My brother and his family came into town and we all gathered at my parent's house. It was fun. There was one moment that was the absolute best for me. About an hour after we got there, Chloe asked me to keep John entertained because she had a surprise for him. She slipped outside to create a plastic bug scavenger hunt for John. Of course he loved it. Chloe had a Dr Pepper waiting for him as his prize when he was done.
I loved to see the joy Chloe took planning the event, and how special John felt because of it. Sibling moments like these touch me the deepest. Chloe had no coaching from me, she came up with the inspiration to do something so super sweet for her brother on her own. It isn't always this way, we have our moments of competition and jealousy too. But when that sweetness breaks through, it is the very best thing to see.
I think my brother and I had our moments when we were younger, but we had more years between us than my kids. I don't think we played together often, we weren't ever in the same stage at the same time. That is one thing I wish we had, and I am grateful my kids are so close together. (I can say that now that we are through the diaper stage :). They are in the same stages, claim each other as friends, and they will have that shared experience of being in our family. The early years are intense with stair stepped children, but as they get older the blessings outweigh the struggle of those first few years.
