So last week was a long week for me for whatever reason. I couldn't figure it out. All week I felt like something was missing from my life and I pin point what was wrong with myself. Everyday went the same as always. Wake up at 7, take Bella out, eat my nasty gluten free oatmeal, pack my lunch for the day, go to work, sit at work and hope Ashley comes in for a visit, drive to practice and coach the children, drive home, go to the gym, come home and eat egg whites, watch Food Network, and go to bed. That's virtually my everyday routine. But for whatever reason this week felt off. Friday morning I was eating breakfast with Devin and it dawned on me, this was the first day all week I had seen one of my brothers. Football and school had started so I never saw Bronson. Corbin was off traveling for basketball. And I'm usually gone before Devin even wakes up because the kid loves sleep more than life. All week I had been missing my little brothers. Now I've been blessed to be so close to my life geographically obviously but always our relationships. My family is a very tight knit group. We're the first ones to make each other mad and cry, and we are the first ones to defend each other again angry ex girlfriends and mean kids at school. So going a week without seeing any of my boys was a big deal. I see Daryl everyday because I'm her only friend beside Michelle and the cats. So as my Friday progressed I also realized I was basically raised and grew up with boys my whole life. I didn't get a sister until I was 8. I had no girl cousins my age and the closest cousin to me we Mitchell. All growing up I played in the basketball league with boys until 6th grade. My whole life I was surrounded by boys and you know what, I couldn't be more thankful. Having been raised with brothers for the most part, boy cousins, and spending a lot of time with Steve I honestly couldn't be happier. Growing up with boys wasn't always easy for a girl though. Trying to keep up with the Nintendo games, pick up basketball games, and following and learning the Xs and Os of football knowing I would never play it got hard, but I managed to keep up. I remember for my first birthday party all the party guests were boys with one or two girls. Growing up with boys especially 3 younger brothers taught me lessons that I couldn't have learned any other way and I am so thankful for those lessons that all 3 of my brothers have taught me over the last 23 years they've been a part of my life.
Brother 1: BRONSON
Anyone who knows Bronson knows he's the biggest teddy bear in the world. He might be 6'7" and weigh 265 lbs but that boy is as soft as they come. Michelle always jokes that he he got all the emotions and sensitivity that I lack. He loves love. He loves being in love, he loves giving kisses and hugs out to just about anyone, and he loves to show love. He flirts with every old lady at Days Market and every little girl in the neighborhood calls him their boyfriend. I warned my bestie Steph when she moved in that she could expect a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Bronson the first time she met him. Well Bronson didn't fail and he kissed Steph on the cheek and gave her a huge bear hug. Bronson was my first little brother and is 21 months younger than I am. Most people think he's older because he's married and large and can grow a beard but for the record, I'm 25 and he's 23. Bronny Boy and I, well we have had our ups and downs. I remember he was my best friend before his mission and when he came home he was all sorts of weird. I wanted to kill him most days for a while. I mean, after 2 years apart the first thing he says is, "your dress is kind of short." Of course my dress is short I like to show off my legs! But Bronson has pushed me my whole life in sports, school, and everything really. He's always been my #1 fan at all my games growing up and into college. He's the one in the family when I want to go get shots up I know he will drop what he's doing and meet me at the gym. When I got to college I really struggled at first expanding my game to the perimeter and he knew it. We would play one on one for hours. And I lost every game. And I would turn the ball over again and again and get so frustrated. I would foul him hard and shove him and he just took it like a man and kept playing. Bronson is very competitive and hates to lose so he made sure he always won. But his competitive nature wore off on me and I soon had to expand my game. Because of Bronson I soon developed a turn around fade away. I learned the euro step, I learned how to extend and make myself long and finish with contact. I learned aspect of the game that I would've never learned playing with girls. Playing with Bronson also gave me the confidence to play with boys and to go to the gym and get in on the pick up games being the only girl. He was huge for my success as a basketball player but most importantly over the last 23 years he has taught me love. He taught me that its ok to have a soft side and to have emotions and feelings. Its ok to hug and kiss your siblings on the cheek a million times a day, I still don't do that because its not me but I at least let him hug me now. Because Bronson is like this there isn't a doubt in my mind that my little brother loves me because he shows it daily when he chases me down and hugs me. Even though we don't always agree on things, he loves me unconditionally and always has my back like a good younger big brother should.
