It's finally happened.
The day I knew would come has arrived. (And in all reality, it's not in any way about me.)
Still -
Every last one of my siblings now has a child.
My youngest brother's wife gave birth right around one A.M., and the baby's a very pretty (if slightly overcooked*) little girl. I'll get to see her in about a month.
So, congratulations!
(That makes 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 - the 6 and the 4 are finished, but the last three are still potentially 'and counting'. I'm going to be trying for 2 Masters' degrees - maybe I should go for five to fill out the sequence!)
Also, I'd better start bringing in some big bucks - how else am I going to be able to afford to spoil all 16 of my brothers' and sister's kids?
I shall now have a celebratory chocolate milkshake in baby Bostyn's honor. She is a Baxter, after all.
(And I have a bottle of real Hershey's syrup. How providential!)
* By which I mean, she was nearly a week late - and this after her parents were told the initial due date was probably inaccurate and the baby would most likely arrive sometime in May. That kid really hunkered down!
Showing posts with label family stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family stuff. Show all posts
June 14, 2011
June 05, 2011
Sibling Revelry
In which we shall see: bragging about incredible people, that I happen to be related to.
* * * * *
I've actually been thinking about this post for a while now, and it's a little bit tricky to know how to approach the topic. How does one go about saying "Hey, guess what? Those people that spent most of our respective early lives tormenting me grew up to be pretty amazing, all across the board!"?
Oh. I guess that's how.
(I suppose "tormenting me" is probably overstating a little. And, to be honest, I may have done a little tormenting myself. I don't really count the psychological conditioning as 'torment', as it's in everyone's best interest to do what I say, but my siblings might have the very small, odd, not-normal story of me occasionally picking on them. Maybe.)
Seriously, though, my siblings turned out to be fantastic people. Who knew? Here in the UK you get an even bigger "WHA?!?" response than in the States when you say you're one of six kids, but I do appreciate the fact that I've got plenty to brag about with each of them. My sister, for example, is fabulously organized and productively creative - everything she does not only IS good but also looks good, and she's always figuring out ways to sell her hobbies. I think I got her interested in jewelry design (or we got going about the same time, anyway) and she has completely outstripped me (it's a good thing). Her pieces are beautiful and trendy and so well done - we all love wearing anything she's made. She commits herself completely to whatever needs doing - her church callings happen 100%, she backs her husband and kids in everything they do; currently, she's becoming a total expert on Scouting as her oldest son (at 12 and-a-half) has decided to accomplish every. single. merit badge. (I won't even get started on how awesome all of her kids are.) She doesn't back down from her goals, and doesn't let other people's insecurities and hesitations slow her down (which I love). She KILLED in the family weight-loss competition (won!), and has maintained ever since... just last month she (and her husband) produced their third-annual Half-Marathon event, with double the number of participants from the year before (and they do it for fun and tradition, not for profit). Plus, she is an amazing friend and can always be counted on to help and serve whenever needed. AND she knows how to have fun! Can I be my sister when I grow up, please?
I have four brothers, and at some point each of my sisters-in-law has told me how lucky they are to have gotten a Baxter guy. It's true. They are all terrific husbands and fathers (the youngest brother is THISCLOSE to getting started on that 'fatherhood' thing. MINUTES away). They are all smart, hardworking, funny, musical, dedicated to their families and to the Gospel, and they all (obviously) have fantastic taste in women. (Well, one woman each - they'd all probably say no other women exist.) They all served missions - two learned Spanish, and the other two might also say that they served in foreign-language areas (California and England), and they're all Eagle Scouts. Three of the four play with the Army (National Guard) Band, and the other keeps all of our computers running and current (I don't know if you realize just how much money he saves all of us. And yes, he takes outside-the-family jobs, too, if you're looking for a computer guy!). They are educated, positive, forward-thinking men who work to better not only their families' lives, but also to better their neighborhoods and communities. They have smart, funny, happy children who know that no matter their challenges (and there are challenges, too) they can always count on their dad. There's an engineer, corporate head of I.T., accountant, and phone rep (who just got promoted to his own store and has totally hooked up the family) - we've got all the necessaries covered - as well as a family band (they may not play together often, but they will for Mom!). And play they do - nobody plays harder than my brothers. We get a little competitive, but it's definitely in good fun. These are good men...
