Weekend Shenanigans

I was beginning to think that this weekend was a bust. That the rain and grey weather, the general quietness of it all was somewhat of a disappointment. But really, when I looked just a bit closer, or maybe from a different angle, I saw the beauty of it.

Milo and Oliver are pretty close, but this weekend they took it to the next level. The level of inside jokes, of giggles and whispers early in the morning; they now rise early and instead of coming to find and wake us, they carefully plod downstairs to the dining room table to start a fresh game of Monopoly. Every morning, the same. Milo lets our dog out (and sometimes, if we’re lucky, back in) while Oliver sets up the game. They play intently for hours, if left to their own devices, breaking only to grab a glass of apple juice or slice themselves a piece of banana bread when hunger strikes.

It is a closeness that sometimes leaves me in awe. This weekend they were glued to the hip, upstairs together to get dressed while joking about Captain Underpants books and an awesome Greek mythology book (that I will share here soon). Later, building forts with Emil and building with their circuit set, then Milo reading out loud to Oliver and Emil in the car on our way to the Magic House, letting Oliver choose every single outcome in the “choose your own adventure” books, letting him choose even when he had a strong opinion about the possible outcome. In (yet another) game of Monopoly, Milo tried to bail Oliver out of jail while Andrew and I exchanged worried glances about the possibility of strange and unfortunate foreshadowing.

At the Magic House, they flew through the air on the kids’ slides, laughing and encouraging each other. At home, they sat side-by-side to sip hot chocolate while discussing Icarus flying too closely to the sun and plunging down down down, despite the warnings. Oliver looks on in clear admiration as Milo explains one thing or another. 

At bath time, Milo lingers in the bathroom even though his bath is over and he is clearly growing cold in his damp nakedness. He dilly dallies because Oliver is still in the tub, and makes excuses, “I’m just going to stay in the bathroom to make sure Oliver doesn’t fall asleep and slide under…” even though I know the truth — that right now, they can’t bear to be apart. It is touching beyond words. Because I know that tomorrow or a week from now they will be bickering and saying hurtful things to each other, bruising egos and pushing buttons, because that is the way the pendulum swings. But oh, how I revel in these days. The support, the camaraderie, the brotherhood. 

I am grateful beyond words to be a witness to this — to their growth and the influence they have on each other. To the kindness and closeness I hope lasts a lifetime and then some. So yeah, nothing really happened this weekend… and everything did too.