First, my dad turned 70! Can you believe that? My youngest sister's father-in-law is a photographer, a really handy guy to have around for family gatherings. Our three west coast siblings are missing, but 6/9 ain't bad.
My younger sister somehow managed to get a piece of marble from the Detroit Temple (we lived in Michigan for about 9 years) during construction and she'd been hanging on to it, planning to give it to Dad, but waiting for a good time and a great idea. We decided this was the right occasion.
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| That's the "What great kids" look. |
That part about his mother was from something she used to tell us as kids. When she'd come visit we'd ask if she brought any presents (because that's what grandmas do, right?) and she would say, "My gift to you is your father." Dad told everyone else at the party that another one of her favorite things to say, about him and his brother when they were two little neighborhood terrors, was, "They never do anything I tell them not to do, I just never know what they'll think of next," and she sure had a lot of stories to go along with that!
And in more number news, there are FOUR pregnant people in my family right now! There will be two summer babies and two September babies. How fun and exciting is that!?! So far we know one couple is having a boy. I've been emptying out my attic giving away all my maternity clothes and baby stuff because I don't need it anymore; I'm happy to be happy for the other people having babies.
The final number of the day is 3, because my sweet little Bubba turned three yesterday. How can that be? I decided quite some time ago that I was going to make him a space shuttle birthday cake, which would have been really easy, but a week or two ago he announces that he wants a motorcycle cake. I have no idea where he got the idea, but he stuck to it, and brought it up everyday. Who told him he's allowed to have an opinion? He wanted chocolate cake with a motorcycle and candles on it, balloons and water so that's what he got. When we went grocery shopping this week I let him pick out party plates and such.
I didn't hear any complaints, so I guess I met all of his demands. We sang to him, he blew out his candles, ate some cake, and then we spent the next several hours doing yard work. He helped spread mulch.
Once we fixed up the yard (the rain held off for the most part) we all cleaned ourselves up then let him open his presents.
I got him a little guitar. A friend of his has one and that's all he plays with when we visit, so I figured he needed his own. It is pretty cool. I haven't tuned it yet, but it can be done. It even came with a pitch pipe, which he likes quite a bit and it isn't driving me crazy yet. He seems pretty happy; he's strumming away in the kitchen as I type.