... and I've got embarrassing stories about each of them. Heh. Hehehehhhhhh.
Recently, it's been coming back to me over and over - I'm very lucky to belong to this particular group of people. I've said for most of my life that we are 'abnormally normal', and it's true - my parents and siblings are the best friends and neighbors you could ever have, the kind of people you want living next door and working for you and being your boss and teaching your kids. You want your kids to be friends with their kids. These are the people that you want to spend time with, because you know from the start that your life will be better for the association.
And let me assure you, there's no need to worry - I promise (as the picture shows) I'm the only one who bites.
* * * * *
I've actually been thinking about this post for a while now, and it's a little bit tricky to know how to approach the topic. How does one go about saying "Hey, guess what? Those people that spent most of our respective early lives tormenting me grew up to be pretty amazing, all across the board!"?
Oh. I guess that's how.
(I suppose "tormenting me" is probably overstating a little. And, to be honest, I may have done a little tormenting myself. I don't really count the psychological conditioning as 'torment', as it's in everyone's best interest to do what I say, but my siblings might have the very small, odd, not-normal story of me occasionally picking on them. Maybe.)
 |
| I made her a 'cartoon doll' ages ago. It really does look just like her. |
Seriously, though, my siblings turned out to be fantastic people. Who knew? Here in the UK you get an even bigger "WHA?!?" response than in the States when you say you're one of six kids, but I do appreciate the fact that I've got plenty to brag about with each of them. My sister, for example, is fabulously organized and productively creative - everything she does not only IS good but also looks good, and she's always figuring out ways to sell her hobbies. I think I got her interested in jewelry design (or we got going about the same time, anyway) and she has completely outstripped me (it's a good thing). Her pieces are beautiful and trendy and so well done - we all love wearing anything she's made. She commits herself completely to whatever needs doing - her church callings happen 100%, she backs her husband and kids in everything they do; currently, she's becoming a total expert on Scouting as her oldest son (at 12 and-a-half) has decided to accomplish every. single. merit badge. (I won't even get started on how awesome all of her kids are.) She doesn't back down from her goals, and doesn't let other people's insecurities and hesitations slow her down (which I love). She KILLED in the family weight-loss competition (won!), and has maintained ever since... just last month she (and her husband) produced their third-annual Half-Marathon event, with double the number of participants from the year before (and they do it for fun and tradition, not for profit). Plus, she is an amazing friend and can always be counted on to help and serve whenever needed. AND she knows how to have fun! Can I be my sister when I grow up, please?
I have four brothers, and at some point each of my sisters-in-law has told me how lucky they are to have gotten a Baxter guy. It's true. They are all terrific husbands and fathers (the youngest brother is THISCLOSE to getting started on that 'fatherhood' thing. MINUTES away). They are all smart, hardworking, funny, musical, dedicated to their families and to the Gospel, and they all (obviously) have fantastic taste in women. (Well, one woman each - they'd all probably say no other women exist.) They all served missions - two learned Spanish, and the other two might also say that they served in foreign-language areas (California and England), and they're all Eagle Scouts. Three of the four play with the Army (National Guard) Band, and the other keeps all of our computers running and current (I don't know if you realize just how much money he saves all of us. And yes, he takes outside-the-family jobs, too, if you're looking for a computer guy!). They are educated, positive, forward-thinking men who work to better not only their families' lives, but also to better their neighborhoods and communities. They have smart, funny, happy children who know that no matter their challenges (and there are challenges, too) they can always count on their dad. There's an engineer, corporate head of I.T., accountant, and phone rep (who just got promoted to his own store and has totally hooked up the family) - we've got all the necessaries covered - as well as a family band (they may not play together often, but they will for Mom!). And play they do - nobody plays harder than my brothers. We get a little competitive, but it's definitely in good fun. These are good men...
... and I've got embarrassing stories about each of them. Heh. Hehehehhhhhh.
 |
| That's right, Mom and Dad - you're responsible for all this. (Good job.) |
And let me assure you, there's no need to worry - I promise (as the picture shows) I'm the only one who bites.
November 23, 2009
No News Makes for Boring Headlines - Sorry
No news is usually because there's way too much going on to actually have time to talk about it, even though it's not particularly newsworthy. Maybe I should take classes on tabloid journalism, so that I'd always have something to write about here. Anyway, in this case, no news is because:
- Changeover week at the theatre. Old show out, new show in - usual schedule: 10 days. This changeover: 4 days (because my boss refuses to work Thanksgiving). We did a great job with prep beforehand though (IMHYAO), so no-one's tried to staple anyone else to the hydraulic lift. Yet.
- Thanksgiving! Yay! (except see above). We're borrowing a tradition from my friend Sara's family and doing "pie all day" - after Sunday's Music and the Spoken Word, though, I suggested we do a "Pay It Forward Pie Day" (because I am extraordinarily dorky and I also really liked the broadcast). Every time you have a piece of pie on Thursday (and you can have one whenever you'd like) you either: 1) write down something nice you'll do for someone else that day and put it in a jar, or 2) go find something nice to do for someone else and then write it down and put it in the jar. Apple pie for breakfast - Mom and I are ready to go.
- My sister and her family are coming for the holiday - they'll be staying in the basement with me, which means that most of the last few days have been spent digging through the mountain of storage boxes that filled the Big Room (this is it's actual name) and sorting and re-packing fewer boxes to go in the storage room (also it's actual name; not to be confused with the Food Storage Room - apparently, we're a very literal group). It's... kind of amazing, really - furniture arranged, kitchen area cleaned, carpet vacuumed... it even looks like someplace I'd want to live. (If it wasn't in my parents basement, that is.) I'm excited to see the kids (for the .03 minutes I'll have to spare thanks to Item #1) and my sis and Mom and I are dragging Dad and the b-i-l to New Moon Friday morning. (Truth be told, the guys are not all that reluctant. HA.) Most people are a little surprised and even alarmed that I haven't seen the movie yet - it opened THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT, after all.
- The plan was to have all my family Christmas presents ready by Thanksgiving, since I've got my sister's family. That... didn't QUITE work, but hopefully the things I'll take care of later will be light and mail-able.
- I'm judging the Reflections Contest entries for the local elementary (my old school! I still totally know the song!) in Film/Video, and Music. I remember writing a song for a Reflections contest, and singing it into a TAPE RECORDER, and moving on the next round and singing it for actual people, and thinking I was pretty cool. Who knows, maybe I was.
Wow, I feel old.
- And.... Still determined to give up fiction come January (decided to use December to re-read favorites and get caught up on books I'd had "back ordered"; the family wants to start another weight-loss contest, which is great, except that the prize has been suggested as a family vacation and some are leaning towards a year-long competition with a vacay in January 2011 so that people have time to save up... and I fully expect to be in England, so - no good. I definitely need to lose the weight, though. I started eating chocolate again after a few weeks away, and it MESSED with my digestive system - evidently, I should only be eating very expensive chocolate, which does not make my tummy nearly as unhappy. I broke tonight (after vacuuming a few miles of carpet in the Big Room) and had ice cream for the first time in over a month, but only because it was Schwann's Chocolate Chip, purchased at my instigation and in honor of the holiday. These days, an ice cream sighting like that in our freezer is as rare as spotting a single, upwardly mobile, aesthetically pleasing man over the age of 30 in the Salt Lake valley - and twice as satisfying. (Zing!) After Thanksgiving and Changeover are over I'm getting things back in order and getting back into my jeans. And finding another/additional job. And getting back to work on my book project. And sorting out my filing cabinet. And getting into grad school, with grants and scholarships to pay for it.
