Day 8 of 10

Aidan is lucky to have so many aunts & uncles who love him. I come from a family of 8 kids, and my husband is one of 3. That alone adds up to his favor. :)

Today not only marks the "8 0f 10" days of Aidan. Today is my 2nd oldest brother's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Kevin! Nivek! Coneecheewa!

Kevin is amazing. He is, in a way, a hero to me for all that he has survived.
You see, Kevin is mentally ill. He suffers from schizophrenia. To be exact, he has been diagnosed as suffering from acute paranoid schizophrenia. Long word, and equally as complicated illness.

Despite this illness, Kevin has survived so much. He is truly amazing! And get this-he earned his degree, too, and of all subjects? He has his Bachelors in PSYCHOLOGY! I kid you not. ;)

I've seen Kevin in action as an uncle, and he is the best. Always willing to play. Always attentive. Always loving. If he never had this ridiculous illness, I know he would have been an incredible dad. Better than incredible.
Unfortunately, it's been almost 4 years since I last saw Kevin. He came up to Michigan to join us for Aidan's Baptism, June 2004, and by the end of that trip, he had decided he was not interested in going back to SC with my parents. Instead, he hitchhiked from MI all the way to San Diego. That's always been his preferred mode of transportation. ;)

I talk with Kevin on the phone frequently, and we send him pictures of our boys. He knows them from that, but Aidan doesn't really know who his Uncle Kevin is. I definitely feel he is missing out.

For today, I am connecting the two together. I don't have many pictures of them together, but the ones I do have, are priceless to me.
Wax on! Wax off!