Brothers

From the time I found out I was having my first son, I wanted him to have a brother. When our life was in upheaval, and I wasn't sure I could handle any more kids, I leapt out of the boat and prayed, "Please, Lord, give us a healthy little boy. Toby needs a brother. They will have each other their whole lives."

God gave us Elijah Gabriel, and he gave us brothers.

I have loved watching these two grow together.

Sometimes having a brother can be a little scary...

But they're handy to play cars with.

When your mom dresses you up in a fluffy lamb costume, your brother understands.

And when she gets it right with Superman costumes, you can rock them together.

Soon you learn that pretty much anything is better with a brother.

There are blanket forts to be built...

Fair rides to be ridden...

Leaf piles to be buried in…

And they're all more fun with a brother.

You just can't learn to be a true Jedi by yourself.

Sometimes you need a brother to lead your horse.

If you don't want to wear a fuzzy bear hat by yourself, your brother will wear one with you.

Brothers are like Batman and…that other guy with a bike helmet and an Owen Grady vest.

They're like police and firemen.

They go together. Always.

From the moment their little feet hit the hardwood floor in the morning, these boys are together now. Most mornings they have to run up and down the hallway shrieking and laughing together at least fifteen times before they settle in to making oatmeal together for breakfast. I wake to find oatmeal bits and syrup puddles strewn throughout the kitchen, and two boys dressed in non-sensical arrangements of weather-innappropriate clothing and dress up shenanigans, begging to run free outside in the great backyard and in their endless imaginations.

I cannot imagine one without the other anymore. What are they up to today? Doesn't matter. As long as they're together.