I've got to get up for work in about 5 hours, so I'm off - tomorrow I'll finish Marley's chains and politely turn down a print bid and probably paint stuff and OD on Glee songs, since those are pretty much all I've got on my Ipod right now.
* * * * *
I ganked this quote from a friend's blog - I'm working on both. (I'm not saying this post is in any way indicative of either, but I'm trying!)
- Changeover week at the theatre. Old show out, new show in - usual schedule: 10 days. This changeover: 4 days (because my boss refuses to work Thanksgiving). We did a great job with prep beforehand though (IMHYAO), so no-one's tried to staple anyone else to the hydraulic lift. Yet.
- Thanksgiving! Yay! (except see above). We're borrowing a tradition from my friend Sara's family and doing "pie all day" - after Sunday's Music and the Spoken Word, though, I suggested we do a "Pay It Forward Pie Day" (because I am extraordinarily dorky and I also really liked the broadcast). Every time you have a piece of pie on Thursday (and you can have one whenever you'd like) you either: 1) write down something nice you'll do for someone else that day and put it in a jar, or 2) go find something nice to do for someone else and then write it down and put it in the jar. Apple pie for breakfast - Mom and I are ready to go.
- My sister and her family are coming for the holiday - they'll be staying in the basement with me, which means that most of the last few days have been spent digging through the mountain of storage boxes that filled the Big Room (this is it's actual name) and sorting and re-packing fewer boxes to go in the storage room (also it's actual name; not to be confused with the Food Storage Room - apparently, we're a very literal group). It's... kind of amazing, really - furniture arranged, kitchen area cleaned, carpet vacuumed... it even looks like someplace I'd want to live. (If it wasn't in my parents basement, that is.) I'm excited to see the kids (for the .03 minutes I'll have to spare thanks to Item #1) and my sis and Mom and I are dragging Dad and the b-i-l to New Moon Friday morning. (Truth be told, the guys are not all that reluctant. HA.) Most people are a little surprised and even alarmed that I haven't seen the movie yet - it opened THURSDAY AT MIDNIGHT, after all.
- The plan was to have all my family Christmas presents ready by Thanksgiving, since I've got my sister's family. That... didn't QUITE work, but hopefully the things I'll take care of later will be light and mail-able.
- I'm judging the Reflections Contest entries for the local elementary (my old school! I still totally know the song!) in Film/Video, and Music. I remember writing a song for a Reflections contest, and singing it into a TAPE RECORDER, and moving on the next round and singing it for actual people, and thinking I was pretty cool. Who knows, maybe I was.
Wow, I feel old.
- And.... Still determined to give up fiction come January (decided to use December to re-read favorites and get caught up on books I'd had "back ordered"; the family wants to start another weight-loss contest, which is great, except that the prize has been suggested as a family vacation and some are leaning towards a year-long competition with a vacay in January 2011 so that people have time to save up... and I fully expect to be in England, so - no good. I definitely need to lose the weight, though. I started eating chocolate again after a few weeks away, and it MESSED with my digestive system - evidently, I should only be eating very expensive chocolate, which does not make my tummy nearly as unhappy. I broke tonight (after vacuuming a few miles of carpet in the Big Room) and had ice cream for the first time in over a month, but only because it was Schwann's Chocolate Chip, purchased at my instigation and in honor of the holiday. These days, an ice cream sighting like that in our freezer is as rare as spotting a single, upwardly mobile, aesthetically pleasing man over the age of 30 in the Salt Lake valley - and twice as satisfying. (Zing!) After Thanksgiving and Changeover are over I'm getting things back in order and getting back into my jeans. And finding another/additional job. And getting back to work on my book project. And sorting out my filing cabinet. And getting into grad school, with grants and scholarships to pay for it.
I've got to get up for work in about 5 hours, so I'm off - tomorrow I'll finish Marley's chains and politely turn down a print bid and probably paint stuff and OD on Glee songs, since those are pretty much all I've got on my Ipod right now.
* * * * *
I ganked this quote from a friend's blog - I'm working on both. (I'm not saying this post is in any way indicative of either, but I'm trying!)
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
— Benjamin Franklin
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