Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Brothers and Cousins

Ellen is the lone girl in our family. She has three siblings and four cousins, all boys. She's also the oldest of the pack.



She has always been respected as The One Who All Must Follow. She is especially loved by Drew, the cousin clutching her knee to make certain she doesn't flee the scene without him and Calder, the cousin she's pummeling who calls her nearly everyday to get 'advice'.



When these two little blond headed boys were born, she decided having more brothers was okay, because she knew what boys were like and she fought with me over who the baby loved more, me or her.



Sometimes when they get hurt they cry for Ellen, instead of me.



Of course, they irritate her too and she doesn't get much alone time.



Because, whatever she does the boys want to do too.



Likewise, whatever the boys are doing, Ellen will be there giving instruction and orchestrating her boys in all manners of fun and chaos.



It's a bit like Snow White and the seven dwarfs, except at some point Snow White will probably be the smallest of them all.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now, i've been looking forward to an exclusive Ellen post and am squee happy to be the first commenter and all

Southern Gal said...

Sweet.

Renee

Rhea said...

Ellen is so pretty and lively. What a unique position to be the only girl in a family full of brothers and boy cousins.

She's going to be an amazing woman as she grows. :o)

What a healthy, happy, nice looking bunch of kiddos!!

Kim said...

Oy, those pictures were beautiful and the commentary made me choke up!

Jenni said...

That girl is somethin' else! You rock, Ellen!

Tina. said...

We have the same in our family! My neice Kelli is the oldest and all of her cousins are boys...all eight of them!

The flip side is now that generation is having babies of their own. All the boys who have babies so far have had girls.

Kelli is now expecting. And guess what? Her son will be born in April!

Anyway your brood seems to have a great camaraderie and very nice pictures even the mud ones!

The Source said...

Ellen...good job keeping all those boys in line! My daughter is the only girl grandchild also. Three brothers and boy cousins on all sides. She pretty much gets all the attention anyway. :)

Melody said...

Awesome post! I love the story and pics.

What a great family!

Southern Gal said...

Oh, that is way too cute.

On my dad's side, I'm the oldest cousin, & there's 6 cousins - all but the youngest are girls. Little Frank gets QUITE the education when we're all together :)

Unknown said...

I think that was my favorite post by you so far...I now have tears running down my cheeks! Ellen is so blessed to be in that position, and those boys are blessed also by having her to look up to. I believe that you have great things to look forward to!

Jennifer said...

i love the ellen and the 7 dwarves. so perfect...i guess ethan would be grumpy? just sayin'...

Tracie said...

I grew up with two brothers and LOVED it. I always got along great with other boys because of it. Ellen rocks!

Joy said...

Yeah for Ellen!

I am the only girl with three brothers.

I have only nephews.

While I have 2 daughters, I have 4 sons; two of whom are biological! So, I understand the numbers.

I didn't have a chance as my Dad is one of 8 boys, 7 living!!!

jean said...

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs... perfect way to sum it up.

Lisa S. said...

Sweet stuff.....sniff sniff. Beautiful family, especially Miss Ellen.

Anonymous said...

This is a great post. It got me to thinking. I have two brothers and four boy cousins. I guess I understand this particular spot in the family very well.
Love the last photo especially...so cute.

Brad, Lauri & Ethan Bernet said...

Hi April-I grew up with the exact same life-3 brothers, oldest, etc. They will always love & respect her and it just keeps getting better-for the most part :) Have a great day!

Cycle Mom said...

She's awesome - it's great to be queen.

Unknown said...

What a sweet post. Lucky boys.

Updated by Lila Huggins (grandmother) said...

Good Evening from Atlanta, GA.

That was a beautiful post. Please tell Ellen that my granddaughters, Ilana 5 and Sadie 3, think Ellen is pretty. I agree. Except I think she seems to be not only pretty on the outside but inside as well.

Miss Lila in Atlanta, Ga.

Pat MacKenzie said...

That is so nice. She'll make a great girlfriend/wife because of her knowledge and understanding of boys and men. Lucky Ellen.

Trisha said...

What a nice post! I especially enjoy the last picture and the Snow White reference!

Sally-Ann said...

Wonderful post, loved the pictures. I wish my kids cousins lived closer!

HOA Mgr Lady said...

What a fabulous picture on the porch rail! She is a real natural beauty that daughter of yours.

Egghead said...

She is so sweet and you are so lucky to have such a great daughter. You must be doing something right. Oh and I love that last photo of all the cousins.

Nathansma said...

Great pics! Just checked back in. I am one of your lurkers. I see you managed the three columns. How did you do it? I have tried but can't seem to master it. Any helpful hints?

Anonymous said...

This is a beautiful post in honor of your beautiful daughter. : )

Mrs. I.

pam said...

Gracious goodness she looks just like you!