A Growing Family
I never really sat down and looked back when it was just me and my parents. It seems like my brother has always been part of our family, but there was a long period of time that they weren’t. I am the oldest of three children; I am 17, Patrick is 9, and Luke is 6. I was born in Delaware and shortly after, my parents and I moved to the Poconos. My family moved to the Poconos when I was about 3. We had a cute little playset in our backyard where my parents would push me on the swings until the sunset. We also had our own little garden so we could grow pumpkins, tomatoes, and all of our favorite veggies. For a while, it was just the three of us. Family vacations, road trips, holidays, grocery shopping, and family game nights were all done by just the three of us. I never envisioned having siblings in my life until they were actually here.
My family moved to Lower Nazareth when I was going into first grade and my brother Patrick was born that same year in the summer. It was definitely a big change to our family dynamics. For 8 years it had just been the three of us and now we had a new baby in the home. At first, it was definitely different, but then we all got used to the different dynamics in our household. Patrick hit all of his baby milestones and it was amazing watching him grow up and being there as a role model for him.
Shortly after Patrick started growing, Luke was born. There is only a three-year age gap between the two. When Luke came home from the hospital, I was more comfortable because I remembered what it was like when Patrick came home for the first time. Although it was a smooth transition for me, I know it was a little different for Patrick. Patrick was used to being the young one and the little kid in our house and Luke coming home meant he was no longer my parents' “little baby” anymore. It was weird having another newborn in the house again, but it was so much fun. Patrick and I were eager to be Luke’s role models. Luke in particular, is a very quick learner, so it was amazing to watch him go from crawling to walking, to running, and to climbing and exploring. He was eager to learn and Patrick and I were eager to teach him.
Overall, my family has changed a lot from when I was a toddler to the present day. We have moved multiple times, our family has grown, we’ve made new traditions, but most importantly we have created some of the best memories. It is crazy to think at one point I was an only child without my brothers in my life. They are my best friends and have given me some of the most precious memories that I wouldn’t trade for the world. 
My brothers and I on vacation during 2019.
This is so sweet. That seems like a huge change moving from a house you were comfortable in and having a new baby brother in the same year. It must have been amazing watching them grow up and change as they got older. I am technically the youngest in my family so I never got to see my other siblings grow up. But I would have loved to have younger siblings, I think. I have an older sister and its hard to imagine that she lived a whole 6 years without Nick and I.
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