My brother

Is it bad that me and my brother are best friends?

I don't think so. Not at all. 

I didn't really realize it as much until this weekend. He spent the night at a friends house. Then his friend somehow convinced mom my mom to let Nate spend another night. Which meant he gone pretty much all weekend.

Man I missed that boy so bad. When I finally saw him again I literally ran in and practically tackled him. 

I have a love/hate relationship with growing up. I miss getting to play all the time and never worrying about school. I miss being so confident that I could do almost anything with out being embarrassed. I miss playing make believe. 

But I love growing up with this guy. 

Sure, we are three years apart. But I still love it. 

We did have a pretty awesome childhood. When we were tiny I could convince him to come in my room and we would dig in the dress up and He would let me dress him up as a princess, a prince, pretty much anything. I would dig to the very bottom of the dress up to find the perfect item- once I remember wailing and wailing because I got my toes stuck in a mouse trap. Then mom came and kissed it and I was all better. He would even let me paint his toes sometimes:) One of our favorites was playing pioneers when we got a little older. The games usually involved forts or tents as our wagon, Nate hunting and driving the handcart, and eventually getting shot. I usually became deathly ill and unconscious. We would stack up toys from playroom, that seemed pioneerish and organize them just so in our "handcart". He would wear a cowboy hat and occasional overalls, but I always had to be decked out in my bonnet, shawl, apron, and full length dress (I was a pioneer one Halloween). I remember once we were playing out side and I was convinced we needed some firewood for our "camp". So I gave Nate a wagon and piled it high with wood from the woodpile. I can still imagine tiny, but determined 4 year old Nate (I really think this happened when he was about 4 but every memory Nate recalls "happened when he was 4") lugging that huge wagon and sweating up a storm. We played all the time together.

Now we don't play as much, but as Nate puts it we "hang out." We still love to jump an the trampoline and talk and play sporty games outside.

Sure- we definitely have our I-feel-like-I-could-totally-kill-you-right-now moments:) But it isn't the same I-have-to-do-better-because-we-are-so-competitive feeling as when we were kids.

I love that kid! He is really one of my best friends:) I just want to say happy birthday bro and I love you!
-Shelby

(Blogger police-please don't get me! I know this post has no pictures and I will probably add some later but that will require a lot of time and I need to go spend some time with the birthday boy :)