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Saturday morning, Isaac and I went to watch my nephew, Luke, play basketball.  All the boys played well and it was such a close game!  With just 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 20. 

But with a two minute overtime, the other team scored and won. 

When Luke wasn't on the court, though, I noticed how my brother interacted with him.

I have no idea what they are saying to each other, but my brother thinks it's hysterical.  Nathan is like an assistant coach for their team, so he often yelling out directions and encouragement to the boys on the court and praising them when they're off. 

I usually don't like my brother very much.  This is the kid that would endlessly practice wrestling moves on me after watching some WWF match.  Who bodyslammed me off a bed and knocked my front tooth out.  This is the kid that would tell me that he would give me a dollar to do his chores and then never would cough up the money.  This is the kid that teased me about all my imperfections.  I know, you feel really bad for me right now, don't you?  Eh, you shouldn't.  I got my revenge.  I once bopped him over the head with a metal lunchbox.  And then again some other time with a heavy metal shovel.  I am laughing as I write this, because, seriously, I was the "good" kid. 

At family gatherings now, we tend to reminisce about our childhoods and things we remember.  Lately we spend a lot of time talking about all the things I did wrong and all my crazy antics as a kid.  I think Nathan's strategy is to make himself look good by making me look bad. 

As we got a little older, we got along better.  He tried to teach me how to drive, except I forgot to take it out of park and just revved the engine thinking it would eventually go.  That was the end of my driving lesson.  He worked at a pizza place and would get off work at midnight and bring home pizza for us while we played cards with Marcy (his wife) and friends.  Sometimes we would go out to Lakewood for breakfast in the middle of the night. 

And now that we have our own families, we are still pretty close.  For all the trouble he caused growing up, he should have gotten rotten kids.  Oh, but he didn't (must be because Marcy was such a good kid).  They are all so sweet and kind and amazing. 

Front row, L to R: Nathan, Luke, Marcy. Back row L to R: Alexis, Jacob and Ashley

After the basketball game, we went to Portillo's for lunch (have I mentioned ever how much I love their chocolate cake??) and then to an indoor water park.  And after I expressed how unfair it was that he got such great kids, I did tell him that he was doing something right.  (It wasn't easy saying that out loud.)  Seriously, Alexis and Ashley are in school and have jobs and are in relationships and they are beautiful and are two of the sweetest girls I know.  Jacob plays excels at every sport he can get his hands on and is ridiculously smart (now if I could just get him to stop calling me MEG-an).  And Luke is just adorable and caring and cracks everyone up.  

His secret?  They do something as a family every weekend.  Now with the girls having jobs that require weekend work sometimes, they don't always get to participate (and they are disappointed when that happens).  It's something to look forward to and it's fun!

Nathan shared this with me: Take Vacations. You can always make more money.  You can't always make more memories. 

And it's so true, isn't it?  We only get our children for a time and then they are off to be young adults and grown ups with responsibility on their own.  And if you don't spend time together, what crazy stories (that tend to get a little crazier with every telling) will you share at family gatherings years from now?