Sunday, August 28, 2011

brother and sisters

He may annoy them, get into their stuff, interrupt their play dates, cut our outings short when it's nap time, or steal their attention, but they love him...more than they may want to admit. I see the look of pride in their eyes when their friends are around..."This is MY little brother!" is what I nonverbally see in them.  When the mood permits, they love showing him new things, like how to ride a bike, how to sit on the potty or read a book. They take his hand and walk him down the stairs, want to play with him in the bath, and set up his train tracks for him.  They dress him up in cute outfits (some do have a princess theme) and help him out of his crib.  In between the "Mooooommmmmm, come and get the trouble maker", I catch little glimpses of tenderness and nurturing that can only come from a big sister. He looks up to them, tries to copy them, and wants to ride the school bus with them.  They know how to console him when he is upset and quickly forgive him when frustrations lead to pain inducing pinchy fingers and sharp teeth.  Cole and the girls spent more time together than usual this summer and I know this week without them has been a little tough on him, even though he can't quite verbalize it yet.  I am really looking forward to their relationship growing and evolving as he gets older and can do more things with him and their age gap isn't so apparent.

My girls have always been close...they are 2 years apart in age and are different enough that they get along fairly well. I love being a parent to sisters and watching their relationship grow. This is new territory for me as I grew up with a brother. I sometimes have to remind the girls that they are forever friends...the closest relation you have in this world and that they should always have each others backs.  I feel like I model this with my close relationship with my brother, my friend and someone I can always go to...the workings of which they see on a daily basis.
Sydney helping her little sister at the bus stop on the first day of school.

Skyler got Cole's backpack all set for him to walk to the bus stop with her.

Cole with the big kids at the bus stop.

Sydney helping Cole "ride" his bike. He hasn't figured out how the pedals work yet.








The girls pushing Cole in the stroller at Botanic Gardens.




The girls helped me out by pointing out the butterflies and finches.






I love that they'll still humor me and pose for pictures...I know this won't always be the case.


Cole would have sat here as long as I wanted him to and smiled. He loves having his picture taken.




The Chicago Botanic Gardens is such a beautiful place.










The Gardens has a model train display that is outstanding. Cole was beside himself with excitement every time a train went by. The hardest part was keeping him from hopping the fence to play with them.



He loved pointing out the trains to his sisters. They acted excited each time a train rolled around, especially when it was Thomas.





A quietly captured moment. They still readily show affection towards each other. I quickly took this photo as their energies were depleting. I want to hold on to these moments...and all of those times they want hugs and kisses from me...even at the bus stop and in front of their friends...for now!


Some of my hopes for them are to see the value in each other and become each other's confidants and best friends, both things I am lucky to have with my brother.  And no matter how much they may infuriate and annoy each other, that they always have a love and respect for one another that surpasses any challenges that come their way.

1 comment:

  1. i love this post, michelle! one of the things i enjoyed most about spending time with your family is how truly sweet your kids are. they are so patient, kind, and FUNNY!

    random...is that a thomas the tank engine in the middle of the botanical gardens in chicago? if so, how did you keep cole from climbing in there and liberating thomas? or is only my kid who thinks all thomas characters are HIS?

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