23 candles.

Birthday breakfast last year.

Today is Mr K.'s birthday.

I can hardly believe that he's turning 23.

When I met him, he was fresh out of high school and I felt so cool for having an older boyfriend.

Back then he had just turned 18 and to me he was the kindest, handsomest, funniest, smartest boy around.

I still feel that way by the way.

Since then we've celebrated our share of birthdays together, but really not much has changed.

(I mean, look at how HOT Mr K. is !)

He is now old enough to drink in any country but really, he's just an overgrown kid.

Over the years, his hair seems to get shorter as his body gets more inked and he gets hotter and hotter.

As his beard gets thicker with each birthday that passes, he gets called Mister more and more.

He's still my babe though.

To me, even when he's 62, he'll always be the handsome boy who came to pick me at the train station in his jeans jacket.

That will never change, no matter how many candles he blows.

One thing does change though : every year, I love him more and more.

Gelukkige verjaardag schatje.

Jij bent mijn wereld en ik hou van u tot de maan en terug.

x, K.

Can you tell that I love his old bones to death ?

19 going on 10.

Yesterday was my little brother's birthday.
There were presents, key lime pie, hugs and (a lot of) sushis.

It seems like just yesterday that he was that nerdy kid, taking his gameboy everywhere but somehow, he turned into that giant doing backflips in the pool.
Unbelievable.
We got to spend his birthday together which meant the world to me, especially since we now live in different cities and are both very busy with school.

As he blew his candles, I realized that he might be one year short of being in his twenties, but to me, he'll always be my 10 year old P.I.C.

I don't know how he liked his presents and I don't know if key lime pie is supposed to look like the one we made him, but I do know thatI personally consider him my best present ever and couldn't dream of having a cooler, wittier, smarter baby brother.

Joyeux anniversaire Nounou !
Moi plus INFINI !

x, K.

It's hard to tell at first glance, but we really are siamese twins.

NICO & NOË

There was a time when I could legitimately call N. my baby brother.

Not that I don't do it anymore (ah!) but it sounded more accurate when he was actually smaller than me and wasn't drinking his weight in coffee every day.

Back then, he would mostly give me a hug or a drawing for my birthday.

I cherish those.

Now that he towers above me and that his knack for amassing money makes me look like a hobo, he has upped his game though.

Not a day goes by that I don't go out with some lovely bauble that he's gifted me, but this year, he wanted to go another road.

I will admit it, I was a bit surprised when he said that he had picked a pair of shoes for my birthday.

I'm not gonna lie, a bit scared too.

Did he know that I didn't really have a need for pink fluffy slippers ? Was he aware that while I love Dr. Martens on skinny girls in frilly dresses, they were likely to make my legs look like tree trunks ?

Nothing could have prepared me for the stunt he pulled.

Turns out, my brother might not talk much, but he listens.

A lot.

And so, for my birthday, he gave me the most beautiful pumps ever, a pair of natural leather Noë pumps.

See Noë shoes are my dream come true.

Their heel is high enough that you look like a vixen when you wear them, but not so high that you can't wear them when you have to walk more than around your apartment.

Their tip is pointy enough that you look like a rock chick, but not so pointy that you look like Paris Hilton.

The best thing about them though, is that they come in 50 colors, all of them prettier than the other.

A great shoe that comes in virtually every color ? HELL YEAH !

Sunday, there was a family event for Mr K.'s grandma.

I couldn't resist wearing my new Noë pumps there for the first time, excited to show them off to everyone, but also ready for the excruciating pain that would come with wearing new shoes for a long period of time.

That pain never came and I spent the day feeling like a million bucks.

Merci bébé frère !

x, K.

If you want your own pair, here's where N. found them : Vitrines Parisiennes