Fair share of scrunchies and grass stains

Growing up, I never thought having three older brothers could be so life changing. My thoughts were always geared towards wishing for a perfect little sister that would let me paint her nails, do her hair, talk about boys, go shopping, give her advice, watch chick flicks, take pictures, throw surprise birthday parties for, and take "girl trips" out to lunch every other weekend. I remember my first babysitting job was with the Lewis girls-Emily and Sarah, who were just a few years younger than me. They were both the perfect kids to babysit. It was almost as if I were being paid to hang out with my friends, or even better, my two little sisters. They're now the oldest of seven kids total, and are still so mature and fun to be around.

As the years have passed, I have come to notice how much I love having three older brothers. And how much I love them. I had my mom to do all of the girlie things when I was the little princess. You know, matching my headbands and bows with my outfits to a T; painting my nails while I slept in my royal bed..and didn't make a single smudge once; dressing me up in my favorite glittery gold dress; the endless effort and time put into my updo for me and daddy's annual "Daddy Daughter Date" on my birthday weekend; and most importantly, teaching me to sit, talk, and act like a lady at age two. It was not difficult to follow her counsel at such a young age because she was and is the ultimate example for me on how to be lady. How else am I supposed to learn those little smidgens of feminine advice with a house full of macho's?

Aside from the countless amount of girly goods my mom provided, my brothers and dad made up for them. BIG time. Playing with worn out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures and toy guns; and having no mercy in the backyard with infinite games of baseball, football, dodgeball, run the bases, and my personal favorite, jailbreak. During the summer I would challenge the neighborhood kids to a race almost on a daily basis-barefoot, of course. Then we would chase the ice cream truck with quarters flying from our pockets to buy tons of candy and ice cream. Landon always bought something different, LJ never left without an ice cream sandwich-the chocolate chip cookie kind, and Treybo always exchanged MY quarters for a foot long cherry laffy taffy. My favorite was the Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate and vanilla ice cream on a stick. I could never forget playing baseball with Trey until dusk on school nights while in elementary school. We always negotiated with Mama when she called us in for dinner for a couple more innings, but she made us come in right away and eat our vegetables. On those days my hair took control of my hair tie and was in a crazy loose ponytail with wispies all over the place. No matching bows or headbands. Maybe an occasional coordinating scrunchie. Grass stain streaks ran across my Limited Too shirt and shorts.

But all of that has changed. The boys started attending high school, liking girls, going to dances, then college, and then missions. Now I'm in high school.

My childhood is in the past.

And I'm okay with it.

That's all part of growing up, isn't it? Accepting the fact that you're growing up is a huge step, but probably an even larger step for the parents. I still tie ribbons in my hair, and I still love playing backyard baseball games with the neighborhood kids, even if we're in high school and college.

The craziest part about this is that LJ is getting married.

hitched.

tying the knot.

So my dreams of having a sister are coming true. Not only that, but she's an absolute doll. I'm coming to love her in a familial way, which is a different feel, but incredible nonetheless. Soon to be Mrs. Kaylie Sikahema. There will be seven of us. I couldn't be happier with our new addition. I love you, Kaylie Jean...just as much as my mud-covered dress days.