Brotherly Love

The dynamics of siblings is an amazing thing. You cannot stand them one second and are inseparable the next.  People you can totally be yourself around and will love you anyway.  I have always loved being a part of a big family and am so happy my kids have each other to grow up with.  I love watching their intricate games come to life, the silly jokes they crack, the empathy they (can) show each other and the pure silliness that ensues when they are all together.  Don't get me wrong.  They rag on and fight with each other like the best of them, but in the end they love each other and what fun it is to watch!

We cannot take photos without at least one silly face one, which usually ends up being our best one.

I watch one of Caleb's friends in the morning 3 days a week for a few minutes before school.  He is an only child.  He and Caleb have silent desires to be in the other's family.  Per his mother, the other boy longs to come over for longer and whines on the days he is not supposed to come. He longs for the companionship and chaos of siblings.  Caleb longs for the quiet and solitude of being an only child.  The grass is always greener right?

One night, Caleb brought up the topic.  He said that there are good things and bad things about having siblings.  He started making the obvious list of pros and cons.  Then, you could see the realization on his face that his siblings are priceless. He said he was glad he was not an only child.  He still seeks quiet and alone time.  He has learned not to announce that is what he wants, or else everyone will follow him.  He often grabs a book and locks himself in the bathroom or sneaks off into his bed.

You can barely see the 3 of them, but they sat out in the tree house and read books for an hour together.

Walking home from school.

Skipping to Easter Mass together.

Monkey see monkey do.  Caleb was mad about wearing the vests I made them, therefore so was Toby.

Nellie was saying "It's okay sweetie" and pretending to doctor up Caleb's toe.

I was going to fix them more comfortably, but after turning around to put
the camera down and they were back on their pillows and under the covers. 

When the boys go to bed at the same time (which rarely happens,
when Toby takes a nap), they often end up in the top bunk together.