Benefits

While she generally dislikes being the lone wolf cub left in the den, Malia has discovered that there are perks. Like the fact that she doesn’t have to fight Nathan over who will get to eat the last of the fruit salad right out of the serving bowl. 

She Can’t Blame This One on Her Brothers

It came to light today that Malia and Kevin had a burping contest when they were out and about earlier this week. She is the only one of my children who has ever done so. I find it a bit ironic that my only daughter is the one who belches with abandon… 😂

Brothers Don’t Shake Hands! Brothers Gotta Hug!

Matthew is in high school which means he lives in social drama central every day. Tonight was the girls’ choice sweetheart’s dance at the high school and Matthew very much didn’t want to go. He had some unsettling questions from an unknown source come his way about a month ago and he definitely did not want to get dragged into any of the rampant emotional drama that happens, so he politely informed all concerned parties that he would be out of town this weekend. Then he proceeded to arrange to spend the day with his older brothers in Logan. Matthew has ended up having a really hard week, so quality time with his big bros was just what he needed. He drove up and spent the entire afternoon and evening with them. Daniel had to take off long enough to play with the pep band for a girls’ basketball game, but Matthew and Nathan visited the campus store during that time and both boys ended up with some new USU merch. After Daniel got back, they ate dinner and played games and basically had some good brother time.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m so grateful my kids have become friends now that they are a little older. The big age gaps don’t make as big a difference as they did when they were young, and I could not be happier that they get along and can rely on each other. I know Matthew misses his brothers and I love that they will welcome him into their lives, and their schedules, whenever possible. 

Oh, and once when the kids were very young, I remember thinking that when they got older it would be easier to get a picture of them where they didn’t look totally dorky. I was obviously completely wrong about that. They still have a tendency to look dorky in pictures, but most of the time, they do it on purpose. 😂

Once Upon a Dream

This morning Malia told us that she had a good dream. She was a princess and the prince was the fuzzy guy from Monsters, Inc. They danced and danced which is why it was a good dream and they liked each other. Now the princess part is not at all unexpected, but the part that cracks me up is that Sully was her Prince Charming. That is definitely the sign of a girl who is well rounded, open minded and has three older brothers. ;-)

Little Miss Horrible

Malia has some interesting likes based on the fact that our children span a wide range of ages and she is the youngest. One of those random interests is "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." For those of you not in the know, this was a project Joss Whedon created during that big writer's strike a few years back. It's pretty entertaining. Kev and the boys watch it fairly frequently which means that Malia watches it fairly frequently. Today she presented herself to me and told me she was Dr. Horrible...

...and she had a freeze ray.

I'm not sure proud is the right word. Entertained with a slight eye roll might be closer.

Itsy Bitsy Whovian

For those of you who are not familiar with Doctor Who, this video won’t mean much. For those of you who are, listen closely:

Yup. That’s my not quite 3 year old singing the Doctor Who theme song. When Matthew was this age, he was singing “Popcorn Popping” and “Once There Was a Snowman.” I’m not saying that Malia doesn’t sing those songs, because she does. But she also sings “Star Wars Cantina” and “Bad/Fat.” (think Michael Jackson/Weird Al Yankovic) This is further confirmation that living with three older brothers has some pretty interesting repercussions. 

I think it’s kind of  hilarious and if nothing else, when she’s a teenager she’ll know how to talk to boys…

When You Have Three Older Brothers, At Some Point You Are Bound to End Up With a Lizard On Your Face

 

I guess today was the day.

(This Kodak moment was brought to you by Matthew, of course.)

Brothers Don't Shake Hands! Brothers Gotta Hug!

Last night Nathan woke me up in the middle of the night. He said he was having a nightmare. When I asked him what he was dreaming about, he told me he dreamed that Matthew was dead. It freaked him out enough that he woke me up, which he hasn't done for quite some time. Matthew had been Nathan's baby since day one, so having something happen to him must be a terrible thought for Nathan.

This event reminded me of a time when Daniel had the same trouble. Daniel was two when Nathan was born. At first, he didn't want anything to do with Nathan. I took a whole week before he even touched him. During that time period, Daniel would have terrible nightmares. He would wake up afraid and silently creep into my room. I woke up more than once with him standing quietly by my head. When Nathan was about three months old, I was startled awake one night by Daniel shrieking at the top of his lungs, an unusual occurrence for him. It took me awhile to get him calmed down, but when I did I asked him what he was dreaming about. All he would say was, "I wost Naffan." (I lost Nathan.)

In spite of all the fighting that happens, all the arguing and bickering that make up the soundtrack of my life, my boys have a bond. They love each other and the thought of losing each other scares them more than just about anything. They may not want to admit it, but having brothers is a pretty cool thing.