Siblings

Have I ever mentioned that I have a sister? She has a whole family of her own, and they live in Texas. I never get to see them, but two weeks ago they were in town. I spent some time getting to know my youngest niece and nephew - I used to babysit for the oldest one. I have to say, my sister and her husband have some C*U*T*E kids!

This is me and my sister. Aren't we looking oh-so-glamorous?! Please forgive the frizzy hair - we were at the tail end of a very humid day ... how unlike Virginia! (NOT) Anyway, Janet and I have had our share of fights - we're sisters after all - but at this age we just seem to get along great. It was so good to see her and get this picture of us together, how special. It has been way too long!

Meet my nephew, LJ. He is adorable! The only other time I've met him prior to this picture was when they were moving to Texas. At that time he had a lovely runny nose and I won't even describe what came out of it while I was holding him. Suffice it to say I quickly handed him back to his momma! This visit he was like a little man. He has such a sweet disposition. He was in good spirits, walking all over the place (and ready to go home), and just an all around sweetheart. I love his smile and you can't see them - but he has the most beautiful blue eyes. Like his mom.

Meet my youngest niece, Sierra. She is a mess!!! Funny, contagious laughter, sweet personality, spunky, all over the place, and did I mention she's beautiful? Let me tell you, she can pose better than most supermodels! All I had to do was pull out the camera and she struck a pose. I have a ton of pictures with her posing, but these are just a few of my favorites. She is just a cutie-pie! She, too, has beautiful eyes. And that hair .... I love it that someone else in the family is part of the curly hair club.

And this is Emily, fondly nicknamed "Ellie". She is one smart cookie. She's truly in a class of her own. She just returned from a two week trip overseas and you should see the pictures she took. They aren't your normal pre-teen pics. She had pictures of buildings, people, a lovely table decorated for a nice evening meal. She had hundreds of pictures in England. By the time she made it to Paris she only managed to take 7 pics ... all of the Eiffel Tower. :) Emily really is smart, and so cute. When my sister was pregnant with Ellie I had a Mazda Miata. Janet had to squeeze her pregnant self into my little car and I would have to pull her out. It was funny. One of those memories we love to rehash when we're together. Ellie is the typical big sister who hates having her younger siblings follow her around. She craves privacy, loves make up, enjoys changing outfits over and over and over and over ... and she has the eye roll down to a science. She's definitely a preteen. :)

So that's the "sister" side of my family. My brother and his family live nearby, so I have a ton of pictures featuring his adorable rugrats. His oldest daughter, Tara (I did a blog entry about her a few months ago), has informed me that I need to do a blog entry on all the kids. Sheesh ... big demand! So, maybe I'll feature one kid a week so they can see their smiling mugs on my little spot in cyberspace.

ciao!