Family Friday - Kristy

Kristy is my youngest sister, and the fourth out of five children.

Just as with Ryan, I can distinctly remember when my parents sat us down and told us my mom was pregnant. I was 11 years old and was in the 6th grade. I thought it was the COOLEST thing in the world that we were going to have a baby in our house, and I remember my friends and teachers all being excited right along with me.


I also remember how we all felt when the doctor circled the you-know-what on the ultrasound picture and announced "It's a Boy!". We were all thrilled at this news and eventually settled on the name Riley for our new brother. Well......all of us, except my 10 year old sister Carly who wasn't convinced. I remember thinking Carly was a little kooky when she kept insisting that she thought it was going to be a girl the whole pregnancy.


So you can imagine how my mom felt when she heard the words "It's a Girl!" uttered from her doctor's mouth just seconds after giving birth to her new "son"! It was totally jaw-dropping for all of us, and we had a hard time registering that the doctor had made a mistake....and we actually had a new sister! Once the shock wore off, it took my parents a couple of days to come up with a girl's name to replace "Riley" (although that IS a cute girls name these days).


Kristy had an amazing amount of energy from day one. She was cute, spunky and a total ham. I remember plastering my pillow over my head on Saturday mornings when I, as a 15 year old, just simply wanted to sleep past 5:30 am......which felt nearly impossible with my wild, early-rising little sister bouncing off the walls! Even with the lack of sleep, we loved the spirit Kristy brought into our home.

As Kristy grew older, it continued to be her trademark to be full of energy, spontaneity, and determination. I was especially excited to move closer to home and develop a better relationship with Kristy when she was 13 years old. She was at a perfect age to love our little babies and our home soon became her second home. Kristy was always around and we loved it. I will always be particularly fond of the two years I served in the Young Women program at church and was able to be with Kristy even more often. We were able to go to Girl's Camp together, dances, rock climbing, service projects, Youth Conference and all sorts of other events. Whether boring or fun, I was always happy to spend time with my little sister.


Now Aunt Kristy is not-so-little anymore. At 19, we have really seen her grow up into a beautiful woman. She is incredibly gifted in music and instruments of all kinds (especially guitar and piano), she is fashionable, talented, smart and can do anything she puts her mind to. She is such a fun Aunt too. My girls have never known life without Aunt Kristy....they think she is some sort of celebrity! For many years, before she was "all grown up", she was our #1 babysitter!


Kristy is in the middle of the young adult years. Watching her reminds me of both the fun and the confusion that can accompany such huge decision making years! I'm so excited to see what the future holds for Kristy because I know the possibilities are endless for her. I'm so happy to have her as a sister. She is such an important member of our family with her undeniable energy and contagious personality. We love you tons Kristy!!