A Valenteen Birthday

So today is my nephew Jeremy's birthday. It is also Valentine's Day. Jeremy is kind if making me feel just little old today, you see he is the youngest member of the Fab Five, the baby is you will, and he is now a teenager... the big 13!

Jeremy and I share a special bond in that we have both logged many a mile watching our older siblings play basketball. We have both spent a lot of time "dusting the bleachers" as my Dad likes to say. Jeremy is in 7th grade now, so he most of the basketball games he goes to these days are his own. I give Jeremy credit for surviving growing up in a house with two older sisters relatively unscathed... at least so far. One great story was when Jeremy was like 3 or so... old enough to talk in sentences. My Mom was staying with the kids because my sister-in-law Jayne was out to town, and Phil wasn't home from work yet. Ashley and Taylor (then probably 11 and 7) where in their "fight about everything stage" and Taylor was going through her "rage years". Anyway the two girls were evidently having a big knock-down, drag-out fight and Jeremy must have feared for his safety, and didn't think my Mom could handle it because he found my Mom and simply said in the most serious voice "Grandma, I think you'd better call my Dad".

I have so many Jeremy stories, I am not sure where to begin. In certain circles I refer to Jeremy as "BloneyHead" (not bologna head mind you). We he was about 4 or so Jeremy just randomly called me that one day, later I called him that (very mature of me I know) and then his Mom was like "So, you are the one that taught him that, huh?" My response was "No, sorry, he taught it to me!". Another great story is when my Grandmother died (okay so not a happy occasion but the laugh was definitely needed). Jeremy again was about four or so. He asked my brother "So Dad, when are we going to the festival?". Completely confused Phil was like "Festival, what festival? Is the PTA carnival this weekend or what?" He asked Jeremy again about the fesitval to which Jeremy emphatically replied "You know Grandmother, she DIED!... the Festival!". Festival... Funeral... it is all the same when you are four!

Jeremy is very diverse. I like that about him. He is totally into the farming thing... which scores big points with my Dad. He is also quite the sports fan too. I had the pleasure of taking Jeremy to his first Major League baseball game, along with my other two nephews. Jeremy has some Cub fan heritage as well, but he wore a Cards cap that day.. good boy he knows it is in his best interest to keep Aunt Jane happy. Anyway, this was the first time Jeremy had ever been exposed to beer vendors and their various "attention getting" yells. To this day when he does his "beer vender" routine I am in stitches. Now it is kind of a thing to critique the beer vendors and their "schtick" on the Jeremy scale, kind of like we rate pepper shakers as "GTA=George Tjardes Approved" after my Dad. On our way to the game that day Jeremy had me in stitches too. We has picked up Lane & Eric in Carlinville and were only about 15 minutes from the stadium. Jeremy asked how much longer it would be because "nature was calling". I said 10 or 15 minutes and we can stop and use the restroom at St. Louis Bread Co. next to the parking garage. Just as we were pulling in the garage, Jeremy again asked about our ETA, and I told him we just have to park and walk across the street, less than 5 minutes. His response was "Great! I can absolutely guarantee you 10, but any more than that and we may have a problem!"

I think this kind of humor comes naturally... basically Jeremy is just like his Dad/my brother. As such it has been very cool to watch him grow up because Phil is 8 years older than me so I really don't remember him before his teenage years. Now I at least have an idea of what he was like.

Some of the pictures I am attaching are of Jeremy at the Illini Football Family Funfest last year. I really wanted to go for some reason, so I recruited Jeremy to be my "family". We both had fun... so it all worked out.

Happy Birthday Jeremy!!