Tuesday, August 26, 2008

There's this one month...

Do you have one month during the year that is crazier than any other? A month that you know, no matter how organized or time-managed or well-prepared you feel, will leave you gasping, breathless, at the end of it? August is this month for me. It rivals even December, that classic busier-than-busy month. What is it about August that always makes it so crazy? I think it's the combination of end-of-summer activities, back-to-school registration...and two very important birthdays: my son's and my mom's.

My oldest son's birthday is on 8/24 and my mom's is on 8/25. And because of a long-standing tradition that birthdays are (really, really) BIG in my family, there is a lot of preparation involved in making them just right. So what I've learned is, when you have two family birthdays back-to-back like this, it's very important to maintain your sense of humor.

Because of how busy we'd been, when my youngest son and I found ourselves at Costco on Saturday morning for some last minute shopping, we were in rather interesting moods. As I filled the cart:

Aidan thought he'd be helpful by testing out the $3,500 massage chair:

The blurriness of the photo is due to the fact that, by this time, I, too, had found my own massage chair directly across from him. (Mine was only $2999.) The wiggling and jiggling (and giggling) prevented me from holding the camera still.

The control panel on my chair, in addition to also being blurry, was very confusing and wouldn't stop talking to me:

Aidan, however, was completely relaxed:

The next morning was Teagan's birthday. From the earliest time I can remember, our family tradition has been to greet the birthday person with a festive morning birthday table. Here is Teagan's:

Of special significance is the single, white candle that is always placed in the center of the birthday table:

Per the family rules, this candle burns for, and is only to be blown out by, the birthday person. A wish is made and the candle is blown out...similar to the traditional candles on a cake ceremony, only waaaay more serious.

I've found that, no matter how big a boy you think you are, you still can't help but smile when you open your presents:

I thought this picture of Teagan thanking his girlfriend, Alana, was sweet:

What's one of the ways to a 20-year-old boy's heart? Zombie toys. This one walks and groans:

This one is small but was sufficiently creepy and gelatinous to make up for that:

Fresh blueberry pancakes are the another way to his heart, but I didn't get any pictures of those.

Amazingly, later that morning I found myself at Costco again, this time with my mom. We had shopping to do for her birthday open house later that day. My mom looks like a movie star to me in this picture:

We drove back to her house, got all the decorating and prep work finished, and the guests started to arrive. What's better than giant hugs from your grandchildren on your birthday?:

The party, which my sister and I hosted for our mom, was a huge success - and everyone seemed to have a great time. Teagan and my mom shared a birthday cake:

And with a little help from Gabriel, the youngest grandson, the candles didn't stand a chance:

Back outside later, I got some great candid shots.
Here's Andrew, 9 year-old grandson, pretending he's a turtle:

And this is Gabriel's very nice left ear. It made him laugh when I took this picture:

At the end of the day, everyone seemed tired and happy. And even though August still has a few days left, it's officially over for me now.

I can't believe I have a 20-year-old son. Where has the time gone?

Me and my boy, who will always be my baby:

18 comments:

  1. Turning 65 can be a heavy milestone or a skip into a new chapter of life filled with joy, adventure and....LOVE! What a beautiful day that was! Farm girl's baby boy turning 20 seems impossible. I clearly remember the day he was born; he did not make it easy for his mom. And 20 years ago, who could have thought that there would be a magical farm in this family's life? Your life-long dream has come true, farm girl. May all the love you give be returned to you in countless ways.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing your special family traditions. I remember you blogging about your own special birthday table last Spring and I thought that was very special. Happy birthdays to Teagan and your Mom!

    I really like the last photo on your post of you and your son. You are so pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy Birthday to your Mom and Son. I agree, where does the time go? Beautiful pictures too! I love your family traditions.
    Danni, I have an award for you at my site. I just wanted to thank you for your visits and comments. I think you were my very first commenter(that wasn't related to me). I truly appreciate it.
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy belated to both! What a great time had by all!! I hope that you have one or two calm months before the big holidays kick in Danni! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So you were a teen mom? There is no shame in that. ;-)
    Looks like a great party. I love that pic of you and your hansome boy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh to age as gracefully and beautifully as your mom! Happy Birthday to Teagan and Mom!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey, Teagan is 5 years younger than me;)( I'm 25 ) and 3 years younger than my sister ( she's 23 but going on 24 in a month! ). September is our birthday month, used to have an anniversary on September 11th before my brother's divorce and had a September 6th birthday which was my Dad's Father's birthday which he passed away on February 10, 2007.

