24 Days of Thanksgiving : Day 1

I decided to try to post something I am thankful and grateful for every day this month until Thanksgiving. There will be no specific order of importance in the posting, just the things I am thankful for that day. It is my goal to post everyday, but that may be interrupted a time or two as I learned this week we will probably be moving to another city for a few months. We will be leaving before Thanksgiving, but I will make an effort to post everyday.

Today I am thankful for my little sisters.

There was a time when I thought I wouldn't be blessed with sisters. I have two wonderful brothers, 3 and 6 years younger than me. I wanted a sister so much, and when my mom had a miscarriage when I was nine, I was crushed. A year later, the Lord gave me my first sister, Wendi. She was my real, live baby doll and I loved having her around so much.
  I occasionally joke that my prayers for a sister must have stacked up in Heaven then all of them came back at one time, because six years later Hannah was born. Two years after Hannah, Lydia was born, then almost three years after Lydia, came Faith. The last three were all born at home and I was blessed to assist with their births--which was awesome! I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.
  I love them all so much. I never dreamed how much I would miss them when I married, or how much they would adore my husband and vice-versa. Jacob was more than a little surprised while we were courting when I told him that Mama was expecting another baby. He loves to shock people with the fact that he has sister-in-laws that are 20+years younger than he is.

 We didn't know that Wendi was a girl until she was born. Mom had had a sonogram, but Wendi was too modest and didn't cooperate. I was so happy that she was a girl, I cried when I held her for the first time.
  This is Wendi's first year to hunt and last weekend she shot her first deer. It was an eight point buck and we are all so proud and excited for her, especially Daddy. :)  Not only is she able to "bring home the bacon (or venison!)" but she can also make it into a wonderful meal. She is learning to sew and is doing very well.

 Mom says that Hannah is exactly like I was when I was little only red-headed instead of blonde. Soooo prissy and dramatic--I have apologized to Mom on several occasions for all the drama and silliness she had to put up with when I was young :)
 Lydia is Jacob's sweetheart. She loves her Jacob so much that I think if we were closer in age she wouldn't have ever forgiven me for marrying him. She told Mom the other day that "Jacob is really mine, Becca just shares."
  Hannah and Lyddie are best  friends and take care of each other.

And last but not least...Faith. She was the surprise we are all so thankful for. She was only 3 months old when I married, so many times I feel like I am missing out on so much of her first years. Thankfully, modern technology has helped make it easier, and I always get lots of pictures from home of her doing cute, new things. I was worried that she wouldn't know me since I live a good hour away and do not get to see them as much as we all would like. But so far that hasn't been a problem. She loves me and knows me and gets very excited when we talk on the phone or when she sees me. She'll hug me and hold me for a long time and has started trying to say mine and Jacob's names. She loves Jacob too, and like the other little sisters-in-law, has him wrapped around her little finger.

Faith eating marshmallows for the first time.

 I never ever dreamed that I would have sisters so much younger than me, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. It is a little amusing sometimes though, as some of my friends have children the same ages as my sisters!

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