Brothers

This is possibly my favorite picture of Ryan and Ethan...ever.

I think what I love so much is the body language. It is the perfect portrayal of the Love/Hate relationship of brothers. Arms and legs all tangled together in friendly knots as they watch a show, but...with a tweak of the ear to remind the other that not all is friendly.

I often find them sitting like this, with Ethan's legs up on Ryan's lap. To those that know them, really know them, it perfectly captures their relationship as brothers. Ryan is forever patiently enduring the antics of his "pesky" little brother. He willingly gives up what he has to make Ethan happy. He takes care of him, and even sticks up for Ethan while he is being disciplined by Mom and Dad..."It's okay Mom, Ethan didn't mean it, it was an accident."

Ethan is continually being....well....pesky. Ethan is lu-cky to have Ryan as a big brother, but to Ethan's credit I think he knows it. Having Ryan gone two mornings a week was hard on him. He missed him and constantly asked when we were going to go pick him up. He strives to impress Ryan and seeks his approval. He has taken to asking him for help instead of me or Kris. They are two years and two days apart in age. So far they have been the best of friends and love being together. I can only hope they will continue to be best friends as they get older.

But I'm sure there will be an occasional ear pull along the way.