardwood in but Brandon was already convinced about laminate and this is a really nice looking one. Each plank is about 5 inches wide and a solid piece so it doesn't look like contact paper on the floor. Once we got the hang of it, installing it was really easy.


And, this is my black thumb. It was so satisfying installing my own floor and I love doing that kind of stuff, and I was bound and determined not to pay someone else to do it or we never would have been able to afford it. Unfortunately, when I get working on a project, especially when I have a deadline (we were moving our stuff in the next day) I don't take breaks and usually forget to eat. Combine that with being pregnant and you've got a potentially dangerous situation. I got about halfway and mistook my thumb for the pounding block. I took a few minutes to let the throbbing subside and then dove right back in. I think I only got two more pieces in when I hit it again. Uh, ow. We didn't have any ice so I just stood at the sink while cold water ran over my thumb and tears ran down my face. I don't suggest doing this at home.

Fortunately my parents were helping, as they had been every day and without whom I'd still be painting and cleaning and would have an overwhelming amount of yard work in the spring, anyway, they finished the install that day. Thanks Mom and Lloyd!!

I also realized I don't have a picture of the outside of the house yet, and I will get there. Just keep checking in!

A house in shambles

Some much awaited house pictures! This installment is titled "In Progress." Wait, we are still in progress.



So, this is disgusting. The first time I walked into the house I about turned around because of the smell of pet urine. NASTY. And, that was the time I was sick in early pregnancy, so it was a double wammy. Anyway, this is the section of carpet that was still wet when Brandon pulled it up. He did go out and chuck at this point. The subfloor was even wet. I can't even tell you how gross it was. Just looking at it is turning my stomach.


And, here I am patching holes. Millions of holes. Brandon thought I was nuts because I felt so bad for this house! It was sooooo beat up. I don't know how this much damage could have been done in such a short life. In fact today I spackled and painted over the names that were scratched into the bedroom doors. Now all the doors are repaired except for our bedroom door which has a big hole in it. We obviously have to get a new one. Oh, here's something to give you an idea of the kind of people that lived here before. One of the kids' bedroom doors has the doorknob on reversed so the lock is on the outside. Hmmm.


This is one of the kids' rooms. It is actually now Sterling's room. Brandon was priming and stopped to take a pic as evidence of the amount of filth there was on everything. It is hard to see here but if you look close you can sort of see the discoloration.


And another nasty one. We don't know how long the house sat empty, but this was the color of the water for days. We ran it and ran it and ran it. Finally my dad hooked a hose to the hot water heater and emptied it. That made a big difference.

Well, these are a FEW of the things we did to get ready to move in. It took a week of at least four people working 8 hours every day to get it livable. We are still missing some baseboards and we are still working on replacing floors, but boy what a difference!

My Molly Mormon Christmas

I love Christmas. I love that there is a special season dedicated to remembering the Savior, His love for us, and the good that He did. On that same vane, I hate Christmas. I hate that it is soooo commercialized, that there are piles and piles of toys that get played with once and then cast aside, I hate the overindulgence, and, don't kill me, I hate Santa Claus. Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with Santa. It is not Santa-mas, it is Christ-mas. If you thought of it in Spanish it would mean "more Christ." That I like. I have spent two years now telling Sterling that Christmas is Jesus' birthday whenever he sees or talks about Santa. It drives me crazy that you can find insane amounts of Santa's but the nativity sets are few and far between. Elves and snowmen and reindeer are everywhere, but where is baby Jesus?

Now that I've ranted (sorry), here is what I tried this year to make our Christmas more Christ themed. First, I didn't talk about Santa. At all. At preschool they learned all about Santa and toys and blah, blah, blah, and on the way home we would talk about Jesus' birthday. Then, in a change of pace, we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve so that Christmas morning could be focused on Jesus' Birthday. We had my in-laws over for breakfast, and I think I'm going to change that next year and have the morning be dedicated to what we are going to give Jesus for a birthday gift. I had intended to sit down with our family and talk about Jesus and the kinds of things He did and then talk about the wise men and the special gifts they gave, but the day got away from us and we kind of did a rushed version while trying to get out of the house to visit. But, we did succesfully come up with something we are going to work on as a family this year to show Jesus that we love Him.

