To my brothers,

Don't forget to smile. Your smile lights up a room and all those who see it, don't hide it from the world. Never forget to always relax when you smile for pictures, especially all the one's mom asks for and you roll your eyes over. Those are her memories, she loves you.

Don't forget to take risks. There will be plenty of parties, a good girl isn't going to wait around on you forever. If you don't act now, you may lose your chance.

Choose the girl that does her homework and asks you how your day is, don't go for the girl dancing on you at a party or the one that sends you a Snapchat of her at the beach. Choose the girl who is a little dorky and blushes when you say her name. Choose the girl you'd be proud to introduce to mom.

Speaking of mom again, don't forget to tell her you love her at least once a day. Of course she knows you love her, but hearing you say it means more to her than you will ever realize. Never let her forget, even for a second.

Never forget to stay calm. You may be mad now, but don't let it keep you mad forever. Take your deep breathes, maybe go for a drive. Never fight, that's when you're going to say something that you don't mean. You and I experienced that first hand.

Think first. Act later. Jumping to things can be dangerous, don't spit out the first words. Think before you speak, before you do anything.

Never forget I'm always here for you. Through any heartbreak. Through any night broken down on the side of the road. Through any sleepless night. I will always be there.

For any band concert. For any late night drives to vent and clear your mind. I will be there.

Never forget how amazing you are. You are smart, caring, adventurous and daring. You are worth much more than you realize and more than I could ever be able to express in words to you. You never give up, despite how many times you'd like to quit. Despite how many times you have to stop and punch that punching bag and despite all those times you had to sit on your bed with your head in your legs. You are strong, despite those tears you fight back as you tell yourself to 'man up.' I envy your brains and the way you so effortlessly think of a plan for anything. I envy your humor and how easily you can make a bad day a great one. I'm also grateful for all the times you've rubbed my back as I wiped away tears. For those times that I hated the world but you were there making me laugh. I'm grateful for the all the memories I share with you.

And between all the tears and all the laughs, there's one thing that I really, really never want you to forget...

I love you.