Siblings

One of the stories my mom often tells is about how she thought she might not ever have kids. She was a career woman with a master's degree and just wasn't sure if children were something she wanted. Somehow she ended up with five.

First, my dad convinced her to have me. And once I was born, she wasn't sure she could have another. Would she love a second child as much as she loved me? (This is where I butt in and say Hey you should have stopped when you reached perfection!) Four years later, Shannon was born. Then, my mom asked my dad, do you want to try for a son or get a dog? My dad picked the son.

Two years after they had Logan, my parents found out they were pregnant. Unexpectedly. And it was twins! I was elated. I hoped for two more sisters, but God answered my mom's prayers and gave her twin boys (she already had a lot of boy baby stuff). Moments after they were born, my mom briefly thought "How many more wonderful children could I have?" She came to her senses and realized, five was enough.

For as crazy as a family of seven can be, I can't imagine life any other way. People say your siblings are the people who will know you the longest in life. My siblings are fabulous.


Earlier this week, I introduced you to my sister Shannon, who is a bartender at a restaurant called Pi.

I thought I'd tell you a little about the rest of them, starting with the youngest, Nick, because he always has to go last.

Nick, 15, is hilarious. He likes baseball, the Cardinals, video games and making movies. He has excellent comedic timing and always chimes in at the last moment with something funny.

Alex, 15, is just like my mom, in that he likes to smooth over problems and keep people happy. He'll volunteer to help out or cover someones tracks if they might get in trouble.

He enjoys baseball, video games, and texting his girlfriend.

Logan, 17, is adventurous. He's the brother that would try most anything, sometimes without thinking about it first. He likes eating, playing soccer, coming up with free dates to take his girlfriend on, running around with his friends and winding up my parent's dog Lucy.

Shannon, 22, is my only sister. She's a people person who can talk to just about anyone. She can be the life of the party during family gatherings. She likes picnics in the park, going out to eat and inventing new drinks.

This past week, all five of us have spent a ton of time together and it's been great!

It's rare for all of us to be together at the same time for very long -usually we're running in a million directions, someone is at soccer practice, someone else is working, someone else is hanging out with friends.

It was like that for most of my childhood. That's what happens when you have kids who are about four years apart in age - except the twins are two years younger than Logan.

Christmas 2005

For a long time, there was a natural divide with Shannon and I as the "big" kids and Alex, Nick and Logan as "the boys."

October 2007

When we were kids, Shannon and I fought a lot. But since we've both moved out, we've grown much closer. She's one person who knows me well and has known me for forever. We can keep each other honest- and love and appreciate each for who we are. It's nice to have someone to confide in who gets it- the family history, the quirks and idiosyncrasies.

May 2007

With my brothers, it's a little different because I'm so much older than they are. I was eight when Logan was born and 10 when Alex and Nick were born. For a long time, I think I was a lot like a second mother to them- scolding them for getting out of line, nagging if they were doing something wrong. I was always piping up with helpful suggestions for my mom that I picked up while reading her parenting magazines.

"You're not supposed to yell at your kids, Mom."

"I can't wait till you have kids of your own," was her reply.

Shannon and I tended to exclude the boys from things. It was easier to lump us together. Often we were allowed to do things that the boys weren't. Then, Logan grew up. He started driving, and got a job. It was easier to include him because he seemed more like us.
 

Thanksgiving 2008

 

Just in the past year or so I think I've realized that the youngest two are teenagers. We can all watch the same movies (although watching the rated R is a little awkward), stay up late, eat the same food (no need for chicken fingers for them). It's really nice to have us all on the same page and to be able to talk about everything.

January 2010.

Now that those boys have grown up, it's nice to see our friendship grow.

But I think I'll always worry about them, and give my mom advice on how to make sure they grow up right.

That's what big sisters do.