I have to admit, I even felt like Molly Mormon while concocting this whole scheme. But, my heart was filled with joy when I was talking about Jesus' Birthday with Sterling on Christmas Eve and he wanted to make a crown for baby Jesus. Then we made a birthday cake to have for dessert after Christmas dinner. So, I hope all my craziness helped my Sterling think about the Savior and His love on His special day.

Merry Christmas!

Let it snow!

So our friend Robin, in a recent blog post for her family, waxed positive about the snow, writing: "All of you who are living in warmer climates and bragging about your 60's and 70's degree weather...you can have it!"

Uh, no!!!

To see where my negative attitude comes from, let's back up a little. How about all the way to 1969. That's when the last major snow storm hit Western Washington.

It was a storm resulting from cyclogenesis in a large 500mb ridge off the west coast extending into Alaska and a short wave trough over southwest Canada. This produced a large high-pressure system at the surface over southeast Alaska and the Yukon Territory and a low-pressure center off the Washington coast. In addition, a weak arctic front had previously passed through Western Washington bringing low temperatures to the area.

Can you see the weatherman in front of the green screen right now explaining all this?

So, when we got blasted at the beginning of this past week with cold and then snow, it was a big deal. And not one that brought a bunch of warm fuzzies.

People in Syracuse yawned, pointed to their average yearly snow fall of 120 inches, yawned again and then went back to their college basketball team.

In Syracuse, what else is there to do?

Yes, I know Syracuse gets a lot of snow. I experienced one full winter there. Actually it was two winters, but each of them only got half the amount of snow as usual (and then got blasted after we left... ha ha!). So flaunt the fact that you are so manly and can withstand what Washingtonians can't.

Now let's add a little perspective.

The folks there can point their finger and ask what the fuss is about in Washington with two feet of snow when they routinely get that in the ghetto. It is precisely because it snows all the time there that they have a method to deal with it. Is there a reason to invest massive amounts of public dollars into snow plows when two inches falls every year? No. It doesn't make sense. In Syracuse, their plows go 24 hours a day. I know at one point they even had the biggest snow plow in the world at the airport. Some 32 feet across. That's just massive (that's what she said!).

So when two feet comes down in a place not used to it and with no real equipment to handle it, it's hard to like the snow. All it does turn to bumpy ice and then you have to drive in it and worry a) about your life, and b) about your suspension.

Example: It takes me an average of 27 minutes to get home at night. I hit I-5 from work all the way to the Rochester exit (stay with me... we're talking Rochester, WA here and not Rochester, NY).

On Thursday, it took an hour-and-a-half. I got part way down I-5. A 20-car pileup closed down the freeway for four hours but I got off luckily and hit Old 99. Got halfway down that and then a County Sheriff was diverting traffic. Apparently there were a couple bad wrecks with all the additional traffic that ended up on that road. So the detour went down a road I had never even heard of and kept going and going in a seemingly opposite direction of my destination. Soon I was on a narrow road with evergreen trees looming overhead, broken branches all over the road. Thoughts of my wife and two kids went through my head.

My cell phone had no reception.

I almost hit Rainier before heading back down and backtracking West again.

This would never have happened in Syracuse. But it's because they have the means to clean the roads.

I acknowledge, there was a simpler time when the snow was glorious to behold and everything was cinnamon and hot cocoa.

I was 9.

I appreciate the rosy excitement some people have for snow. There's a pretty good reason why some people don't like it and it's not just to be a bah humbug about it!

So, to make a short story long, if you are in 60- and 70-degree weather... I hate you.

So, we had Boys Night when Sarah had some dumb church activity. I got the little dudes out of the bathtub, laid them down in Hyrum's room on their towels and noticed they just kept looking at each other, sometimes smiling, sometimes affectionately. I told them to keep looking at each other while I ran and grabbed the camera, fully expecting them NOT to keep doing it. But sure enough, they stayed that way long enough for me to take a great picture.

Brandon

Some ramblings... and a surprise!!

First the surprise. I'm having another boy!! You can't imagine the shock Brandon and I both felt when the ultrasonographer said that! I cried right then and there. I even made her look twice. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm ecstatic that I'm having another boy. I'm just disappointed that I will have to do the whole pregnancy thing again. But, I know that there is a little girl waiting to come to our family and apparently we needed to bring some others before she could get here. I just keep thinking that I am going to be so old when the next one comes!! Not that 31 is old, but if we wait so the next two will be about two years apart then I will be in my thirties!! I thought I'd be done by then.

