Lately I have been reminded of how quickly life goes by. If we aren't
careful, we miss out on important moments or even worse, the small,
mundane moments that would have led to wonderful things. It's no
surprise I've been thinking about time and life and what the important
things really are. This year and especially this last month and next few
months to come are chock full of huge changes and accomplishments.
I've talked about my family a lot on here and I've shared about my little brother. He's such a crazy kid that I just love to death. His name is Aaron but for the last ten years or so, I've called him Butch. I don't even remember why but its how it is.
For six years.
My baby brother was born at home in 1994 and we didn't know if he was a boy or a girl. I remember being allowed to stay up super late (for me anyway) with my other siblings and we all just sat in the living room waiting and waiting. My dad finally came out at 8 something PM and said, "Well, its a boy!" I have no idea what all the other reactions were but me... I was sitting on the arm of the couch and I slapped my hand to my forehead, fell backwards on to the couch and while crying yelled, "Not ANOTHER one! I wanted a SISTER!"
I've talked about my family a lot on here and I've shared about my little brother. He's such a crazy kid that I just love to death. His name is Aaron but for the last ten years or so, I've called him Butch. I don't even remember why but its how it is.
Its
kind of funny for me to think back at growing up with him and what it
was like when he joined the family. See, I was the youngest of five kids
for six years. There's my sister who is ten years older than I am and
then 3 brothers and then there was me.
For six years.
My baby brother was born at home in 1994 and we didn't know if he was a boy or a girl. I remember being allowed to stay up super late (for me anyway) with my other siblings and we all just sat in the living room waiting and waiting. My dad finally came out at 8 something PM and said, "Well, its a boy!" I have no idea what all the other reactions were but me... I was sitting on the arm of the couch and I slapped my hand to my forehead, fell backwards on to the couch and while crying yelled, "Not ANOTHER one! I wanted a SISTER!"
Since
he is the baby of the family, he was pretty spoiled and during his
toddler, 5, 6, 7, years, we had major issues with each other. Sure, we
could play nice but for a long time, I felt persecuted by this little
brother of mine. Throwing fits and fibbing to get me in trouble. I guess
now I know how my older brothers felt about me! The older he got the
more we could do stuff together and not tear each others heads off.
Lucky
for me this kid has never held a grudge against me. When he was four (I
think) I accidentally dropped him on his head which got split open and
he needed stitches. Nice right? When he was a little older, I can't
remember how old, we were at a park with our cousins. One cousin and I
were babysitting the younger ones and off in our own la la land talking.
Well all of the sudden I see my brother running towards us with his
hand over his mouth and blood POURING all over the place. It seems he
thought he was Superman and had jumped from the top of one tube slide to
another but he missed. Instead of his hands and feet finding traction,
his front tooth caught the plastic, dug into it and decided to stay put
while the rest of him fell to the ground. His PERMANENT front tooth
ripped straight through the bone and gums, root and all. Long story
short, I'm lucky he wasn't kidnapped by the lady who was driving by at
the time, stopped to see if we needed help and my cousin and I in all of
our older sibling smarts put my brother and her little sister in this
lady's car and hoped they'd be waiting at the house when we managed to
get down there with the other kids and strollers. Yeah, that part of the story has been kept secret between my brother and I until now.
He
has had more accidents that required stitches, plastic surgeons, and
doctors than everyone else in our family combined. He once tried to pick
up a rock that had landed in a bed of coals but ended up picking up a
coal and his poor hand looked like it had wet tissue all over it for
weeks. His finger went through a belt sander and he didn't have a finger
tip or fingernail for a long time. I don't think anyone kept count on
how many times his face met the pavement and the pavement won. His head
met a church pew on more than one occasion and after a while, seeing his
face without cuts, scratches, and scabs was like seeing Big Foot.
