Sisters, sisters...

When people imagine what it must be like to raise sweet little daughters, I'm sure they imagine it sort of like this:

So much love. So much pink. So not the Hopkin girls.

And don't get me wrong, growing up with three sisters and no brothers has had its share of lovely, pink, perfect moments. Completely uninterrupted by action figures and toy guns and pyrotechnics or whatever it is little boys play with.

The 90s, may they rest in peace.

Mom and Grandma are probably weeping at this point. Look how cute we were. Also, sidenote:

Isn't Tess an absolute BABE?!?!?!? Photo credit: Me, aren't I good?

Don't forget about Tess. She doesn't really get a lot of attention in this post, so I just want to give her a little shout out. She's the fourth sister, and clearly the cutest and most accomplished. We can't all be Tess, try as we might.

Anyway.

The way I remember it, my parents were lucky to raise four adorable little angels. But I'm sure it wasn't always giggles, holding hands, and perfect braids. Sometimes, it went a little more like this:

Whoops...

Sorry for ruining the Christmas card photo shoot with my tears. Good thing Claire and Grace got a kick out of my anguish.

But I think what really illustrates the drama of a house full of girls is this home video filmed by my mom. I can't be older than five, because this is shot at our old house. "My, what a beautiful experience this will be for my little girls," my mom must have thought. "Nothing could be sweeter than my three angelic daughters releasing butterflies into the wild."

Au contraire, ma mère.

Highlights include:

• Claire's being a know-it-all.
• Grace is freaking out because her butterfly flew off unceremoniously.
• I am just sooo kind by offering to let Grace hold one of my butterflies...
• And then revoking the offer when the other one flies off.
• Grace steals my last butterfly.
• I stomp away and slam the door in a manner typical of 90s sitcoms.
• Mom's commentary: "Gracie, that wasn't nice."
• Claire's still being a know-it-all tool.
• My faint screams in the background.
• Claire: "I'd like you to record something I can do." *does a pretty common stretch*
• If you look closely, you can see me screaming behind the glass door.
• Mom: "Okay, that's just really sad." *turns off camera*

What a bunch of disappointments! Maybe this is why people say, "Oh, your poor father!" when I tell them I have no brothers.

Having a bunch of sisters could get dramatic at times, but for the most part we get along great and I've learned a lot from them. I love my sisters! So I think for the most part I will choose to remember us like this: