Kansas City Here I Come!

As many of you may or may not know. I hail from a rather large family. Allow me to elaborate on that for a brief moment. I am the youngest of 5 girls. Yes, 5 girls. I have two older step-sisters, who are married and live in Southern California with their families. Between the two of them I will soon have 2 nephews, Dakota and Justin, and one niece, the second oldest the nieces and nephews brood, Samantha. My other two sisters who are related to me are quite spread out. My oldest sister, Michele lives in Alaska, where I grew up, with her her husband and Johnathan, the oldest of the bunch. My second oldest sister Larissa, lives in Kansas City with her husband and family, Silas, Kace, Gresham and the soon to be arriving, Petra.

This summer I was able to come out to Kansas City and visit my sister and her family, which is a special experience for me, since I haven't seen the boys since they were all babies and they are getting so--oo big, as children are wont to do. It has also been special to get to see my sister carrying her precious daughter, Petra, who I know will be treasured. But as Scott said to me when we found out that they were finally having a girl, "I wouldn't want to be the boy that tries to date her."

In any case, I am having a great time getting to know each one of these precious little people and learning about their personalities. It's also a blessing to have the chance to spend time with my sister, who has always been an encouraging example to me, even when she didn't think she was being exemplary. It is always interesting being around children and getting a look inside their world. It's an incredible feeling to have someone want your attention and cuddle in your lap, or just to be able to make them giggle and laugh, with that belly laugh that I think we all lose too soon when we grow up.

Needless to say, its been a fun trip so far, even though I miss the dry heat of Chico. It's rather humid out here this time of year, but that's normal for this part of the country I'm told. Hopefully, I'll be able to get pictures up soon and everyone can see how blessed I am to have the family that I do.