Chapter Four

Life at Home

Sometimes I’d like to think it’s the picture frame that holds us all together. That, and also our names. As a family we are close, and yet so distinct. We don’t look alike, think alike, or do the same things. Our character traces to common roots, but our personalities mask any similarities we may have. The seven of us—perhaps seven colors of a rainbow—combine to form something beautiful: family.

Of the kids, there are five. I am the oldest, and fulfill all big-sisterly roles within the family. Next is Brianna, my thirteen-year-old sister who is four years younger but four inches taller than me. We look absolutely nothing alike, although that’s what amazes me about my family; even though we’re different on the outside, people can sense that we’re family. Brianna and I have never been taken for anything other than sisters, just as my brothers Bradley, Brayden, and Brevin belong to us as well.

Anyway, Brianna is the beauty queen of the family and loves anything she can see or feel or taste or hear or smell. She is crafty and especially loves nails, makeup, and hair. Bradley, my twelve-year-old brother who was just ordained a deacon is the sports fanatic of the family. He loves football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and watches ESPN constantly. It’s fun to watch him, because he'll get five inches from the T.V. and jump around intensely whenever something good is happening. Brayden, who is eight, is a social butterfly. He’s playing with friends sixteen hours a day and sleeping the other eight. He is a natural athlete but also the most sensitive of all of us. I recall countless times where Brayden has approached me and given me a great big hug, saying, “Ditty, I love you. You’re the best sister in the whole wide world!” Brevin is the youngest, six years old, and the make-believer and free spirit of the family. He doesn’t conform to anyone’s rules, eats and sleeps whenever he feels like, and is wrapped up in fantasy much like I was as a child.

As you’d expect, life at home with five kids is nothing short of a blast. It can be crazy, but crazy is comfortable. I’m usually wandering, or playing the piano, while my sister has all her giggly friends over to eat our pasta and do their nails. Then there are the boys, who constantly wrestle around the house and invite their 50 friends over to join in making forts, having “wars,” running around, and being generally obnoxious. Add in the habitual family pet Tarzan and a loving set of parents and you’ve got yourself a typical day at the Theurer home.

My family enjoys being together, and we do many things that bring love and unity to our home. Sunday Dinner is probably my favorite tradition. We eat the same dinner every Sunday, and it’s everyone’s favorite: mashed potatoes and gravy with roast beef, vegetables, and rolls. We always eat together, and though we do so most nights, there is something special about Sunday Dinner that I love. As a family we also take time for Family Home Evening every Monday night. Once in a while we will go do something fun, like bowling or a picnic in the park, but I think just being together for a few moments every week can make a big difference.

As far as Holiday traditions go, we take ours seriously. Within the first week of December we like to decorate the Christmas tree, and as we get closer to the holiday we like to see the Spanish Fork Lights and go sledding. Christmas Eve we usually visit our extended family and open gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. We also have a tradition called the “Christmas box,” where we fill a box with food and treats and leave it on the doorstep of a family having a hard time. After delivering the box, we reenact the nativity scene and open our Christmas ornaments and pajamas. The holiday is practically a ritual; after getting ready for bed the kids all stand in line at the door of the present room and take presents up to the Christmas tree. Then, on Christmas Morning we have æbleskivers for breakfast and open our gifts. It is a fun time for our family and likely our favorite holiday.

Easter and the Fourth of July have fun traditions, too. Whenever Easter rolls around, we search for our Easter baskets and later throw an Easter egg hunt with the Hallows side of the family. We also dye eggs and occasionally make cupcakes. For the Fourth of July we always have fireworks in front of our house and spend all day with our Theurer grandparents. Though it’s not a holiday, by far the favorite week of summer is when our cousins Brandon and Nicole come down for our Theurer Family Reunion. The reunion typically occurs around the fourth or the twenty-fourth of July, and we play all day, party all night and try to have a good time. Thanksgiving is another fun holiday for my siblings and I; we eat the big dinner with our extended family and switch off Hallows and Theurer every year. Birthdays, of course, cannot be forgotten. My mom decorates the kitchen in streamers and balloons, plants the most recent school picture of the family member on the table, and arranges the presents. It’s a party for the whole family when one of us has a day where we celebrate them, and with our variety of siblings, there’s a lot to celebrate.

All these traditions, the descriptions of my siblings, of the things we do together as a family, they all spell one word: love. It is the word that could stand on its own to describe my family’s inner workings. And love… well, love is an interesting phrase. In a sense it means that as a family we enjoy being together. It also means peace, and safety. It means that no matter what you do, there will always be a brother or parent or sister standing right beside you. Love means family. And we as a family, all seven of us, strive for love and unity in our home. Life at the Theurer house can be chaotic. It can be fun or crazy or peaceful or dramatic. It can be traditional or spontaneous. But it is always loving. Of all the things I love about my family, I love the love that exists between us. Mike and Jann, Brittney, Brianna, Bradley, Brayden, and Brevin: this is my family. All that is left to say, then, is that I couldn’t have asked for a better family in the world.

:)