17 days left of being 7!

    With the birthday countdown looming ever closer, I decided to try to write down something each day that I want to always remember about this time in Walker's life. So, I asked Walker tonight after Wednesday night church, "Walker, what's one thing you always want me to remember about your life right now?"

    I truly thought I would get a serious answer from him. What was I thinking?! 🤣 Joke's on me, b/c Walker's big brothers immediately started telling him what to say! Jasper told Walker to say that Jasper is the most handsome man in all the world! Of course, Jasper said this while ripping his shirt off, flexing, and strutting around the kitchen in all of his 14 year old teenage glory! And then Brody immediately told Walker to say that Brody was the strongest and fastest man in the world. And then Brody... in addition to Jasper... started flexing and strutting around the kitchen in all his 11 year old glory. Walker, meanwhile, has collapsed on the floor, giggling and giggling while the older boys keep saying, "Say it, Walker!!! Say how handsome I am!! Say how strong I am!! Say it Walker, say it!!" So Walker, still on the floor while his brothers strut above him, in between fits of his belly laughs, manages to get out..."

    "My oldest brother is HANDSOME (laughter....laughter....).... my younger brother is STRONG (belly laughter and tears)...and DAD!!!" with laughing tears just rolling down his cheeks. 

    Meanwhile the brothers start laughing and hooting and telling Walker that he doesn't HAVE a younger brother, which causes Walker to laugh even more deeply until he can't breathe! 🤣🤣🤣

    Seeing that it's so late and we were getting nowhere b/c at this point, Jasper and Brody are literally kissing their biceps and ooh-ing and ah-ing over their abs and Walker is literally rolling around on the floor, I shoo the big boys downstairs to get ready for bed and I get on the floor on Walker's level and say, "Ok, buddy. Now's your chance! What do you really want me to remember about you as a 7 year old?" As I'm asking this, Jasper is yelling up the stairs, "SAY THAT I'M HANDSOME, WALKER!!!!!!" and Brody is screaming, "NO! DON'T SAY THAT! SAY THAT BRODY'S SUPER STRONG!!!!!!!"

    And with all this racket going on in the stairwell, Walker asked me to please watch him spread ice cream on his face, and then he asked me to please watch him eat ice cream off the floor, and then he responded, "What I want you to always remember is that I really like eating ice cream out of shells and I really like when I eat things that taste better than I think they will. And I really like eating stuff off the floor and my favorite activity this week was watching the fireworks and I really love Charely and Bear and I really love your 41 year old self and...... and...... JASPER IS HANDSOME AND BRODY IS STRONG!!!!!" which immediately results in Jasper and Brody hootin' and hollerin' for joy!! At the TOP of their lungs! And saying, "YESSSS, WALKER! YES!!!! LET'S GO!!! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!" And then the big brothers come leaping up the stairs and hugging Walker and hoisting him on their shoulders and carrying him downstairs in victory, with Walker giggling and leaving me alone upstairs, wiping melted ice cream off the floor and chuckling out loud. 

    And I realized in that moment that what I MOST want to remember about Walker's 7 year old self is how incredibly precious the brotherhood is. Incredibly precious. This story is just a tiny glimpse into the daily life of the brotherhood and how precious these boys are both to me and also to each other. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!