Today is my son’s birthday.  He’s now 49, which is impossible to believe, since I’m 49.  How did that happen?  In this picture, you can see that I have raised a comedian.  He is definitely a part of our family – always the one to make us laugh.  There has to be one in every family, right.

Bob was supposed to be born on April Fool’s Day, but he fooled us and waited for a couple more.  He was named for both of his grandfathers – Robert and Edward.  From little on, he has been an adventure a minute and has grown into a responsible, compassionate, dedicated, loving and kind man.  I thank God every day for him and my two girls.

Bob was the kid who brought things home – like frogs, baby ducks and birds, bugs and snakes.  One day he rang the doorbell.  When I opened the door he was standing with what appeared to be a forty foot snake with a huge bulge in its middle.  I immediately went into panic mode.  He said, “Don’t worry, Mom, it’s dead.”  The snake was digesting whatever was in its middle and was very much alive.  He had to peel me off the ceiling that day.

He was devastated when his younger sister sat on his pet, baby duck and squashed it.  He placed the corpse into a plastic box, sealed it up and proceeded to bury it.  It was a lovely funeral.  There was the time he wacked a mouse with a tennis racket in the lower level of our house.  The girls were screaming during the incident. I was upstairs and calmly said, “Be sure to clean it up when you’re done,” with no intent of checking it out.  Once a bat ventured into our house and Bob went at it with the same tennis racket.  I can’t remember for sure, but I think he actually used that racket for playing tennis as well as a weapon of mass destruction.

Through all of his years, Bob has maintained a sense of funny, which is so important.  You can get through almost anything if you can smile.  He ventured into the woods with his dad at age three and has become an avid sportsman because of it.   He has held tightly to his God during times of trouble and has pulled himself up by the bootstraps many times.

This is my son – an amazing, God fearing, fun loving, friend, brother, helper in all situations.  I have always been proud of my boy, but I am even prouder of the man he’s become.  Happy birthday, Bob.  Love you with all my heart!