Why My Family is Awesome

I often post about my family on Stace's side. I love them to pieces, obviously. But I also have my own familia, each member of which is pretty darn fan.tas.teek! (None of them blog except my little sister.) I am so grateful for each one of them and for the influence they have had on me. So without further adieu,

A is for Aaron

My oldest brother. Also known as Aaroneous. He has just started his very own real estate brokerage firm, 98 Realty (named after Highway 98). I am so proud of him. He is so smart, so funny, so spiritual, and such a good daddy to his toddler, Benjamin, and will be to his new baby due next month! I have seen Aaron tear up while bearing his testimony, and while talking about the birth of his son. He is a viking (literally) ie, not small, yet he is a huge softie. I love that about him. Aaron and I wrote to each other all the time while he was on his mission & although we are pretty far apart in age (11 years), we grew really close as a result of that. What a good example he is. I see so much potential in Aaron. I think he could be a general authority one day. If that sentence alone does not illustrate well how much I truly do think the WORLD of him, I don't know what would! He was actually just called to the bishopric in the Destin, Florida ward. Love him!

B is for Beth

My brother Chris' wife. I really could go on forever about Beth. I love her so much. Chances are you have heard me talk about her at one instance or another and about how great she is. She has been such an amazing wife and mommy for the past ten years as my brother has worked so hard during college, medical school and residency. She is a kind and loving person. She is funny and totally unpretentious. She is knowledgeable about the Gospel. She nurtures her children and gives them so many opportunities for their imaginations to run wild. She teaches them. She disciplines with love. She is smart. I want to be her when I grow up. She has made our family better.

C is for Chris

My brother-- 13 months younger than Aaron. Chris is such a good example to us all. We love him. He is goofy, he is patient, he is kind. He is smart. He finishes up his OBGYN residency this June and has been blessed to have been offered the very job he wanted most from the very beginning: a position at North Florida Women's Care in Tallahassee. As you can imagine, he is BUSY, often working more than 80 hours a week and into the wee hours of the morning. Yet he still somehow finds time to better himself and work on his hobbies. He always makes time for each one of his little girls and takes them on daddy-daughter dates. I love being at their house when he and Beth put the girls to bed. He reads them scriptures and she sings to them. It is so sweet. Chris is a master wood worker, a hobby he started while in medical school. He has made everything from a grandfather clock, nesting tables, wooden pens encrusted with gold and silver, and benches to chests of drawers. All of us wonder how in the world he finds the time to do this. He loves it and he is good at it. You cannot not like Chris. He was the Chief Resident this year in his residency, and was a top dawg in medical school, too, voted by his peers to be their presidente, or something along those lines. (And did I mention that he was somehow in the Bishopric while in Medical School? Yeah. Don't ask me.)

D is for my Darling Husband Stace

I could go on and on about how good of a person Stace is. For now, I will just list some of my favorite things about him, in no particular order, that make him my favorite. Stace is probably the meekest and most humble person I know...I am blessed to be married to the most Christlike person I know. If you ever get the chance to sit down and talk to him, do it. He is so nice. He is also a little shy, which is one of the things which attracted me to him the most. ( I like the shy, smart type.) Speaking of smart. Holy cow. Recently, after Stace finished up a tutoring session with someone for his MBA (Stace doesn't even have an MBA, btw, yet he was tutoring someone for his), I was asked "so what is it like to be married to a genius?" I admit, I kind of love it...a lot. Accepted to a top PhD program with only a bachelor's degree under his belt? Why yes, he was. And the great thing is that he really could do ANYTHING in the world and be good at it because he is not only smart, but driven. He could be a brain surgeon or CFO. I love that. He is so sweet. He lets me know he loves me and tells me he thinks I'm purdy (but doesn't use that word...because "purdy" is kind of a weird "word"). He believes in me and tells me I can do anything. He is such a good daddy. Julian loves him and it seems like whenever Julian wants to laugh (which is pretty often) he looks to Stace for his entertainment. He is so goofy with Julian, and so gentle and loving too. I love watching them together. He is silly. He is kind. He is snuggly. He is my one and only Buszhey.

E is for Elizabeth

Elizabeth is Aaron's wife. She is such a supportive wife to my brother, and a doting mom to little Benjamin and I know she will be to her baby who is due next month! She is so committed to keeping her children safe and healthy and will be having her next bundle of joy at her home in a bath tub (so cool)! She is thoughtful & attentive to those who she feels need more love. She is a convert to our church and did so amongst difficult opposition. She has a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and loves to teach it to little ones. She was an AWESOME nursery leader and is enthusiastic to teach her babies about the Gospel, and even got Julian his very first quiet time books for church. She is very determined to accomplish anything she sets her mind to. She is generous and lent me and gave me so many baby stuff and maternity clothes when I told her I was pregnant. She likes to give to others, and that is a quality I admire in her so much!

F is for Caroline, a straight A student who was just featured in The Friend!

