november fourth.

Today is my brother, Mike’s birthday—pretty sure he’s 28 today, ha!  This photo was taken by my father when we lived in our house in Gainesville, FL.  I love how beautiful and happy my mom looks.  I remember Mike being so chubby and cute as a baby.  I used to stick him in a laundry basket padded with pillows and whip him around the house.  I would wisk him down the carpeted hallways, taking the turns as sharp as he could stand.  He would have the deepest, hissing belly laugh and his feet would fly up from the weight of his head tipping him over in the basket.  Mike loved vanilla wafers as a kid.  They would turn to soggy mush in his fists.  He would fall asleep in his high chair everyday.  If you tried to move him he’d wake up and continue eating as if he had never stopped.  Mom used to call him honey bunny.  Mike was the cutest baby on the block.  Last week, I was strolling home in Brooklyn at two in the morning.  I heard my name and turned to see Mike on a bicycle riding alongside me!  It took a good five seconds for my brain to register that it was actually him….that we were having this chance meeting on the streets of New York in the wee hours.  I screamed loudly and we looked at each other in disbelief and laughed.  He was with his pal, and they rode off just as quickly as they had pulled up.  It felt like a dream and i LOVED it.  Times are fun with Mike around… I’m so thankful he was born.  Happy Birthday, Mikey.  I love you!