The Jenkins Five

I thought I would give some background on my family that I grew up with... My parents met fell in love and started a family... Family being the key word here..... Family has and is important to my parents and I knew early on just how important it was. I have two sisters, one older and one younger, so yes that makes me the " middle" child. I grew up with a daddy that worked crazy hours to provide for his family, that got down in the floor and played with us, that not only told us he loved us but showed us with the little things( like leaving Valentine's gifts on our pillow when we got home from school)... I grew up with a mom that stayed home, drove us to every softball , dance, gymnastics practice, that was room mom and stayed up late to bake 100 cupcakes for the Bake Sale, that made our Halloween costumes( you get the point) she was always there for us. I grew up with sisters that hung out with me, I shared rooms with, I laughed with and I cried with. These are just a few examples.. I have hundreds that continue to present day for I am still just as close to my family today.

Not only did we have a strong family unit of five, but I grew up REALLY knowing my aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. And there were plenty of them. My dad grew up with 5 brothers and 4 sisters ( Yes that is 10 kids) and they all went on to have at least 30 total kids ( my first cousins). And all of these relatives lived in the same town. So I grew up with my aunts and uncles being like 2nd parents to me,. I grew up with my cousin being my best friend. I grew up with my granny being my inspiration.

So now you can see why family is so important. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter to name a few were reserved for family. Sunday afternoon at my granny's at least 30 or 40 family members would gather every week for supper. My parents planned family game nights, family weekend getaways and familty fun time. My friends would rather hang out at my house than go anywhere else. So you can see what family means to me and why.

It is a good testament of what my childhood meant to me by just writing this blog. These memories are precious to me. The people I write about here are precious to me.. Family is precious to me. And it inspires me to instill this same family traditions, this same family honor, this same family love with my own " Family of Five"