Now some random ramblings. Just a warning if you want to quit reading now. Here is something I've noticed helps keep my house a little more peaceful. I log on to a free classical music station online when things start to get a little hectic. Bickering, hitting, tattling... And soon enough it starts to calm down. In fact, there have been instances of sharing!! Crazy, I know.

And finally, I love white paint. There is not a single wall in my house that is white, but I am painting some of the trim white and the doors and they look so fresh and crisp!! I love it!!

That's it for my ramblings. Honestly I'm going to find the USB cable so you all can check out my lovely black thumb nail.

House Update

So, I really have been meaning to post some pictures of some things I've done on the house and am really proud of but Brandon takes the camera for something or other and doesn't bring it back!! As soon as I have a camera, I will post some pictures. Especially now that I am decorating for Christmas outside!! It doesn't seem to matter how much work your house needs if you have some pretty decorations.

Sarah

Halloween (a day late and a dollar short)

A little late, or a lot. Here are the boys in their Halloween costumes.


Hyrum was Superman, in case you couldn't figure that out. I made the cape a long time ago and he loves wearing it and running across the house, so I figured it would be perfect for Halloween since Sterling wanted to be Spiderman. Superhero theme.


And here is Spiderman in the flesh. His costume is just a pair of sweats that I embellished and I hoped and prayed there would not be someone at preschool with the real deal. Then there would be no end to the dissatisfaction. Luckily, no one else was Spidey so I didn't have to hear about how Sterling didn't have a mask or gloves or boots. That was lucky.

Sterling had a full day of Halloween festivities. At preschool they had a party complete with Trick or Treating and then we went out Trick or Treating after dinner. Talk about too much candy!! But the boys had a blast knocking on doors and toward the end Hyrum was even trying to say "Trick or Treat". It was really cute. He was so amazed that every door we knocked on someone gave him candy!! We worked hard at getting them to remember to say "thank you." Which basically means I prompted them at every door. "What do you sa-ay?" And, if the people were fast and already had the candy ready to give, they didn't even get "Trick or Treat" out. Oh, well.

The most amazing thing to me was we only went down three blocks and back three blocks and we got enough candy to fill two large salad bowls. Good thing I don't have any qualms about throwing candy away!! Does that make me a mean mother? Oh, well, add it to my list.

A day worthy of two posts

More pumpkin patch fun.

This was really the end of the day after we had done all the fun stuff and we heading up to pay for our pumpkins. Sterling insisted on pulling the wagon and Hyrum insisted on riding in it. It was really cute.

This was Hyrum's favorite thing. He is really into cars and anything that goes vroom, so when he got to sit on a tractor all by himself, he was loving it!

The farm had this little corn maze with no map, you just wander through. You can't get lost since all trails lead out, so the boys both had a turn being the leader.

How cute is this?

We really had a great day. Very minimal arguing and tons of fun. We will definitely make this a yearly tradition, at least until they get too old for it. Then I will be sad!!

OK, pictures

Ok, well, I still got a little frustrated trying to get this to work, but I finally figured it out. Thanks Robyn. So, here are some pics from our trip to the pumpkin patch. It's this great little farm here in town that is absolutely free and over the years they have really done a great job making it a fun place to take kids (and I'm sure they hope you will buy some pumpkins).

First up, the hay stack. They have this area surrounded by hay bales and then full of hay so kids can jump into it. Sterling and Hyrum LOVED playing in this. If this was all there was to do, they would have been set for hours!


That's Grandpa's hands. Grandma and Grandpa went with us on this trip. I'm not really sure they necessarily enjoyed themselves, but I think they liked watching the kids have fun. OK, I take that back. Grandpa was up running around the hay bales and jumping in, too.



Hyrum loved just throwing the hay up in the air and watching it fall down. Needless to say, we took a lot of hay home.


Sterling picked out a huge pumpkin. Our only stipulation was that he be able to carry to the wagon himself. He barely made it.


And of course a silly shot of cute and crazy boys.

For all you complainers

OK, well, I was going to post some pictures but I'm so frustrated trying to figure out how to put text above the photo that I'm giving up until someone sends me an email tutorial.

Sarah

What happened??

So, I really enjoy the seasons. I love gettting ready for fall and going to the pumpkin patch and spending some time thinking about and making costumes, but I realized suddenly today that Halloween is FRIDAY!! How did that happen?!? Also, Sterling's preschool is having an auction next week to raise money for whatever and I haven't done anything for that either!!

