A bouquet of birthdays

We had a great party yesterday. This is our week of birthdays and there was some mass celebrating going on. The primary guest of  honour was my father, who turns 75 on Tuesday. Supplemental celebrators were my nephew and his fiance whose birthdays are this week, and we celebrated in spirit, my 1 year old great nephew, whose bday is today.

We had it at mom's and there was a wonderful BBQ for all. Ribs and chicken, salads and veggies and fruits. There were 39 people there, and that was with a few of the family who couldn't make it.  There were cakes galore, drinks to toast the occasion and wonderful weather. My dad had fogged the yard so we could actually enjoy being outside with the mosquitos having their own picnic on us. It was semi potluck so everyone brought a something. Salads, veggies, casseroles, marinade for the ribs, chicken, crackers and dips, different desserts for the non cakelovers. ice cream. That really cut down on the costs of feeding so many folk.

He really doesnt' like presents. Things to dust or store or never use, he thinks. He got practical gifts or fun ones. Gift cards for stores he actually goes to were the popular real gifts. More appreciated were the fun gifts. 75 acorns for the squirrel that lives in his backyard. 75 peanuts in shell for the squirrel. 75 drywall screws as he plans to go out to my sister's for a bit of construction. 75 apples from the farm for his deer stand. 75 pellet shots to scare away the coyotes which keep trying to kill the kittens at my sister's place. 75 of his favourite peppermints. Things like that.

The absent nieces and nephew phoned. The nephew actually phoned just as we started to sing Happy Birthday. it was long distance from the US. He just went down there so dad ran to go talk to him. We blew out the candles so we could start again when the call was done.

DS1 got to be there for a bit before he went to work. My brother in law, his employer, waved him off while eating a rib and mmmmmmmmm mocking him. DS2 was actually home so that was good. He built the fire in the pit and had the responsibility of watching over it so that the little ones running around didn't get too close. He bonded with a 3 year old girl (daughter of my cousin) he's never met. Sweet thing who talks non stop and is very hard to understand at first, but lovesssssss watching fire.

We do things fairly simple in our family. Just good, strong family moments.

Today is a day of going over to clean up mom's patio and putting away the extra chairs. DS2 heads to bible camp today so we have to pack and drive him out. It's about 75 minutes from home.

Happy Sunday everyone!