First Post

December 24, 2011

I'm really going to go through with this.  I've always wanted to keep a "journal" but just have never gone through with it.  It's too bad, because there are so many great stories and comments the kids have shared through the years that we will never remember.

We're an average family of 4, one girl and one boy.  Katie and I have been married 12 years and during those 12 years we've lived in Austin for 2 years, Oahu for 3 and Utah for 7.  We tend to get a little anxious after we've been in one house or one city for too long.  We've lived in our current home for a little over a year and I think both Katie and I are wondering when we should move again and break up our routine.  

Katie works outside the home as an auditor for a CPA firm.  It's difficult to manage both her professional and home lives, but she is amazing and somehow finds boundless energy to be amazing at both.  She has such drive that I think she would feel a little unfulfilled just doing one or the other.  

I'm currently working as a recruiter.  It's not something I love, but it pays the bills and allows a ton of freedom.  That freedom will come in handy as Katie's schedule gets hectic with work.  I also enjoy that freedom because in the back of mind I see myself taking long weekend vacations with both Gwen and Mason as they grow older in order to stay close with them and have that special alone time when I might still have some influence on them as they grow older.

Katie and I both feel very blessed to have Gwen and Mason.  We joke that with Gwen we have the epitome of a girl; thoughtful, tender hearted, maternal and sweet.  With Mason we have the epitome of a boy; rough, fearless, a little crass and a jokester.  We've been fortunate because despite the age difference, our two kids have always been close.  Gwen was 6 when Mason was born.  She had been the center of everything for the first 6 years of her life and we didn't know how she'd adjust to having a brother.  The first day or two started out a little rough.  The day Katie was released from the hospital, we put the new baby in his stroller and went for a family walk.  Gwen lagged a few steps behind and when I stopped to ask what was bothering her, she said "I'm just remember how it was before the baby got here."  I think that was her last moment of worrying about the way things used to be and from that point on she has looked after and loved her little brother.  And Mason has always looked up to his sister as the coolest person in the world.  We are proud to be their parents.

I hope to keep this blog current.  I hope that I'm honest and open about joys, fears, wins, losses and that through this blog my kids can know their dad even better.  I hope that my family always stays close and love each other as much a year, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years and so on as we do today.  I hope we have many adventures and don't just coast through life.  I hope we take risks.  I hope we live.  I hope we keep the gospel of Christ in our lives.  I hope we are a remarkable family, not just because of what we accomplish but also because of how much we care for one another.  I hope this blog will show the Chandler family's course through life and that we'll always feel blessed to be a part of that journey together.