Moral of the story, it is time to get my rear in gear. I fact, I have almost moved past Halloween and Thanksgiving and am ready for Christmas. What is that?

Finally, the bank called today and said our loan documents are in!!! HEHEHEHEHEE!! (squeal of delight) Now we jsut have to wait for the water test to be finalized and we are in!! SOO exciting!!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

Well, we have a couple of great news bits.

First, I am finally feeling human again!! I still really have to be careful about what I eat, but as long as I don't eat anything with onions or peppers or spicy whatever and I don't eat too much, I'm great! It is so nice to feel like I can function.

Second, (keep your fingers crossed) we should close at the end of this week or the beginning of next on our house!! The pessimist in me is still trying not to get my hopes up because I've heard of sooo many deals falling through at the last minute, but it seems our financing has come through and everything is in place. I'll let you know as soon as it does.

We went out to the house this last weekend to spray blackberries. They are bad. I'm not sure how long the house has been empty, but one of the neighbors has at least been trimming the lawn. Unfortunately, they just blew all the grass up against the house and wherever, so while Brandon was spraying the boys and I went around kicking the grass away from the house and kicking all the matted grass out of the driveway. As we were there, I realized that this was actually going to be our house and suddenly I wished I had a rake and a weedwacker! Oh well, there will be plenty of time for yard cleanup very soon. Maybe this weekend if we haven't closed we can go have a work party out there.

Anyway, we're getting excited and we'll have pictures very soon!

Sarah

A visit to the hospital

So, we're expecting baby number three and I am as sick as a dog. I'm not sure where that phrase came from or how it applies, but, nevertheless, I am sick. I finally decided to go to the hospital after I hadn't eaten anything in days and yet my body was still trying to reject my stomach contents. Plus, I know when my body won't last much longer because I had the same problem during my pregnancy with Sterling, but less severe. With Sterling I was hospitalized for rehydration and nausea control at 15 weeks. I went in with this one at 8. So, I spent the night in the ER, or I guess the morning, (1:00) and they gave me some fluids and Zofran, a fantastic anti-emetic, but when the second bag was done, I was still sick. So, they admitted me to the hospital to run some tests and get things under control. After extensive blood work, (I swear they drew six times!) it was determined that my thyroid is not functioning properly, so they did more tests to find out why. I have hyperthyroidism caused by pregnancy which causes hyperemesis.

Now I am on thyroid medication to try to control it and one of the side affects is nausea and vomiting!! Of course that would be the side effect I get from it. So, I am also on Zofran which is the strongest anti-nausea drug available and I still have days when I can't keep anything down. Yes, I am complaining. I know there are people in the world who would give anything to just be able to have a baby of their own, and I do symphathize with them, but I really don't like throwing up and not being able to take care of my family.

But, in an effort to see the Lord's hand in my daily life, I have been able to learn some very valuable lessons from this. One, I was born on this earth at this time so I could have my family and fulfill that role in my life. I know full well that if it were not for modern medicine I would not be alive. I would have died in my pregnancy with Sterling. I know that seems extreme, but my kidneys had shut down and my potassium was so low that if there had not been medical intervention my heart would have stopped. Second, I need to take help when and where it is offered. I've needed to learn this lesson for a long time but I'm pretty stubborn and now I've been forced to. Since we are living with my parents I've absolutely had to depend on them to take care of the boys and they have been so great about it. If I weren't living here I'm sure I'd still be trying to do it on my own even when it was impossible. Finally, that the Lord has a timeline for us that we don't understand. This is not a new lesson but it will always be a valuable one for me. If we had gotten the house we had originally wanted I wouldn't have been in the right position to learn lesson two. Now, if all goes well, we should be into our new house right at the end of the first trimester when my body should get a handle back on itself.

So, in the end, even with all the complaining, I have a lot to be grateful for. I know that I am greatly loved and watched over and that everything will work out. I guess the last lesson I need to learn from this is patience. I'll always be working on that.

Sarah

Movie Review: P.S. I Love You

Richard LaGravenese, you are one awesome individual!

That's all I could think after watching P.S. I Love You, which LaGravenese both wrote and directed. It's a chick flick, no doubt. And it is pretty easy to predict. And it waxes strong on sentiment.

