I was 14 when my baby brother was born.  We were in the midst of lots of familial changes. He was a surprise, to everyone. My mom didn't even know she was pregnant until she was almost 5 months along. Her doctor had told her she was just stressed. I guess sometimes the doctors get it wrong, ha.

This is the closest thing to a baby picture I have of him:

My mom looks really happy huh? She hates having her picture made.  I bet you couldn't tell, huh?

When I hit 16 and got a car, (and a job, and lots more responsibilities at home) I used to take Dustin with me everywhere I went. Out on a date? I had a car seat and he trudged along. My boyfriend worked at the mall so I'd load up the stroller and take Dustin with me to go hang out at the kiosk. People were forever asking us if he was ours.  I moved out of my house the spring I turned 18, before I graduated high school. Leaving that little boy was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Today, he turns 21. He was 6 at my wedding. 6!  I can't believe how fast the time has flown. (this is all in my head today as I realized as I was chewing Alex, my firstborn, out for a bad attitude this morning and I realized mid-lecture that I was looking UP at him.   YIKES)

Anyway, I hope he's having a great day. This picture below is Dustin on the left, and our other brother, Danny on the right. It was last fall.

I made chicken soup from scratch today. That makes the 2nd pot of it I've made this week. Sickness is no fun.

I just realized yesterday that in an odd numbered year, all 5 of my children will turn an odd age, and in an even numbered year they will all turn an even numbered age. Doesn't that just blow your mind??

I recently deleted 200 photos off my phone. Now I'm down to about 420 left. I may have a problem.

Two of my kids are obsessed with playing minecraft.

I read 3 books this week.

Sometimes I wonder how many dishes I've washed in my lifetime. I know it's a lot.

I don't have any tattoos. That one's for you, #Bricker59

Everytime I chide myself for being overly jaded about a situation, something weird happens and reinforces my reasons for being jaded in the first place.  It's an occupational hazard of working with victims. People are really awful, a lot.

There's nothing cuter than a 2 year old running around the house without any clothes on trying to escape from you when you're trying to catch him to put clothes on him.

Everytime I shop at Wal-Mart, I am exhausted by the time I get to the checkout.  It never happens at Kroger.

The only thing cuter than the previous video of Oliver making animal sounds, is a video of Oliver watching the video of himself making animal sounds.