Today is my oldest brother's birthday, so it only seems fitting that I write about my relationship with him, as well as my other older brother.

I love having older brothers. I know that this would have meant more if I said it when I was younger, but they have become my best friends and my go-to people in the past couple of years.

My oldest brother, who is six years older than me, was terrified of me when I was little. Almost every time that he would hold me, I would scream and cry. I don't know if that was what started a little bit of tension in our relationship but I know that I would also be upset if I had a younger sibling that didn't want me to hold them. For that, I want to apologize. My little baby self should have been more appreciative that my brother wanted to hold me.

My other brother, who is three years older than me, was totally and completely infatuated with me. My mom would catch him on the kitchen table, just talking to me.

Although my relationship has been different with both of my brothers over the years, I wouldn't trade them for anything else in the world. Having older brothers was one of the best things for me.

My oldest brother has always been protective of me, as well as encouraging. For this, I am extremely grateful. I always enjoyed spending weeks of camp with him when we were younger. It made me feel important to have my big brother at camp, and to have someone there to take care of me while we were waiting for Mom to come pick me up because I was sick and had to go home.

My other brother was a senior when I was a freshman in high school. He would give me rides to school in the morning and comfort me when I cried on the way home from volleyball practice because I just wanted to play my best and my body hurt and was holding me back. It was hard for me when he went off to college 5 hours away from home, but I am grateful for his comfort and his encouragement.

My oldest brother got married in October of my sophomore year of high school. It was hard to have to share him with another girl, but I could not be more thankful for the wonderful and godly woman that he married. I finally have the sister that I always wanted but never got.

I spent most of my childhood in the bleachers, watching both of my brothers playing basketball. I was never able to play the game due to my mellow and not very aggressive nature, but I enjoyed watching my brothers out on the court and I cheered them on, along with my dad yelling at the referees. I am very grateful for them playing the game, as I now understand it very well and am able to enjoy watching the game, as well as other sports such as baseball and football.

(He's #33!)

My oldest brother and sister-in-law have brought two wonderful children into the world. I absolutely love being "Auntie Rena". Their kids are absolutely precious and I am so proud of them. They are going to grow up to be wonderful, and their faith in God is going to be so solid as well as a ministry to others. My brother and sister-in-law are such great parents and I'm excited to watch them continue to guide their children as they grow older.

My older brothers are my protectors, my encouragers and my best friends. I love them both very much and I hope and pray that we can stay close as we grow older and add other people into our family.