More Family Not Written About But Not Forgotten

I wrote an autobiography of growing up Mordecai and I have been having guilt. I didn't add three very important people. I am going to do it now.

• Diane, I love you. I have to admit that you are the silent hero of my story. You probably think me a whiner calling you just to discuss things that stress me out but no one has an ear to lend like you do. As a child my first memory of you is when you decided to marry my dad and he told me to call you mom. You shut that right down and told him I didn't need to do that and he shouldn't push it. My dad listens to you like no other. You truly are his better half, keeping him in check, remembering birthdays, telling him to stop lecturing me, and whenever I need anything from him I know it is truly you who do it. I may have not called you mom but I do consider you my mother. My second memory of you when I was a child isn't that great. When we went to Circus Circus and stayed, your luggage was stolen. As I often do under stress, I started laughing about it. (As a side note, my girls do the same thing where you don't know if they are laughing or hysterically crying.) You yelled at me. This is the only time you have ever yelled at me which is why it sticks out in my mind. I can't believe the stress you must have been under to go from having 2 kids to having 9 and the other 7 trying to size you up. You did wonderfully and still do. I admire you so much. I love that you give my kids books for their birthdays and I took up that tradition. My kids all know that from me they will get a book. You are one of the kindest people I know. Thank you for being in my life.
  
• Derek and Jeremy, I have to preface this next part. I am a jerk. I was (and probably remain so a little bit) a jealous kid. I am very stubborn. As a child I resented the fact that my dad became your dad. He really is more your dad than mine. You know him better and he knows you more than he knows me. You were able to keep your dad and take mine. I felt that not only did you get my dad but you got my siblings also. Vaughn was the nice one who made me feel like I could cope with stress; there were many times I wished James was around to "take care" of those kids who picked on me; Alisha was my only older sister; Aaron was the fun one. I was mad that I was left with my mom who didn't want to know me and was too busy, Brittney who hated me and could do everything right, and Trisha who my parents loved the best. I didn't want to know that the two of you were good, nice, fun people because I wouldn't be able to stay angry at you. The times I did spend with you shattered my angry you were bad people illusion but by the time I stopped being resentful of you you were already older and we were all starting families of our own. I'm sorry.
  
• Derek, I know you the least. You, like my other older brothers, were of the other set. There is a reason Brittney, Trisha, and I are called the three little girls. We are the youngest and stayed living with my mom. As a result, I know you even less than I know the other boys. I remember being in complete awe of you. I saw you play baseball once and I have never seen anyone throw a ball that fast in my life. I remember hanging out in Dad's basement and you coming downstairs. You had to duck under the doorways and I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen. You were like an adult to me, older and intimidating and making me feel like such a little girl. I didn't know what to say because I wanted to impress you and didn't know how so instead I never talked to you. For that I am sorry. I ask Dad and Diane about you all the time and I am glad you are doing well. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that, like Vaughn and James, I see you as a true adult (whereas I guess I am one pretending to be) and still don't know exactly what to say to you.
  
• Jeremy, While dating, did you really pee on Sharee? Almost get arrested for shooting water balloons from long rubber bands onto a cop car? Most of what I know of you as a kid is from Alisha or Aaron and therefore can't be that accurate, seen through others' eyes. I loved those times we got to talk as adults with kids of our own. I love your wife. She is so kind and you are funnier than I remember you being. As a child I idolized Aaron (I still do). He was fun, adventurous, and without fear. Something I have always appreciated about my parents and older siblings is that if they wanted to do something they would just learn how to do it and do it. You are in this same category, immensely talented. My only true memory of you as a child involves Aaron. Aaron and you were watching tv. It was one of those summers that I stayed with dad for about a month or so. Those summers were always a little boring, so I took to following Aaron around whenever I could. I wasn't interested in what you two were watching on television (probably sports) but sat there just to be with the two of you. The both of you wanted some frozen burritos. "Angela, go get me a burrito and get Jeremy one too," Aaron demanded of me. Like any good puppy off I went. I brought back two burritos just to find out Aaron and you were having a farting contest. It smelled SO bad! You guys were laughing away as I walked into the room, carrying your burritos, and almost fainted from the foul stench. I hear PFFFTTTT as Aaron actually turns to the side to toot in your general direction. "Now go get us two more," he orders. You are laughing fit to burst, trying to push out your latest smelly concoction. "No!" I yell, "you guys stink." More laughter ensues while I storm out of the room, slamming the door so you two could sit in your own stench. I start walking around the house with nothing to do. After about five minutes, I go make two more burritos.