But it also works like a pheromone perfume. Watch it with your loved one and they'll want to jump you the first chance they get.

So here we are, watching this movie. I've got that blank stare on my face like I'm being completely narcotized by the movie. Sarah is just a wreck, however. All snot and tears. My blank stare becomes a sly grin. I know I shall reap the benefits of such a sappy story.

And that's what chick flicks are all about. Or what they should be about. There are some that turn into man-hating. Yeah, I can do without those. And then there are the other ones that, for whatever reason, were crafted in just the manner that the woman leaves the end of the movie with that question "why doesn't my significant other behave in such a noble, chivalrous and romantic manner?" Those are no good, either.

But this one left me saying Richard LaGravenese you're the greatest. And P.S., I love you!!!

BRANDON

Separation of Powers.

Since both Sarah and I write in this blog, from now on, we will sign our names at the bottom.

Brandon

"Why? Talk about it."

So, Sterling has reached the "why" age. He's really not bad about asking most of the time. We'll have a couple of why's a day and we're ok. But some days all I hear all day is "why?". And on those days, no matter what my answer is (ex. "because", "I don't know", "Heavenly Father made it that way", the honest and true answer) his response is "talk about it." On these days there are not enough answers in the universe to appease his curiosity.

There have been many predictions about what he will be when he grows up and so we will add therapist to the list. If someone was constantly saying "why, talk about it" to you I think you could get a lot off your chest!

Oh, I forgot...

Since I'm on the subject of being grateful for my blessings, isn't the birth of a new baby in the family the perfect time to reflect on what an indescribable blessing an eternal marriage and family is? My brother-in-law having his first baby really made me think about the birth of my children and the unbelievable realization that these perfect little spirits are mine forever. Unfathomable.

Some thoughts from Sarah

So, I hate to admit that I didn't even realize our blog was up and running, but what do you know!?! I thought I'd give a little update on us since I'm going to send out a mass email announcing us. Many of you will know all this stuff, but since it is also sort of a way for me to journal, here is a recap.

Hm, where to start. Should start from now and go back or the reverse? I guess I'll start from January.

My husband is truly an amazing baseball announcer. Especially after watching the Olympics and listening to some of the horrendous commentary, I really realized what a talented person he is. that is why it is even more amazing that in March he came home after his first pre-season Saturday and said he quit. We sort of knew it was coming but he has always been a person who had to have a plan before he made a change, and at this point, there was no plan. To me it was a true testament that Heavenly Father truly has a plan for us and sometimes we just have to trust Him.

So, Brandon started looking for a job. Fifty job apps and three interviews later, he got a job and we moved back to Washington. Well, actually, we were invited to stay with our parents while we continued to look and so we packed up and three days before the truck pulled out, he got a job offer.

Now, here's the best part. A couple of really sweet things, actually, from my Sterling. We had come for a visit at Christmas and after we got home, our little tender-hearted boy would be crying somewhere saying he really needed his grandpa. That is what really started the whole thing. And second, Brandon had a job interview that he was the second choice for and the first choice accepted. He was understandably upset and Sterling came up and gave Brandon a hug and said, "It's ok, Daddy, you'll get the next one." Um, talk about from the mouth of babes! Cause that is honestly what happened.

So, now we are here in Washington and for some reason I thought my life would be perfect. Of course it is, but I still like to complain a little. We started house hunting right away in April and found something right away, but it didn't work out. Long story, and depressing, so I won't go there. We have been looking ever since. Don't get me wrong. It's not like there are not a TON of houses out there, but we are also trying to listen to the Spirit as we look. Our poor realtor. I'm sure she can't figure out what is wrong with me. And my great parents have been sooooooo patient, since it is now almost September and we are still living on their second floor!

But I do have to say that the Lord obviously knows what is best for us and that we need to learn a little more faith and patience. If I just step back and take a look I cannot be more grateful for the direction He has led us. Our family life is incredible. We spend so much time together.
Brandon is home every night before 6:00 and every weekend. I get to spend time with the love of my life every day, and the boys run to the door every night yelling "Daddy, Daddy!" when he comes home.

I was worried when he made this decision that there would be regrets, but, according to him, his dream has changed. He now has a dream of being a family and a husband and a Little League Coach. I love how the Spirit leads us if we let it.

Ok, so now that I have sung my husbands praises and you are probably puking, our life is really great right now and we are having a blast playing with Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie everyday and living super close to cousins and aunts and uncles and even more grandparents! How much better can it get?!

