When I met my brother for the first time, I crawled under the kitchen table and cried. I was sure to make him feel loved from the very beginning! Whenever my mom placed him on my lap, I would stare at him with this disgusted look on my face. Guess that look hasn't changed much. *see 2014 Thanksgiving picture below*

But, on a serious note, I love this guy very much and I am so thankful God let me be his older sister. So here's a thank you to you, K.

Thanks For Growing Up With Me

Since we are so close in age, we experienced life together and grew up together. I remember running around in our underwear together when we were little, to riding our bikes together, playing baseball together, going to school together, being a role model to our youngest siblings together, and learning how to be adults together (we still need work in this last category). Growing up, I knew I always had you to rely on and to trust. Most of the stuff I went through, you went through too because we were doing it together.

Thanks for Protecting Me

When we were in elementary school, I remember we were at a school function and I was being picked on by these older boys. I remember you running over and trying to fight them for me, even though you were only 1/3 of their size. Fast-forward thirteen years and you are still protective like this. Any guy talks to me, and you want to know why. When I go for runs, you run with me because you don't want me going alone. It's great knowing you love and care for me. I love and care for you too!

Thanks for Doing Dumb Things with Me

When we were little, we were always getting into mischief, and not much has changed since then. Like the time we were little and I held the rocking chair and you climbed on top of it, up a cabinet, and to the candy bowl that was hidden from us. It was totally your fault that we were caught, by the way! Or that time we went exploring that abandoned house that turned out to be a NOT abandoned house and the home of a very angry old gentleman who never cut his grass or watered his garden. Or, just this year when we jumped off the bridge off of Highway 44 into alligator infested water because "Hey, why not?" Most eighteen year old brothers would be judgmental of their nineteen year old sister for dancing around the living room like a fool. But, you join me instead. Sometimes, you even instigate it, "Hey Han, let's dance!" And then we dance around the room to your updated playlist which, I will admit, will always be better than mine. Thanks for being dumb with me, Kaleb.

Thanks For Being A Great Brother

Since there were no girls in our neighborhood, I only had you and your guy friends to play with. They were never too enthusiastic about this, but NOT ONCE did you make me feel unwanted. You always invited me to come play with you guys. So, we all spent many summers climbing trees and fences, playing cops and robbers on bicycles, and running around outside till dusk. Sometimes, I wanted to act like a girl and play with Barbie dolls. Again, you were there to play with me so I wasn't by myself even though I know you would have rather been outside with your friends.

Thanks for sharing everything you ever got with me. Whether it had been a toy, all the way down to a lollipop, you shared it with me. I remember one time our aunt asking us if we had shared your blue raspberry lollipop, and how bad that was to do. We lied, saying we hadn't, but the two blue tongues must have given it away. If I was too lazy to walk into Publix, you would get a cookie from the bakery for me and would give it to me when you got back to the car. Even now, when we order from Subway, the routine is always, "I'll give you a bite of mine, if you give me a bite of yours." And this always ends up in a fight cause you take bigger bites than me and I always want another bite of yours.

Thanks for taking the blame for almost everything I did wrong. Mom told us to keep our hands off the windows, so I would do everything I could to cover the window in fingerprints. When these prints were discovered, and the spanking was about to happen, you would always step forward and say it was you that marked up the window. This happened quite often, and as I write this I am realizing what I monster of a sister I was. If I were you, I'd hate me. But you don't! And you have covered for my mistakes quite a few time through life.

Thank you for always making me laugh. Sometimes just the things you say without trying to be funny crack me up. This may sound weird, but thanks for picking on and messing with me. I miss this while I'm at school. Whose around to burp in my face? Or say, "Good morning ugly, the swamp monster called and wants you back." And whose here for me to punch, annoy, give wet willies to, or chew with my mouth open in front of because I know this annoys the heck out of you?

Thank you for being a great brother and a great friend, K. I love you very much and miss hanging out with you.

See you this weekend,

Stewie

(I'll be nice and not tell everyone the story behind your secret nickname).