Pretty Cool Kids

So my oldest nephew turned thirty yesterday. This is a photo of him with  his younger brother when they were just tots. I love these two boys.

Their dad was a big athlete so  the boys came by it honestly. Casey was knocking home runs by  the time he started tee ball and has been doing so ever since. Casey is still as meek and mild as he was when this picture was taken... just look at that smiling face!

Griffin on the other hand came into this world with the above expression on his face and it didn't go away until he turned four. (Or at least it felt that long)

Casey was the sensitive one...Griff was a screamer. When he was born he was jaundiced and came home from the hospital complete with a set of lights that were obviously there to help us see him screaming more clearly. Casey was always the silent one and Griffin was the one we always tried to KEEP silent.

All the pictures we have from our vacations at  the beach when Griff was young are ones of him glaring into the camera , squinting and waiting to scream. We would go out to eat seafood and all took turns walking outside with Griffin so we wouldn't get kicked out of the restaurant. The boy had some lungs... no problem there!

Once Griff had screamed for several years (we still have the photo of their dad sitting on Santa's lap with both boys because Griff was horrified) he simmered down  and became almost as mellow as his older  brother and just as good an athlete.

They both turned out to be amazing ball players (and still are.)

Their mom ended up raising them as a single mother and did an excellent job. Their dad remained in their lives until he died from Alzheimer's at the young age of early fifties.

I have always felt close to both the boys and still do. Casey is still the silent one. You can (and could EVEN when he was young) ask Casey any number of questions about his day, his life or mood or liking of something and his response is always the same... "Good."

Cindy  told me about one Christmas morning when they were both young and woke up to  find Santa had come. All the presents lay in the living room on the sofa and chairs. Casey came into the room wearing his Thunder Cats briefs yawning and his dad said all excited "Look at what Santa brought you!" Casey walked around the room seemingly unimpressed as his dad kept prodding some kind of excitement out of him... "Look at  this. Look at that!" Casey  finally stopped by the Masters of the Universe sword.

He picked it up. He turned it over in his hand. He stood silent (again) for  a few seconds and then shot his arm up just like He-Man. He said nothing but from Casey that was a lot!

Griffin was total opposite. He had to be held down  for my sister just to draw on a mustache on him with an eye brow pencil when he went dressed as a cowboy one Halloween. Guess which outfit they never repeated with him?"

He fell one time when he was little and had to have stitches. I bet the doctors and nurses are STILL talking about that one! My sister said they had to strap him down on a papoose board and  was sweating and screaming so much that he finally wore himself out...or maybe that was the doctors who were worn out?

They have grown up now. They both are still excellent ball players and I  know for a fact that makes their dad smile from his perch up there with my own momma and diddy. They are all looking down  and cheering us on.

I have a crazy family. I wouldn't have it any other way. Two things I can say  about my family...

#1  There is an abundance of love.
#2 There is an abundance of laughter.

Who  needs #3 when you have the first two?

I say it time and time again, but can't say it enough, I am a lucky woman!
Til next  time...Comfortable COTTON