Since our economical situation is what it is, we'll not be sending out Christmas cards this year, we'll be e-mailing this letter:
We hope this finds all of you in good cheer and health.
Again, another year has whizzed by, even faster than the last. Much has happened this year, here is the update.
Trent is still going a million miles a minute. He is still in the bishopric, and work for him has been a bit scary, with the housing industry slowing down so much, that there have been a lot of layoffs. He was facing a lay off in May, but was offered a job at the corporate offices in Dallas at Centex, so basically he just transferred over. Unfortunately, it was not to last. Trent was laid off 3 weeks ago. You’d think that would mean more time for him, but it has meant less. He has been job hunting (a full time job in it’s self), and I have kept him busy with our real estate holding company that we started in April.
We have been greatly blessed. In what little spare time that he has, Trent has learned that he enjoys boating with us. The kids are cool with this, because it means waterskiing.
Tina is working from home now, doing judgment recovery and dealing with our real estate holding company. She really enjoys real estate, it has been really fun for her. Still, running the house, taking care of the family and working a little from home has presented some challenges. It has been good for her to stretch and grow. At church, she is back in the nursery again. We still go to as many hockey games as we can.
Brianna is a senior this year, and is excited about graduation. She has become fluent in American Sign Language, and has a few deaf friends. They have told her that she is almost as fast as they are. She has decided to use ASL as a career. She is planning to either teach deaf kids, interpret, or both. She is the president of the ASL club at school, and still very involved in theater, and lettered last year in theater. She decided to not be as involved in theater this year so she could focus on grades, but the director convinced her to be the stage manager for the play they ran in November. They did Little Women. Last spring, they took their play to Region, which is 1 step below state.
Thain is playing football again this year, and loves it. He is playing defensive end. Trent has enjoyed going to his games. Football takes just about all of his time. He is in ROTC, and loved the leadership camp he went to last summer. He is a guitar hero guru, and socializing is a very big priority, which takes the rest of his time that football doesn’t. He’s been working with Brianna at a kid’s party place called Hero’s. He enjoys the freedom of having his own spending money. Tina likes that, too.
Tanille is as busy it seems as her older brother and sister. She is playing volleyball for school. She enjoys the games, and her team went to tournament, and placed 2nd. She is also in Theater, and loves her theater teacher. They did a play called “15 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Be In a Play”. It was really fun, they did a dinner theater. Juggling play practice and volleyball practice has been interesting, it has been a blessing that her director has been so flexible. Despite it all, her grades have been really good. She is the only 7th grade female in her junior high to be selected for a role in a UIL one act play. They are doing “Reunion at Gallows Hill”, based on the Salem Witch hunts. She plays Hestor, one of the accused witches.
Zach turned 8 in October. He was baptized the day after his birthday by his dad, and his Grandpa Dahle confirmed him. He LOVES cub scouts. As soon as he was allowed to, he started working on his Bobcat, and had it finished before his first den meeting. He is on fire as far as cub scouts are concerned. He loves swimming, and he is next to impossible to knock off a tube behind a boat.
Cody is 5, and that means that he has started Kindergarten. Tina has been really happy about that. And Kindergarten is all day here. Woohoo! He was excited to go until he went. Then it lost it’s appeal. He had a bumpy start, his teacher changed after the first week because they had to hire a new teacher, they had more kindergarteners than they expected. Now he likes it again, thank heavens. He enjoys being with friends and he likes his teacher. His favorite thing is to throw and catch a softball to Zach, and Cody thinks that cub scouts is pretty cool too. Like Zach, he is a swimming machine and is pretty hard to knock off a tube in the water too.
Braxton is almost 2. Enough said. He is into everything, and into it with gusto. He is always a mess, and Tina is beside herself to keep him looking decent. She’ll put a shirt on him for church, and put him clean in the car, and he always manages to get dirty before Sacrament Meeting. We’ve resorted to putting a t-shirt over his Sunday clothes until we are in the chapel. Like Tanille used to be, keeping clothes on him is a challenge. We are considering duct tape for his diapers. His favorite word is “No”.
Braxton has been climbing for months now, on to everything, including the stove to mess with the microwave. He is scary. He is fearless. Unless he has to go to his Nursery class. (we have two nurseries, and he’s not in Tina’s class) He is adjusting, but slowly. It is hard on us to hear him cry at church, but we are tough. He’ll get there. Brax has been such a messy joy. We have enjoyed him so much. He has been a lot of fun.
There you have it. Busy, tired kids are so great. Busy and tired keeps them out of a lot of trouble.
We have been blessed this year in many ways. We are so thankful for the gospel and the guidance that it brings, especially in these uncertain times. We are grateful for wonderful family and friends and pray for you as well.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas,
The Limbs
