Happy Birthday, Mr. Handsome

Well, my brother, I hope your birthday has all of the elements of a good wedding reception: delicious cake, enjoyable conversation, and maybe even some dancing. Minus the not-being-able-to-go-to-Disneyland-with-your-8th-grade-class part (remember that?). I love you, my phenomenal brother! I have the utmost admiration for all of my brothers, and I am blessed to be in your family.

Too much love!!!

This picture is worth enlarging, just to see the priceless expression on your face, Christian. I think it's about 3 parts terror, 2 parts suffocation, what do you think?

Gabrielle's Boy

What an exquisite child you are here, Christian.

This is his day

..his baptism day. I love that Benjamin's holding your hand here. Is he keeping you from running away? Or is he just holding your hand in brotherly affection? I think Benjamin felt the big brother responsibilities very heavily, so the brotherly affection and the physical restraint may have been one and the same for him :).

Collateral Warrior

Well, Christian, we're just a few days away from your birthday (!!!!!), and if I'd planned this better, I would have saved some awesome shots of just you in your element for this last week. But instead, I used all of those pictures at the beginning, so we're stuck with the pictures that are probably far more representative of your childhood: you're somewhere in the middle, often being dragged along to something, and suffering it with good patience. At least, you are in this picture :).

Mystery picture

The picture quality isn't great here, but I'm so intrigued by the setting. Do you remember where this was?

Begging for a Caption

This is a picture that just wants a caption. It almost looks like we got those fancy instruments for Christmas while you got that little present, but you're the most thrilled.

Nature Boy

Do you love the snow as much now that you're around it so much more? Remember when "going to the snow" was a huge family outing?

I have to wear SHOES to school?

I love this expression on your face. It's such a California prerogative to consider shoes optional in most settings :).

Wedding Pictures

You had a fair number of weddings to be coerced into cooperative for over the years. This probably sums up your feelings toward them :).

You are the wind beneath my hair

Do you know where this was taken? I love those foothills in the background. This is from the Brigham-era of Oldest Siblinghood. Any memories from that time?

Birthday cake!

Do you have a favorite birthday cake, Christian? Looks like Abe was pretty happy about this one. Very fancy, Mama!

I missed an entire week!

How did that happen, Christian! Actually, I know how it happened: I didn't get on the computer last Sunday, and then I completely forgot about loading up the week's pictures until Friday morning, at which point I felt too embarrassed to try to catch up for the week. Sorry, my brother! Let's make up for it this week. This first is Abe saying, "What the heck, Naomi?" The second is Christian saying, "I always liked Brigham better anyway" :).

With the Young Child

Have I put one of these pictures up yet? I don't think so. I love looking back at this year that you were the baby Jesus. So big for that tiny doll's cradle of ours. But you were probably much closer to the actual size of the baby Jesus when the three kings brought their gifts!

Beautiful

Everyone in this picture is beautiful to me. I remember this day very well, when Rachel got baptized in the Centerfield ward building. I remember feeling strongly that Jacob was there too, and I remember Daddy (and maybe Rosalynde?) saying the same thing. I'm glad you were with us for that day, Christian, even if you can't remember it.

Big Brother

Big brothers are good for lots of things, aren't they? I remember riding in that very position, with Rosalynde or Gabrielle driving the ATC. I didn't feel the fire in my bones to drive it myself, though I enjoyed it enough once I learned how to do it. But there's a certain comradery that comes from letting an older sibling do something for you :).