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4.11.2013

THIS IS A POST ABOUT MY SIBLINGS


yesterday was national sibling day, and tomorrow is my sister's birthday. SO. this is soppy and i apologize but that is all there is to it.

the pictures above are of all my babies. sometimes in my head they feel more like babies than siblings. blake was born when i was 13, so especially blake is my baby. oh, blaker.

of all the roles a girl could play, i think being a big sister is probably the sweetest.

blake is our baby brother. he's such a good man. he's 18 now, that's a man, right? that's so weird. he's graduating from high school in june with a good college waiting for him, he's putting in his papers to go serve a mission, he's pretty dang handsome, and he has a good head on his shoulders. when blake was little he used to call me whenever he had a stomach ache, and i'd help him to decide whether he was feeling nervous about something, and why, and then i'd help him calm down until he felt better. blake, i'm glad your stomach aches are gone, but i sure do miss those phone calls. sometimes when my stomach aches with worry over silly, stupid things i'll think of you and it helps me feel stronger. i am so excited for you to get married some day because i think whoever you pick will be the raddest.

alex came to live with brandon and me and the boys in idaho once when she needed a job and the moscow q'doba was hiring, and we became the best of friends. girl is the world's worst burrito roller. but she's the one to call when you need to analyze something all the way down to its insides. she has such confidence and her ability to be herself is inspiring. she is loud and she is fearless and she is infectious.

and now for a word about amanda. amanda is turning 27 tomorrow. i cannot BELIEVE this. amanda will always be 12 to me. (amanda was downright HYSTERICAL when she was 12.) amanda is like a butterfly. she has always been so polished and pretty. i remember she used to paint her nails every night to match her outfit for the next day, which she laid out on the floor as if they were covering an invisible body, all the way down to her jewelry. she's always known exactly who she is and what she wants from life, and i've always admired her thoughtfulness and quiet determination. she's the kind of girl who can make mountains move without showing even the slightest effort. i remember when amanda was born. i was three and a half and i thought for sure that she was mine, like my mom had just given me this little squiggly present. these days she is such a support. our boys are two months apart and i'm so pleased we get to raise babies together. i used to feel so jealous of amanda. she was the pretty one, i was the smart one. i'm not sure where we got that stupid idea, it definitely wasn't from our parents, but that was the ammunition we lobbed at each other during the high school years when our fights were at their worst. but amanda, you're pretty and you're smart. you are doing beautiful, wise things with your life and i'm so proud of you. you are a good mom. and i just like you so much! happy birthday tomorrow, we treasure you so!

37 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this! My oldest and youngest (right now) are twelve years apart, so I like to read how much much-older siblings love the younger ones. And vice versa. I think she could definitely relate to your feelings of being their mom. ;-) thanks for the sweet post, I don't mind mushiness!

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  2. I wish I had more siblings and was closer to the one I have. You make me crave that closeness.

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  3. It's amazing how much your sisters look like you :)

    Some Snapshots Blog
    Jess

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  4. okay! what an adorable sibling post! i'd be lying if i said my eyes didn't well up with tears. you are the cutest big sister! xoxo

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  5. I've always said that being a big sister was my favorite job in the world until I became a mom.

    Love this.

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  6. You're making me wish I had another sister! :)

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  7. loved reading this! you girls look so much a like and are gorgeous =)

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  8. Love this post. Siblings are the best. :))

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  9. Lovely post. Crazy how much you and your sisters look alike! Beautiful ladies :-) on a side note, yes I read your red maxi skirt babble post, and yes I am now anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new red maxi skirt... Darn you! ;-)

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  10. This is so sweet! Bring on the sappiness. I love it.

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  11. Awh this is so sweet, all your siblings sounds lovely, a guest post would be a delightful read!xx

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  12. Such a beautiful family! And I agree, from one big sister to the other, being a big sister is the sweetest!

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  13. Aww yay. This was sweet. I did a little post to my siblings today too! Inspired, of course, by the apparent "sibling day" that I kept seeing on instagram? Who knew?

    xo

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  14. This is a really lovely post, you sound like a great sister! And you are such a beautiful family :)

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  15. Saw this and thought of your Huck. You need to make him something out of the fabric by this designer. Rocket ships and robots. What more could a little boy ask for!?
    http://www.fabricworm.com/atbobysidea.html

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  16. Happy Birthday to your dear sister! You have SUCH a beautiful family!

    I am having a birthday of my own Saturday, and am making your Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding for my birthday dessert. Yay!! I cannot wait! However would you please advise on two of the ingredients? I went grocery shopping for everything today and found no sweetened condesnsed milk in 16 oz. cans. It comes in 14 oz. Do you buy two, and just use 2 oz. from the second can? Also a small box of Jello brand (only one my store carries) instant vanilla pudding is 1 oz. A large box is 1.5 oz. Do you buy enough and weigh it out to 3.4 oz?

    This is a HUGE birthday celebration, and being a Southern girl your banana pudding recipe is just the ticket! Please help re ingredients - wish I could buy you all a round of it in New York!!

    Thank you so much!!

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  17. This makes me wish I had siblings! Hanna

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  18. I agree. Being a big sister is the sweetest.

    xx
    http://thepocketbookblogg.blogspot.com/

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  19. Yay for siblings! And I have to agree with you--being a big sister is the bomb. Your siblings are lucky to have you!

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  20. That was beautiful and rad. xoxoxoxo

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  21. That was beautiful and rad. xoxoxoxo

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  22. you're gorgeous, family is the best!

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  23. So lovely to hear you talk about your siblings this way! I'm also one of four children and it can be easy to take siblings for granted! Love the appreciation you show here and the love!

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  24. Hi Natalie ! what a lovely family ! Happy sibbling day !
    Regarding your quest of mask+scrub from the web, i could'nt advise you more that trying the brand Korres ! It is damn good, the smell, the packaging, i'm so in love with it !
    Here is the website : http://www.korres.com/

    Take care, cheers

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  25. oh my gosh, do you guys get asked if you guys are triplets all.the.time? (my sisters and i get that all the time).

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  26. I can't tell which one of your sisters is the older one? You all look the same age!

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  27. I thought I was the pretty one of my 3 sisters, which wasn't good enough either because I wasn't the smart one, the creative one or the baby/favorite. Sad how teenage girls label themselves

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  28. This is the sweetest post. Your whole family is crazy beautiful, and the love you all have for each other shines through your photos. I'm also the oldest in my family - being a big sister is a tough job but one of the very best!

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  29. presh! and you guys all rock the best shades!

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  30. DEAD over the joy oozing from that first photo alone!

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  31. you guys are so beautiful! You look like such a fun family :) x

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  32. Beautiful post, beautiful photos, beautiful siblings.

    I mean, NO DUH.

    May you all be blessed with health and joy, now and beyond!

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  33. this is terribly sweet. i've got a whole wolf pack of brothers -- and gosh darn it, i wish i had a sister or two in there. it's, unfortunately, just not an experience that can be replicated. & i completely love your description of being endowed with maternal love -- for all or most things. you're a wise cookie, natalie.

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  34. The photos are wonderful, you all look so happy! So sweet :)

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  36. I love my sibbies and I get crazy soppy about them too! Great pictures :)

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  37. Love the pic of you and your sissies! Such pretty girls!
    xo

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