Life History of a Lone World Traveler

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Deborah over at "Pictures, Pots, and Pens" started the "Favorite Family Foto Friday" meme. She's been on a blogging hiatus for a while, but I want to participate in the meme today whether she is doing Mr. Linky or not.


This is Kyle, our youngest son, computer whiz, telecommunications student at Ball State, and world traveler. I thought in commemoration of his trip to Sweden, I'd show a bit of his metamorphosis into what he now is.


When my kids were much younger, I made a photo mosaic of each of them. This is Kyle's. I'd like to pull out a few of these pictures and tell a bit of his tale.


Being the last of the Broyles Babies, and 11 years behind his oldest sister Keri, Kyle never lacked for attention. He didn't TALK until he was well past two because prior to that time all he had to do was make "uh uh uh" sounds around the thumb that was perpetually in his mouth and Keri knew exactly what he wanted and got it for him. (And they try to tell me I spoiled him!!!) When he finally DID talk, it was in complete sentences.

One day, shortly after he began talking, he was trying to get his dad's attention. Fisherhubby was playing possum in the bed and didn't want to be disturbed, so he ignored Kyle. In exasperation Kyle queried: "What's'a mattuh, ooooo got ear wax buiwd-up or sumpin???"

He'd heard that STRAIGHT off of "Saved By The Bell," his siblings favorite TV show.
The AMAZING thing was, he knew EXACTLY how to use it!!!


His love of gadgets and technology started very early. Too bad I wasn't able to KEEP him interested in emptying the dishwasher!

One July we took the kids on vacation to Gull Lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. We no sooner got there than the temperature took a nose-dive, it rained without ceasing, and we were all trapped together in the cabin with nothing but movies to entertain us. Well, movies, the antics of our own kids, AND the antics of fisherhubby who by Thursday was ready to chop down a pine tree and celebrate Christmas since the weather was fit for it.

The Gulf War was going on at the time and Kyle had a pair of the ever-popular camo PJ's. He LIVED in those PJs all week. He kept going into the bathroom and coming out with the very lovely knit extra TP roll cover on his head like a hat. There was a big yellow flower adorning the top and, as you can see below, long green leaves trailing down the sides. Once he had this securely positioned on his head, he would come out and sit in a big yellow metal lawn chair to watch movies with the rest of us.


I took this silly thing away from him a hundred times in fear that he would stretch it all out of shape. But then, in desperation, I GAVE UP and just let him wear it. I mean - - - it was truly a "lovely thing" (by that I mean HIDEOUS) and I couldn't see that he could make it any worse even if he DID stretch it out. Also, since the owner of the cabin was Aunt Lois, who never threw a thing away in her life, I knew she'd keep it no matter WHAT shape it was in.

So, pretty much all week he sat in that yellow chair and wore that flower on the top of his head. We all giggled about it - - - but that detered him not at all. None of us could understand why he did it and just chalked it up to his own little individual sense of humor.

Years later when the kids were all grown up, at some family gathering or other, we were reminiscing about that vacation and laughing over the various happenings. Someone brought up Kyle and the TP cover hat. "I thought it was an Army helmet," says he. Oh that DID make us laugh - - - so obvious now that we know, an army helmet to go with his camos, yet NOT ONE OF US "got" it at the time. And why did he wait so long to tell us???? Funny little tyke.

Kyle with his next older sister, Korie, about the same time period as the helmet head.

Kyle loved to wear boots, anybody's boots (these were his older brother's) and a hat.

One snowy winter day when Kyle was about three, I glanced out the dining room window just in time to see him "sprint" by in nothing but boots and his whitie tighties, only they were cartoon character tighties and not white at all.

I opened the patio door and hustled him inside demanding, "What ARE you doing?"

"Kelly made me do it!!" was his only reply. Oh that ornery older brother, Kelly! I'm SURE he bribed Kyle with some false promise or other. Maybe one or the other or both of them remember what the bribe was, but I certainly do not.

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