Oh Li'l Brudder!

Happy Birthday to my li'l brudder, Collin!!

14 years ago (wow, really, that long?!) Collin Christopher Cooper was born in Charleston, SC. I can't believe he's 14! He's gonna be going to Church dances and in the fall high school... holy cow. So, 14 things about my awesome little brother.

1. My parents knew they were going to have another boy. They knew it so much that they were sure I was going to be a boy, and my name would be Kyle. Two girls later, still no boy. When Collin was born and he was a boy (they never found out the sex of their kids before birth) they were so glad! After an on-slaught of girls, Collin was nicknamed "the boy." Sometimes my friends and friends of my siblings joke that my dad really thinks Collin's name is "Boy." We also call him "Bud." You'll rarely heard him called Collin by our immediate family.

2. Collin has always had great hand-eye coordination, even when he was a toddler. He would spend hours building 2-3 feet tall buildings with his blocks (which, according to my mom, is very impressive for a kid that old).

3. Collin swims, plays soccer, has played basketball, knows how to snowboard, skateboards, skim boards, and ripsticks. He'd probably also waterksi and wakeboard if our family's boat wasn't broken. He's very athletic.

4. Ryan is 13 years older than Collin and so was out of the house when Collin was 5. Because of that, he's far more comfortable around "girl talk" than any other boy I've ever known. Periods, bras, crushes on boys? Doesn't faze him at all.

5. Ever since he was little, Collin has had a knack for clever sayings. One time I told him to tell my mom I was going to work (who wasn't home at the time). Instead of saying ok, he said, "No I don't think I will. I like to make her fret." He was about 8 at the time.

6. Another time, around this same time period, my mom had come home after I left for work at the bookstore. My mom asked if that's where I had gone and Collin said, "No, she got fired from the bookstore. But it's ok because she has a new job at Hank's (a local restaurant) peeling potatoes and onions, and she wears a shirt that says, 'I peel potatoes and onions at Hank's.'"

7. Collin is really good at Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and DDR. When he does DDR, he usually spices it up with his own moves. It's pretty funny. He's also a really good dancer and loves to dance.

8. He's really goofy. I mean, REALLY goofy. I mean, check out his beautiful face in my wedding picture!!

9. Even though he's goofy, Collin is really mature. My mom told me a story recently in which Collin was giving the FHE lesson, and it was on future goals or something like that. Anyway, he talked about how he really respected Kurt and thought that going into accounting seemed like a really good idea, since it has such good job security and teaches you good skills. What 14 wants to be an accountant because it has good job security?

10. When Collin was really little (around 5 or 6) the local pop music station started to play "Push It" by Salt n Peppa hourly (for some reason). My mom really liked the song and so would turn it up loud when it came on. Sometimes, just around the house, we'd hear Collin singing, "Ah, push it, push it good!"

11. At age 10 Collin knew who Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Rolling Stones were. He's good really good taste in music.

12. At an age when most kids are embarrassed to be seen with their mom or family anywhere (especially the grocery store), Collin still enjoys going to on errands with my mom. Like I said, really mature.

13. He's so photogenic!!

14. Collin was a surprise baby, but we're all so grateful for him! He's always making us laugh! He is the coolest kid I know!!

Happy Birthday, Bud!