I was the only wanted one.

Day Forty-Two: Talk about your siblings.

My siblings are kind of awesome. I am the youngest of five, though I've only known three of my siblings in this life. Here's a little bit about each of them.

Ben

Ben and his family.

Ben is my oldest brother. He's a goober. I love hanging out with him because he's always cracking jokes and using goofy voices and accents. It's fun to watch him play with his kids and see how much he loves each of them. I feel like my relationship with Ben has gotten stronger since I've been an adult, simply because he always seemed so much older, so as a kid it was sometimes hard to relate to him. It's kind of fun to see how relationships change as you get older. Ben is always willing to help me with anything I need, whether it be computer issues or advice about something that's bugging me. 

Bobby

Bobby was born a little over 11 months after Ben. Crazy, right? My mom had two kids at 20. I still don't know how her body handled that. This may sound a little cheesy, but I like to think of Bobby as my guardian angel, in a way. He was hit and killed by a car when he was 19 months old, so I never knew him in this life. But I knew him in the premortal life, and the love I have for him is just as real as the love I have for my living siblings. I have felt Bobby's presence in my life, and I know that he is interested in what I am doing. Family ties aren't just for this life. They are eternal, and no matter what, Bob will always be my big brother.

Chelly

Chelly and her two beautiful girls. (I probably should have chosen a picture with her husband in it too, but I love this picture too much not to use it.)

Chelly is my only sister (by blood, anyway). Growing up, Chelly always made me feel wanted and loved. I was always included in things she was doing, even if I was an awkward 14-year-old and she was hanging out with her college-aged friends. Anytime I was feeling down on myself, which happened more often than it should have, Chelly did her best to bring me back up. We never really fought growing up, which is probably thanks to the five-year age gap. As we have gotten older, our relationship has only strengthened. I consider Chelly to be one of my very best friends. I can talk to her about anything, and I know I will get good, honest advice when I need it. She is also hilarious, which makes her that much more fun to be around.

Matt

Matt and his adorable family.

Matt is the sibling I fought with the most. He is the closest in age to me, though there are still four years between us. We just always managed to find something to argue about. But then he would bribe me into going shopping with him by buying me food. Matt is a dork. I always like spending time with him because he's easy to talk to, and he gives good advice. He is incredibly protective of me and always has been, so he likes to know my business. Which is fine because that's how he shows me that he loves me. He's always willing to help me out with whatever I need, and he's always available to talk to when I need it. Like Chelly and Ben, Matt is also pretty dang funny. 

I love my siblings so much, and I'm so grateful that I have such a good relationship with all of them. I don't see them as often as I would like to, but I know that they are always there if I need something. My relationship with all of them has only strengthened as we have gotten older, and I love that. I love that we can call each other friends now as well as siblings. We may still get in some arguments, but I don't think that aspect of sibling rivalry ever goes away. And regardless of any arguments we might have, I never question their love for me or my love for them. I couldn't ask for a better family than the one I have.