The New Playmates

Since Gabe and Cooper have both gone back to school {I should say, Gabe has gone back to school and Cooper has entered the world of full-day kindergarten,} the dynamics have changed a bit around here.

During the summer, Chloe would tag along with her older brothers, and they were {usually} pretty good about including her. But with them now in school, Chloe has been left to find other forms of entertainment...

Enter Gavin.



Poor, poor Gavin.



Certainly not the first boy with a sister to adorn all things girly, but definitely a new development in our household.

You see, Chloe has always been a bit oblivious to her younger brother Gavin. When he was born a year ago, I expected Chloe to either absolutely love him, or absolutely wish we could just leave him at the hospital. But instead, she was indifferent. It was as if he had always been in the family, and it made no difference to Chloe. Her world still turned as it always had. But the past few days, Chloe has started to pay quite a bit of attention to Gavin.

Maybe it's the fact that he's finally at the beginning stages of walking, and he's becoming more interactive. Or maybe, he's her last-resort playmate. Either way, Gavin is loving it, and Chloe is too.

I've found Gavin in some places I know he couldn't have managed to get into by himself, like in his new toy wagon...





And here...



...where I'm fairly certain Gavin did not position himself between the pig twins on Chloe's bed or choose to wear Chloe's very girly pink hat, again a victim to his sister's fashion stylings.

Chloe has also been taking advantage of her captive {literally} audience by singing to Gavin, which causes him to do this every time...


And I mean, every time. Chloe had her 3 year check-up for preschool the other day. The doctor asked her to sing her ABC's, and as soon as the singing kicked in, Gavin's hands went right over those ears. Hilarious.



Quite hilarious, really. But Chloe just keeps singing, and Gavin just keeps covering his ears. That is, until the singing just becomes too much, leading to this...



What can I say, except that life with only two of my four is still just as interesting as always around the Sanders household.

Yet in addition to the 'torture'... er, I mean 'play'... that Chloe subjects Gavin to, she can also be an extremely sweet and kind big sister. The other day, I took them outside to get a few photos. Gavin was crying about the cat running away {he loves the cat} so Chloe jumped right in to console him...



And he proceeded to pull her hat over her face...



At which, they both broke out in hysterical laughter...



Oh, the love of siblings.

Now what is going to happen when Chloe heads off to preschool in a few weeks?

Well, Gavin will get a break two mornings a week. But somehow, I think he may miss her a bit...