Some Things New

I finally bought some flowers and fixed up my deck, and am pretty happy with the way it looks. The plant in the right corner is a tomato plant. My visiting teachers brought it over a few weeks ago, and, for lack of any ground, I put it in a large pot. So far it's doing well. It's going to be fun to have my own tomatoes this fall - love tomatoes.


In other news - I have another nephew. He was born March 4, and is named William Maximus Minnick. I fully expect him to one day be a conquering hero. Right now he's just really cute. He likes to kick and wiggle. I've never seen a kid who moves as much as he does. If he's awake, he's wiggling. And he likes to talk. He's got a lot to say when he knows you're listening. Of course, I can't understand what he's saying (which I'm sure is my fault), so I just grin and nod, and then he grins and talks some more.

Here he is in action. He's moving so fast it's a blur!

Cute boy. I really love him.

Speaking of nice boys, it's my oldest brother Aaron's birthday today. I remember an argument we had when we were kids. Actually, I don't remember what we were fighting about, only the way our dad handled it. He broke us up, and then told me to go get some paper, sit down, and write out an essay on why I loved my brother. What? I couldn't believe it. Note to parents - that's a good punishment. I've never felt so punished. When I finally finished it and gave it to Dad, he got a chuckle out of it because with each nice thing that Aaron had done, I made sure to note that he'd only done it once. Things liked "One time he...". I felt it was important to be clear.

Now if I had to write a list of reasons why I love my brother, it would go on and on, and I wouldn't limit it to single instances. Aaron is one of the best men I know. I honestly admire and respect him. So, happy birthday Aaron. You're much better than I gave you credit for in that essay.