It's a sibling thing

Laney kept herself and Nicky up past their bedtime Friday night. They share a room, and sometimes she goes into his bed when she should be in her own. They chat and laugh and have a good time, then she goes back to hers and they go to sleep. Sometimes, she just chatters away from her own bed. I don't mind for the most part, although I want her to stay in her own bed.

I think it's important that they have time to develop their own special friendship. This nighttime conversation is a part of their routine and growing relationship. Nicky, being a very agreeable type, rarely complains even when he is tired. I know that there are times when he would have fallen asleep much earlier had it not been for Laney's chatter. Sometimes, it works the other way, too, but not very often.

Saturday morning, she woke up earlier than Nicky did and must have been waiting for him. She came in and hung out with us. The second she heard him stir, she ran in their room to see and ran back out shouting, "Nicky's awake!! Yippee! Yippee! Nicky's awake! Yay!" She ran around the house like that for a few minutes. She just couldn't contain her excitement. I think the last minute or so she was just playing for the attention she was getting, but there is no doubt that her big brother waking up was the highlight of her day. It was so very sweet to see.

Nicky is equally devoted to his sister, but his is a quiet devotion. The other day, he sat quietly at the table and carefully drew a little princess for Laney. He was insistent that I cut it out and give it to her, so she could play with it. It was very important to him as he had made the princess especially for her. "Det er så fin (It's so pretty)," she said sincerely when I gave it to her. Meanwhile, Nicky beamed with pride. The first princess got a little blue mark on her, and Laney got upset and cried because it was "ruined." Nicky quickly drew her another one. That's the thing about Nicky. He doesn't shout and yell Yippee when she comes into the room. His gestures are subtle and done with little fanfare, but I know he rushed that second princess to make her feel better. He put his very kind heart into those little princesses.

I wish I could take these moments and bottle them up for later. I would keep them like treasured photos. Well, not my real treasured photos which are shoved in boxes until I can actually get them in albums or put on display. I mean the treasured photos of my fantasy life, which are beautifully framed and hanging on my wall.

These days of our lives are just flying by too quickly.