Changes afoot

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last three years, you know that Las Vegas is in a spot of trouble. Plummeting house prices, lousy economy, no jobs...it's a lousy place to be right now, for a lot of people.

One of those people is my younger brother, David. He's a marvelous single dad of three incredible kids, and he's trying to finish his bachelor's degree in computer science while keeping his family afloat. Like many people, he was laid off from his job, and then discovered the private for-profit college he has been attending has discontinued his program. The hits just keep coming for his little family!

Fortunately, the same college has a branch up in SLC, and they have his program. Conveniently enough, David has family up in the general area! So...this Memorial Day, David and his crew are going to come live with us for the summer. He's already enrolled in the college program up in SLC, and hopefully he'll be able to find a job pretty quick.

Adding four more people to our little house is going to be an adventure, as will having eight kids under the age of ten running around underfoot. (And underfoot they will be!) We're going to put the boys (Sky, 9, and Eff, 7) in to sleep with our boys, and Lala (5) will be in with our girls. We'll clear out our family room to be David's room, both for a place for him to sleep and a place that is for their family to be alone if they ever need it.

I'm nervous but excited for this summer. I'm so happy for the opportunity for David to finish his degree, and for my kids to get to really know some more of their cousins. There's a lot to do between now and then--all the more so with the end of school and the re-roofing project on Memorial Saturday.

I'm also a little excited for the way I'm having to clean and clear out my house. Stuff just piles up, but with the growth of our family, there just won't be room. I cleaned out four drawers and an entire cabinet just this afternoon, and it felt so good. (Yes, I could de-clutter without having people move into my home, but let's face it: I work best with a deadline. Just doing it for the sake of doing it never gets done.)

So, it's going to be busy, and exciting, and just plain crazy around here for the next couple of months. Here's to family!