Jax is born!!!

Bryan and Kim just had their first little boy! Jax Taylor Chapman was born on Saturday, August 23, 2008. He was seven libs and five ounces and was 19-and-a-half inches long.

I just can't get over how much Jax looks like Sterling did when Sterling was born.

Here's Jax:

And here's Sterling:

I'm not sure if the picture of Sterling here does it justice. I just saw Jax and said "wow!"

Congrats to my brother Mr. Kim Chapman for his first!!!

Movie Review: Cloverfield

Not watching this movie is not about saving money. I got the thing at Red Box. And not even for a lousy dollar but on one of their free Mondays.

Not watching this movie is about saving time.

Unless you are a film student learning about the art of POV (point of view) camera techniques, 84 minutes of this was 84 minutes too long.

I'm not gonna' lie, I was intrigued by the cover, which, since this was Red Box, was only the image of what the cover looked like. The Statue of Liberty, on fire. Reminiscent of 9/11. The title menu was action-packed and had bold, daring music. The opening slates had a confidential, governmental look.

And then it all went downhill after that.

The beginning of the movie has a guy recording video from a home camcorder, which, we gather later, uses mini-DV tapes. He goes to a trendy party where a bunch of twenty-somethings are seeing off a friend who is going to be going oversees for a year. They are sharing gossip about this and that.

We know something is going to happen. We've seen the burning Statue of Liberty. It's easy enough to assume at this point that the camera will just happen to be rolling at an innocous party when the disaster strikes. That in mind, it takes much too long to get to the good stuff. This movie is not a plot of character. It's a plot of action. While some movies can mix and match and add in a little plot of time, this one doesn't. So to spend 25 minutes on the party where these people are at is excessive, at best.

There's some sort of big blob that is eating New York City. What I can't figure out is how it is firing missles at buildings. Is this like Men in Black? If it is, I want to see Tommy Lee Jones!

The special effects aren't bad in this movie. And there are certainly some scary scenes. Most notably when the spawn of the big blob is tossing it's babies all over the place. It must have some serious child-baring hips because this thing has a ton of offspring. They are mixes of rats and spiders... and maybe something else that I can't put my finger on. And when they catch you in a sewer under the city, it's bad news.

Also, I do like the fact that the movie's POV camera, which is chaotic, reflects the nature of the situation, which is also chaotic.

And then...

Well, fill in the blank. The movie ends abruptly. Producer J.J. Adams and director Matt Reeves decide to go with the sudden end. The kind that would usually either keep you thinking or make you upset. And the kind of endings that are now cliche. It seems like so many intelligent movies or "smart" movies try and do the sudden ending that doesn't feel it necessary to explain everything. As if keeping things ambiguous is what makes it smarter since it, in theory, isn't narcotizing an audience like typical Hollywood blockbusters. And yet, by simply cutting it off, this story isn't complete.

Or maybe, just maybe, Adams and Reeves were almost through to the end when they realized it was so bad at 84 minutes, an additional six would only do it more of a disservice.

1-1/2 stars.

Gifted or not?

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an interesting blog this morning:

Everyone thinks their kid is gifted
Parenting.com weighs in on the gifted debate: "Gifted" has become one of the most overused -- and misused -- words in the parenting lexicon: According to a Parenting.com poll of over 1,000 moms, nearly 70% believe their child is gifted, when in fact only between 2 and 5 percent of kids actually fit the gifted bill. Parenting debunks several common myths surrounding giftedness and shows moms how to bring out the best in their kids at every age. -- Parenting.com, Is Your Child Gifted?

It makes me think of the Jeff Foxworthy quote: "Every parent thinks their child is the smartest kid in the world. My sister thinks her child is the smartest kid in the world because he can go outside, point up to the sky and say 'air-pane, air-pane.' I said 'Well hell, the kid's 14 years old.'"

Anyway, I take umbrage at this story. And I don’t just say this because of subjectivity. I swear, I have video of Sterling when he was just 15 months old putting away those stacking cups and comprehensively and analytically thinking about the sizes and adapting what he was doing until they were all put away inside themselves. It was amazing. If you don't believe me, I've put the video below. He’s gifted. Doesn't mean he doesn't act like a 4 year old sometimes. But he's gifted.