During
my 'troubled teen' years, he always asked me if I was okay and would be
the first to offer a hug when I got done having sit downs with my
parents. Whenever I got hired to take care of neighbors animals while
they went out of town, he's the only one who would help and not demand
some of the money I made. He also was the only one at the dinner table
who'd help me out on the 'green bean front'. See, I HATE green
beans. More than any other food but growing up, we had to eat every bite
of food put on our plates or it was early bed time and no dessert all
week. No matter how I tried to eat them, I'd gag, spit them out or end
up making myself sick because those things are NASTY! For my
brother, he hated pasta. Well, he loved green beans and I loved pasta so
as soon as my parents left the table and had their backs turned to us,
we'd swap plates really quick, finish each others food, and switch
plates again.
Super stealthy.
For a few years, this brother of mine and I were the only two children left at home.
My sister Amber got married when I was 9, then there was Justin who got married in 2001, Ryan who went on an LDS mission and then was living on his own when he got back and Jared who is two years older than I am and left on an LDS mission when I was a Junior in high school. That meant it was just Aaron and I at home with our parents. One year, our parents took us to San Diego and we went to Sea World and Legoland and a bunch of other places. We had SO much fun. That little brother of mine had definitely grown on me.
In 2006 when I graduated from high school, he was in 6th grade.
The night before graduation we were in my room talking and he asked
what I planned on doing. At this point, I was involved with an older guy
I'd been dating for a long time. I hummed and hoed around that question
because my plans involved what was up to that point, a secret plan to
marry this guy and move out. My baby brother in all his 12 year-old
wisdom told me to make sure that whatever I did, I was happy.
Wow.
I've
never told him this and I don't know if he even remembers that
conversation but a few months later, when I was finally brave enough to
break up with the guy I was 3 weeks away from marrying, who had been
anything but good to me, its that little piece of advice that helped me
the most.
Thank you Aaron.
I
am so glad he joined our family. I love that even though I'm older and
married and 2,000 miles away, we still have an amazing relationship. He
calls me all the time just to talk and it makes my day, every single
time. We can talk about anything, talk about everything and he really is
one of my very best friends.
My
baby brother graduates from high school today. I can't hardly believe
that he is old enough for that to happen... Or maybe its that I can't
hardly believe that I am old enough for that to happen. My
heart hurts really bad that I can't be in AZ to watch him walk across
that stage, towering over everyone and get his diploma but I think he
knows how much I wish I could be there.
I shared this on Facebook last month but I just have to share it with all you Lovelies too.
I shared this on Facebook last month but I just have to share it with all you Lovelies too.
I have THE most amazing baby brother in the world!! For the last five years he has been learning to fix airplanes, build airplanes, and fly airplanes all while attending junior high and then high school. He's maintained a high GPA, applied to and got accepted at BYU Provo AND got awarded a half tuition, four-year scholarship.
All while working 40-70 hour work weeks he carries on a
fantastic social life, takes online college courses, and attends high
school. He has saved up the $10,000 it costs to serve an LDS mission,
paid for himself to go to Washington D.C. and several other trips with
his school, and he pays for all of his own stuff.
He is the sweetest guy
I know and is incapable of doing a single unkind thing. He was Varsity
Basketball Captain, earned his Eagle Scout, and flew across the country
in a plane he built. He has been working his butt off to earn his
pilot's license which he'll have done by August, just shortly after
graduating high school.
He's ridden bulls, hiked the Grand Canyon, and he recently added another life accomplishment to his list by JUMPING OUT OF
AN AIRPLANE AT 13,000 FEET!
It's all true too.
He's six years younger than me, six inches
taller than me, a little quirky, a lot crazy, an authentic cowboy and
has done more in his 18 years than I could even think of in my 24.
I'm sure if he were to ask me for advice I'd be at a loss. He's much wiser than I ever was and the only piece of advice worth giving to him would be his own words he spoke to me six years ago.
"Make sure, whatever you do, that you're happy."
Butch, you do me proud brother! I love you!
