My big little brother...

One of my earliest memories is of my parents telling me that I was going to have a baby brother or sister, although in my memory it was all my idea.

As I remember it the conversation went something like this...

Mom: What should we do tonight?

2 year old Chrissy: I think we should have another baby...

Mom and Dad: Okay, that's a good idea.

And a week later I had a brother, I thought that was awfully clever of me. Things went just swimmingly for the first two or three years until my brother learned to speak and think for himself. Then we hit a rough patch for awhile, we'll just call it our childhood.

 Actually I have lots of good memories of fun times when we weren't fighting:

 Building blanket forts in the summer

Going to the "beach" in the winter

(We'd put on our swimming suits and lay out on that brown Star Wars(Trek?) blanket in a square of sunshine. Hey, whatever happened to that blanket?) 

Putting on plays in the backyard

 That game we invented with the fifty or so big bouncy balls from mom's exercise class

Night games

 Scavenging change from the cars and couch cushions and riding our bikes to the store to buy candy

Cooking dinner for mom and dad and dressing up like waiters to serve them

Holiday traditions

(My personal favorite being the Christmas Morning contract stating what time we could get up and start opening presents that you would negotiate and make Mom and Dad sign.)

Playing Nintendo

Making you read through all the movies while we tried to agree on a show to watch

Cheeto sword fights!

That time my friends and I toilet papered your room... 

When we got older we didn't always have the same interests or as much time to hang out, but I always knew I could count on you when it really mattered.

You slept on the floor of my room for a week after we watched a scary movie and I was so freaked out

You carried me to bed that time I got accidentally high

(Long story involving oil based paint, glitter, mosquitoes and paint thinner, I promise it really was an accident!)

You talked me into giving Brian another chance when he stood me up for our second date

You wrote me beautiful and meaningful letters while you were on your mission

You literally had my back while I was in labor with Jake 

The beautiful family pictures you took for me the last time you were home

And possibly my favorite thing in the world, 

Gurgi

Enough said. :)

 What I'm really trying to say is that I am so glad thirty one years ago I had the bright idea to have a little brother, because you've turned out to be a pretty great one...

Happy Birthday, Josh

I love you.

P.S. Yes, I totally stole that picture of you off your facebook page.