Day 132: As Far As Big Brothers

It's Zack's birthday and each year I write a blog in honor of his birthday.

Here are a couple from past years (if you so desire to click on these and read THIS much information about Zack Jones) Stupid Stories 2008 Twenty Five 2009

So, I thought long and hard about what to write for Zack's 26th birthday, and the one thing that came to my mind was what a great Big Brother he is. Of course, he isn't perfect, just ask Jacob, but as far as big brother's go, he's gotta be right up there with the best.

Of course, big brotherhood wasn't always easy for Zack. He kind of grew into the role. You see, he was a mere 16 months old when Jacob was born. Not really finished being the center of our attention yet, so having a little brother wasn't all that cool. He did love the "I'm a big brother" t-shirt (he's always been all about the clothes), but other than that, he wasn't that impressed with this baby that came along and stole our attention. He asked me on Jacob's third day home if we could take him back to the hospital now because he was noisy and smelly. True Story.

But Zack grew to love his brother and to be fiercely protective of him. When Jacob was in middle school, he was bullied almost every day at school. Finally, when the bully pushed Jacob down the stairs at school, Zack had had enough. He "discovered" the bully in the boy's bathroom at school one day, picked up said bully and placed him oh-so-firmly against the wall, and might have said something along the lines of "mess with my brother again and you'll be messing with me" or something equally as menacing. The bully never messed with Jacob again. Ever.

Jacob had a girlfriend once (a long time ago) that Zack wasn't a total fan of. But he said, "I might not love her, but Jacob does, and I love Jacob. So I love her." That's what brother's say. (It might have been something a little different, but that was the gist).

I could tell you so many more Zack loves his brother stories.

But I want to tell you now, that Zack has a new opportunity to be a big brother. And he is marvelous at it. He loves his little sisters. He genuinely enjoys their company. And they enjoy him. And when I fast forward a lot of years, I can see him being equally as fiercely loving and protective of them as he has been of Jacob all these years. I almost feel bad for the men who will someday want to date and marry these girls. :)

All that to say, As far as big brothers go, I don't think you could get a better one. Happy Birthday Zack.