family!

When it comes to family Kevin and I are both trully blessed! We both come from families who love us dearly and do everything on their powers to ensure that we are well taken care of!

Kevin grew up in Nashville TN where most of his family still lives! I love going to visit all of the Yates' with him! Since the very first time he took me home with him (july 2006 for a family weekend at the family farm) I have felt loved and accepted (which when you are eleven years younger then your spouse is an especially big deal). Kevins dad is extremely outgoing... everyones friend- much like his son! His mom is more quiet but is one of the funniest people you will ever meet, she has a spunky side that I often see in Kevin... both his parents are genuinly sweet people and I could not feel more blessed to say they are my family too! Kevins sister has become one of my best and dearest friends... she too is spunky and SO funny! She has always made me feel like part of the family, trully her sister! She has a little boy (our nephew) Addison who is six! He is a sweet natured child, always wanting to help and never lacking with hugs to give Kevin and I!

When I married Kevin I not only gained an awesome set of inlaws, sister in law and nephew but I also gained a whole crew of Aunts, Uncles and cousins! Kevins mothers mom died shortly after I met her so I didn't know her well. But from what Kevin and his family have said I feel I have missed out on knowing a great lady! Kevin was very close to her and admired many of her qualities, she is trully missed!

Kevins Granny (he calls her "nanny" but noone else in his family does so I stick to Granny) is fun loving and alot of fun to be around! His Peepaw is more quiet but when he does say something it is always clever. His granny even came to our wedding sick and ended up in the hospital, she was not willing to miss our special day and for that I will always admire her! They, like our parents, make sure we are taken care of and have already clothed Averi through her first six months of life!

Kevins dad has two brothers Steve and Wayne. Steve has a lovely wife whom I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know named Lynn and two boys Spencer and Steven (Steven just started at UT, Kevin and him are pretty close!). Wayne's dear wife Beverly passed away in august after a long battle with cancer. I didn't get to know her extremely well before she passed but from the blessed occasions I did get to be near her I knew she loved her husband and family and most of all the Lord. She was kind and sweet in every way and is surely missed. I have never seen a husband with such love and admiration for his wife as Wayne, I will always be in awe of there love and hope and pray that Kevin and I will be like that when we are older!

Wayne and Beverly have two boys Daniel and Greg. Daniel is married to Patrick and they have a gorgeous daughter Tenley, Daniel is a goof ball and always has the room laughing (especially if it is a room full of six year olds... only joking!) and Patrick is a doll... she was one of the first people I was trully comfortable with in Kevins family beyond his immediate family! Greg is married to Kathy and they have Holly and Thomas. They are a sweet couple with sweet children (well Holly is my age so she isnt a child, but she is certainly sweet!) Kathy is one of those people you can talk to for five minutes and feel like you have known forever- she is a blast! I think that ties up the Yates' side... We are trully blessed to be a part of their clan!

My side of the family is MUCH larger! On my dads side I have two aunts, one uncle and two cousins- one who is married.They live in maryland and we do not see them often, although my aunt and I have recently began emailing.I has been a joy to get to know her better! On my moms side however I have two aunts ten cousins and including Averi there are seventeen (Ithink I counted correctly) great grandchildren! So I will not elaborate on them all!

My mom and dad live in IN so we usually see them atleast once a week! My dad is the extreme of a handy man and shows his love by building us furniture and helping Kevin work around the house! He is a sweet old man and a great "POP POP". My mom loves to sew and cook and can veggies and jellys and jams... I hope to learn all those arts from her! Her and my dad both are much like Kevins parents in that they always take care of us Ex: Kevins parents came up to help paint Averis room, they also bought us an AWESOME glider and had a baby shower for me in nashville. My parents bought us a cradle, my dad restained all Averis furniture and is building us an armoire for her... while my mom is helping to throw me a baby shower here!My parents struggle with several health issues but have never let that get in the way of loving on us and their grandbabys.

I have one older sister, Ruthie. She is trully my best friend and in many ways a second mom to me! Her, her husband, James, and our nephew Corbin (who turned one in december, I call him "big daddy") moved to Florida a few months back and are trully missed! I am not only missing my best friend, but Kevin is missing one of his best friends... we are thrilled to see them at Averis arrival and spend a week with them this summer in Florida!

I also have a brother Jon. Jon is head strong and smart as a whip. He has always been protective of my sister and I and for that I owe him so much! He is struggling with his believes in God right now and we are praying that God will trully touch his heart and life because Jon is a man that could trully do great things!

My grand parents have all passed away.One of my granddads died before I was born(Grandpa Buchwald), my other died when I was seven(Grandpa hontz). From what I remember though Grandpa Hontz was a man of God and a loving grandfather... He left California when my mom was sixteen and started a mission in the appalachian mountains which is where I mostly grew up! My dads mom (grandma Buchwald) died when I was fourteen, I did not know her that well. My moms mom (Granny Hontz) died August 2006. She was one of my favorite people in the world. Depite all the granchildren she had she always made time for each of us to feel special! A day does not go by that I do not wish she was here to share it with me! On our wedding day I had a talk with my five year old cousin about her that brought me to tears:

Isaac: you know we are cousins right?

Me: Yea...

Isaac: That means we have the same Granny

Me: Youre right, Grandma Hontz

Isaac: Yeah, she is dead though.

Me: Yea she is, but she is in heaven and not in pain anymore so thats ok.

Isaac: Yea she is... you know what Rachel?

Me: What?

Isaac: I think she really would have wanted to be here, don't you?

I could not even repond because I was so choked up! He was right, my grandma would have wanted to be there... but I have no doubt she is in heaven with our glorious creator and for that I will praise God!

My Aunt Sandy is in a vegatative state and has been since I was three. We always stop in to see her when we are visiting and continue to pray that God's hand will be on her! My Aunt shirley and Uncle Paul (I call them Nana and Papa) have taken the place of grandparents for me! I talk to nana often on the phone and tell her most everything. She is a wise women whose advice I trust!

As I said at the begining of this, we are trully blessed with our families! Often times we take them and their time for granted so I dedicate this to all of them! We thank God for the blessing of family!