Family is everything to me. My best friends are my daughters, my husband, my sister, and my close friends Godo, Minu, (Cece and Lara, who will always be a part of me) and Peggy. I have 3 sisters, but I am closest to my sister Kellie, who I fondly call Smelly. I have many nieces and nephews. Matt, Katie, Brian, Nick, Dan, Kayla, Jeff, Alicia, and Spencer. All of the kids are either in their teenage years or about to be, except Spencer. He is our youngest.

My sister Kellie is a Neonatal nurse, and is amazing at what she does. Katie and Brian are hers, but I like to think they are mine too. We live the closest to each other so it is easier for us to stay in touch. When Katie was a baby, she stayed with me when my sister and her husband had to work. She was with me so much that she gave me the nickname of "Mamma" and my daughter, her cousin, is "auntie" to her. I know it is strange, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Katie is quiet and sometimes reserved, but a great person. She has gorgeous blue eyes, inheriting the family blues. Brian is our sensitive soul. He looks for the best in people and goes out of his way to be kind to others. He is a beautiful example of how we should treat each other.

My sister Kim, the second oldest, has been soaring up the ladder in a police department in Lubbock, Texas. She is tough on the outside, but has a soft heart. Kayla, Alicia, Jeff, and Spencer are her babies. Kayla is a young mother of two little ones, Jeff, an old soul, is serving our country in the Marines out in the Middle East. Alicia, focused and delightful, just graduated from high school. Spencer, is 7 now and is a sweet as can be. As much as having a young little man to keep up with makes my sister feel older, Spencer keeps her young at heart too.

I am the third child in our clan. I have three girls: a yours, mine, and ours situation. Breanna is our oldest at 19 1/2 and is the 'yours' in our story. She has a great talent for writing and loves to read. She stands up for what she believes in and isn't afraid to voice her opinion. Lauren is six months younger than Breanna. At the age of 19, she is probably our most responsible child. She works hard to earn her independence with a full time job, college, and water polo commitments. She has a natural gift of being a great athlete. She is also a great dancer. Of course it is probably the dirty dancing they do at under age clubs - I don't want to picture it, but I know the girl has moves. Lauren is another sensitive child. She cares about others feelings and really pays attention to the little details. Don't ever call someone fat or overweight in front of her. She just one tolerate someone knocking someone else down. Amanda is our youngest and is the 'ours' that tied our family together. She has a wild sense of humor and is an amazing cuddle-queen. Mandy, as we often call her, loves animals, especially dogs, and clothes, shoes, and music. (sounds like the spitting image of her mom!) She may have a lot of my qualities, but she is still a daddy's girl. On the eve of turning 13, she prefers to go shopping or hang out with her friends, but mention a road trip with dad, and she is in the front seat ready to roll.

Kathy is my youngest sister. She has had her moments of being lost, but seems to have found her way back. She has three boys. The first one, Matt, was the first baby born and nudged her into adulthood at the age of 18. Matt has experienced a lot of adversity in his life, but has discovered his own path and has grown to be quite an impressive young man. He attends Auburn University and is a journalism major. He also inherited the blue eyes gene and a passion for writing. He is quiet and reflective, but enjoys life too. It is hard not to be proud of him. He has two identical twin brothers, Nick and Dan, that look up to him as a role model. Nick is the oldest twin, popping out just minutes before his brother. Full of confidence and self awareness, he is off on his way to college. Dan is another sensitive soul who has a passion for music. He has what I call a "screamer band" that my Mandy thinks is totally cool. Dan is still weighing his college options, but I have a feeling he will go anywhere the music takes him.

I proud of all my family members. We don't always see eye to eye, but we do always support each other when it seems the world is falling down around us.