Happy Birthday Kyle!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

I am so thankful that you are my brother. You have influenced my life from the very beginning and I couldn't have asked for a better big brother. I love everything about you – even the stuff that drives me crazy! You are the best husband and father to your little family and nothing makes me happier than to see your joy of Miranda and Grace. Thanks for being such a great person. I love and miss you.

But enough of the sappy stuff. I want to take you down memory lane of our years growing up together. So on your birthday I want to thank you for always being that outstanding big brother.

The younger years:
Thank you for body slamming me for no apparent reason.

Thank you for whipping me with that stupid spikey plant in the front yard.

Thank you for rocking the mini van (while mom ran into the store) so violently I really believed it would flip. Or telling me you were going to drive off at the age of 12.

Thank you for always following through on your promise that you would hit me if I didn’t get away from you. Every time you committed.

Thank you for all those wonderful games of Monopoly. I refuse to play that game to this day.

Thank you for telling me I was switched at birth in the hospital and that Mom and Dad weren’t my Mom and Dad.

Thank you for taking me on a bike ride down Snyder Avenue’s hill at the tender age of 5. Narrow sidewalk, busy street, big hill, brick wall along the sidewalk and a 5 year old who just learned to ride a bike do not make for the best scenario. That was fun!

Thank you for throwing a baseball as hard as you possibly could and then yelling at me if I didn’t catch it with my mitt directly in front of my face.

Those are all such great memories for me. When we were younger you definitely inflicted a lot of pain; however, as we grew older you definitely saved me from a lot of pain (and trouble). You were always teaching me life lessons – who knew?!?

The middle years:
Thank you for throwing a party and then vacuuming the stairs the wrong way. You were so busted. Thanks though - I never vacuumed after a party.

Thank you for fainting in church because you were sick from the night before. I really thought you were dying.

Thank you for dry-ice-bombing the rich neighborhood and getting caught because of Rusty. You taught me to have fun but to keep your distance from the loose cannon friends during those fun times.

Thank you for falling down the stairs at Kevin’s house and breaking your collarbone. You taught me to think of better stories.

Thank you for drinking out of Dad’s liquor cabinet. I thought that those few bottles were for show but oh no we learned differently when you decided to sneak a little!

Thank you for stealing all of my babysitting money. At least sometimes you left an I-O-U note. Those have never been paid by the way. If you lived nearby I would hide my change jar.

Thank you for being a B or C squad athlete. Mom and Dad never paid for me to be on a traveling team because you never were on a traveling team. But you sucked and I was good. I plan to handle this differently with my children. :-)

And for some reason I truly do love you and miss you! I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Thanks for being my brother. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!