Brother 2: CORBIN
Corbin and I have been through the ringer. I despised him most of his life due to his lack of color coordination and flamboyant ways. But once I got over myself I saw him no longer as the "annoying brother I wanted to help dress and teach how to act in public" and he became the funniest person I've ever met in my life and really my rock during one of the toughest times of my life. Corbin was a freshman at Timpview when I was a senior. Well at the time I was a self-absorbed, selfish, arrogant girl and thought I knew everything. Little did I know that his pudgy, dorky, curly haired boy would soon be my main man. Growing up Corbin was the one we picked on. He had a smaller skinnier build than Bronson and I from day 1. It was very clear he got the white genes while Bronson and I were thicker and bigger boned thanks to the Tongan side. Corbin was always the odd man out. One of our favorite games growing up was making Corbin run under the tramp while we tried to jump on him. Or we would tie him to chairs or inside the inner tubes and shove him to the bottom of the pool. Like I said, we picked on this boy and tormented him beyond belief. Flash forward 16 years later. The little boy Bronson and I teased relentlessly is now 6'10" (the tallest), still has that skinny frame, had the option to play D1 football or basketball, and can throw down all sorts of dunks like its nothing. Corbin taught me not to care what people thought, but also to never give up. Corbin was the middle child, was picked on for majority of his life by Bronson and I, and grew up living in the shadow of his All-Star brother and he has no found a way to surpass all of us in size and has forged his own path and is no longer known as just Alexis and Bronson's little brother. He grew late and because of that he didn't play varsity basketball and football as a freshman like Bronson and I had. He waited and as his body matured he did. It wasn't until after his mission he really found that coordination and muscle mass that Bronson had as a 14-year-old boy. Corbin has that never give up attitude. He doesn't always take advice well, but that boy will do something until he does it right and better than you even if he falls 100 times. Sometimes Bronson and I like to take credit for how tough Corbin is because we roughed him up so much when he was younger. But that's just how he is. We went to school for a week with a broken hand and still played basketball and continued on until the bone snapped in half. Most importantly he's been my protector. When Bronson left and I got sick he stepped up and rather than filling the void where Bronson was he made his own space in my heart and soon became a huge part of my life. His resilience to tough times and his sense of humor helped me cope and get through cancer like it was nothing. He has taught me to laugh, to not care, and to always keep fighting.
Brother #3: DEVIN
Devin... well Devin is a funny kid. Growing up we were super super close, but as I've gotten older and as he has we aren't nearly as close as we used to be. The 8 year age gap between Devin and I became very relevant the last 5 years because he has found me controlling and obnoxious and I have found him lazy and spoiled. I think its because I'm the oldest and he's the youngest. If Devin has taught me anything in life though its that if you want something bad enough and work hard enough you'll get it. Devin growing up was built like Bronson. Had to shop in the husky section of the GAP as a little boy and just was always a little thicker. We used to give him a hard time because at one point he got real pudgy, little did we know he was about to his a huge growth spurt. So we gave him a hard time. Teased him for days. Made fun of him for eating a dozen eggo waffles everyday which Michelle cut for him, made fun of him for drinking a gallon of milk everyday, and made fun of him for eating two rows of oreos. We were pretty hard on him. But when no one was paying attention he started to grow. He also started doing P90X abs everyday. Then it was twice a day. This kid would do ab workouts at night when we weren't watching and soon he wasn't the pudgy little boy is a keg. He soon had a baby six pack going on before we knew it. We couldn't really make fun of him anymore so we continued to still make fun of him for being lazy. But Devin really is hard worker. You have to ride his but to do things but when he does, he does a great job. This last year I really wanted to lose weight and I remember I was doing the P90X ab dvd and I was dying 2 minutes into it. How did Devin do this twice a day for weeks on end?! Devin is more quiet. He does his own thing and is often overshadowed by the powering voice of his older brothers. While Bronson and Corbin and I will be talking about how much we benched he will be sitting there dipping his oreos in his milk being quiet. Next thing we know the kid is getting 2-3 sacks in every football game. Devin has taught me that hard work pays off, but also that you don't have to be flashy or showy with what you do. For all we know he might be lifting just as much as the rest of us but he never gloats or boats about it. He's like the dark horse of the family. He sneaks up on you when you least expect it, and with this group lets be honest its probably the smartest way to be.
