get 5 sisters.

can't find the right shoes to wear with that one outfit? get 5 sisters. One of them is bound to wear the same size.
need someone to giggle with during the wee-hours of the morning? get 5 sisters. They are perfect for this kind of thing.can't decide if you want to cut your hair or keep it long? get 5 sisters. One of them might look like you and have the opposite of what you do.... look at a picture of them to decide.
want to skype date just because your room is too quiet and you need someone to hear you think while you edit 900 pictures? get 5 sisters. they are perfect for these occasions.
need to tell someone how good-looking that guy is but your friends are sick of hearing about him? get 5 sisters. most likely they want to tell you the same sort of thing.
God knew i would be somewhat of a girly-girl, so he gave me 5 sisters to share in the FUN!
God knew i would need someone's shoulder to cry on when words didn't meet a need, so he gave me 5 sisters knowing at all times at least 1 shoulder would be free.
God knew i couldn't handle 7 brothers all alone, so he gave me 5 sisters to tickle, tackle and race those brothers with.

sister #1 {Carissa Lynn age 20)She was born with the most insane hair ever! Beautiful BLACK straight hair that covered her whole little head and stood straight up all the time!!! It was easier to tell those little twins apart because of that wonderful hair. Carissa was my first sister and ray of sunshine being that i was stuck between two crazy boys! She was great for any sisterly activities growing up. She loved everything i did... which was great until i was 12 and wanted to not having little clones. By the time i was 16 i got over it and realized that no matter how many 'friends' stabbed me in the back or were mean, Carissa would always be there and it would work out lots better for both of us if i didn't mind if she wanted to be like me. I'm honored to have this one in my life. She is one of my real-life-living heroes. Carissa speaks Spanish, dreams Spanish, eats Spanish and lives Spanish in Argentina! Someday she will come visit me in Africa... but first i have to get there...

**Secret about Carissa: her "wing-span" (finger tip to finger tip) is longer than she is tall!**

sister #2 {Lindsey Marie age 20}7 minutes after sister #1 i got sister #2!!!! I seriously must be the luckiest girl ever, you see i already had 2 brothers and am pretty sure i would have been totally happy with 1 little sister, but instead of 1 i got 2 in one day!!! Lindsey also had GREAT hair when she was born, black straight hair that lay perfectly in place on her perfectly round head! The problem Lindsey had when she was little was being twin #2, see not only was she twin #2, but D kiddo #5! This is a big place to fill in the family.... she was the caboose for a year and a half and it wasn't all that grand! Lindsey is my little musical sister, when we were little she was on a dance team, took piano lessons, sang all the time and as she grew up learned guitar and kept music within reach at all times. Lindsey is also my only sibling that has been to a country that will always have rights to a top 5 favorites ever spot in my heart, INDIA! Don't tell her, but i am actually quite jealous that she got to see more of the country than i did. Lindsey is full of passion for life and Christ. I'm excited to see what God's BEST is for Lindsey!!!

**secret about Lindsey: she had the first broken bone in our family**

sister #3 {Hosanna Joy age 13}Literally a dream come true is Hosanna. I was 10 years old and as i did a lot of mornings growing up i went into Mama's bathroom to watch her "get ready" for the day. As i sat on the toilet and she did her makeup i told her about the dream i had the night before; In the dream i got a new little sibling more specifically a little sister!!! Unbeknown to my little 10 year old mind, my parents were not "planning" on another little D coming anytime soon. However not too long later we were sorting socks as a family and my dad asked me if i remembered the dream i had... this was the creative way to tell us kids that Baby #8 was on it's way! I started jumping around and being all excited before any of my siblings could catch up with the fact that i had a dream. For a LONG 9 months i had to wait to make sure the second part of my dream came true. it did. Enter our first blond sister! Hosanna and i shared a room for 7 years+ (-6months) + 2 years. We are super close. I'm not sure who is more like who. Hosanna clapped on beat at 11 months. Started singing before she could talk, and started playing piano when her fingers couldn't stretch a 5th across the keys. Hosanna has the most beautiful heart. She serves people without question or expectant to be rewarded. She was my little ministry side-kick and shadow for 2 years. There are not many 13 year olds who willingly listen to Podcast sermons; Hosanna is one of them. There are not many girls who have been the youngest girl who take to being a big sister to 2 little sisters... she has done it like a pro. **Secret about Hosanna: she has the greatest giggle ever.**

sister #4 {Sarah Katherine age 10}Just when i thought i wasn't going to have anymore sisters, Sarah's face showed up in an email and my heart melted. I like to tell Sarah that she looks just like me, but she doesn't believe me... i don't know what mirror she looks in everyday, but i see the resemblance perfectly. Sarah is an artist. 5 months after she came home from Africa she won a top prize at the Northwest Washington Fair for a painting she entered! Sarah is a thinker. She likes to ponder new information and has a never ending list of questions. Sarah likes to go swimming and play outside. You would never guess it at first meeting Sarah, but she is a little joker... she picks up on my dad's silly jokes really quickly and instantly her little laugh comes out with a big "nu-uh Dad"! **Secret about Sarah: she keeps things very organized.**

sister #5 {Rachel Rose age 8}the new caboose to our girly side of things! Rachel is quirky and silly. Spunky and wild. Quiet and sensitive. Rachel has the greatest little giggle, however for the first little while when she came home we didn't know if she laughed at all.... it was stuck inside somewhere, but when it came out i think we were all so shocked and blessed we all started laughing! Rachel's laugh is something you have to experience. It's for sure not fake. Being that Rach is the youngest girl she has somehow already figured out how to keep up with all her big brothers and sisters. She runs the mile only a few seconds behind Elijah and also does it with a smile! Last year when i was home for Christmas i played a mean joke on Rachel and threw her (literally) into a huge snow drift... in her pajamas and socks! She was shocked by the cold, recovered quickly, put her snow clothes on and asked me to do it again! Rachel's eyes carry secrets of 6 years i will never understand or be able to see. Rachel's heart carry's the potential to change the world, and i believe she will. **secret about Rachel: she would rather sleep on top of her blankets so to not mess up her perfectly made bed.**

get 5 sisters. you'll never regret it.

dear Jesus, thank you for my sisters. thanks for silly girly times. thanks for hair to braid, dresses to share, secrets to keep and dreams to share. thanks for the love that nothing can take away. thanks for the secret, invisible, incredible bond we all have. Jesus, please bless my sisters with YOUR BEST... when they are tempted to settle for good and pleasing, remind them that your BEST is just outside their view and it's worth it. please keep all creepy guys far away or i might sin in kicking/scaring them FAR away! Bless each of them with a man who fears you before me and my dad. A man who's #1 goal is to honor you with his life. Show each of my sisters the glorious things you want them to do. Set your kingdom before them as a prize to reach for. Most of all give them everything i failed to as a big sister. Give them grace. love. protection. Amen.