Brother From Another Mother

"So you don't have the same mom?," JT asked my brother. 

"Nope," he said.

"Then how are you guys brother and sister?," JT asked trying to figure it all out.

I chimed in to try and explain it all.   I used too many words and lost him half-way into my explanation.  So I just stopped talking with a "it can sometimes get a little complicated pal." 

I could've just said "he is literally my brother from another mother" and it would have been just the same to JT.  Because he was only really half-way interested in the details.  Really, all that mattered was that Tim and I love my brother.  JT wants to love who we love.  And it doesn't hurt that my brother, Uncle Harry, plays with him and the other kids all the time when they are together.  Kids are kind of great about keeping it simple.

We haven't seen Uncle Harry in a couple years.  I would try to explain it all, but I would probably use too many words and might lose you half-way into my story.  So instead I will just tell you 
"it can sometimes get a little complicated pal."

This weekend we gave Uncle Harry the full Youngblood experience.  A blizzard helped us with our fun. 

There was sledding, of course the waking up at 6 a.m. no matter what day of the week it is, a variety of TV shows & movies from Pirates of the Caribbean to Daniel Tiger, football with the neighbors, the most amazing guacamole evah (ahem, homemade by me), football camp, teaching second grade Sunday school, sitting in on our adult Sunday school class, playing freeze tag, dealing with the dog, playing with the dog, making snow angels, eating a lot, being outside a lot, laughing a lot and being incredibly busy a lot.

This past weekend, nothing felt very complicated at all.  We had fun.  We spent time together.  We focused on the kids, on the family, on each other.  And not on the complicated-ness of life and relationships and people.

We (the grown ups) watched a movie on Saturday night called The Way Way Back.  It is such a good movie.  I think it should be required watching for all divorcing/divorced/dating/remarrying parents. It's about a bunch of messed up divorced couples trying to find their way and how their kids can get a little lost in the mix.  It's about complicated-ness.  But it has such a sweet story too about love and acceptance and helping each other.  And it's pretty funny too.

I mean come on, we all have a tendency to forget that some parts of life can be simple. Stop forgetting. Just show up. Pay attention to the good stuff. Be there for the kids and the people in your life. Don't be so afraid of the complicated-ness.  And go outside and play.**

**None of these things are complicated-ness fixers, but they just make it all so much better, trust me.