2014: Day 10, 11, and 12

Day 11 was supposed to be about my siblings but since there are 6 of us and since I skipped day 9 as well, I'm lumping them all into one post. Because I can.

 

I am the 4th of 6 children; 5 girls, 1 boy.

I've always wanted a lot of daughters because I loved growing up surrounded by sisters---you know, when we weren't cat fighting over clothes, make up, jewelry, etc.

 

So I want to take the time to talk about each of them and their families.

 

Jamie:

Jamie is my oldest sister. She is 7 years older than me and being the firstborn, she was very 'mothering' when I was growing up. I always looked up to her but never really thought we'd be close because of our age gap.
The interesting thing is that even though I am the 4th daughter, I was the second one to get married. Then we got pregnant with Petey and I felt an insta-connection to my oldest sister because she was the only one who already had kids. I'm glad I got to experience that with her because it made us much closer than we were.
Jamie got married when I was 16. She made me an auntie when I was 17. Her children are now 8, 6, and 1. I love all 3 of them.
Jamie is a talented singer and piano player. She is also a really hard worker and a wonderful mother.

Karin:

 Karin is daughter #2 in our family. She is 5 years older than me. Karin got married to her awesome husband, Chris, in 2011 and became stepmom to the two older boys in that picture. Soon after getting married, Karin announced she was pregnant and now that baby boy is 1! I felt a connection to her son right away when I met him and I miss him so much because they live in Virginia {Not fair!}.
Karin is also a talented singer and piano player. She is also great at making friends and keeping friends. It's funny to watch the different life stages we've all been at when we became mothers. Karin was the oldest and she is so protective of her little guy. I guess we're all kind of that way but Karin's mother instincts are incredible and I admire the way she raises Lil Lo.

Andrea:

 "We're best buddies, yeah!" Andrea and I are only 2 years apart and that chant was our motto growing up. We have almost always been best friends. Andrea has the only inaccurate family picture right now because she just had a baby 4 days ago! I can't believe she's already a mom of 3 since it seems like we just had our boys last year {Her oldest and Spidey are a month apart}. Her kiddos are 4, almost 2, and 0 and she is one busy momma!
Andrea is also a talented singer and piano player {I'm actually the only one who didn't keep up with the piano playing. Oops.}. She is also really good about budgeting, couponing, and anything along that line. She was brave enough to move with her husband to China and I admire the wife and mother she is.

Candace:

 Candace is almost 3 years younger than me. She was also one of my best buddies growing up. Candace is autistic and has never been able to speak. But if she wants something, you'll know it. :) Candace is feisty. One of my favorite things about Candace is when she starts laughing out of the blue. Sometimes she has to catch her breath she'll be laughing so hard. We all believe it's because angels are telling her jokes.
Candace has so many talents. She is amazing at doing puzzles and building legos. She is so creative. She has the entire hymn book from our church memorized. You can write a title of a song and she will flip right to the page it's on. Her mind is amazing.

Will:

I would usually start out by saying that this kid right here is my bestest buddy but let's be honest, he's everyone's best buddy. Everyone loves Will. He has the biggest heart and says the funniest things. He is almost 10 years younger than me and is my only non-biological sibling. I remember when my parents brought up the prospect of adopting this perfect little boy. It was a 9 year old's dream! I was elated to have another sibling and after all of those girls, I know my dad was excited for a son.
Will also works hard at singing and is in choir at church and school. One of Will's best talents is to make everyone feel loved and included. He brightens up whatever room he is in. Will is pretty lucky to have the best older sisters everrrr but I think we lucked out more than he did. He is such a great brother.

I'm lucky to have the family that I do. I cannot thank God enough for letting me be a part of this crazy, messy, hilarious Guthrie world. There's no family I'd rather be a part of than my own.