with friends like these...or, the essence of brotherhood

The eight of you who read my blog on a regular basis may have noticed that while I used to talk about Ezra and Levi ad nauseam all the time, I've not mentioned them at all lately.

That's because I killed them.

Actually, I'm not sure how to account for the recent shift in focus. But here they are again, in a brief but vibrant cameo appearance:

Last night, the two of them were wrestling happily on the couch when things went awry, as they always do, especially as bed time approaches. I didn't see exactly what happened, but my guess is that Ezra went overboard burying Levi under the cushions. And then sitting on top of them. And then ignoring Levi's muffled screams.

When Levi finally surfaced--rubbing lint out of his eyes, his hair all mussed--he announced, "Ezra's not my friend."

"Lee-viii," Ezra said, giggling. "I'm your brother. I'm always going to be your friend."