Today

Today, for some reason, a couple different things kept coming to mind... the first is that brothers, are special and the relationships that Mitchell, Joel, and Grant have right now are already very special and different from the relationships they have with anyone else in the world... even at their young ages. Today, for about the 5th night in a row, Joel requested (well, in advance of bedtime) that Mitchell read him his bedtime stories. Joel has never cared who reads him his bedtime stories so clearly this is a special time for him... (and for Mitchell too).

Today, (as I do everyday) I watched Joel and Grant play and interact in a way that is not even comparable to the level at which they play and interact with anyone else. Today, the first words out of Grant's mouth when he woke up were "I want to go see Joel". Yesterday, his first words were "I want to go see Mitchell". Today, as Joel and Grant were in the bathtub laughing at each other, I was thinking about how boring it would be for them in there (and how much more entertaining I would need to become) if they were looking at me instead of each other :) But at that moment, they didn't even know I was in the room... they were in their own conversation and in their own world.

If you know Mitchell (which you probably do if you're reading this) it is no surprise to you what gem of a big brother (and son) he is... Joel and Grant are so very lucky to have him, as am I.

The other thing that kept coming to mind today (and maybe helped me stay a little more calm during a night where Jeff is still at work and it is almost 11pm) is just how temporary so many of these daily moments are... the good ones, the bad ones, the funny ones, the precious ones, and the just plain frustrating ones... it's hard to believe that it won't be like this FOREVER somedays. I can't even begin to count the number of times that someone cried, or screamed, or fell down and was injured, or had a melt-down, or told me "No", or took a swing at someone, or spilled something, or was carried up and down our two flights of steps today, but I know that I can count the years that Mitchell will be available to read to Joel at night, that Grant will beg me to "hold him", and that Joel will need me to kiss a dozen different owies during the day and tell me that he "thinks pee is coming out" as we hurry down the stairs with his pants off, as he will only pee on "his potty", which is downstairs.Joel, helping Grant get some socks off that got wet, and Grant, willingly accepting the help. After Joel got the socks off, he said, "there you go, baby. Now I'll go in my room and get you some new socks, but only mommies can help put them on" .... :)