30

My brother just turned 30.  No, my little brother Nick.  The one who was just born last week.  The one that I waited half the summer to arrive.  They used to call him King of the Kindergarten.  Do you know him?  He's the one that hid in the dryer that one time.  The one who used to jump through the house.  Couldn't go from one room to another without making noise.  The boy who, for a brief period of time, actually thought his name was Nicholas Be Quiet.  The kid who was a master at Super Mario Brothers and had every Matchbox car there was.  He knew the name of every wrestler in the WWF.  He played baseball and football and any other sport that would have him.  He once drew this really cool picture of a scary-ass clown with fire for hair.  It was the coolest thing I ever saw.  Yeah, that's him.  You remember.  Remember when he got caught....mmmm, maybe not.  Or how about the time they found him....oooo, that might not be so great either.  He was a rascal, but he was a treasure.  Still is.  30 years later I still marvel at how much he knows, not just in his mind, but in his heart and in his spirit.  He's the one who showed up at my house with a shaved head because I was losing my hair after some freaky medical thing, and he didn't want me to feel like I was going through it all alone.  He brings flowers to his wife at school.  He's in love with his daughter's curly hair.  He helped my son learn how to dive into the pool.  I once saw him give a homeless guy a few bucks from his change cup because he was sitting in his nice $5000 car while this other guy was hungry on the street, so he thought he should make the sacrifice to help someone else.  He coaches.  He teaches.  And he loves more than anyone I've ever known.  I always feel like I'm where I belong when he wraps his arms around me for a hug after we haven't seen each other for a week or even just a day.  He's my little brother.  And I am grateful every day for the grace that is Nick.

  

He had a party to celebrate.  The whole gang arrived for a sunny backyard barbecue.

The birthday boy said he wanted fruit and candy.  There were plenty of both on hand....

30 candles on an ice cream cake was a little scary.  It took two people working together to get it lit without melting the cake.

It was Auntie Angie's birthday, too, so she got to help blow out the candles.

Far and away, the Slip n' Slide was the hit of the party.  It kept the kids occupied and active for over four hours!