My Sisters!

I am blessed to have 4 sister in-laws. I am the only girl in my family and as I posted previously, I really hoped I would always be the only girl. As I got older and watched friends who had sisters I could see the benefits. I never knew what my "future" family would bring me, but I looked forward to having a relationship with sisters.

When I married Dave I instantly got my first sister. Janell was a teenager when I came on the scene. After she served a mission for our church we really started to develop a relationship. As time went on we have become closer and closer. I can't express how much I love her. I feel like she is my sister. She is fun, outgoing, thoughtful, crafty, and a really hard worker. We make a good team whenever we host an event together. She can pretty much make anything... clothing, wedding cakes, furniture... anything! Now that she is a mom and we have daughters 5 weeks and 6 days apart... we have bonded even more. We can care for each other's children as if they were our own. I just love that. I can guarantee that if Janell is with me, then there will be laughing and fun! She is a blessing in my life.

Next is Sami. She is married to my brother Jared and the missing link in this picture above. Sam and I have always lived apart. For the first few years they were married I really didn't know her very well. Then we had the opportunity to go to Women's Conference together. It was our chance to bond together. We spent the whole day together. We even snuck away for my first sushi experience, then went to a concert that night. From that day on I felt like we got each other. Whenever I see her or know we'll be seeing each other soon I get excited. She is so kind and loving. She started to always tell me she loved me when she got off the phone. After that, it's been easy to express our love for one another.  Sam is amazingly capable. She is hands on with any project. You can find her in the attic of their house working on projects with my dad or out cutting wood to make us wonderful Christmas gifts. She has more talent than I think she realizes. She is also a wonderful cook and we share recipes via texts from time to time. I am thankful for the bond that we've created and that we get to be sisters. She also was the only girl in her family, like me and Janell. It was kind of a funny coincidence.

Recently I gained two more sisters! My new sister Aubrey is Chad's wife. We are just at the beginning of getting to know each other, but from the first time I talked to her on the phone I knew I loved her. We briefly spent time with her during Chad's graduation, commissioning, and their wedding. It was a busy week and they were busy. So these past two weeks they were here staying with us was a great chance to get to know her. (Thankfully they were here after their open house at my home because I was a little stressed out preparing for that! Then we were able to relax and play a bit.) Aubrey is simply delightful. She is just full of happiness. She is not picky and up for anything! I would listen to her with my brother and loved her playful attitude with him. Also the way she knows him and can calm any of his concerns. I loved sitting on the couch in our pj's talking in the middle of the night. I was able to get to know more about her and hear stories about her life. Aubrey is an Equestrian and has been very successful in it. It was so neat to hear about her talents and passion. I can't wait to get to know her more over the years. (Aubrey is on my right).

Just weeks after Aubrey joined our family, Megan officially became part of the family too. We met Megan quite a while a go when Jordan brought her home to meet us last April. One thing we learned right away about Megan is that she loves her family. She appreciates the family traditions she has and the relationships she has created with her siblings, parents, and extended family. Megan is is also a hard worker. Whenever she comes over she helps with dishes or makes sure things are straightened up. I always tell her she doesn't have to help, but I've decided to give up because she will do it anyways. I noticed after they left from spending the night that the decorative pillows were arranged exactly the way I had them when they came. I was so surprised that she put them back the same way! She is basically a puzzle master and we had fun working together, as a family, putting one together. I look forward to continuing to get to know her even better. I am grateful to have her as part of our family. (Megan is on the left of Janell).

Our siblings are now complete! Now I look forward building our relationships and enjoying family time together whenever we get it. What a lucky girl I am.