Happy Birthday, Scott!

Today is my brother, Scott's, 16th birthday. I can't believe he's getting so old! I remember when he was born -- not like it was yesterday because, come on, sixteen years ago I was 9, but I remember pretty well just the same. He was born sometime during the wee hours of the morning on March 22, 1991. When we woke up that morning, my parents were gone, and my Uncle Barry was sitting on our couch. This was a little curious, and when we asked him why he was there, he told us that if we hurried and got ready for school, we could stop by the hospital on our way and meet our new little brother. This was terribly exciting, and I don't think I've ever gotten ready for school that fast before. He was an adorable newborn. I remember holding my sister, Katie, up to the nursery window to see him. We both just stared at this new little brother of ours, and wide-eyed Katie, who was nearly two at the time, kept pointing and repeating over and over, "Bee-bee, bee-bee."

Because he's 16 now, here are 16 factoids about Scott:

1. He was a thumb sucker when he was little and it was nearly impossible to get him to stop. The dentist insisted, though, so we tried everything from that anti-thumb sucking nail polish to socks duct-taped to his hands at night. He finally gave up the habit, and then had to wear braces to re-shape the roof of his mouth.
2. He collected Pokemon cards like nobody's business.
3. He also plays X-Box like nobody's business.
   
4. He just earned his Eagle Scout award and will be honored at an Eagle Court of Honor in May right after my other brother's wedding dinner. (You've got to take advantage of family in from out of town, right?)
5. He has played the cello since 4th or 5th grade and is now in the Provo High Philharmonic Orchestra.
6. And from what I understand, he's trying to teach himself how to play the piano.
7. Scott's comfort toys when he was little included BunBun (a stuffed bunny), and Dolly&Dolly (two cheap, star-shaped cloth dolls with plastic heads and silky collars).
   
8. He's become quite the avid reader in the last few years. His favorite genre is science fiction/fantasy. And in his spare time, he tackles classics like Atlas Shrugged.
9. When he was younger, and people asked him when his birthday was, he'd say, "When the daffodils come up." (Now you can't tell me that's not precious!)
   
10. From what I understand, Scott's gotten quite tall -- nearly 6 feet, if I'm correctly interpreting the tidbits of info I get from phone calls home.
11. His voice has also gotten very deep. He sounds just like my other brothers, and when he answers the phone when I call, I have to think carefully about who I'm talking to before I proceed.
12. School has often been a struggle for Scott, but I happen to know of three classes he's really enjoyed: architectural rendering, photography, and psychology.
13. At our Minnesota family reunion, Scott took quite a liking to fishing, and he'd sit for hours at the edge of the dock, quietly holding his fishing pole.
    
14. When he was little he'd watch the same movie over and over -- like five times a day for several days in a row. He'd watch it, rewind it, then watch it again. We all now have memorized such favorites as The Land Before Time, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
15. For a while there, we all thought he'd do great in a career in cartoon voice-overs. He has a knack for doing good impressions. I think our family's personal favorite is his impersonation of Heimlich from A Bugs Life.
16. Though he is old enough, he's apparently not incredibly interested in driving. In that regard, he is such this sister's little brother.

Anyway, happy birthday, Scott! I hope you have a fabulous day! And eat a piece of cake for me, will you?
(This picture does not do Scott justice. And it's a little over a year old. But it's the only one I had of him that was digital. So it'll have to do.)