Let's Get it Started!

I have kept a blog for the daycare for some time now but haven't begun a personal one yet. Now is as good of time as any, I guess. Writing in my journal has always been a joy for me so when Elder Ballard suggested we keep a blog I decided it was time to begin.

Here's the Reader's Digest version of what is going on right now in the Brimhall home. Dallas is working for Target and waiting for his classes to begin in August. He has an awesome garden (what else is new?) and we have been giving tomatoes away to friends, family and on craigslist for two weeks now because there are more than we can even process. Dallas has been having fun with the boys this summer making bottle rockets and working on the cars. He is a great dad!

I am still doing daycare here at the house. Right now I am watching four little ones and love it. They are all good kids and I enjoy what I do. I am slowly plugging away at school. Next month I will be able to apply for nursing school, graduating two years later. All the classes are internet classes that I am able to do once the kiddos are in bed. At church I work as the primary chorister for both junior and senior primary (about 100 kids). This year's theme is "I am a child of God." It is the 4th time I have held this position so it is all old hat for me.

Alexis is dreading the start of school on July 28th. She will be in the 5th grade, can you believe it? My baby is getting so old. She is so beautiful and the light of my life. My mom is giving sewing/craft lessons to her, Hailey and Lindsay this summer and they are having a blast.

Aiden is our clown. He is always making jokes about one thing or another. For example, last night Brittany and David were eating dinner with us and David spilled his drink. Aiden saw it and said, "Clean up on isle David". What a nut! He will be in the 4th grade this year and enjoys all kinds of sports. He isn't involved in any teams at the moment but I am sure that will change after we get in the swing of school again.

Aspen lost a tooth this week. It is his third one but his first one on top. Who can resist a toothless grin? He went up to the ranch this summer to spend a week working with Grandma and Grandpa and is still talking about it. Aspen is 6 and will be in 1st grade this year. His favorite things include cars, riding his scooter, Sponge Bob and sneaking up on people to scare them.

My baby, Ash, will start kindergarten next week. I thought watching Alexis get on her first school bus was hard but I think watching him leave will break my heart. Even though I know he is five and ready to go, I still think of him as my little baby. To anyone else it probably sounds horrible that he still sucks his thumb and carries a teddy bear but to me it is still endearing. He is my last one and I don't mind this one endulgence of being a mother. I am savoring his cute thumb sucking and teddy bear holding as long as I can because next week the kids will probably make fun of him and it is going to come to a quick halt.

Amanda is coming up on her two year mark of being in our family. We adopted her from Ukraine when she was 12 years old. As we approach this milestone, we can see how far she has come. There have been many many rough days and I am sure there are more to come but overall we are still glad we brought her here. If not for her, for us because of all the lessons we have learned. We look forward to seeing how our relationship with her will grow this next year.

That pretty much sums up our family for now and gives me a starting place for this blog. If you are reading this, enjoy the journey with us and feel free to comment along the way.