Saturday, December 3, 2016

Living With 11 People

             I am the second eldest of nine children... Yes, wow, I know. My favorite part of telling people that is the shock on their faces. I enjoy the reaction. Normally preceding this statement I receive a  series of questions about how things work in my family; how big is your house? is it super loud? how old is the youngest? how do you survive?
             Well here are some answers;  My youngest brother is one and my youngest sister is three. Our house is normal sized; three bedrooms two bathrooms. I doubt anyone would think it was different from the normal house, with exception to a few extra bunk beds in each room. There are points where my family sounds as loud as a train, but I would have to say I think the majority of the time it is calm and peaceful here. Actually right now the only sound I can hear is the hum of our washing machine, it is always constantly going. My family is wonderful and so inspiring. Having them all be with me throughout my life has taught me how to accept others differences and care for others with real love.
             I would like to group my siblings into three sections, the little ones, the middle ones, and the older ones. The little ones are my brother James and Joshua, 1 and 6, and my littlest sister Marianne, 4. They are all super precious and hilarious. You know that phrase, "kids say the darnedest things" these three are the epiphany of that saying. One of James' favorite words is, "why." But the way he says it, sets it off. He takes in a huge breath and lets out a accentuated "wHHHY" and for a baby he has a deeper voice so it is the funniest thing to hear. You can tell him anything and he will ask why. "James you're so sweet" "wHHHY." "James can you hold my hand?" "wHHHY." 
             The middle ones I would include, my sisters Molly and Megan, 8 and 12, and my brother Justin, 10. They have such strong personalities. Their personalities are so strongly characterisable. My sister Molly is extremely sassy. She is adorable, loving, kind and sweet but she is also sassy. My sister Megan is the gentle mama's helper, type of kid. Justin is the jokester of the family always joking around saying funny things even if they are jokes that shouldn't be said. He is the kid who likes to pull pranks on everyone although there are lots of moments where the loving side of him shows. A few weeks ago we were walking around downtown Jacksonville and as we were going to cross the road he grabbed my hand and held my hand when we crossed. 
             As for us the older ones there is my brother Jeremy, my older sister Jessie and then there is me, 15, 19, and 17. We all have crazy stories from when we were little, the trio we called ourselves. My brother Jeremy, he is super rad. Jeremy is probably the easiest person to get along with and he is a really funny guy. My youngest brother James and him are best friends. Jeremy plays with him and watches him everyday when the kids do their school. Jeremy has a great personality and I admire him for his friendliness towards every person he meets. He also is very musically talented. He can play practically any instrument you hand him, and he is exceptionally good at the guitar, piano, and mandolin. My sister Jessie is a very successful human. I always will take the opportunity to brag about her. She recently graduated from her physical therapy program, with her AS degree. She is going to start her career soon. She is engaged and getting married next May, and she is a Cancer survivor... and she is only 19!
            My family is swell. All of my siblings are great and we get along just fine. As for the answer to the last question people always ask me; yes I like having a big family. I think it is great and I wouldn't want it any other way. In fact I hope I can have more brothers and sisters because I think that would just be super cool.
            I hope you have enjoyed this intro to my family, and be sure to keep an eye out for future post here at The Explorer Camp. Feel free to subscribe by email or follow my blog to see all upcoming stories of adventure, creativity, and more.