Ben & Jackson

This last trip to Austin made me really think about how far Ben and Jackson have come along in their short lives. They are so far removed from toddlerhood...they are such little boys now. Wow! Seems like just yesterday it was 2004. It's amazing to me how the two are removed by a 1000 miles, yet their bond is so strong. They just pick up where they left off from the last visit and continue playing.
They live on opposite ends of the country, but yet they lead very similar lives. They both have the same interests, watch a lot of the same shows and movies, and like the same toys and characters. They have very different personalities, but they also balance each other out...which makes them a very interesting duo. If they weren't related I'm convinced they would be close friends anyway.

One photo below will show you this was the first trip where they slept in the same room together at night. Everyone was asking me "are you sure that's a good idea?" I just figured it was worth a try...just to see what would happen. Well...they slept in the same room at the cabin, and later on at Jackson's house. It turns out they did extremely well. Both times they stayed in their beds, chatted a bit, and fell asleep with ease.
I later realized we had crossed another milestone with the two. Mat and Beth and Jenny and I had always talked about the time when the two would bunk together and share sleepovers. Now it's finally happened. Again...wow! Where did 2004 go?

What also took me by surprise this time was how the two look so much alike now. I mean look at some of these pictures. They look more like brothers or twins than cousins. Amazing!

Also, growing up Ben was always the follower of Jackson. Whatever Jackson did Ben always did as well. But this time around I saw for the first time Ben take the lead at times. For example, the picture below shows Ben reading Jackson a story. Right before this picture Ben and Jackson were playing on the top bunk with Wil and Cate and having a great time. Then Ben jumped down...grabbed some books...and then came back up and said "Let's all read books." Jackson replied "Yeah!" Next thing you know the two are calm and quiet and reading in bed together. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

You know...as a parent you spend every day of your life teaching your children to make good decisions. Most times you bang your head against the wall. But once in a while they surprise you. You see them display great behavior and you're reminded that they do listen to you.
It's like catching lightning in a bottle. You just sit back and hope it happens. And when it does it's beautiful.