Friday Flashback

I have been thinking about this picture all week and I thought it was a perfect one to put up for my Friday Flashback. (Technically it's Saturday, but since I haven't gone to bed yet, I'll count it for Friday:-) This is actually one of my all time favorite pictures. Ben was only three or four days old and I had left him downstairs on the sofa and when I came back, this is what I found. It was the sweetest little snuggle I had ever seen, and Andrew had a look on his face that was pure contentment mixed with love that just made my heart melt. Seeing that look in his face and the love in his eyes, I knew that these two boys would grow up to be best friends and that Andrew would always be there to protect his little brother. And so far, I've been right. They really are best buddies and while they have their moments of sibling trauma, these two are such good friends that it makes their mama proud. Andrew also watches out for his little brother and is constantly trying to teach him things. I'll never forget the day Ben was born or the first few that followed. They stick out so strongly in my mind and there are a few moments from those days that are frozen in my mind forever-this of course being one of them. The other that I absolutely love and will never, ever forget was my phone call home to the kids and my sisters from the hospital. For my youngest three kids we opted not to find out what we were having, so the anticipation of their arrival was even greater than you could ever imagine. Since we already had Andrew and Madeline, we were all really hoping for a boy so that Andrew could have a brother to be his buddy. I went into labor in the middle of the night on a Monday, and by the time I got out of bed that morning, we had to call my mom to race down to our house because it got pretty intense as soon as I stood up. Just as we were leaving we took one last guess as to what everyone thought this baby would be and everyone was really pulling for a boy. Well, after a longer labor than anticipated, we finally got the chance to call home and let our kids know that they had a baby brother. I knew that my kids and my mom were sitting at home on pins and needles so I couldn't wait to make the call. After one ring, Andrew happened to be the one to pick up the phone and I told him the good news. I can still hear his sweet little four year old voice, so full of excitement, yelling:
"Grandma, I have a brother!!!!!" I instantly started sobbing because his joy and cheer made the day complete for me. It was also so fun to call my sisters, Heather and Wendy, who were both busy with something and were ready to dismiss my phone call. I basically had to stop both of them from hanging up on me by saying--"Wait, can I just tell you one thing..." and then I shared my big news. (In their defense, Ben came about two weeks early and I already had a date scheduled to be induced so his timing really took everyone off guard). It was so funny to hear them totally change their tune and all of a sudden be really in to what I had to say! Later that day, my amazing mother brought my other two kids to the hospital for a birthday party--complete with presents and a cake that his sibling's picked out! It was so sweet and we still have most of the presents that they gave Ben for his real, true birthday. (They are a lot of our toy animals).
AS I finish this post, I just want to say that I am so grateful for my sweet little Ben (who's not so little anymore). He is the most fun loving, laid back kids and I absolutely adore him. He has always been so fun and he's so laid back that I know he frequently gets overshadowed. I don't want him to ever doubt that his is such an integral part of our family. He keeps us smiling, he keeps us laughing, and he amazes me every day with the depth of his personality. I will be forever grateful for the day that he was added to our family, we would not be complete without him.

I love you Ben!!!