The Gaggle
OUR PSEUDO BRADY BUNCH
Here's the Story:
When we blended our families in 2002, we really each had 3 kids of our own. We didn't QUITE have the genders matched up to the Brady Kids, but each of us had 1 older son, then a son and daughter that were about 10 years younger than the oldest.
We knew it was much more than a hunch....here's our bunch!
*names have been altered to protect the innocent!
This is our son "Matt" and our sweet daughter-in-law, "Amanda." They were married on April of 2014, and have given us two adorable grandchildren, "Sunshine" and "Handsome." M is a pharmacy technician, and A is an assistant manager in the food industry. Michael was raised out of state by his bio mother, but moved to Texas to be with us in 2005.
These are their babies. "Sunshine", our granddaughter was born in 2010 and "Handsome," our grandson was born in 2012.
Next is our son, "Lane",' who is 26 He grew up living in our house, and managed to survive from being the only child, to a big brother of 4 toddlers. Of course if you ask him, it scarred him for life from having children! He has joined the military, and is anticipating his trip to boot camp in a few months. We are very proud of his choice to honor his country. He has been a server, then manager at a high-end fondue restaurant since his high school graduation in 2007.
THE "CHICKENS"
Years ago, for no apparent reason, I started referring to the the younger kids as my "chickens." It just seemed natural since even today, B and I can't go anywhere without the gaggle following close behind.
This is our Autistic-ly gifted son, "Dylan." He is 17 years old, and a sophomore this year. He was a micro-preemie when he was born, and weighed a little over an ounce. A Coke bottle was longer and heavier than "Dylan." He has since grown into a loving, caring boy, who loves History and the Bible, and believes he has a very close relationship with God. Here is
an autobiography he wrote about himself in November of 2014. He tries hard to fit into a world that isn't always so welcoming to special needs children. We are always reminded of a poem called
"Welcome to Holland."
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| "C" 16 yrs |
This is "Cody." What do I say about my 16 year old "Cody ?" As you can tell by the picture, he just got his learner's permit, and is driving us crazy about driving. School is not exactly a priority in his life, but with some
not so gentle nudging, we hope he'll graduate in 2016. He really likes working (he works with "L" at the fondue restaurant) and having his own money. He constantly makes us laugh, and/or roll our eyes. We are sure most of our gray hairs are from him.
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"A" 15 yrs
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"Aubrey" is our 15 year old socialite. If there's something to do at school, she's there, right in the middle! She is a sophomore this year, just finished a season as the volleyball manager. She was responsible for keeping track of uniforms, the books,and the general well-being of the volleyball team, which meant that she spent 2-3 nights a week, and weekends with the team. Even doing this, she has kept her grades up, and made lots of new friends. She's had a steady boyfriend for almost a year, and likes to spend
way too much time with him. ;)
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| "J" 15 yrs. |
And last, but not least is the
brat baby girl of the family, our "Jordan." She is also 15, only 4 months younger than "A," but they way her birthday fell, she started school a year after A. She's a freshman this year. She is a quick-witted old soul, and pushes herself to the max in her school work. She was selected to be part of the sports medicine team at her high school, and spent most of the football/volleyball season learning how to hydrate players, diagnose sports injuries to refer to the actual certified trainers, and how to wrap and stabilize body parts for sports. She does a great job juggling both AP classes and her sports medicine, yet worries mama a lot about having so much on her plate.
So there you have it, our pseudo "Brady Bunch." We hope you enjoy!
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| April 2014, Special Needs Prom |
