Went a Little Out of Order

I also never did a birthday post for Harper (whose birthday is four days before Caitlin's)

Oops!

Harper (aka 'Harps' and 'Spanky' - the latter, only to family):

H - heavenly
A - adorable
R - alphabetically-speaking, you're 'okay'
P - i could go on all day
E - exciting
R - alphabetically-speaking, you're [still] 'okay'!*

Seriously though - Harps is a great youngest brother for the family. He takes the teasing that's dished out in a very good-natured way. He's fun to be around, and he doesn't get mad at me when I call him Spanky** in front of other people. I've also enjoyed watching him play in different intramural games.

Happy really-late birthday Harps!

*you get a trillion points if you know where that's from
**the birth of his nickname is a long story,
but suffice it to say - I think it's going
to be around for a long, long time

To Caitlin...

... a super-belated birthday post (sorry!).

Last summer - we started doing Power90 together
Last summer - we quit doing Power90 together

Last fall - she helped me pick out a frame for a temple picture - I'm not very creative, but can appreciate the minds that are (remember this?)
Last fall - she sent me up to my room with a bunch of her professional-type clothes

Last winter - she made sure I 'dressed nicely' for a date
Last winter - she gave me a Christmas gift of more 'nice clothing' (:

Tonight - she kicked by backside into gear and 'made' me do Physique 57 (it still kicks my trash)

Last November - she and Rob made eclairs for my birthday (they were delicious!)

For the past year - she's given me more practice being a mother by letting me babysit Guy (aka "stinker" - I love this most recent post)
For the past year (and more) - it's been nice having her around

Happy super-super-late birthday Caitlin!

Jennie Gave Me Lunch, She Gave Me Dinner, And She Gave Me Her Pants

How many friends do you have that would let you invite yourself over for lunch, then encourage you to stay for dinner, and let you wear their pants when your own ripped?

everyone should have a Jennie.

and in case you were wondering, no, I did not forget my siblings whose birthdays were in September.
I'll get to their posts.

Promise.

No! I Didn't Forget... I Just Let Myself Get Terribly Distracted... ... For Over a Month

My *little* sister Faithy's birthday was 21 July. Since I've given birthday tributes to my four siblings whose birthdays were earlier in the year, I can't stop now and decided I had better catch up (especially now that we're in September - the month of two more siblings' birthdays).

First of all - Happy, happy belated birthday Faithy!

Second of all - here are some memories of mine over the last... 26 years or so:

i remember that you "got the part because [you] were the loudest!"
i remember that we loved to wear twirly skirts and twirl around the family room
i remember you sitting on and breaking the mirror (:
i remember creating a "code" we used for communicating between the wall
*are you there, yes i'm here, okay, okay, bye, bye*
i remember writing the code down on the chalkboard so we would remember it
i remember ben i. and ben r. and larry g.
i remember you got to sing sister margaretta's (sp?) part - even though that was the part i wanted (mostly because i thought her name was the prettiest), i was glad that you got it

i remember being so grateful that i had a sister just one year younger than i every time we went to a new school
i remember that you weren't embarrassed to let your older sister hang out with you
i remember you telling me about richard and spencer and (the redheaded girl) in your math class and talking about your crush on richard - at that time we'd never have guessed you'd marry spencer
i remember your long talks with spencer when we were in New York for thanksgiving
i remember seeing you try on the "perfect" wedding dress
i remember you finding a different dress that you loved more
i remember you looking beautiful in all of the dresses you tried on
i remember seeing you as a first-time mother
i remember how tired you became, but how happy you were to be a mother
i remember you letting me steal your little boys so i could babysit and have a small taste of motherhood
i remember our super-late night talks where you have been so understanding and helpful
i remember tearing up when i think of how lucky i am to have a sister like you (kind of like i'm tearing up now while i'm writing this)
i also remember how grateful i am to have you in my life, and for your wonderful example as a sister, a wife, and a mother

i love you little faithy!

Another Birthday

It's my oldest brother's birthday today. I'm not sure how old he is. I'm not very good at remembering years. I think maybe 33? 34? Either way... Happy Birthday!!!

For a post about him... it's going to be more of a narrative. Growing up, because he was "so much" older than I was, I feel like I didn't really know him. Our lives were always at different stages.

