Genetics.

[bellebud]

My younger brother is about 6'3", and my dad is only 5'10", my mom 5'4". My older bro and I are average height also (actually, 5'10" and 5'4" too).

At a family reunion on my dad's side, there was an uncle of my dad's that is clearly where my tall bro got some gene's from. We were all like "ohhhh, *that's* the tall gene carrier!" Genetics can skip generations, go sideways... it is really cool!!

My dd11 has SO many characteristics of my husbands sister (doesn't look like her) - but has big feet (dd11 is a size 8 - 9 already, I'm a 7), oily skin, oily hair, athletic build - she's just SO her. Pretty opposite of me (slight build, regular skin and hair, no muscles really, regular sized feet). But dd's face looks like mine when I was a teen, same eyes, mouth, expressions, etc. I love to see the "mixes" in the kids.

My ds9 has my older brothers explosive personality. Nothing else from him, but boy does it bring me back to childhood when ds9 gets mad, or is hyper-crazy (just like my older bro was).

It is fun to compare/contrast. Good thread.

 

[FredinFL]

My family of four all have different colored eyes. Green, hazel, blue, and brown.

 

[PUZZLDY5]

We have some strage stuff in our family.

My husband is a fraternal twin. This is important.

My oldest son looks like me. Reddish brown hair. Small stature. Pale skin, Hazel eyes.

Youngest son looks like a clone of my husband. Very tall, blond hair brown eyes same physique, olive skin tone

Nephew looks like a clone of BIL. Tall, thin stature,(Well my BIL isn't so thin anymore but he was many years ago,) brownish hair, brown eyes, olive skin tone

Here's where it gets inresting.
My middle son and my niece look more like brother and sister than their actual siblings do. They had to explain to all their teachers in school this year that they were cousins.
These two both have blond hair, blue eyes, medium stature, light complected, walk the same way, sit the same way etc. We have concluded that they both take after my husbands mothers side cause she dasicly looks like that.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

My middle son and my niece look more like brother and sister than their actual siblings do. They had to explain to all their teachers in school this year that they were cousins.

My cousin had a little boy not to long after I had my daughter and the two of them have ended up looking like they could be twins.

I invited a friend to a family BBQ a few years back and after she saw them playing together she came up to me and asked me why I had never told her I had twins? They looked so much alike that until I explained they were cousins she was really upset that I was not acknowledging one of my kids while with friends.

 

[golfgal]

My younger brother is about 6'3", and my dad is only 5'10", my mom 5'4". My older bro and I are average height also (actually, 5'10" and 5'4" too).

At a family reunion on my dad's side, there was an uncle of my dad's that is clearly where my tall bro got some gene's from. We were all like "ohhhh, *that's* the tall gene carrier!" Genetics can skip generations, go sideways... it is really cool!!

My dd11 has SO many characteristics of my husbands sister (doesn't look like her) - but has big feet (dd11 is a size 8 - 9 already, I'm a 7), oily skin, oily hair, athletic build - she's just SO her. Pretty opposite of me (slight build, regular skin and hair, no muscles really, regular sized feet). But dd's face looks like mine when I was a teen, same eyes, mouth, expressions, etc. I love to see the "mixes" in the kids.

My ds9 has my older brothers explosive personality. Nothing else from him, but boy does it bring me back to childhood when ds9 gets mad, or is hyper-crazy (just like my older bro was).

It is fun to compare/contrast. Good thread.

Technically they can't go "sideways". They come down a linear line but they may show up in extended family. The "tall" jeans in your family came from a common relative way back, not from this uncle. Same with your DD-the characteristics are not from your DH's sister, they are from a common ancestor and they have both materialized in your DD and your SIL.

 

[castmember19]

My husband has black hair but when his beard hair grows a little bit, it's red.

That reminds me. DBF is a blonde but his beard hair is red. So weird. His sister is also a redhead.

 

[NikitaZee]

My husband and I both have dark hair, but were blonde as toddlers. All of our kids have dark hair, 2 were blonde as toddlers.
My sister has a middle toe that sticks up above the rest, just like my grandmother did.
My other sister has flat thumbs, like my great-grandfather.
My mother, me, and my son have beauty marks on the same spot above our left ankle.

 

[Belle0101]

I've always considered myself to be pretty pale. I jokingly say that I glow in the dark.

DH is dark.

When DS was born he was dark like DH. When he was about 3 days old his skin color began to lighten. He's even more pale than me now.

Lucky for him though, he tans easily, just like DH. I burn instead. I guess that's payback for having called him Casper a few times.

 

[Music City Mama]

My family of four all have different colored eyes. Green, hazel, blue, and brown.

Ditto!

Also, neither of my kids look a lot like my DH or me and they definitely don't look like each other.

 

[doxdogy]

There were six brothers (including my dad) in his family. Both of his parents were short. His mother was around 4' 10" and his dad (never met him) was around 5'4". Three of the brothers (including my dad) were around 6' and 3 are short like the parents. They found out that his mother had some brothers that were around the 6' mark. My mother was 5' 7" and is my sister is the same height, my brother is around 6' and I am 5' 2". Seems I inherited the short gene in the family.

 

[torinsmom]

My family is interesting. Dad has brown hair, brown eyes and a slightly olive skin tone. Mom has light brown hair, hazel eyes and a slightly olive skin tone. My brother and sister both got the brown hair and brown eyes and are tallish, like my parents. I got auburn hair, blue eyes, see through white skin and I am shorter than anyone! My sister and brother used to tell me that I was adopted and I would cry!

Fast forward--I married and had a child with a black man, Michael Jordan's complexion. His mom and siblings were the same skin tone or darker. He has dark brown eyes and black hair. Our son came out looking like the Gerber baby, with blond hair and blue eyes. He has gotten a little darker, but people still don't believe his dad is his dad. We got divorced and his dad had another child with another white woman, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. And I'll be darned if this child didn't come out with strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin as well. Some pics...