Also, almost a year ago, we went to the library and got a dinosaur book because he liked stomping around like T-Rex and growling. Like boys do. But most boys know a handful of dinosaurs: T-rex, triceratops, etc. Anyway, I said “Sterling, look at this birdy dinosaur.” He said “That’s not a birdy dinosaur, that’s a parasauralophus.”

OK.

And then there’s Hyrum who eats, sleeps, and likes bonking his head on the ground.

See, I know the difference between gifted and not gifted. Hyrum, if he has a gift, it’s free entertainment for everyone else!!!

I know the difference.

Such an original name...

So, I figured we have our little chaotic family so I named our blog Controlled Chapman Chaos. And then my sister Brittney decided that this was of the alternative lifestyle persuasion. I had to rename the darn thing.

Sarah told me to just call it Chapman Family Blog. Umm... no...

I'm a fan of alliteration. Always have been. And since I grew up as part of the Killer B's, it was easy to say things like "Bryan bugs Brandon" and "Brook bites Bryan's butt" and "Brittney begs for butt boogers."

Anyway, for the life of me I couldn't figure out something witty that would alliterate appropriately. Can't figure out something witty = I'm not witty. And if a=b and b=c, then that means I'm now Brook. And that just can't happen!

The things we do when nobody is watching... I actually Googled "words that contain the letters ch" and ended up with a large list. Like watching paint dry, I paintakingly went through the list and was finding words like "chautauqua." Yes! Chapman Chautauqua sounds great! And then I would have to look up the words in Merriam-Webster because, really, except for Ken Jennings and a couple of those Scripps freaks, who, on a side note have no friends, who knows what words like chautauqua mean? Yes, to write this blog, I had to Google whether Merriam had one "r" or two.

So, it turns out that chautauqua means "any of various traveling shows and local assemblies that flourished in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that provided popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays, and that were modeled after activities at the Chautauqua Institution of western New York."

Well, I guess we were living in Western NY during grad school. And, on top of that, we've done a lot of moving around so, in essence, we are like a traveling show. And then, I saw that the word chautauque actually starts with an "sh" sound. I saw that and wanted to say something else that begins with "sh."

And then I saw the word "chaulmoogra" and thought, it was a cool word that maybe it wouldn't have an "sh" sound, which, after verifying with M-W.com, was happy to find out it didn't. And then I saw the definition: "any of several East Indian trees (family Flacourtiaceae) that yield an acrid oil used especially formerly in treating leprosy and skin diseases." Hmm... well, it's a stretch, but, there are several Chapmans... and something from an orifice that I have yields something kind of acrid, and while it doesn't treat leprosy and skin diseases, it certainly causes them.

Then I figured Sarah wouldn't be happy with me categorizing her in the same lot as me and the other Chapman men.

Funny, when Sarah originally told me to write Chapman Family Blog, I turned her down because it wasn't very original. So I went on this big long quest to find something original. And in the end, in some moment of discovery, I realized my favorite band, the Dave Matthews Band, has about the least original name in existence and yet, have arguably the most original sound around. Everyday some jerk wad pops up and tries to copy their stuff and fails after one or two hit singles. If it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me.

So, there you have it, it's the Chapman Family Blog.

Hey, what do you think about the Chapman Chelicerae? Look it up!

For Daddy's b-day, we went to Papas and Beer in Asheville.

A new era begins for the Chapman family.

Sometimes it seems like just picking up the phone is the best option. Why not just call the friend or family member and have a little personal interaction, right?

Why do we insist on using the newest technologies which, studies have shown, actually can decrease MEANINGFUL relationship interactions?

In other words, we may talk more with the text messaging and know what is going on with the blogging, but is it really as important to the progression of a friendship or familial relationship?

That being said, I am the one who used to make fun of the old people trying to figure out how they work "this there thing they call the world wide web" long after people had started calling it the Internet instead of the "world wide web." In other words, long after Al Gore invented the Internet, the old farts were just starting to learn how to use the Internet. Now, if they could only turn on the computer, that might be a possibility :).

Anyway, since I'm experiencing dissonance on the subject, I'm going to err toward the side of NOT being made fun of by everyone else in the family/friend circle and I'll use this blog to tell about our family's comings and goings; our triumphs and failures; our joys and dissapointments.

Sarah will be updating this as she feels so inclined. And when Sterling and Hyrum are old enough to do it, they will be scoffing at us for using that "old blogging technology."