...I Realized How Grateful I Am...

...for these amazing women in my life. I am so blessed to be related to each of them. And this is why:

My mother is incredible. She's my best friend and biggest fan. She can comfort me when no one else can and she can say exactly the right thing to put me back in my place if I ever need it (which I never do of course).

Oh- and also because she does this when she can't find the right lid to match a tupperware container:

Jenn is pretty amazing. She was my first sister-in-law and has taught me a lot about having sisters. News flash: sisters are completely different than brothers. But so much more awesome in a lot of ways. I'm so grateful to have her to talk to and laugh with.

I'm also grateful to Jenn for giving me such AMAZING nieces- Tori and Lizzie. They're pretty darn fun and hilarious. Tori always surprises me with how smart she is and Lizzie...well, she's just Lizzie. Her knees are always scraped up and she's totally stubborn but kind of awesome. And they say she looks like me so she can't go wrong there, right?

I also love them because I am their favorite aunt. At least I should be by now- I've been vying for the position for years and I let them do things like this to me (so I have to be the favorite):

Kelsi is probably one of the coolest and most fun, laid-back people I know. She's a great sister-in-law and we have a lot of fun together just chatting and making fun of my brother (it's pretty easy to do).

Annarose is just awesome. First- because she married my brother Dan and it just takes an awesome person to do that. Second- because she's so kind and patient. I really enjoy just talking to her and being around her.

And third- because she had this little chub of a baby. Eva Rose (aka Tula) is the cutest little squish-face in the world. I love her so much. She's so cuddly and calm.

Now my cousin Anna is pretty special to me. Cheesy- yes, but also very true. We were born nine days apart and grew up being best friends. I have all brothers so Anna was pretty much my sister growing up. We had so many adventures together and keep having more even though she is all sorts of old and married now. I'm so grateful for her- she's a wonderful person and my closest friend.

Oh- and also because she does things like this with me:

My other cousin Amie is just amazing. We have some good times together, which is pretty funny considering how we hated eachother as kids. No seriously- hated eachother. We're not quite sure why but I'm glad we're so close now. I love Ames!

And we all love Jimmy Eat World concerts. Seriously- best cousins ever.

So there you have it- I'm the luckiest person to have such amazing women in my life. I'm so grateful for each of them every single day. I always loved having all brothers but now I'm realizing that I need these women more and more as my life progresses. So thank you to all the incredible women in my life, the ones listed above and the many more that aren't. I love you all and appreciate your influence in my life. It's definitely made me a better person.