sisters, sisters

Everyone should have a sister . . . even two if it's possible. I'd share mine, but, just kidding. No, I won't. Sorry, kid. You're just going to have to find your own. 

Both of my sisters celebrate birthdays around this time of year, which is cause to give thanks for all the times they've listened to me talk too much and ask too many questions.

Soooooo . . . pretty much all the time. 

I'm grateful for who they are and all they do, for the wonderful wives and mothers and sisters and daughters that they've grown to be. I'm also thankful that we get along 99 percent of the time, which leads me to believe we're doing something right in the sisterhood department. 

Until Lauren and I get into it over something silly. Then Kellee steps in like a human version of Switzerland and talks us all down off the ledge. 

See? Sisters are handy like that.   

It's not always easy being a sister, especially when you grow up in a house with only one bathroom, one sister who French braids your hair so tightly that your eyes end up behind your ears and another who liked to practice her clarinet right around the time the rest of the house was trying to fall asleep. 

But we have learned a few things along the way that seem to work.

• We have parents who made us get along. Don't ask my mom how many times she said the following words to us while we were growing up: "Girls, we don't talk/act that way to our sisters." And after all those years, it actually worked! We were expected to love each other, get along and enjoy each other's company. And we did. And we still do. 
• We talk . . . a lot. We chat or text every day. Don't believe us? Just ask our husbands to look at our phone bills. Verizon totally loses money on us when it comes to unlimited talk and text. And the three-way free phone calling capacity? We wear that thing out.
• We laugh until our sides hurt. Can life get crazy? Of course. But it is big and beautiful and bold? Absolutely! We love the crazy stories that pop up throughout our average days -- of burned brownies, children running around living rooms without their pants on or Dad's latest one-liner -- and we love to laugh with each other about them. 

• We (try) to listen. It's easy to offer advice or tell each other what we think the best next steps are, but sometimes, some of our best conversations happen when we spend serious time listening to each other and then simply promising to keep each other in one another's prayers. 
• We've cultivated similar interests and values. All three of us like the same things: husbands, babies, church, homes, cooking, decorating, nachos with Pepsi, rearranging each other's houses, sarcasm, country music, and exercise. Just kidding on that last one. That word is basically anathema to us. Now donuts on the other hand . . . But it works! When you love the same things, it's easy to love each other.
• I let my big sisters feed me. Lauren's a great cook; Kel's a great cookie and cupcake baker and decorator. I've learned that things go best when I don't try to keep up or outdo either of them and instead choose to sit idly by and eat everything their kitchen produces. Don't ask why it took me so long to figure that out.

Oh, and the cherry on top? We're not afraid to ask each other for help. 

Yesterday I called Lauren from the middle of the Target stroller aisle, and she didn't bat an eye. 

Some days, I even have to ask Kel where to find ingredients in the grocery store. And the weird thing is . . . she ALWAYS KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO FIND THEM. 

Everyone should have a sister . . . even two if it's possible. I'm just sorry you can't have mine. Happy birthday, girlies!

Got a sister? Give her a shout-out!