If you know me, you know I have a very large family. Christmas reminds me of that every year. As all my cousins and I crowd around the "kids" table, we talk about old memories from high school and laugh at who we all use to be. On the other side of my family, I am the oldest, and most of the night involves chasing after the youngest, and listening to the boys tease each other. I was taught at a very young age that family was everything. My cousins really were my first best friends. I fought them, taught them, learned from them, but most importantly I loved them fiercely.

Mackenzie is the one who taught me the most. Yes, she taught me how to be sneaky, but she also taught me how to love. She's taken care of me my whole life. From making me laugh when I was scared, to cuddling me close when I was cold. She took me to get my nails done for my birthday. She's done my hair and makeup for every big event I've ever attended. Even as we both have reached adulthood, she's still the one who is always on my side. She's the big sister I always needed.

Jordan is the one I fought the most. She's closest to me in age, therefore we competed the most. Jordan was always in the cutest clothes, had perfectly tanned skin, and no freckles. She was what I wanted to be back then. We played soccer together, we ran around with mostly the same crowd, and had countless sleepovers. She taught me a lot of the teenage world, and even more about who I was.

Elijah is a year younger than me. Growing up, I never thought of him as a younger cousin. He seemed to always be my equal. He climbed over many fences with me, and always was patient when showing me how to play a video game. He taught me all of the cheats of Animal Crossing and pulled frogs out of Nana and PawPaw's pool with me. He seemed to always be around on my greatest adventures.

Ty was my first baby. I thought of him as my baby doll. I carried him everywhere with me. I remember packing his diaper-bag, and putting him in his car seat. Gran gave me the privilege of that as a seven year old. As got older, I couldn't baby him anymore. I went to his baseball games and wrestled him when he began to think he was stronger than me. He still isn't, even through he is almost a foot taller than me. He'll always be my baby.

The youngest is Bay. My family tells us that Bay and I are the most alike. We both like to watch things before we act. We are definitely the quietest of the bunch. There is so much I hope for him. I am so excited to watch him grow. He's still so young and pure, it makes me so happy to be his cousin.

I have so many more that I love so dearly. But these are the ones that Ethan and I grew up with. They made my childhood be filled with laughter, sleepovers, superheroes, and so many wonderful vacations. There is nothing in the world quite like a cousin.