For the past few years, we've kind of leveled off. We're both adults, albeit adults in different stages. He's had a career and a family for a while now... I'm still single going back to get a Master's degree. I've been able to visit him and his family a few times and have loved each visit. While he's often had to be at school or work, we've had some time in the evenings with lively discussions.

Because he went to law school in New York, it gave me a reason to go visit Manhattan. He and Sara were great about letting me come for a week and showing me things in the city. The first Broadway show I saw was with them and it was 42nd Street (I think that's what it was called, and maybe it was "off-Broadway"... I can't remember). It was a really neat experience. They taught me how to ride the subway and buses to get where I needed to go, and Sara dropped me off at the Metropolitan Museum (amazing!!!) to leisurely browse my way through, and then gave me a map and cell phone showing me how to get home. If I hadn't gotten lost in the medieval armor section, and completely confused when trying to find the way out of the museum when I was "finished" (is it possible to feel finished with the Met???) I probably would have enjoyed it a little bit more.

Because I decided to walk home and got a little confused with the map... I ended up walking through Harlem a little bit. That was fun. It was signs like this that tipped me off:

(Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. intercepting Frederick Douglass Blvd.)

I've also been able to enjoy Phoenix a couple of times and have loved being able to spend time with him and his family.

Adam's been a great person to go to when I need advice or just another few ideas for which direction my life should take. He also recognizes that while he's giving me advice I may or may not take it. But I'm very comfortable talking through different things with him.

I also want to say that he is a very gifted writer. He'll occasionally write for some kind of law journal (?) - okay, I'm not exactly sure what it is, but he copies us on it and I really enjoy reading them.

Also, he's a great example of a husband / father putting great importance on spending time with his family. He's a busy lawyer, but takes time to coach for different teams that his kids are on, and just seems to be very good at spending time with them in general. I've admired that in him and know that it's important to him to do that.

This maybe isn't a very exciting or fun "tribute," but I really just want to say, Happy Birthday Adam!!! I'm excited to see you all soon!

A Little Belated

Because I didn't start the birthday-sibling-highlight thing until March, I missed doing it for Graydon in February.

Here goes:

Nice of Dwight to help promote my brother, isn't it?

All joking aside, Graydon really is all of those things and more. He's considerate, funny, helpful, and an overall great person. He's interesting to talk to and really cares about doing the right thing.

I'm glad he's my brother.

Happy (late, late) Birthday Graydon!

Memories With My Brother

(not a picture of us, but I'm working on locating one of my favorites. i'll change it if/when i find it.)

Happy Birthday my big brother Dominic!

In honor of your birthday, here are things I remember from growing up with you (in no particular order):

I remember us trying to reenact part of the barn-raising dance scene from 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.


I remember you chasing me around the house and then when you backed me into a corner I said, "Stop! Please, I'm really scared." -

You always stopped.

I remember my continual threats of "When I'm older than you...!" (I'm still waiting for that time...)

I remember you giving me a blessing when I was scared and overwhelmed with going back to school after coming back from my mission.

I remember you making sure I got roses on Valentine's Day when I came up to babysit Iris.

I remember you making sure I got a flower on Valentine's Day in high school.

I remember watching your football games in high school and being so proud that you were my brother and that you were awesome.

I also remember you patiently explaining football rules to me as we watched games.

I remember seeing how even more protective and loving you became as a father.

I remember often thinking - "If I marry a guy like my brother, I'll be so lucky."

I still think that.

I hope you're having a great day.

I love you!

Lessons Learned

Since it's her "birthday month," - and because I was thinking about some of these things today - I decided to list some things I've learned from Bethany over the years.

Here, in no particular order - and in no way to be viewed as a complete list - are some of the things I've learned:

If you rub cooking oil along the top of the pot before you boil water for pasta, the water will never boil over.

If you put celery in water and keep it in the fridge it stays crispy.

It's okay to stop cooking/cleaning/etc. and rock out with your kids to Shania Twain.

Being able to call the Dave Ramsey show and yell, "I'm Debt Free!!!" is something to look forward to.

Wearing skirts, high heels, and make-up is a good thing.

Sometimes the best books are the ones that make you cry.

It's okay to "go hollywood." even when the neighbors might be watching

Thanks Bess!