My Sibs-A book by J. Grierson

This one could be a bit harder than last week – just because there are so dang many of us!

Lori – mostly I remember Lori being a bit . . . OK a LOT bossy and dramatic. She liked to sing (as discussed in former posts) and always had the radio on. She could get the rest of us panicked like nobody I’ve ever known (i.e., the gas pipe gymnastics). She also made Christmas morning very fun by thinking of clever ways to wake up Mom and Dad (the heater vents – great idea!) When we switched bedrooms around (can you hear Mom’s groan?) I usually went with Lori, and Amy with Kristi, but the switch never lasted long. Lori was the beautiful older sister that I wanted to be like, but knew I never could. She had the best looking boyfriends, although I didn’t like them very often. Especially Ned – grrrrr. I remember Lori trying out for every play, and I remember feeling anger when she didn’t get the parts she wanted. When she was in “Star Child” I remember thinking afterward that I didn’t even think of her as Lori, she was (Insert name here, I cant remember the character’s name). She was GOOD!

Kristi – I remember her sleeping all the time. She was the most tired and skinny person I knew. Kristi was always my idol because she could do anything and she was cool. When she tried to kick water at someone at the junior high and flipped her kneecap out, I remember feeling absolute panic. I ran around to get help, and it seemed I just kept running in circles. The paramedics made me stay away from her, which I resented them for, and they wouldn’t let me ride in the ambulance with her. Sad. I also relate certain songs to Kristi more than I do to any other sibling. She just had a certain way of singing them that burned them into my head forever. Choir trips were also very fun with Kristi, and she had a certain unspeakable nickname in choir which got transferred to me once she graduated. Although the name wasn’t very nice, I was proud to have it because it had belonged to her.

Amy – Throughout our lives, I would have to say Amy and I have been closest. Mom thinks we hated each other, but it was just our special way of showing our love for each other. We played Barbie’s, Fisher Price Castle, Batman, Smell ( a little weird and I’m not going to tell you about it), beat the bird, and just had fun together. We also would go out for walks late at night in our pajamas. We thought that was fun. Of course, most days she had to go “tell on” me for something that I didn’t do, but I got her in trouble plenty, too. She would usually eat the nastys at dinner that I didn’t like, and I would eat hers, if she was being nice to me at that point in time. As teens, we had way different tastes (Ro was just yucky) but we still were friends, and we both agreed that the guy on the back of our bedroom door was super hot – right Amy? I think we still have a pretty special bond. I love to hear from her – she’s usually the one that calls and I’m sure glad she does!

David – Dave was a pest, always, unless he was letting us put make-up and dresses on him. I honestly don’t remember much about David, except trying to get him in trouble. I was pretty mean. I would hit him over and over until he hit me back, so I could go tell Dad that he hit me, and Dad would get mad at him for hitting a girl. I have a good memory of Dave, though. Once Christmas I couldn’t think of what to get him, so I decided to get up way early and do his paper route for him. I hated folding the papers, and it was super dark and cold, but I was so excited to do it for him that I didn’t even really feel the cold. Dad drove me around – so really he did the hard part because I had no idea which houses to go to. When I got home, we put a big sign on the door that said I had done it for him, and I felt great! I think that was the best Christmas gift I have ever given. It still makes me smile. Dave now makes the best breakfast I have ever had and I think he’s a pretty nice guy.

Mindy – Mindy was always the nice, fragile one. I don’t know why I remember her as fragile, but that’s what my memory says. I remember telling her that Grandma Breckenridge had died, and she broke down and just started sobbing. Do you remember that, Mindy? We were downstairs near the food storage area. I felt so bad for telling you! As I was getting ready to leave home, and everything about home was driving me crazy, Mindy was in her awkward years. It seemed to me that she was always whining and needed to know everything about everyone. I’m sure it was more me than her, but that’s what I thought. When she came out to visit me at BYU, I was determined to have fun with her, and discovered that she was really great to be around. We had a really good time! Now I hate that Mindy is so far away. I didn’t go up to Pocatello as often as I would have liked, but it was sure fun when I did. I love her family a LOT! Great kids, great husband, and she can do anything!

Heidi – it’s a bit hard to write about Heidi when I lived at home without writing about Holly. They were always together and always the same. I babysat them constantly, but it wasn’t usually so bad. I had a great time dressing them up in whatever, doing their hair (that was the best!!), playing in the sandbox. Heidi was usually the male figure when we would dress them up. I was a selfish teenager then, and didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to what the younger kids were doing. Now I’m just amazed at what Heidi can do. She teaches piano lessons ( I didn’t even know she could play) and likes to do electrical work. And she makes the cutest babies ever! (sorry, Kristi, yours were not as cute).

Holly – See above. Holly promised me she would never cut her hair. I was really sad when she did. She also was the hobbler at my wedding – I do remember that, and grandma’s remarks about that. Weird what we remember, eh? I remember Spencer asking her to marry him, and every once in a while now he still says he’s going to marry her. My children absolutely adore Holly! She comes up with the most fun/interesting things for us to do. We have gone to the Llama festival, gingerbread house festival, and mining for Topaz just to name a few. She’s just a lot of fun and can have fun doing almost anything. That’s what I want to be like when I grow up. Katie Grierson is sitting behind me right now and said that Shannon is about as cute as a kid can be. I love having her nearby even though I don’t get up that way very often. Its still comforting to know that she’s there when I need her, and we still do a lot of fun things together!

Matthew – Ah, Matt. He was my special one. As a baby I thought he was the cutest thing on earth, and he could do no wrong. I have about a billion pictures of him from birth to about 3 or 4 years old. I remember babysitting him (one of the many times) and he just disappeared. I ran all around the neighborhood looking for him, in a panic, and Sister Borba came out to help me. I ran around the backyard at least twice, then she walked out there and found him in the garden munching on a tomato. He had been hiding from me. Stinker! But the best memory of Matt ever was babysitting (again) and the swordfight. Ask him about it. We still laugh at it! That swordfight kinda sums up how I feel about Matt. I just can’t get mad at him. He’s too great!

I guess I really got lucky having the best brothers and sisters ever! I Love you all!