Early days...

The two kids last year....

More recent pics

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I am always saying "recessive genes rule" in my house. No striking standouts. But with a husband with brown hair/brown eyes, folks are suprised at my light haired blue/green eyed kids. I have to explain they must get it courtesy of their great grandmother on dad's side.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

HANDSOME young man you have for a son!

My family is interesting. Dad has brown hair, brown eyes and a slightly olive skin tone. Mom has light brown hair, hazel eyes and a slightly olive skin tone. My brother and sister both got the brown hair and brown eyes and are tallish, like my parents. I got auburn hair, blue eyes, see through white skin and I am shorter than anyone! My sister and brother used to tell me that I was adopted and I would cry!

Fast forward--I married and had a child with a black man, Michael Jordan's complexion. His mom and siblings were the same skin tone or darker. He has dark brown eyes and black hair. Our son came out looking like the Gerber baby, with blond hair and blue eyes. He has gotten a little darker, but people still don't believe his dad is his dad. We got divorced and his dad had another child with another white woman, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. And I'll be darned if this child didn't come out with strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin as well. Some pics...

Early days...

The two kids last year....

More recent pics

 

[torinsmom]

HANDSOME young man you have for a son!

Thanks! I think so And, obviously, he didn't get his height from mom

 

[starrzone]

This is a pic of my 2 brothers and I, taken 2 or 3 years ago (the youngest is in the middle).

I've had parents of friends of my youngest brother (#2) recognize me because they say we look so much alike! I wish my other brother were smiling in this picture, because I think we all have the exact same smile, even though, IMO, bro #1 doesn't look much like bro #2 and I. My mom and grandmother say he's the only one out of all of us who looks like my grandfather (funny enough, he also hardly ever smiled in pictures ). I take 100% after my dad's side of the family; short legs, stocky stature, dark hair, and just plain old looks (I'm also stubborn and opinionated, like my late grandmother ).

Lol, I was just looking at the pic again, and bro #2 and I have the exact same crease in our lower left facial area when we smile! No doubt we're related!

ETA: Bro #2 is the only one in our immediate family who has inherited what I call the "height gene" People on my dad's side of the family are NOT tall in the least, and there are very few people on my mom's side who are (btw, "tall" is a relative term here; in my family, it means 5'10" ).

 

[njmom47]

I am 5'10 with hazel/greenish eyes and very dark hair, medium skin tone, tan easily
Dd #1 is 5'8, blond/blue, very pale skin tone
Dd #2 is 5'4, blond/green. olive skin tone
Ds is 6'3, blond/blue. medium skin tone but tans easily like me
Most people think dd1 and ds look alike (however they have different fathers, although both dads are blond/blue).

 

[MomofKatie]

My mom is short (5'3") with brown hair and eyes. My dad is tall (6'0") with brown hair and eyes. My brother and I both have brown hair and eyes. I am very short (5'0") and my brother is average height (5'10").

I married a blue eyed blonde who is average height (5'10"). Our DD has brown eyes and brown hair, but it is curly like DHs. So far, she looks like she will be short like me- the ped said she will probably top out at 5'2"- 5'3".

My brother married a tall (5'7") blonde with brown eyes. All 3 of their kids have light eyes- one blue, one green, and one hazel. They also all have blonde hair, and they are all tall (6'2" boy, 6'4" boy, and 5'7" girl).

 

[bumbershoot]

torinsmom, in that baby picture your son looks like an exact copy of his dad! Isn't it sad that people can't look beyond the *coloring* to the actual face.

And in the pic of you and your son, he still looks like his dad, but your eyes look almost exactly the same.

 

[kellyg403]

I am 5'1 or so with auburn hair and light brown eyes. Alot of people comment how closely my hair and eye color are..weird I know.

My first ex was blonde hair and blue eyed, about 5'7. DS1 is blonde with hazel eyes, dd1 dark curly hair (from the postman I believe) and hazel eyes 5'7and dd2 was blonde for most of her childhood and it eventually turned a brown with auburn and the blackest eye color and stands 5'8. My 2nd ex is dark haired and dark eyed who claimes to be 5'9 but I am not buying it. DD3 is auburn haired with dark eyes and barely made it to 5 foot, ds2 is dark haired with my color eyes and 5'4 and youngest ds is dark eyed, blonder hair and 5'6 with a few years of growing yet.

The height all came from the other side of the family. My brother is the tallest at 5'9, but really noone comes close to that 5 foot is the max!

Oddly enough, my dad is 1/2 Cherokee Indian, my grandmother is a full blooded, off the reservation Cherokee Indian. She married my grandfather who came to America, a German man with red hair and blue eyes. 13 children later, the mixes were AMAZING. Some are auburned hair with blue eyes, some are black haired with hazel eyes, some are black with blue and one Aunt is a strawberry blonde with green eyes. And yes, they are all their children! My mothers family are all Irish descent so very fair skinned and eye color. I think my one daughter got her amazing black hair from my grandmother and my daughter with the very dark, almost black eyes are also from my grandmother. They remind so much of her, very dark eyes and hair, wonderful woman!

Kelly

 

[NotUrsula]

My mother's family have a recurring tendency to end up with kids who are either brown-haired/hazel-eyed, or red-haired/blue-eyed, or blonde-haired/green-eyed. Normal enough in a large European family.

Where it gets weird is the order. In four generations of about 9 kids each, the order almost invariably is brown. red, blonde. The only variation we've seen is a few instances where two middle kids born close together were both redheads, but we've never had two blonds or two brunettes come right after one another. We've even had fraternal twins that followed the pattern.