Sibling Day

On Facebook, there is a day for everything.  A "national pet day", or a "national penguin appreciation day".  Facebook lets you know.  Everyday it's something.

Well, according to good ole' FB, today is National Sibling Day.

My sibling story is kinda cool.

First, there is my sister.  She and I have shared so much, and she is the only one who knows my entire story from the beginning of time.  Well, the beginning of Lauren time, anyway.  She is amazing and my right arm and I adore her.  

After my parents divorced, my dad remarried pretty soon after.  He married this wonderful lady, Kathy, who is one of my favorite people on the planet.  The first time I introduced her as my "step mom" she scoonched up her nose and said it sounded weird.  I think visions of Cinderella's wicked step mother danced in her head.  I get it.  So from then on she was introduced as "my dad's wife".

Over time, she has gone from "my dad's wife" to my wonderful friend.  And I treasure my time with her.  She is, quite simply, faboo.

Anyway, at the end of my junior year in college, dad and Kathy had a baby - Chris.  Two and a half years later, Steve was born.

For me it was love at first sight(s).  I lived in Boston after school, so seeing these boys became a regular event.  

As a sister, I am so lucky that I have been able to experience these boys at all their phases in life.  There is something cool about being an adult and watching your little brothers grow up.

When Steve was two and Chris was 5, I was spending an afternoon with them while they had friends over.  I remember I was standing next to Chris, who was standing next to his friend H, also 5, who was standing next to his sister, A.  She was 2. 

H looked at me and asked Chris, "Who is that?"

Chris looked at me and answered simply, "That's my sister."

H looked stunned.  He looked at me, then looked at his own sister, then said to Chris, "Your sister's ginormous."

Later, after I was married and moved to Vermont, Dad, Kathy and the boys would come up for visits. On one of these visits, we were taking the boys to see farm animals.  Chris and Steve were in my car with my husband Sean and I.

As we drove by wide open fields, we saw one that was dotted with giant hay bails, wrapped in white plastic.  They looked like huge marshmallows.

The boys asked what they were and I answered, "That's a marshmallow field.  Huge marshmallow grow there, and the farmers cut them up and put them in little bags, and send them to the store.  Haven't you guys ever seen a marshmallow field before?"

Wide eyed, and drooling a little, they bought it, hook, line and sinker.

I was very proud of myself as they excitedly asked Dad, "Did you guys see the marshmallow field???"  This taught me that there is no age gap wide enough that you can't mess with your little siblings.  It's like my right to do so.

I have watched these boys through middle school awkwardness, high school growth, and college maturity.  My youngest brother, Steve, is a senior at a college 10 minutes away from my house.  These past four years he has truly become a part of life around here - we see him every week (laundry) and I can't imagine a Sunday around here without him after he graduates.  There will be some adjustments to be made on my part.  To say simply "he will be missed" is a huge understatement.

But I can't wait to see what happens next, for both of them.

This past Thanksgiving, we were the hosts.  When my brothers arrived with Dad and Kathy, Chris yelled, "Hey!  It's your brother from another mother!"

HE'S RIGHT!!!  Literally!  How had we never said this before?!?

So, to both my brothers from another mother, happy sibling day.  I'm so glad we have each other.

And to my sister, too.  Of course.  But I think Chris and Steve kinda deserve their own post.  Susan I could write about for hours and hours, but then she would have to kill me.  Sister secrets and all.