Yet another birthday!

Okay, so I'm just a bad uncle. It's been about two weeks since my second nephew had his birthday, and I haven't posted anything for him yet! Mind you, I do like to claim the excuse of finals and graduation getting in the way. However, that can only work for so long before it just starts to become ridiculous. I graduated on Saturday, and I still don't have his birthday post up! BAD DREW!

Anyway, yes, my nephew, Evan, is now 2 years old. I can't believe it either. Like with Ethan, I can remember the first time that I went to visit Evan in the hospital. It had to be the day after he was born this time because I was away at college on the day he was born and came home after finals the next day. Soon after I got home, my dad took me up to the hospital to see him, and he was in the room with his mom, and his Niebur cousins were there too. Ashley, Amanda, Abby, and Andrew (hey, I just now noticed all of their names start with "A") were all there, and to tell you the truth (hopefully he'll never read this), Andrew was being a little bit of a pest. He was just kind of at that stage in life where every kid is annoying, but he was certainly no exception, I'll tell you that much! Just the same, Evan wasn't in such a great mood either (I won't tell you why, as I would be pretty embarrassed if someone told that reason for being grumpy about me). Just the same though, I got to hold him and talk with him a little bit. He was so neat! He looked just like his big brother (which was certainly a good thing), but ever since day one he's had his own special personality too.

Unfortunately, our time at the hospital with him had to be somewhat short, but the good news is, we have since made up for that. Although for the first few months of his life, it seems like all Evan ever did was sleep, it gave me the opportunity to hold him during those times. There's not a whole lot more that helps you rest than holding a sleeping baby. Don't worry...I never fell asleep with him in my arms! However, some of the most peaceful moments I can remember around babies were while Evan was sleeping in my arms. He was so peaceful!

Another neat thing about Evan is his happiness. I know that seems like such a vague term, but it really does apply to Evan, and there seems to be no stronger word to describe his personality these days. Since he was born, Evan has become absolutely one of the happiest, smiliest kids I know. He laughs so much, smiles constantly, and is just all around friendly. Yeah, he can be shy, just like all kids his age, but he's also a barrel of laughs. Just the other day, I can remember watching him sing with my mom. They sang the ABCs, and the whole time, you have never seen a baby and grandma who were so happy! They laughed the whole time! I just wish I had had a camera available at that very moment because it was truly a "Kodak Moment," as the old commercials used to say.

All in all, I have seen Evan grow in tremendous ways in the past year. I have seen him go from a very introverted, quiet baby, to an extremely warm, friendly, toddler around whom anyone would feel happy and welcome. As an uncle, I certainly have an obligation to love my nephews, but Evan certainly makes it easy! He's funny, enjoyable to be around, and of course, cute as a button. He also has a rambunctious attitude which my mom swears is payback to his daddy. I love it personally, but I can also understand that certain people get a little worn out by him.

Anyway, summing this all up, I guess that the point of this is all just to say how much I love Evan. He has truly been such a neat part of my life since he was born two years ago. I can no longer imagine life without this special guy, and even if I could, there's no way I would want to. He's truly a blessing from God, and I praise the Lord every day for sending him to us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN!