Evan's Birthday Party!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Birthday Sister!

Today is my sister Taresa's birthday and in honor of her I will write a post about her.

Taresa is number 2 of 8 and I am number 8. During my early childhood she was like a mother to me. She was always there to take care of me and to entertain me. I can remember screaming her name when I needed help wiping my butt (he, he)... one of the things I am sure she enjoyed as her older sister "duties". Thanks sis! I remember asking her which step to do first butter the bread or put it in the toaster. She was amazed at my bagel sandwich making capabilities.

She was the first sister to get married and I was the flower girl in her wedding. She introduced me to my first love interest, her ring-bearer, and I remember how special I felt getting to stay up late and dance with him at her reception.

I remember visiting Taresa as she work as a waitress at my favorite little restaurant, Annie's Pot. They had the best breadsticks with cheese sauce and pumpkin pie a kindergartener could ask for. It was so fun seeing my sister and having her be the one who brought me my favorite treats.

She was also the first sister to have a child. I remember the school secretary coming in and telling me that I had a nephew when I was almost 6 years old. I recall thinking, "What the heck is a nephew?!" He and I spent a lot of time playing together before his father taught him to say "Be Boo" which meant that I was to leave him alone.

When I was in grade school and often left there after school hours by my mother,  it was Taresa that often went out of her way to pick me up. She took me to her house and fed me dinner. I remember drinking whole milk with dinner, eating cookies, and trying to feed the horses that came to her backyard.

As the years went on and with our age difference I guess I kind of thought that she would always hold that position as a motherly figure to me. But as I grew up our lives became more similar... we both were going to college at the same time; we were both pregnant within the same few years, etc.

She is one of the few sisters that have ever come to visit me since I have grown up and left Michigan. It was so much fun when she came to visit me a few summers ago and I got to share my life, as a grown up, with her.

When our father died, it was her house that I spent a lot of time at being comforted by her. Her house always feels like home to me!

I feel so blessed to have a sister that has been not only a "mother" to me but also a sister and friend. I find our conversations comforting and often call her for advice. So dearest sister... I hope you have a wonderful birthday! You deserve it! I love you and miss you!!!!!!

2009 our year in review

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Merry Christmas 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Evan

This boy continues to crack me up! He is 5 years old and has a serious sense of style... not one I always agree with, but his own sense of style none-the-less.

His older brother still lets me pick out his clothes and really doesn't care what he wears or what he looks like... as long as it is warm enough and not itchy!

Evan has gone through many phases or should I say trends in his clothing. For a while there he ONLY wore pajamas... all the time! I let him, I figured he could only get away with that for so long and he did have some real cool pjs. Oh, then there were the infamous pumpkin pants! I bought some black leggings (yes, I think they were girl's pants) from a second hand store... they were covered in little pumpkins and I knew Evan would love them. I had no idea he would wear them year round! Yup, that was my son you saw in the tie-dyed shirt and the pumpkin leggings, looking like Mikhail Barishnikov, you know like a man in tights.

Recently he has become very opinionated with his hairstyle. He wants a mohawk or a spike or just lay it down flat kind of style. He LOVES to use my blow dryer and style his hair... it is so cute!

Yesterday morning, after his shower, he told me that he wanted to look like Luke, from the Drake and Josh Christmas episode. I had no idea what this character looked like and didn't really understand when Evan said he wanted three spikes, so I googled him. I foung the character, whose real name is Devon and showed Evan this picture of him. "Yup, that is what I want to look like!" We used the picture found here and gave Evan the look... http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1299548416/nm1984458

I thought it was so funny that later in the day he was willing to give up riding his dirt bike because he didn't want his helmet to mess up his hair. Then he was thankful when the misty weather took care of the problem for him. He is so handsome!

Boys

As I have said previously, I come from a family of 8 girls. God has blessed me with 2 boys... and a very manly husband. The boys are now 9 and almost 6 and up until now it has been pretty easy. Ok, so we play with more legos and swords than girly stuff but I can handle that, no problem! Recently my husband went dirt bike riding with one of his buddies and that is where it all began...

Evidently, my husband grew up riding small motorcycle/dirt bike thingys. When I was a little girl I had a bicycle but I went to dance class and with an lawyer for a father I was strictly forbidden to ride a motorcycle of any sort.

After Travis' joy ride a few months ago I have heard about nothing but dirt bikes. So after even more talk and an argument or two we became the proud (?) owners of a Yamaha WR450. Travis was, and still is, thrilled!

After a few more weeks, Travis began talking about getting a bike for the boys. I wasn't too sure how I felt about this but after we got one, after seeing him teach them (very well, might I add) how to ride it, and after seeing their faces after the riding... priceless.

Yes, we do need to get more gear... they are only wearing their bike helmets for now, but they aren't going too fast. And yes, I did threaten them that if I ever even see them sitting on one of these without a helmet, they will never be able to ride it again.  ;)

7 of 8

I don't know if you realized this but I have 7 sisters. Yup, that was NOT a typo, I grew up with 7 amazing, beautiful, inspirational, OLDER sisters! (Come on girls, you knew that was coming). I am the baby or 8 of 8.
I recently turned 31 and I have vowed to never feel old because I will always be "the baby"... or at least my sisters (and my husband) will always be older than me.

One of my sisters recently had a birthday and I meant to publish a blog for her on her birthday, but life got in the way somehow... so here I am, a few days late... but here's to you, Jess!

My sister Jessica is just about 2 years older than me. Growing up I always had my eye on her. She was beautiful. She was intelligent. She was confident. (She still is all those things, too!) I wished I could be her! I often wished to be a fly on the wall and see what went on in that secret life that I, as her younger, annoying sister was forbidden to know.

Now we are all grown up and Jessica is a nurse. She works in the pediatric ICU. I went back to school 3 1/2 years ago and couldn't decide what I should be when I grew up... I'm not entirely sure I will ever grow up, but that's another story. Jessica suggested I become a nurse... How could I do that? She is a nurse, she is smart... how could I become what she is? Well, I have always wanted to do something in the medical field and after some thought I decided nursing would be a good fit for me.

Fast forward to the present time... here I am with only 2 quarters left in nursing school. I LOVE IT! I find an amazing connection with my sister Jessica each time I put on my scrubs, write a care plan, or talk with a patient. I imagine her in her own nursing career and I somehow connect with her caring spirit. Sometimes when I speak I hear her voice, I mean sisters sound a like and all, but I sometimes say things that are in the same phrasing and tone as she would say them... it's wierd.

Now that we are adults I have a stronger relationship with Jessica. I still admire her... she can plan a party like nobody's business and she is still super smart. She is always there for me, offering her words of wisdom and the affectionate smack in the head that I need to keep me going not only in nursing school but in life in general.

I LOVE YOU, SISTER!!!!! I hope you had an amazing birthday... you deserve nothing but the best!