I think, even before Matthew was born, Andrea talked about the possibility of having another boy and how the two of them might grow up to be close to each other.  For this reason, she had hoped that we would have a second boy.  I don’t think it ever truly clicked with me what she meant by this.  However, the other day, Benjamin and Matthew stood on the couch looking out the bay window at the snow.  They had huge smiles on their faces and were talking about something and giggling.  There was a certain peace and comfort between them…an unmistakable bond that, just looking at them, I knew they are each others best friend.

Throughout the relentless progression of snow days, I have seen them grow even closer, it seems.  I think the first couple of days, they argued a lot more, but as they have settled in more, their games together have gotten more elaborate and their LEGO cities more sophisticated.  They play together and try to get each other to giggle and laugh.  And, of course, there is a lot of wrestling and tackling, but rarely ending in injury.

Of course, that isn’t always the case, because, of course, they are boys and boys play rough and will eventually hurt each other.  And, there are times that one gets “frustrated” (as we like to say) with the other and the peace is destroyed.  (One day, I’ll do a post specific to their fighting because it is very funny at times, and deserves it’s own space.)  However, within moments of these fights, you will hear them laughing together again…there have even been times when Matthew is crying over a boo-boo and Ben will do something that will turn sobs into laughter faster than you can say “cute”.

As I have mentioned before, Matthew has some speaking issues and it is often very difficult to understand what he is saying, even for Andrea and I.  The funny part is that Benjamin seems to understand every word he says, which, I think, makes the relationship between them even more special.  A side story on this point is that a few times, we have caught Benjamin “modifying” the translation a bit, to serve his own needs.  For example, “Matthew says that we should have marshmallows,” or “Matthew said that I can play with his toys, now.”  Of course, most of the time, Matthew very quickly correct Benjamin because he has no problem understanding us.

There is just something so sweet about how they are each other’s best friends and to see their faces light up when the other wakes up in the morning or comes back from a trip with mommy or daddy.  It is so obvious how much these two love each other.  It really is something that is truly magic and it brings such joy to Andrea and I.