    ReplyDelete
  8. She DOES look like a movie star...Im glad that all your parties went well and that amidst all the preparations you managed to sneak in a few silly moments as well. (that kid just doesnt like to have shoes on...)

    I love the birthday table. That sounds like it has been a wonderful tradition for you and your family. The sunflowers are very pretty. And the spidey paper is awesome, too!

    Happy Birthday to your mom and your big baby boy.

    I think your mom said it just right...your farm IS magical. Seems magic is happening there all the time!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Birthday MOM and SON!! :) I have the same kind of August, with my hubby, son and mom's b'day all in one week. Thanks for Sharing Danni! I really enjoy the fact that even though there is 20 years between our birthday boys, they could both be happy with the same toys for presents! It's very comforting!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awww...the last photo of you and your son was very sweet. You seem to have great kids. By the way, I hear today might be a big day for Pip? Will you post some photos of his new adventure? If I could get my mom to blog, that would be a good blog title: Pips Big Adventure. :) He will love having his own girls and a big coop.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, I was all right, enjoying your post until I got to the last picture. Thanks for the tears, you owe me a new keyboard! Happy B-day to your baby and your momma! Your boys are both beautiful, but don't tell them I said so.....say I said they're ruggedly handsome or something. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi zitrone...thanks for the sweet words. We've had a fun last few days, haven't we? Love you mom.

    Hi farmer jen - I think I'm going to start having more balloons at my future birthdays after reading your personal bday post - your pictures made me smile! Thanks for your nice words.

    Hi ga.farmwoman - it's scary when we reminisce and realize all those wonderful times are behind us, isn't it? Aw, thanks for the award, Pam...I think your blog was one of the first I ever read!!

    Hi eve - Aaack! The holidays...I think I'll start hibernating now!

    Hi sugarcreekstuff - what a sweet talker you are. Now, you're in the running to be MY BFF! :-) :-)
    ("there's no shame in that"...ah ha ha ha - you are FUNNY!)

    hi seasonseatings (robin) - and guess what? My mom's got the personality to go with the looks. Not a nicer, more fun person will you ever want to meet!

    Hey pine pod farm...so what's your point? That I'm almost old enough to be your MOTHER???!!! :-) So be it. One can never have too many kids. Do you need a mom who lives in Oregon? Unless, as sugarcreekstuff alluded to, I was only 13 when I had Teagan. Then we'd just have to settle for being almost sisters. ;-) p.s. I'm sorry to hear about your dad....

    frugalmom, you CRACK me up!! I thought and thought about your comment ("that kid just doesn't like to have shoes on"), I even went back and studied all the little kid pics in my post...nope, Andrew has shoes on...Gabey has shoes on...then I scrolled higher...you're talking about Aidan!! That's right! Aha ha ha haha! You heard about the barefootin' incidents lately, didn't you! :-) thanks for thinking my place is magical...what a compliment. (hug)

    Hey farm mom, what is it about boys and zombies?? Wow - you must be exhausted after all those bdays, too! But wait...there aren't 20 years between our sons...only like 17 or so, right?

    Hi ceecee - your comment made me feel so good. thank you! :-) (sorry about your keyboard, haha)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow, that looks like it was just a great day, even if you were busy, busy before hand. I can't imagine looking up and suddenly my oldest is 20. He's going to be 12 and that's unbelievable! Love the massage chair pics. Too funny!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The last pic is so sweet :) What a busy past few days you have had, but all the memories are worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Man, 20? Mine is turning 9 in a few weeks and I'm already feeling emotional about that. I can't imagine 20!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great post, loved all the pics, esp. the last pic of you and your son. Looks like a fabulous day.

    The pic with the tub and the feet alarms me every time, as I have a small bowl, about the size for popcorn, that's exactly the same shape. I imagine someone curling up to about 7" tall under it...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yep they will always be your little boys. Happy birthday to Teagan and your mom. September through August is our birthday months. Because we are from large families we don't have a single month that is not filled with birthdays and anniversaries. Go with the flow!

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a sweet post. I loved the last picture.

    ReplyDelete

I ♥ it when you leave a comment.