A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a bit about Brian's family. So I thought I'd take a minute to introduce my own. There are 7 kids in my family, so growing up we divided ourselves up into groups called "the girls", "the boys" & "the little kids". This is mainly based on birth order... 2 girls, 2 boys, followed by a boy, a girl, and a boy... And it worked well when trying to finagle some special activity. "The boys are going camping, so the girls and the little kids are going to stay home with mom and watch movies", for example.
Anyway - since there are a lot of us, I'm going to use these same groups to introduce us.
The girls
I am the second in my family. I have an older sister who was close enough to me in age that we were pretty good friends all through school. She really helped to show me the ropes in school, and in life - helping me get my first two jobs, double dating, teaching me to drive a stick shift.. all the important stuff. She married a friend of ours from high school and they have one son, who is almost eight. She's a mom first and foremost, but also works from home. Her husband just finished two MBA's. My nephew, in some ways, is way too smart for his age. He knows all about solar systems and trains and a lot of other things. His current fascination is Pokemon.
The other of the "girls" is me.
The boys
My oldest brother is just a year and a half younger than me. He's just oozing with artistic talent, and right now uses that talent to design printed circuit boards and other stuff I don't quite understand. He's also working on finishing his bachelor's degree. His wife says at home with their son, who is almost two, and a real charmer. My nephew is being tested right now to determine if he has autism. His parents are working hard to learn and to teach him some sign language to help him communicate. He loves anything with wheels! My brother and his wife are expecting a little girl who should be born NEXT WEEK!!
My second brother has had more than his fair share of hard knocks in his life. He's struggled with an illness that has severely impacted his life since high school. However, with time he's learned to manage it and we have learned to work together as a family to help him. He is married and has a beautiful little girl! She is three years old and the cutest thing you've ever met. Some of her current favorite things are singing, temples, and veggie tales. Her dad is lucky enough to be a stay-at-home dad and you can tell they adore each other.
Anyway - since there are a lot of us, I'm going to use these same groups to introduce us.
The girls
I am the second in my family. I have an older sister who was close enough to me in age that we were pretty good friends all through school. She really helped to show me the ropes in school, and in life - helping me get my first two jobs, double dating, teaching me to drive a stick shift.. all the important stuff. She married a friend of ours from high school and they have one son, who is almost eight. She's a mom first and foremost, but also works from home. Her husband just finished two MBA's. My nephew, in some ways, is way too smart for his age. He knows all about solar systems and trains and a lot of other things. His current fascination is Pokemon.
The other of the "girls" is me.
The boysMy oldest brother is just a year and a half younger than me. He's just oozing with artistic talent, and right now uses that talent to design printed circuit boards and other stuff I don't quite understand. He's also working on finishing his bachelor's degree. His wife says at home with their son, who is almost two, and a real charmer. My nephew is being tested right now to determine if he has autism. His parents are working hard to learn and to teach him some sign language to help him communicate. He loves anything with wheels! My brother and his wife are expecting a little girl who should be born NEXT WEEK!!
My second brother has had more than his fair share of hard knocks in his life. He's struggled with an illness that has severely impacted his life since high school. However, with time he's learned to manage it and we have learned to work together as a family to help him. He is married and has a beautiful little girl! She is three years old and the cutest thing you've ever met. Some of her current favorite things are singing, temples, and veggie tales. Her dad is lucky enough to be a stay-at-home dad and you can tell they adore each other.
The little kids
To be fair, my third brother gets to jump back and forth between the categories of "boys" and "little kids". He returned about 2 years ago from an LDS mission in the Phillipines. Since then, he's been working and going to school. He loves to keep on with friends and traditions from his mission. He also loves video games and can be counted on whenever a gaming party is needed. He also is very involved with his singles ward and his friends and is often off playing ultimate frisbee or bowling or something of the like.
My third (and last) sister recently graduated from high school and is working to establish her place in life. She loves photography and has a job at a local photo studio. She also is VERY good with kids. She has worked in day care centers and schools, and my nieces and nephews on both my side and Brian's family love her as a babysitter.
Finally, my youngest brother is in his senior year of high school. He plays in the school band and works at a local music store. He just finished making his own kayak which he used for a scout troup river running trip. He's always doing something - but is so independent that I don't always know what that something is.
The parents
And, of course, you wouldn't have this big family without parents. My parents are really amazing people. And I don't just say that because they raised all of us without major catastrophe, though that should be counted to their credit.
y dad is a computer technician by trade. He loves to fiddle with anything electronic. He also loves anything and everything to do with the outdoors. He's served off and on as scoutmaster for my whole life. He loves camping, hiking, canoeing, and all of that. He also is quite involved in Mountain man recreation, which means that he has all kinds of cool things like teepees and period rifles and jewelry and clothes. He can fix anything, especially cars... though we've probably made him do more of that than any person's fair share.
My mom has always been a stay-at-home mom. She loves the arts, literature, music, etc. and has instilled that in her children. We went to the library every week growing up. And she taught us all piano lessons, as well as putting up with each of us learning another instrument. She also loves good fun. Board games are her forte... no one can beat her at scrabble. (I'm the only one who even comes close). She's always been very involved with the church's record extraction program and has been part of adding millions of names to the family history database. Her children and grandchildren are the center of her life. Even with seven kids, we all have fond memories of one-on-one time with mom.
So - that's my family, in brief. I love 'em. What more can I say?
To be fair, my third brother gets to jump back and forth between the categories of "boys" and "little kids". He returned about 2 years ago from an LDS mission in the Phillipines. Since then, he's been working and going to school. He loves to keep on with friends and traditions from his mission. He also loves video games and can be counted on whenever a gaming party is needed. He also is very involved with his singles ward and his friends and is often off playing ultimate frisbee or bowling or something of the like.
My third (and last) sister recently graduated from high school and is working to establish her place in life. She loves photography and has a job at a local photo studio. She also is VERY good with kids. She has worked in day care centers and schools, and my nieces and nephews on both my side and Brian's family love her as a babysitter.
Finally, my youngest brother is in his senior year of high school. He plays in the school band and works at a local music store. He just finished making his own kayak which he used for a scout troup river running trip. He's always doing something - but is so independent that I don't always know what that something is.
The parents
And, of course, you wouldn't have this big family without parents. My parents are really amazing people. And I don't just say that because they raised all of us without major catastrophe, though that should be counted to their credit.
y dad is a computer technician by trade. He loves to fiddle with anything electronic. He also loves anything and everything to do with the outdoors. He's served off and on as scoutmaster for my whole life. He loves camping, hiking, canoeing, and all of that. He also is quite involved in Mountain man recreation, which means that he has all kinds of cool things like teepees and period rifles and jewelry and clothes. He can fix anything, especially cars... though we've probably made him do more of that than any person's fair share.My mom has always been a stay-at-home mom. She loves the arts, literature, music, etc. and has instilled that in her children. We went to the library every week growing up. And she taught us all piano lessons, as well as putting up with each of us learning another instrument. She also loves good fun. Board games are her forte... no one can beat her at scrabble. (I'm the only one who even comes close). She's always been very involved with the church's record extraction program and has been part of adding millions of names to the family history database. Her children and grandchildren are the center of her life. Even with seven kids, we all have fond memories of one-on-one time with mom.
So - that's my family, in brief. I love 'em. What more can I say?
No comments:
Post a Comment