5 on Friday - Brendan Edition

So, my brother, Brendan, is NOT having the best week ever. I'll spare you the scary details, but he just got out of the ICU last night (a week after his surgery). He's still in the Oncology unit and is finally recovering.

In honor of Brendan, below are 5 ways that Marino reminds me of Brendan.

5. They both love race cars. Every time Marino sees a sporty looking (or red) car he asks "Is that a race car? No? It's just a car?" and sighs a dejected sigh.

4. Now that Marino is in preschool, he comes home with very similar looking drawings every day. When I ask him what they are, he always says "Its a road...the cars go so fast, round and round." Brendan is similarly focused on roads (although he prefers motorcycles these days).

3. They are both sensitive. If ever I want to torture Brendan, I just mention the time he didn't come to get me on the bus in elementary school. The real story is that, due to snow, the school kept the morning kindergartners a little late, so they could bus everyone home together for an early dismissal. At the time, I was in kindergarten and Brendan was in 6th grade. They announced for the upper classes to go escort any siblings from the lower classes to the bus. I waited and waited but Brendan never showed. Of course, he thought I had left (it was well past the time I normally would have gone home). Regardless, he feels guilty anytime I mention this. Marino is similar in this regard. He hates to see people (real or on tv) feeling sad (especially me!).

2. I used to think Brendan talked more than anyone else in the world. Then Marino started talking, and he hasn't stopped since! That boy talks himself to sleep and wakes us up in the middle of the night having full conversations. Hopefully, Brendan will be his chatty self again soon!

1. One of the favorite Brendan stories in our family is that when Brendan was a toddler, he would yell, "No, stop, don't put me in the oven" when he didn't want to go to bed (my parents lived in a thin-walled apartment). Marino has started similar tactics, saying things like "You're hurting on me" ,"Stop punching me" and "You're making me cry" when I am attempting innocent tasks like buckling his car seat or putting him to bed.