Can you see why I have such a soft spot for my boys? Even though they make me mad and more times than I would like to admit I want to kill them, but that's what little brothers are there for. The best part about being a big sister is that I can get mad at them all I want, but the second someone makes my brothers cry I become the meanest person you'll ever meet. No one is allowed to pick on my baby boys but me. I honestly am so thankful though I have 3 brothers instead of 4 sisters. Growing up with all boys for the first 8 years of my life has been the biggest blessing. It not only helped propel my basketball career, but being a tom boy and growing up playing sports and wrestling with my brothers seems so much more fun than playing dress ups and with dolls like my sweet sister Daryl did. Being surrounded by all boys though made me tough. It made me independent, strong, and stubborn. All qualities that I love about myself and have made me the person I am today. So thank you baby brother's for letting me torture you my whole life. For letting me tie you to chairs and shoving you in the pool. For letting me hang your underwear from the telephone wires when I caught you lying to me. And thank you for not seeking revenge on me now that you are all over 6'8" and can probably kill me. Most of all thank you for not being girls because I think I would kill myself if I had 3 more Daryl's growing up.
I think thats the best part about being the oldest and being a big sister. I remember when all 4 of my little brats were born and now they're all grown up getting married, going on LDS missions, going to college, and its fun to watch them all just grow into their own person. You're like their second mom. You get on their case when they do stupid stuff. You buy them things they need (yes Bronson still asks me to buy him apple juice when I'm at the store). And you try to help them avoid the bumps in the road that you hit because you don't want them to experience anything that could potentially harm them. Having little brothers is like always having a friend on call. At any given time I know one of them will want to go to In N Out at midnight, or play xbox with me, or watch a football game. Its the greatest ever! But I love my little brothers with all my heart and if you don't have a little brother I'm sorry. You truly are missing out on one of the best things in life. You can always borrow one of mine if you really want though.
Anyone who knows Bronson knows he's the biggest teddy bear in the world. He might be 6'7" and weigh 265 lbs but that boy is as soft as they come. Michelle always jokes that he he got all the emotions and sensitivity that I lack. He loves love. He loves being in love, he loves giving kisses and hugs out to just about anyone, and he loves to show love. He flirts with every old lady at Days Market and every little girl in the neighborhood calls him their boyfriend. I warned my bestie Steph when she moved in that she could expect a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Bronson the first time she met him. Well Bronson didn't fail and he kissed Steph on the cheek and gave her a huge bear hug. Bronson was my first little brother and is 21 months younger than I am. Most people think he's older because he's married and large and can grow a beard but for the record, I'm 25 and he's 23. Bronny Boy and I, well we have had our ups and downs. I remember he was my best friend before his mission and when he came home he was all sorts of weird. I wanted to kill him most days for a while. I mean, after 2 years apart the first thing he says is, "your dress is kind of short." Of course my dress is short I like to show off my legs! But Bronson has pushed me my whole life in sports, school, and everything really. He's always been my #1 fan at all my games growing up and into college. He's the one in the family when I want to go get shots up I know he will drop what he's doing and meet me at the gym. When I got to college I really struggled at first expanding my game to the perimeter and he knew it. We would play one on one for hours. And I lost every game. And I would turn the ball over again and again and get so frustrated. I would foul him hard and shove him and he just took it like a man and kept playing. Bronson is very competitive and hates to lose so he made sure he always won. But his competitive nature wore off on me and I soon had to expand my game. Because of Bronson I soon developed a turn around fade away. I learned the euro step, I learned how to extend and make myself long and finish with contact. I learned aspect of the game that I would've never learned playing with girls. Playing with Bronson also gave me the confidence to play with boys and to go to the gym and get in on the pick up games being the only girl. He was huge for my success as a basketball player but most importantly over the last 23 years he has taught me love. He taught me that its ok to have a soft side and to have emotions and feelings. Its ok to hug and kiss your siblings on the cheek a million times a day, I still don't do that because its not me but I at least let him hug me now. Because Bronson is like this there isn't a doubt in my mind that my little brother loves me because he shows it daily when he chases me down and hugs me. Even though we don't always agree on things, he loves me unconditionally and always has my back like a good younger big brother should.
