I've been thinking a lot about my siblings today. Sure, I can't get Laurie out of my brain, but mostly, I've been letting my mind ponder all the coolness that is Greg, Chris and Kristin.

Greg, my brilliant oldest brother. I love the way his brain works. He always remembers the most random things, in unreal detail! It cracks me up how he can tell you all about something that occured 25 years ago as if it just happened this morning. And he is such a cool Dad. I love the fact that his girls are so much older than my kids, but he still makes it important to him to relate to me and my role as a mom, and the stuff I am going through. I love hearing about the stuff in his life, whether it is his family, or his cycling, or his church. Our relationship is growing, and changing a lot these days, and it's cool. Even though we are so far apart in age, and geographically, I don't know that I have ever felt closer to him, and I love it!

Christopher, my brother the rennaisance man! I love that he is so talented, and passionate about so many different things, but still so humble. His sense of humor is so much like mine, he makes me laugh so hard it hurts. I love the way he is so smart, I can call him to ask for help on a million different things, from how to work my PDA, to the best way to deep-fry a turkey. And our kids have so much fun together, it's so cool. Chris has such a wild, fun side to him, he can make even the hardest times bearable. And yet, he is so good at tackling the practical stuff, too. He has helped me figure out the nitty gritty on everything from financial junk to babysitters. I love the wealth of knowledge, as well as the range of fun stories that is Chris.

Kristin, my gorgeous little sister. I love everything about her! I love that we can have serious heart-talks, and pick each other's brains really deeply, and then turn around and giggle like little girls. She and I have some awesome memories together, and it makes me smile so huge when I think of them. I love that she is so passionate about my kids, much more than just an aunt to them. She gets in there to play twister, or dolls, and loves them so hard. She is such an awesome encourager. The boost I get from her telling me that I am doing a good job is so important to me. It is so cool to me that even though we are in different stages of life in some ways, she makes it a point to really relate, and stay up to date on my heart. She loves me (and always has) so unconditionally, and I rely on her so much for that. I can't get over how much my heart swells when I think of how proud I am to be her sister. She is such an amazing girl, with a huge heart, that gets bigger everyday.

I miss Laurie so much, and I don't know that I'll ever stop. I don't think I could get through this without my brothers and sister. They are so incredible, and I need them.