I might just tear up at the very thought of writing about why I love this child. She really has me wrapped around her finger. She was my very first niece. I still remember the day she was born, and she is turning the ripe old age of eight this year! How time flies. She has a heart of gold. She is soooo smart. She is ticklish. She has the most beautiful and thick brown hair and big brown eyes. She thinks "Sweet Caroline" was written exclusively about her and even wrote Neil Diamond a letter thanking him for writing such a good song all about her. She LOVES her Uncle Stace, and has since she was just a tiny baby. In a crowded room, she would want him to hold her. She is still that way. She loves me too. She is a goofball. She loves "Bye, Bye Birdie." She was just just voted "Student of the Month" out of thousands of students at her school. I am so proud of her and I cannot wait for her baptism this August. She is so special.

G is for Georgia

Geogia is my youngest niece, and is about as cute as kids come these days. She is one adorable sweetie pie who loves to imagine and play pretend! Miss Georgia has a mind of her own and will let you know what she thinks, but in a more subtle way, perhaps, than her older sister, Kate, who I will get to soon. As quoted from her mama: "Georgia is a happy little munchkin and the most popular kid on the block. All of the kids on our street love to get a 'Georgia hug' and to play with her out in the yard. She is talk, talk, talking about anything and everything. She's started pretending a lot...a skill she picked up from her sisters. She's so good at it, in fact, that while riding in the grocery cart at Publix, she'll grab a bag of chips, pretending it's her baby, and a bottle of ketchup (the baby's bottle of course) and rock her bag of chips to sleep."

H is for...Happy???

I is for...iguana...

J is for Julian

Oh goodness. Where to begin? He has my heart. He is sosweet, so patient, and such a doll baby. I think he has inherited his daddy's temperament and I am sooooooo okay with that! He LOVES to laugh and giggle. And it is sooo funny because he laughs at the silliest things. Which means he has a silly personality, like both Stace and I, which I love. It's so neat to see things in him that I know he got from me, or from Stace. And each day is so exciting because each day is a new discovery either with him or about him. I am having so much fun being a mom, and I am so grateful that I am. Julian is my angel boy. He loves his mama; that's for sure. I love that. I love that I am his. He is a choice spirit indeed. Obviously, I could go on forever...but almost all my posts are about him anyway, so I will continue...

K is for Baby Kate!

"Baby Kate" was a name donned to her when she was born, and it has stuck ever since. Oh, Kate. What are we going to do with you!? You are too hilarious for any of us to stand it. And those big brown eyes don't make things any easier. She is adorable. And she can't quite pronounce her "R's" which makes for some serious cuteness overload. She is in preschool and the other day she told her mom she was going to marry a little boy in her class named Jake. When asked why, she said "because he is handsome and I want to kiss him on the mouth" Indulge me while I tell you one more HILARIOUS story that just sums up Cuh-razy Kate so well. As told by her mama, " Chris and I recently took them to see the movie “Earth” which is a Disney production all about the planet and wildlife. During one scene, a polar bear is hunting walruses. Well, Caroline is a bit skiddish of violence in movies (we can’t even watch ‘Finding Nemo’ because it’s “scary”) so she is sitting next to me with her fingers in her ears and then grabs my hand to cover her eyes. Then there’s the 4 year old Kate. She’s looking very cute with a little dress and big bow in her hair. She is sitting on my lap so as I’m covering Caroline’s eyes I think, ‘well, I better cover Kate’s too’. As I go to do so, she pushes my hand away, eyes locked on the screen while the polar bear is struggling to take a bite out of the walrus, and screams out “EAT HIM! EAT HIM!”

Oh Kate. You are so awesome.

L is for Little Monkey, Benjamin!

Benjamin is the first nephew in the family, just fourteen months older than Julian. Benjamin is soooo sweet. He is gorgeous too. Have ya seen this kid? Those BIG blue eyes and curly blond locks are pretty much to die for. My sister, Marissa, who I will get to shortly, lives next to him and I so love seeing him with her. He loooooooves her so much. He is also quite in love with his parents, which is so cute to watch. He loves Melissa & Doug toys and also loves the pool! I can't wait to watch this sweet boy grow up. I hope his gentle and sweet temperament sticks with him always, because it is something so special about him. And I am so sure that it will:) Benjamin is also HUGE! He was wearing two year old clothes when he turned one. LOVE this kid!

M is for Mom

My mom has one of the sweetest hearts you will ever find. She has been through the school of hard knocks one too many times, but she keeps a smile on her face & tries so hard to keep an optimistic outlook. Resilient. That's a good word for my mom. She raised five youngins, and for that she should be applauded. She has sacrificed a lot for her children, and we all love her very much. She taught me that I am a child of God, and that Heavenly Father loves me. I have never doubted that once, because my mother knew it. She later taught me that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father, who loves me. She taught me to love God first, and then her. I remember when she told me that, when I was yet a wee one. I didn't like the sound of that at first ("how could I love anyone more than my mom?!") but I grew to understand, and I love her even more because she taught me that. She always snuggled with me and always told me I was special, and she always told me I was capable of anything. She still does.

