while harper's away...

without question, the biggest influence on oliver jack's behavior has been calvary. it makes me smile to watch him emulate the small things that his big brother does and it makes me cringe as i watch oliver jack throw fake tantrums in order to model those of calvary. even though oliver jack is bound to take away some bad habits from his model, i couldn't think of a better person to watch. calvary is one of the most generous people i have ever known. he loves with everything inside of him and he wants nothing more than to include everyone. he thinks of others when they are not around. he misses harper when she is at school and throughout the day says, "i miss my sister" or "i love my sister". he's a protector. if thinks a person is not exacting the kind of care they should around his baby brother, he steps in to inform. he's thoughtful. the other night we were playing putt-putt on the wii and kyle asked calvary which course he wanted to play and calvary said, "i want to do the fairy land one because that is the one harper wanted to do". he does this without wanting attention or recognition. he is all emotion. he gets his feelings hurt easily because he cares so much. i would even say that the cliche of the heart on the sleeve fits calvary perfectly. most of the time he is happy to let harper lead, but i do not worry about his ability to stand up for himself because harper has been well informed of calvary's independent side on many occasions. as much as i miss harper while she is at school, i cherish the qualities that i have watch develop between and among these two boys. calvary steps up and patiently (most of the time) leads oliver jack. he is a big brother to his little brother and i am so proud of both.