Brother 2: CORBIN
Corbin and I have been through the ringer. I despised him most of his life due to his lack of color coordination and flamboyant ways. But once I got over myself I saw him no longer as the "annoying brother I wanted to help dress and teach how to act in public" and he became the funniest person I've ever met in my life and really my rock during one of the toughest times of my life. Corbin was a freshman at Timpview when I was a senior. Well at the time I was a self-absorbed, selfish, arrogant girl and thought I knew everything. Little did I know that his pudgy, dorky, curly haired boy would soon be my main man. Growing up Corbin was the one we picked on. He had a smaller skinnier build than Bronson and I from day 1. It was very clear he got the white genes while Bronson and I were thicker and bigger boned thanks to the Tongan side. Corbin was always the odd man out. One of our favorite games growing up was making Corbin run under the tramp while we tried to jump on him. Or we would tie him to chairs or inside the inner tubes and shove him to the bottom of the pool. Like I said, we picked on this boy and tormented him beyond belief. Flash forward 16 years later. The little boy Bronson and I teased relentlessly is now 6'10" (the tallest), still has that skinny frame, had the option to play D1 football or basketball, and can throw down all sorts of dunks like its nothing. Corbin taught me not to care what people thought, but also to never give up. Corbin was the middle child, was picked on for majority of his life by Bronson and I, and grew up living in the shadow of his All-Star brother and he has no found a way to surpass all of us in size and has forged his own path and is no longer known as just Alexis and Bronson's little brother. He grew late and because of that he didn't play varsity basketball and football as a freshman like Bronson and I had. He waited and as his body matured he did. It wasn't until after his mission he really found that coordination and muscle mass that Bronson had as a 14-year-old boy. Corbin has that never give up attitude. He doesn't always take advice well, but that boy will do something until he does it right and better than you even if he falls 100 times. Sometimes Bronson and I like to take credit for how tough Corbin is because we roughed him up so much when he was younger. But that's just how he is. We went to school for a week with a broken hand and still played basketball and continued on until the bone snapped in half. Most importantly he's been my protector. When Bronson left and I got sick he stepped up and rather than filling the void where Bronson was he made his own space in my heart and soon became a huge part of my life. His resilience to tough times and his sense of humor helped me cope and get through cancer like it was nothing. He has taught me to laugh, to not care, and to always keep fighting.Brother #3: DEVIN
Devin... well Devin is a funny kid. Growing up we were super super close, but as I've gotten older and as he has we aren't nearly as close as we used to be. The 8 year age gap between Devin and I became very relevant the last 5 years because he has found me controlling and obnoxious and I have found him lazy and spoiled. I think its because I'm the oldest and he's the youngest. If Devin has taught me anything in life though its that if you want something bad enough and work hard enough you'll get it. Devin growing up was built like Bronson. Had to shop in the husky section of the GAP as a little boy and just was always a little thicker. We used to give him a hard time because at one point he got real pudgy, little did we know he was about to his a huge growth spurt. So we gave him a hard time. Teased him for days. Made fun of him for eating a dozen eggo waffles everyday which Michelle cut for him, made fun of him for drinking a gallon of milk everyday, and made fun of him for eating two rows of oreos. We were pretty hard on him. But when no one was paying attention he started to grow. He also started doing P90X abs everyday. Then it was twice a day. This kid would do ab workouts at night when we weren't watching and soon he wasn't the pudgy little boy is a keg. He soon had a baby six pack going on before we knew it. We couldn't really make fun of him anymore so we continued to still make fun of him for being lazy. But Devin really is hard worker. You have to ride his but to do things but when he does, he does a great job. This last year I really wanted to lose weight and I remember I was doing the P90X ab dvd and I was dying 2 minutes into it. How did Devin do this twice a day for weeks on end?! Devin is more quiet. He does his own thing and is often overshadowed by the powering voice of his older brothers. While Bronson and Corbin and I will be talking about how much we benched he will be sitting there dipping his oreos in his milk being quiet. Next thing we know the kid is getting 2-3 sacks in every football game. Devin has taught me that hard work pays off, but also that you don't have to be flashy or showy with what you do. For all we know he might be lifting just as much as the rest of us but he never gloats or boats about it. He's like the dark horse of the family. He sneaks up on you when you least expect it, and with this group lets be honest its probably the smartest way to be. Can you see why I have such a soft spot for my boys? Even though they make me mad and more times than I would like to admit I want to kill them, but that's what little brothers are there for. The best part about being a big sister is that I can get mad at them all I want, but the second someone makes my brothers cry I become the meanest person you'll ever meet. No one is allowed to pick on my baby boys but me. I honestly am so thankful though I have 3 brothers instead of 4 sisters. Growing up with all boys for the first 8 years of my life has been the biggest blessing. It not only helped propel my basketball career, but being a tom boy and growing up playing sports and wrestling with my brothers seems so much more fun than playing dress ups and with dolls like my sweet sister Daryl did. Being surrounded by all boys though made me tough. It made me independent, strong, and stubborn. All qualities that I love about myself and have made me the person I am today. So thank you baby brother's for letting me torture you my whole life. For letting me tie you to chairs and shoving you in the pool. For letting me hang your underwear from the telephone wires when I caught you lying to me. And thank you for not seeking revenge on me now that you are all over 6'8" and can probably kill me. Most of all thank you for not being girls because I think I would kill myself if I had 3 more Daryl's growing up.
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