N is for NaNa, or Jessica

(NaNa was Chris' nickname for Jessica when she was a just wee one runnin around naked as usual)

My little sister. Also known as Jessy-Poo. Apparently, she turned 21 last December. I keep trying to tell her she is really only five (she is still so young and innocent in my eyes, with the ABSOLUTE BEST imagination a child has ever had. She could entertain herself alllll day when she was little. She was so adorable, and so sweet too...I digress...). She just laughs at me. Go figure! Jess is my one of my favoritest people in the whole wide world, and is undoubtedly one of my very best friends. Sometimes I feel guilty when I think about growing up with her because people weren't very nice to her sometimes...it always hurt me so much to see it...but I didn't stand up for the way I should have. It almost makes me want to cry just thinking about it. But Jess got over those people a long time ago and hasn't looked back since. She is so amazing. So fun. She is just so. very. Jessica. Jess and I may seem different, but we really get each other. I could say that Jessica understands me more than almost anyone on the planet (and vice versa)...which is funny because we don't share the same beliefs, and my beliefs are so central to who I am. But that just shows ya, perhaps, how much we love and respect each other. I LOVE being with Jess. We have so much fun together! I am so excited she is going to live with me this summer. She is in Italy right now and has been for the past semester. She will probably get home in two days, even though there has been "volcanic disruptions" (as she puts it) because she was smart and asked Dad to get her first class seats. Speaking of smart. Jess has had her nose in a book since she was five years old. Girl's not dumb. She knows her stuff! She is smarter than most people I know. Plus, she can cook and she is going to teach me this summer and probably make me fat. hmm. :) She is quirky and stylish and witty and I have no idea why she loves me so much because I am so not cool enough for her, but I am so glad she does.

O is for Owen

Owen used to be Stace & I's kitty cat. He died of cancer. Watching him take his last breath was one of the most difficult things I've ever done.

P is for Pippin

He was my dog once at my mom's house. I miss him. He now lives with a friend Keri's family!

Q is for Queens. That is what all my sisters and I are. ;)

R is for random. Like all these letters that I have no correlating family member for.

S is for Sasa, as in Aunt Sasa, as in Marissa!

Marissa is my big sister. I could go on and on about Sasa. (Aunt Sasa, by the way, is the name Caroline gave her when she was a bebe girl because it was easier that "Aunt Marissa.") Marissa is also one of my bestest friends. She is freakin ('scuse my French) HILARIOUS. Holy cow. Whenever we are together, we mostly just laugh, laugh, laugh! Whenever I'm around her and her husband, Tom, I feel like I am watching a sitcom. Seriously. They are hilarious together. And she is the right kind of funny too. The really silly kind of funny. She does crazy things sometimes to get a chuckle out of me, and I LOVE it. I think our goofy personalities feed off of each other, thus it is SO much fun when we are together. And while the girl can make me laugh like no other, I can also say that Marissa has an amazing heart. She is loving and so incredibly compassionate. A few years ago when my cat died, I was seriously so, so heart broken. But I almost felt kind of dumb because I was so, incredibly upset (Owen was my baby). Or rather, I thought that other people thought it was dumb for to be so heartbroken over a cat. Not Marissa though. She cried as I cried. She cried out of immense love and sympathy. When I told Marissa I was pregnant (the first person in my family to know other than Chris & Beth-- Chris gave me the ultrasound), she cried out of excitement with me. She is so wonderful. I love me some Sasa...seriously. You may think "ya, ya, Kim will say she is smart...just like everyone else in her family"...well, it just so happens that I am surrounded by really smart people, ok? :) Marissa is SMART. If I recall correctly, she took French 5, Spanish 5 and however high Latin goes during her senior year of high school. She is also super duper logical. She knows what's up. Girl can think. Btw, resilient is also a perfect word for Marissa.

T is for Tom

Tohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhm. We are so blessed to have Tom in our family. We all love him so much. He married my sister and he makes her so happy. He is such a nice guy. Pretty much the epitome of a nice guy. He always does the dishes happily. He is about as helpful as people come, and he always lends his helping hands gladly. He is super chill; Stace and I's kind of guy! He fits so perfectly in our family. The girls (my nieces) just love him, too. I think if you ask any one of my siblings, they would tell you that Tom is "the BESHT!"

U is for underwear!

V is for Victory.

W is for William

My Dad! I am a daddy's girl. My dad and I have always had a special relationship. I love him with all of my heart. My dad is pretty much a genius too. One of the best lawyers in the entire United States! I believe he has never lost a case. He is one of two attorneys in the US who does exactly what he does, and every single year he is voted one of the top lawyers in Florida by Florida Trend magazine. I am proud of him. He loves what he does-- he will probably never retire because he loves it so much. My dad is funny and a really good story teller. He loves his parents so much. They both passed away back in 2001 and he still tears up when he talks about them. My dad can be intimidating, but he is a softie! He would do anything for me and has always only wanted my happiness. He is proud of me, and that is all I ever wanted.

X is for xylophone!

Y is for yak!

Z is for zebra!

It's been good to sit down and think about all the reasons why the members of my family are wonderful. Reminds me of how much I love them and how much I appreciate the admirable qualities each one of them possesses.

Next time won't you sing with me? I.e., why is your family awesome? :)