Sibling Love

They often fight, disagree, and argue. But when it comes down to it, they love each other.

During Eli's concert, the girls snuggled up together on the floor of the gym. Giving hugs . . .

. . . and telling secrets.

It brings me so much joy to see my children showing love and kindness to each other. The other day, Liam and Seth were in the bath while I was in the shower, and Seth lost his balance for a second and was crying. Liam helped him up and held him on his lap comforting him and patting his back. Then another day, Sariah got Seth out of his crib after his nap. It was precious to see Seth clinging to her with his head on her shoulder, like a little monkey, Sariah relishing in her big sister role.

I remember after just giving birth to Eli a friend of mine came to visit. She was just one year ahead of me in our mothering adventures, and gave me some advice that I'll never forget. Seeing the tired, overwhelmed look on my face, and knowing firsthand the difficult challenge I was facing in adjusting to two children, she said "During the really hard moments, just remember that you're giving your children the gift of a sibling, and that gift can't be given any other way." That's really stuck with me. Sometimes I joke that no one told me the amount of screaming and whining I'd have to endure as a mother. And even though I want to pull my hair out some of the time, days like today, when all five kids play together and enjoy one another's company for hours on end, I know the chaos is worth it.