SONS AND BROTHERS - October 2007

I know, I know, the picture is skattywhompus (scat-e-wahm-puss), but it's the only one I readily had showing my brother. He is 22 months older than me and has had a beard as long as I can remember. It is odd to see pictures of him when he was a child ... and not having a beard.

My favorite childhood memory of my brother happens when I lost a tooth and put it under my pillow for the Tooth Fairy. In the morning, the tooth was still there. I went into near-hysterics because TF had forgotten me, and my brother went to his own piggy bank, dug out a quarter (I understand TF prices have not been immune to inflation since then) and gave it to me.

Bro is also an amazing pianist and organist. He played the organ for years at my mother's church, and still does on occasion, even though she cannot attend regularly anymore. He accompanies voice students at the University of Utah, has played for the Utah Opera and too many other places to mention.

The more I get to know him, the more I like him. :)

These, on the other hand, are my boys. The older one, TOO busy eating to look up from his plate, is said to look more like me. The younger one, who was considering walking off with the serving plate of fruit and dip, has been said to be the spitting image of his paternal grandfather (Papaw) at that age.

I'll call the older one "Sir" (part of a nickname from his younger years), and the younger son "Squire" (from the same shared nickname)

The first time I saw Sir was in a delivery-induced medical haze, on the side and being wheeled out of the room to go on oxygen for a while. DH brought me a Polaroid picture of him in the nursery...it scared me. The first time I really saw him (and got to hold him) was about 24 hours later, when the nurses brought his bassinet into my room and closed the door. That scared me even more. What the heck was I supposed to do now?

I actually got to hold Squire right after he was born (and they had washed the icky stuff off). That was a shock. I wasn't expecting it, maybe from not having been able to hold his older brother until the next day. Whenever Squire is feeling down (he can be sensitive at times), I tell him that story and how special that was to me, because he was the only one of my 3 children I got to hold right after he was born. I think it helps him; it seems to anyway.

If you'd care to share about your brother(s) and sons(s), feel free, or post in your own blog and leave a link in your comment here! :)