The Three Bros

I have one brother and Jesse has two: combined together that gives us three brothers. The neat thing about the three of them is that they all have birthdays within five days of each other. I am doing a combined post for all their birthdays today!!

The first of the pack is Benjamin, my younger brother. He turned eighteen last Friday on February 15th. I cannot believe he is already all grown up. It seems like just yesterday that he was born. His birth was quite memorable for Lori and I. When we were little we would always tell our mom that we wanted a little baby brother. We were thrilled when mom announced that she was pregnant. My dad was beside himself with excitement when Ben was born and he finally had his little boy. Lori and I were like little mommy's to Ben when he was a little baby, always wanting to hold him, change his diapers and take care of him. I remember making up little nicknames for him and singing songs to him. Ben was an incredibly active little guy (my little Madison is JUST like him in this way) and would always keep us on our toes. He would run around with a big grin on his face as he destroyed the house! He had several memorable accidents as a little boy:

1. Going down the basement stairs in his walker when the door was left open- thank goodness he mainly just scared himself.

2. Falling out of his high chair and breaking his arm- we have pictures from his 2nd birthday with him in a blue cast!

3. Stitches on Christmas when he tried to open up a puzzle box with a knife

4. Diving headfirst off the top of his bunk bed.

He used to love to experiment and make all sorts of potions with anything he could get his hands on. I still have an aversion to milk from when he sneakily had me try one of his potions that contained hairspray, perfume, milk, etc.

Ben is seriously so smart. He gets straight A's in school and already has a full ride scholarship to ASU to prove it. When he was younger he used to love to read the instruction manuals for anything electronic. He would learn how to do all sorts of things no one ever got around to reading about. He figured out how to put the child protective locks on our car and it took us a while to realize what had happened. He used to reprogram the TV and would play with our mom's cell phone and change all the options without her knowing it. Whenever I have a problem with anything malfunctioning he is the one I call (he has reprogrammed the remote to our TV several times for us).

Ben has always loved children. After Jesse and I were married for a few years, Ben used to tease us about having kids. He would always remind us that it is a commandment to multiply and replenish the earth. :) He was so excited to finally have a niece when Madison joined our family. Even still he is always up for babysitting for us- THANKS!!

Ben holding baby Madison

Ben holding Baby Robert (Robby and Ben share the same middle name- James)

This past summer we went to Hawaii with my family. Ben was kind enough to always ride in our car so that he could help out with the kiddos. He also stayed with us in Hawaii an extra 9 days so that he could continue to help out with our kids. He even babysat them for a night so that we could go on a romantic dinner cruise! Happy birthday Ben! We are so proud of you with all you have accomplished and for what is yet to come!!

Brett's birthday is the second of the group. He was born on February 18th and just turned 19 years old yesterday! Although I don't remember him when he was born :), he has always been so sweet to me from the day I met him. He is forever our "boo-hoo Buddy" of the family. Brett's middle name is Robert, so our little Robby has a lifelong connection to his Uncle Brett.

When Brett graduated high school last May, he ended up moving out to Queen Creek for a little while into a house with a few friends. It was so much fun to have him stop by from time to time and visit with me and the kids. He is always so kind and patient with them. He has even helped me tend them a few times when I have had activity days to attend to. He takes care of our lawn maintenance right now and comes several times a week to mow, blow and clean up outside. Madison gets so excited each times he comes and will stand by the window on her step stool and watch him work. After he is done outside, many time he'll come inside and hang out with us for a little bit. I sure treasure the chance to spend time talking with him one on one! As he is preparing to turn in his papers to go on a LDS mission, it is exciting to see him grow and mature in many different ways. We cannot wait to see the changes in him as he serves a mission but will also miss him so much! What a great example he is to my children.
Brett at his high school graduation last May
Brett and Madison in Colorado Feb 2006

Madison, Brett, Adam & Robby at the temple this past Xmas

Last, but not least there is Adam. He will turn 27, tommorow February 20th. Although he is far away from us right now in Boston, he is constantly in our thoughts and prayers. I always remind him that he is my older brother that I never had! Some of his baby pictures remind us a lot of our little Robby. They were both chunky little babies and are both very snuggly and loving. Adam has always been by far the most affectionate one in Jesse's family, and I love how he always gives me a great big hug every time I see him. He truly adds a fun little spark to Jesse's family and we always look forward to seeing him. Things are always a little more exciting with him around.

He is such a caring and thoughtful person. He always remembers to buy his mom flowers for her birthday, mothers day, etc. and one year, he even gave me a mother's day present just because. Jesse and Adam have a special relationship, being the oldest two in their family. They both served missions in Peru and can both speak Spanish fluently. Whenever Adam is in town, Jesse can always count on him to help out him out at the stores where needed. I love it when he calls me out of the blue just to say hello and he is constantly doting on and spoiling our kids! We can't wait to see him in a few weeks when he comes into town, and we are also excited to be able to go visit him in Boston in March.
Maddie giving her Uncle Adam a flower at his graduation ceremony from Arizona State University Dec 2006
Adam with Robby on Easter 2007