Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Happy birfday brudder

My brother and me in our matching, homemade, Raggedy Ann and Andy engineer outfits.
We were stylin'. Note the ruffles on mine. Awesome.

My parents thought it would be an awesome idea to have their first two kids born around the same time of year. Please understand that "awesome" is used with the most sarcasm I can throw out there. Yes, at the time I was highly pleased, and repeatedly asked Mom if she was going back to the hospital for her own baby as this one was obviously mine. Not long after that, however, I was asking Mom to take him back to the hospital where she found him.

I was born on May 25th. My brother was born exactly 2 years and 1 day afterward on May 26th. This is also John Wayne's birthday. That is the extent of interesting facts about that day.

Having birthdays so close was always the bane of our existence, for both my brother and me. It meant that for all our lives we had co-birthday parties. 3 of my friends, 3 of his friends, 1 event, 1 activity, 2 cakes, 4 EVER. As a child, I was sure I was missing out on being adored and fussed over because he was in the way. Harumph. When I was older, I was positive this was the case.

Many a year, I have received a phone call on May 26th wishing me a belated birthday from someone in my family who knew it was my brother's birthday and thus that they had forgotten mine. I have resented my brother's birth more often than most siblings, I would wager.

However, now we are grown. The insurmountable age difference when I was 7 and having to hang out with FIVE YEAR OLD BOYS does not seem so bad now that we are both in our 30s. He has become a good friend and a decent human being. Against all odds.

So, Happy Birthday to you, brother. You limelight, birthday stealing little beggar.

6 comments:

  1. That is pretty much the sweetest picture I've ever seen. Who knew that you and G could be so cute?

    (And this is exactly the reason why I write your birthday on my calendar in my kitchen. So that I can casually mention your approaching birthday to Ky, in the week before.)

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  2. I love this picture of the two of you. You are SO adorable ... I'd love to pinch your cheeks but you'd probably both slap me!! Besides, now I'd have to get a stool to reach your faces.

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  3. Happy Belated Birthday!
    I don't know your brother, so don't take it out on him.
    Glad all is well - now on to another year of kicking it. (and by it, I mean wedding, house moving, and the usual)

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  4. He had porkchops, corn on the cob, yam and chocolate cake for dessert. Needless to say, he had a great birthday supper.

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  5. Qwop: Who knew they were so cute? Them is fighting words.

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  6. Kwitcherbitchen. He figured the same for your birthday.

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Crap monkies say "what?"