Day 769 - "You've Got a Friend in Me"

If people decide to sit down and rank the best animated films of all time, I firmly believe that there is one film that deserves to be at or near the top of everyone's list. That film is Toy Story. 

It's a little crazy to think about but even today, almost 25 years after its release, the themes contained within Toy Story still echo regardless of generation. The relationship between Woody and Buzz Lightyear is definitely easy to relate to. Someone new enters our lives and for a time, it seems like they are better than us in each and every way. It's like our role has been usurped. With time though, we find the new normal and may even build a strong relationship. 

Of course, one thing that everyone remembers about Toy Story is the theme song, "You've Got a Friend in Me." That catchy little number by Randy Newman continues to stand the test of time and has even found a place in each new Toy Story film released through the years. In fact, it's that exact song that inspires this blog post, specifically relating to the awesome friendship I see developing between Ellie and Ethan.

My children's relationship hasn't always been one of perfect friendship. As in any sibling relationship, there's been times that it has been wrought with jealously. For example, as I look back, it's easy to remember times that one or the other has been angered that they aren't receiving enough attention from Mommy during her limited time at home. That jealously is definitely acted on in different ways. For Ethan, it mostly results in epic screaming and a downpour of tears. For Ellie, she does her fair share of screaming and crying but she also is apt to lash out at Ethan physically by shoving him down or taking things from him. As one  can guess, that just results in more screaming and crying from both parties once Ellie is adequately punished for her actions.

As Ethan has gotten older, I've noticed more of an understanding develop between the two siblings. For one thing, Ellie has become intensely protective of her little brother. Any time he gets into mischief or potential danger, she is right there to let Bethany and I know what's happening. That's not all, though. When he's sad, she loves to retrieve a pacifier to help soothe him. When he's happy, she loves to play with him. It's that last one that brings me to today as per Ellie's morning request, once lunch was finished, we loaded up the car and headed to The Grove at Zona Rosa for some play time.

This trip to The Grove was a little different than past ones. For one thing, we were literally the only people there for the entire hour-plus we spent playing. For another, Ethan's continued growth and development has made him big enough to finally tackle the slide. For most of his life, the tree-themed slide contained within The Grove has been a bit too big for Ethan's little body. While he could travel down it with my assistance, he definitely couldn't tackle it alone. Today, it was time for that to change.

While he's still too small to climb up to the top of the slide, he could send himself down it once I sat him at the top. While the trip down was nothing to be afraid of, the landing could be a little rough for the little guy at times. That left me to hurry to the bottom to catch him every time I sat him at the top. While I was content to keep this up, Ellie took it upon herself to find a better way.

After a few times of watching me attempt to keep Ethan from crash-landing at the bottom, Ellie strategically positioned herself at the bottom of the slide as I placed Ethan at the top. Then, as I let go of Ethan, I watched as he quickly pushed himself down the slide into the waiting arms of his big sister. As she caught him, Ellie happily laughed and said, "Was that fun, buddy? Are you ready to go again?" Ethan, for his part, smiled and squealed in delight. With that, I placed him back at the top of the slide time and time again and watched as he propelled himself down into the waiting arms of his big sister.

While there's definitely been hard times with the two at times, I absolutely love watching the amazing relationship continuing to blossom between these two siblings. To paraphrase Randy Newman, they really do Have a Friend in Each Other! At least that should be the case until their teenage years. Who knows what will happen then. #DaddyWrite