Lexie and Tayler

The Little Things

by Lexie

As the alarm rings in my ear every morning at 4:20am, I sigh and begin a new day by pushing snooze. This continues for a good hour or so before I finally find the strength to roll out of bed and get ready for the day. It’s the same every morning, the same routine, same schedule, and same annoying alarm clock. Some days I wish my routine in the mornings were different and that I didn’t have to wake up so early, but there is one part of this routine that peaks my interest daily. This one thing happens to be a person, my little brother, Tayler.

It’s a cold morning in Ely, Nevada where my brother and I are about to leave for seminary. I of course am busy doing last minute prepping details to my make-up, hair, and clothes in my room while my brother sits patiently in the living room waiting, ok, maybe not so patiently. Tayler yells down the hallway, “Lexie! I’m late every day because of you! You look fine let’s go!”

I know he’s lying of course, I look like a mess! I shout back down the hallway, “I’ll be ready in a second! Go turn on the car so it can warm up.”

Tayler rummages for the keys in my purse and I hear the little Honda civic start with a roar. I’m finally ready to leave after every little detail of my appearance is up to my liking, and I’ve made a big cup of hot chocolate to keep me awake during class. We run out the door and hop in the car. I look at the heating controls and realize that my brilliant little brother turned the car on without checking to make sure the heater was on, it wasn’t. I try to be calm and tell him, “Tayler, you’ve got to check the settings. I turn it off during the day when it warms up, now hold this.”

He is extremely annoyed and ten minutes late by now so he reluctantly holds onto the cup of hot chocolate while we back out of the drive way and down to the church for class. After seminary, where Tayler has so kindly been fed by his teacher, we hop back into the car to head up to school. Tayler is now in a fantastic mood which is what a full belly often does to him. We drive like maniacs up to the school blasting girly music off my iPod that my Tayler has unwillingly learned every word to. I love it when he gets into dancing and singing with me. As much as he doesn’t like to admit, he’s just like me. As we near the school Tayler flips through my iPod looking for a song and gasps when he finds a particular one, the Prince of Bellaire theme song by Will Smith. He turns it on and exclaims, “I love this song, Sister!”

Tayler and I often call each other Brother and Sister rather than our real names. We proceed to sing the song together until about half way through when I realize that the whole song is not played at the beginning of the Nickelodeon TV show and I don’t know the rest of the words. Tayler on the other hand keeps on singing away obviously extremely impressed with himself that he knows lyrics that I don’t. We reach the school and I’m laughing my head off at him dancing and singing this morning. As we walk into the school from the parking lot the air is still cool enough outside that we can see our breath. My sixteen year old brother takes full advantage of this by pretending he’s a dragon as we both fly into the school breathing, “fire,” and go our separate ways for the day.

I am now away at college, and don’t get the opportunity of driving with my little brother to school every morning. This simple daily activity that was routine in our lives and never seemed like anything special is something that I really miss now that it is gone. It never occurred to me how much fun I had with my brother, and what an amazing start he gave to my days. Some days were more challenging and aggravating those others but the days of singing and dancing made up for all the ones where Tayler wasn’t given any breakfast and didn’t exactly have a cheery morning. It’s the simple things that you remember, and that make your family so important to you. I took this for granted when I had it right in front of me and now miss it more than ever. Family relationships are so important in so many ways whether it be having a friend, keeping up your standards, or learning life lessons. Your family members make you what you are, and without them who can you really rely on? Tayler Baer is a blessing in my life that has made me really realize that a consistent amount of little time is all it takes to have an amazing relationship that will grow forever.