Kevin (far right) and friends viewing the 'Golden Buddha" in Thailand
Baby Kevin
I've been trying to figure out a way to write about my children. It's difficult to do - as I've mentioned before - because we have an ongoing relationship. Someone suggested I do it as their birth month comes along. That means I will start with my son Kevin Matthew who was born January 19, 1979. Kevin is my third living child. I had a baby boy that I named James Nathanial Johnson about two years before Kevin came along. He was born way too early and did not survive. In fact, I barely survived. But that's another story. When Kevin came along I felt many things, not the least of which was gratefulness and relief that we both survived.
Each of my children has been a unique gift, but I suppose Kevin had a little extra glow for me because I had lost his brother such a short time before and as any mother can tell you, that is a devastating blow. His name means something along the lines of 'beloved Gift of God" and that is surely the way we saw him. Well...most of us.
His older brother Steve who had always been top dog felt a little put-out by this newcomer who took up a lot of his mother's time. Steve wrote a letter to his grandmother and mentions 'the boy, Kevin..." in not completely glowing terms. It took Steve several years to accept the roly-poly little boy into his heart. Someday I'll tell about the 'ring of fire' incident, but not today - or the time Steve put Kevin down the laundry chute. He claims he put a lot of 'soft' things at the bottom to catch the kid, so there was no danger.
Amy on the other hand, was delighted to have a real live doll! In fact in her mind, she raised Kevin from babyhood. Not exactly the way it happened, but she was a huge help.
Kevin was a very easy-going baby. I suppose his demeanor is most like his dad's. Very quiet and introspective. Athletic and agile, he excelled at little league and soccer. In Boy Scouts he made it almost to the top rank...all he needed was to finish one project, but the calendar and his 18th birthday came first.
When he was twelve years old he was involved in a bb-gun accident with friends where he lost most of the sight in one eye. It was a defining moment in his life that he still deals with every day, but he has learned to compensate for it and does very well. He did have to give up baseball and soccer because depth perception is important for games involving balls - but he got involved in track, cross country, and swimming and did very well in high school.
He went on to College at the University of Oregon and earned degrees in Economics and Business Administration. He worked for several years and then when the American economy took a huge dip, decided (with the goading of his siblings) to go back to school and earn his MBA (Masters of Business Administration). He will be finished with the work in just a few months and hopes to find employment with a major company. Its been a grueling schedule for him with a family and a long commute to school, but hopefully the payoff will come soon.
I've jumped ahead of myself. On July 8, 2000, Kevin married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie Aarenne Nelson. They both finished college after that and Stephanie went to work as a high school music teacher while Kevin worked in the home mortgage industry. They bought a house about 10 miles from both sets of parents and on September 23, 2004 little Sophia Brynn Johnson was born. Juliet Rose came along on March 25, 2006. I will write about each of this lovely ladies another time. I've had the honor of tending the little girls nearly every weekday while their mom teaches and dad worked or went to school. That will probably change next year with new jobs and school for Sophia. I'm not exactly thrilled about any of that, but change does happen. I suppose I'll adjust.
In looking over what I wrote it sounds very dry and more like a trip-tick than a biography. This is what I meant about it being sooooo difficult to do. Maybe I'll just plan on adding more details. Next year.
Yeah, that's the ticket!
1 comment:
What a darling baby pic of Kevin.
You look fantastic Debbie. I enjoy reading your blog.
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