The Eyes Have It (Haze & Vi at 12 mos.)

I just love scrolling through our iPhoto archives and juxtaposing pictures of Hazel and Violet and the same age. The similarities outweigh the differences, don't you think?

Chunky, rosy apple cheeks? Check. Big, brown eyes? Check. Curly, wispy hair? Check. Hazel's overall hue is a dark gold; Violet's is more of a fair pink. Hazel was chunkier, Violet is longer. But as far as looks go, they are sisters, no doubt.

What I think I love most, aside from the girls themselves, is that they both have what is a common characteristic on my side of the family: those big, dark brown eyes. Myself and all of my brothers have 'em, we got 'em from our Mom, and I love that you can tell we are siblings just by looking at our eyes. There are slight variations, of course -- Kyle's have a slight almond shape, Wyatt's are almost overshadowed by his impossibly long eyelashes, and Ty's are almost green some days. But put us all together and, like Hazel and Violet, you're sure to see the likenesses before you see the disparities.

Sharing physical characteristics with someone is a powerful thing. It gives me a real sense of solidarity to see my eyes looking back at me in my mother, my brothers, my daughters. It makes me feel like, yeah, we may have our differences -- and we certainly have those in abundance -- but the bottom line is, you are like me. I am like you. We are, in many ways, the same. Whether we like it or not.

I like it.