What Are Brothers For?

I love watching and listening to Ty and Ryan.  They have been best friends from the moment they met.  Ty is the sweet one and Ryan the thuggy one.  Ryan has always won the fights, even when he was still crawling and Ty was able to run!  When they are rolled up together and twisted like kittens playing Ryan always wins.  One, because he somehow has always managed to outweigh his big brother and two, because Ty is afraid if he really goes all out on Ryan that he would hurt him!  Tonight the boys came walking in the house and Ty asked Ryan if they could play a new game.  (They had been on a roll and had been playing the same X-Box game on and off all day in between playing outside.) Ryan put his arm around Ty’s neck and said, “what are brothers for?”  Ty put his arm around Ryan’s neck and said “thanks Ryan!”  than they were grabbing and shoving each other as they ran up the stairs. 

We’re Brothers!

We had been at an event where Ty and Ryan were basically the only kids.  The adults had been watching them interact all evening.  When we were saying good bye one of the ladies asked the boys, “Are you best friends?”  They looked at her, smiled and said, “We’re BROTHERS!”  I couldn't help but smile as all these flash images came to mind of these two, they really couldn't be any closer! 


From grabbing Dad's covers as the garage is getting cleaned....



to sitting together on the couch....

...boxing in the ring....



...showing off their jerseys i had made for them in Korea



silly tickles after church....

...bubble bath fun....

..summer smiles....

...matching clothes.....

...professional shots....

.....young jedi shots.....

...tire spins....

...matching hat wearing days....

...birthdays have always been regarded as shared....

...to pirate days....



...too smashing heads days....

 They truly are brothers and the very bestest of friends!!!

Ty & Ryans Last Elementary Day

School is done for the 2010 - 2011 school year and the kids Summer Fun has begun!!! The morning started as any other....June 10th....it is amazing to think that just 5 1/2 years ago it was September 2005. Ty began Kindergarten with Ms Russell and Ryan got into Ms Thompson’s Sure Start class right next door.  Thing One and Thing Two were soooo excited to go to school!  For the first time in 14 years I had NO children at home!  Ed had been augmented to a unit in Iraq and was driving convoys, helping secure election points, and gathering, securing, and delivering ballots in Iraq’s first election, Jorden began his Freshman year at Kubasaki and Vicki was a big 4^th grader!   So, it was just me in our concrete bomb shelter on the beautiful island of Okinawa……it was weird walking them to school and coming home to an empty house!  I got used to it quickly!  For the last 6 years Ty and Ryan have awoken with their grumbles together, argued over whose clothes were who and what to wear for the weather while getting dressed together, have had breakfast together,  battled each other over the sink with toothpaste and spitting and swishing together, went over the lunch menu each morning together, and have packed up their backpacks and walked out the door together each morning for the last 6 years.  Today it has come to a momentary end.  This is Ty’s last day of Elementary School.  Ryan will be the big 5^th Grader next year at Richlands Elementary School and Ty will be a little 6^th Grader at Trexler Middle School.  They will be at different schools and be catching the bus at different times.  I think Ryan will just go ahead and wake up early with Ty next year and the morning will play out as usual until Ty leaves and Ryan stays behind until it is time for him to leave.  Ryan has complained all year that everyone at school knows his big brother Ty.  When he came home earlier this week with the routine complaint I told him that next year he will probably never hear that with Ty not being at his school anymore.  He had a giant Ryan Grin that quickly faded and he said it really didn’t bother him when people talked about his big brother and that he would miss not hearing it next year.   They both had sad faces when they came to the realization of this being their last time to go to school together for a year, than they quickly began attackng each other and were soon kittens rolling on the floor like they do everyday prior to leaving for the bus.  I blinked back tears as I listened to their little boy chatter as they walked down our driveway heading to the bus stop for the last time as Elementary Boys……

Silly Boys

Always Chitter Chatting

Endless Teasing

First School Day Together 2005

Ryan Loved His Sure Start Class!

Vicki with Savanah & Mara

Jorden heading to early morning Seminary before school