A huge part of my identity is my family, where I come from, whom I belong to. Being the oldest of ten kids shaped me for the better, and I wouldn't have wanted to grow up any other way. Here are some of my favorite moments that I shared with my siblings.

1. Seeing My First Sibling for the First Time

I might have only been 22 months old, but I still have fragments of a memory of seeing my brother for the first time.

2. Teaching my siblings the “ways of the world.”

I mean, who else would have taught them that the yolks in hard boiled eggs were poisonous?

3. Building a Fort in the Backyard

It might have looked like a dilapidated death trap, but it was our home away from home.

4. Taking Care of the Livestock

We all grew up on a farm. Some of our best times were spent in the hayloft, throwing hay and talking about life.

5. Lunchtime

We had the 80’s music blasting, the Panini Press was working, life was good. At the time, there were only 6 of us, and lunch was a wonderfully creative ordeal.

6. Skiing every Saturday

During the wintertime, we would load up the Suburban with five sets of downhill skis, an equal amount of leaky thermoses of Mom’s lentil soup and head up the mountain. Dad would carry our skis to the base of the slopes and then it was up to imagine ourselves as Olympians for the day.

7. Iron Chef Competitions

We probably all thought we were Bobby Flay, but every once in awhile, we’d start the timer, split up into teams and try our best to incorporate that random ingredient.

8. Fair Time

We’d load up the trailer with our market sheep and spend a whole week in our RV at the fairgrounds, showing our sheep during the day, going to Rodeos in the afternoon, and playing poker with our friends at night.

9. Eating Snap Peas in the Garden

Some mornings, we were too lazy to get breakfast before taking care of the animals. We’d head out to the garden and have our fill of fresh snap peas or green beans.

10. Watching everyone grow up.

From graduations and high school plays to playing tooth fairy to hearing them sound out “m” for this first time, it’s all fun to watch.