Family

This is my family! Ok, so mom and dad aren't that old, but you get the picture. I love them dearly and have come to appreciate them more and more over the past few years. It is fun watching my siblings turn into real people. They are growing up and forming plans and goals for their future. I love bragging about them and telling my friends how weird my brothers and sisters are!

Often I am asked "how many brothers and sisters do you have?". This is probably one of the hardest questions for me to answer. The struggle is 1) do I take the easy way out and say "5" or 2) do I risk it and say "6". (Risk probably isn't the appropriate word but because I am not eloquent with words it will have to do.) There is always the chance that even if I do respond "6" they will not ask "what are the ages?". If they do ask, I can sometimes get away with saying "I am the oldest and the youngest is 9 and everyone is about 2 years apart". It usually is not hard for me to talk about Rachael but it is the response that I get when I tell people that she was killed in a car accident that is hard. It creates an awkward situation for all. They don't know how to respond and I don't know how to ease their discomfort.

Anyways, this is all on my mind today because I miss her. I go home and am jealous of the close relationships that my siblings at home are able to build because they live together. I had that once...Rachael and I would lay in our bunk beds at night and talk about everything. She would complain about girls at school that got on her nerves and the drama that surrounds them and I would do the same. Then we would talk about our latest crushes and how dumb boys were. Not to say that everything was perfect because we had tough times too. This may sound silly, but I even miss fighting with her about her getting into my stuff or never cleaning the room. She was so stubborn and most of the time I just wanted to yell at her but she was my best friend.

All this to say, it is bittersweet to see my siblings become closer. My favorite thing is to see Jordan looking out for Katrina. Putting it mildly, Katrina is very naive about how boys think and what her actions say to guys. Recently, mom was telling me about some boy that kept calling the house late at night to talk to katrina. Katrina claims they are just friends but she talks to him at all hours of the night. I have tried explaining to her that that is not what friends do and mom has talked to her too, but it was awesome to hear Jordan say that this guy better stop calling or else. He has also told her how she doesn't need to be talking to guys on myspace and facebook that she does not know. It is neat to hear him look out for her because it is a different Jordan than when I was living at home.

Sarah is a spit fire. She won't take anything from anyone, especially if you are related to her. She is a snuggler and loving when she wants to be, and she has seemingly unlimited patience when caring for other people's children.

Corey is the cutest little freckle faced blonde that I have seen (totally unbiased opinion). He has the whole west coast surfer look going for him. He also has a "girlfriend" and thinks he is so big and bad. I still see him as a little boy but he is growing up faster every day.

Annika is the most tender hearted of them all. She told mom that she was going to stay home when she grows up and take care of mom and dad when they are old. Also, when I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up, she said that she wanted to be a veterinarian and that she couldn't stand to see animals hurting. She is very emotional and can't watch certain movies without crying. I remember watching Charlotte's Webb in the theater with my family and Annika and I looking at each otherwith tears in our eyes after Charlotte had died. Dad laughed at us of course. :)

This is my family. We are broken and in need of God's grace. And I love them!