I’ve done this post before… done it maybe fifteen times… how life is a series of moments, and then those moments happen again and again and again only with slightly older people — small people who grow a bit larger and stronger with each passing day, whose games stay mostly the same but change in important ways, like rules and negotiations and inclusion, like thoughtfulness sprinkled in amidst the roughhousing. 
Sadness and injury are tended to more closely, a sort of intimacy of brotherhood and attention to detail that was not there before. And accidental injury (the reason Oliver is missing in most of these shots, because he accidentally stepped on Emil’s head and caused him to cry, making Oliver the one to cry from regret for far longer than the actual injured party) turns to opportunity: to forgive others, to forgive oneself, to encourage, to hug and renegotiate and discuss what it means to hurt someone you love, whether it is with your words or your actions, whether physical or emotional. And then, the teamwork, the necessary push and pull until the task is complete. Success!
Watching them play, grow, and learn is a privilege. I hope you had a happy weekend.
Gorgeous photos. I love looking in on your blog because it’s like a reflection of what I experience here with my two boys. You’ve captured them so wonderfully with the stream of light and the mischief. 🙂 Have a great week.
Your boys always do seem so tender with one another. I get glimpses of that here too, but they’re few and far between 😉 W + R do rush to one another’s aid whenever I am disciplining, which is cute (and frustrating!).
I love that you let them completely tear apart their room. That’s some serious mattress bouncing! W has a cotton futon that is heavier than a dead moose, but I might be too uptight to let them do it anyway 😉