Show Us Your Life - Show Us Your Family

I decided to do the "Show Us Your Life" with Kelly's Korner today!

It's a post I need to do just to have anyways so here we go...

I am blessed with LOTS of family. But i'm only going to share the family members that I spent a lot of time with growing up. (immediate family really)

Carl

My daddy

(bad quality pic.)

He has always been my rock (whether or not I did a good job of telling him that, and I'm pretty sure I didn't.), the person that never changed no matter what happened in my life. He always stayed the same and so did his love for me. Thankfully, he was always pestering me (with hugs and kisses) or giving me annoying rules to follow. He really shaped the mold of who I am today and set a great example of how a parent should love their child. He's a great dad, and I couldn't ask for a better one.

Sonya 

My Mom

(i love this pic of her, I've probably posted it before)

We didn't see eye to eye when i was growing up, and still don't most of the time even now. We've had a lot of ups and downs, good days and bad days. But we have grown closer as I've grown older and it's easier now to remember the good times we had instead of the bad. She was pretty young when I was born so we grew up a lot together. We had more of a best friend relationship than we did a mother-daughter relationship and that's a large part of what gave us such a rough start. Now, she is a wonderful part of my life, I enjoy every minute I get to spend with her, and I look forward to what's to come.

Pam

My Step-mother

This wonderful woman is hardly a "Step" mother.

I can't begin to tell you all of the things she taught me growing up. When she and my dad met my dad hadn't been a part of my life at all and she encouraged him to fix things and start seeing me again. I'm not really sure when he would've come back around if it hadn't been for her. She was always the "communicator" when I was growing up and didn't really know how to open up to my dad. I was able to talk to her about anything and still am. She taught me all the recipes I use now and really filled the void I sometimes had when Mom was too busy.

I love her so much.

Theeeennnn there are all the siblings (haha)

We will start with oldest and go down the line.

Karrisa

(and cousin Nate)

We were the very best of friends growing up with only 3 years difference in age.

We used to spend hours dancing and singing in front of the video camera and later in our bedroom with the door closed jamming out to savage garden and Martina McBride (haha). I remember standing in front of her in front of our vanity mirror and making up dance moves for her to follow (LOL this still makes me laugh). We had a little play house that was painted all cute with a little table and chairs inside of it. We would play house all day until it was time for bed.

(TMI alert) I'll never forget one Christmas we both had an awful stomach bug. We spent all day and night laying on our tummies on our matching twin beds throwing up and spinning to find a clean spot to puke in. (poor mom, there was no point in cleaning it up because it lasted fooorrreeevvvverrrrr.)

Finally Nanny came over with some Suppositories (OH THE TERROR).

There will never be a more vivid memory in my brain than our sweet innocent Nanny, chasing our naked bottoms around the house with a pair of latex gloves on and one of those things in her hand yelling "Come her Jessie! Come here!". And then little Karrisa that looked like an Ethiopian child with her string bean arms and legs, each and every rib poking out, and a little pot belly!

(LOL we were NOT starved but you couldnt tell it by looking at that child).

Then when it was all said and done we spent the next several hours squatted with our arms wrapped around our knees complaining about the lack of comfort in the whole situation. (lol)

We used to go "exploring" I was always the bossy big sister and got to be the "leader". We would tie water bottles to our waists (?) with jump ropes and make little pouches with Papa's work rags and fill them with dog food to catch rabbits with. (lol pretty creative eh?)

Those were good times.

Errica

(my mini me)

This little spit-fire just turned 18 in December. Out of all of my brothers and sisters she and I are the closest now.

But when we were little, she was my "little pet". We played school and she was the student and I was (of course) "the teacher". She hated that she never got to be in charge (haha) She would be more than happy to tell you now that I was definately a mean big sister.

Errica was SUCH an adorable baby girl. She had the poutiest lips ever and was so fun to play with. She had the weirdest nicknames for all of us to.

Mom-Dip (lol no clue)

Me-Boosha (short for Na-boosha [I have no idea])

Karrisa-Pee Pot (because Karrisa peed the bed long after Errica was out of diapers lol)

Cody-Pickle Head

And of course she had a nickname for herself - Peanut

She used to yell "I PEANUT! IIIIII PEANUT!"

I can't remember the rest of them but I think just about everyone in the family had one.

She is such a great little sister. She has such a sweet heart and a love for life and all things dangerous (example: bucking, kicking, snot slinging horses) and furry (example: every stray dog in town).

Two of my favorites of us girls

Cody

This is the "Peanut" I mentioned. Cody will be 16 this year.

When mom brought him home, she would lay him in a bean bag with us while we watched Snow White a hundred million times (thanks to Errica).

As soon as she left the room I would scoop him up and twirl around with him and love on him and smell of him (after being told to let him sleep).

He is definately the first baby I remember falling in love with.

After he got big (like every puppy we ever had) he was obnoxious and I wasnt interested anymore (terrible).

One of the things I won't forget (besides the previous story) is the time I was supposed to be watching him while he was in the bathtub. I walked out for less than a minute and I hear a loud thud and screaming. (I still think he set me up. j/k) I ran into the bathroom and there he is sitting in a tub full of blood. He had stood up and slipped, hit his chin on the soap dish on the way down and bit a big hole straight through his tongue (the most blood I've ever seen). He still has a little scar to remind me what an awful sister I was.

He's a great kid. Just gotta love him.

From left to right:

Me, Karrisa, Errica, Cody

 (one of the funniest pictures of us)

Tyler (right) & Kendal (left)

Tyler is my dad and Step-mother's first son. He just turned 16.

I can't begin to tell you what a great kid Tyler is. I don't think I have ever met anyone like him.

He has the biggest heart and never meets a stranger.

You'd be missing out if you met him and didn't get a hug. He just has such a love for people and I truly believe the Lord has allowed Tyler to see people through His eyes.

Since I lived with my mom through out elementary and jr. high, I missed out on a lot of Tyler's toddler days. But I will never forget how incredibly cute he was. When Tyler (and Cody) were out of diapers I was at the age that little brother's were preeeetty annoying. But now they are the best. I love every chance I get to see Tyler and never get tired of hearing him tell me how much he loves me. =)

Kendal is the baby. He will be 13 here pretty soon. He's still so much younger than me that we've never been able to have a heart to heart or any of that time that brings you closer as a brother and sister. But that will come with time. He's still (literally) my baby brother and that is OK with me because when he isn't my baby brother anymore that mean's I am getting old.

He's a great kid and I know the Lord is going to do great things in his life.

Well that sums it up! I have a lot of "immediate family" now that I am married, and what a wonderful family they are...but that is for another day.