Teagan Grace Born On Grandpa's Birthday

This past Sunday a milestone in the Gupton-Weems-Smith-Polhemus families occurred. A Hollywood scriptwriter couldn't have penned it any better. Sara Weems Polhemus, the daughter of my cousin and best friend, Steve Weems, and his wife Rhonda Smith Weems, delivered her second daughter on her father's birthday. Stephen Kent Weems was born on November 15, 1957, and his newest granddaughter, Teagan Grace Polhemus, made her grand entrance into the world on November 15, 2009. Little Teagan, whose arrival terminated Kinley Mae Polhemus's days as an only child, wasn't due until later in the week but made her grandfather's wishes come true by being born on the same day of the year that he was 52 years ago. Kevin Polhemus is the proud father of both Kinley Mae and now Teagan Grace. Kevin and Sara live in Chicago, though both are graduates of Columbia High School in West Columbia, Texas. Sara, pictured above with her beautiful baby girl Teagan, is shown below with Steve and Rhonda when she was a baby herself. Steve, who has been as close to me as a brother since before the two of us even started school, is pictured below in a photo I took of him in my parents' kitchen when he was in his twenties, and in a more recent photo with his wife Rhonda as the two of them chat with Joe Fenn at Steve's Uncle J.W. Gupton's 80th birthday party in Richmond, Texas. I would like to extend my congratulations to Sara, Kevin and Kinley on the birth of the newest member of the Polhemus family of Chicago, to Steve and Rhonda for being grandparents for the second time, to their son Austin Weems for becoming an uncle yet again, and, of course, to Jack and Phyllis Weems on becoming great-grandparents . . . one more time. And, now, what follows is my continuation of my previous blog wishing "Happy Birthday" to the many friends and family members I love so much who were all born in November.

Jamie Laron Tims, who celebrated his 27th birthday on November 4th, has been like a son to me since he was a small child. Jamie, pictured below sporting the Deion Sanders jersey and roller skates he received from "Santa Gup" many Christmases ago, is also pictured showing off his infant daughter Amaya on a sunny afternoon in Lake Jackson. Jamie, whose younger brother Garry Anthony "Bubba" Hutcherson turned 24 on November 16th, is shown below with my son Brian Gupton in a photo from their youth. Another "foster" son of mine who is also now a father of his own daughters is pictured below when he was one of my kids. Adrian Lee Earl Pipkins, known to all of us simply as "Wimpy," was 24 years old on November 12th. Wimpy was photographed by me at the beach and on his bicycle when he was about 11 or 12 years old. And the other "beach beauty" stretched out in the sand is Courtney Johnson, who celebrated his 29th birthday on November 11th. Chris, Courtney, Jamie, Bubba and Wimpy--all November babies--were all just like my own sons when they were kids. Now they are all grown men, a couple now married and a couple with children of their own.

Winners at a "Hoop Jam" tournament in Pearland in 2000 were, pictured below from left to right, my son Brian Gupton, Julian Solis and Chris Maynard, all members of the Columbia Roughnecks varsity basketball team that year. Chris, who is also pictured above, celebrated his 28th birthday on November 11th. The trio of Roughnecks cagers proudly display the trophies they won that day nine years ago.

Sharing a November 11th birthday with my uncle, former district judge Thurman M. Gupton (who would be turning 98 this month if he were still alive) are two of my son Brian Gupton's best friends since his childhood days. Both Chris Maynard, pictured below at right with Brian from their 2000 high school prom, and Courtney Johnson, pictured above in a childhood photo I took of him with Brian, were part of the wedding party last month when Brian married Tiffanie Hatley in front of the Varner-Hogg antebellum mansion near West Columbia. Courtney was 29 and Chris 28 when each had a birthday on November 11th.

Three of my favorite cousins, all of whom are as close to me as brothers and sisters, have much more in common than simply being related to me. Each was born in the month of November. In addition to my cousin Steve Weems, who served as the best man in Peggy's and my wedding 29 years ago, the son and daughter of my father's younger brother Marvin Aubrey "Hank" Gupton and his wife Terry are also celebrating birthdays this month. Steve is the son of my dad's first cousin, Phyllis Gupton Weems, and her husband Jack Weems. So I guess that makes Steve and I either second or third cousins. But I know Hank Gupton and Angie Gupton Middleton are both my first cousins since our fathers were brothers. Pictured above are photos of Hank and Angie when they were small children. Angie Kyle Gupton was born on November 21, 1953, and was 20 months old when my mother took the picture of little Angie at the beach with her mother Terry Gupton. And the photo of her big brother Raybourne Ricks Gupton, who everyone in our family referred to as "Little Hank" when he was younger (since his daddy was Big Hank), was taken on a seesaw at a park somewhere between Jackson, Tennessee, and Texas in the mid-1950s. Little Hank's birthday is November 19th. My good friends William Minks and Connie Matocha, who served on the West Columbia Little League Board of Directors with me when our sons were 11 and 12 years old, both celebrate their 51st birthdays this week. Pictured above is Connie with her husband Pat Matocha when they ate out last year in honor of Connie's 50th birthday. She was born on November 17th while William Minks, pictured in the photo above hers with his dachsund buddy, was born on November 21st in 1958. Connie is also pictured in sombrero with cake on her face at her 50th birthday party. And that cute little eighth grader above that is none other than William, pictured from his school days when he was attending Wallis Junior High School. Can you find me in the Little League Board of Directors photo? I'm only the second best looking guy in the picture. Damn you William, why do you have to be such a pretty boy?