Dear readers,
(To wish Haley a Happy Birthday, please comment on this post!)
When C., my husband, entered our family circle, first as a boyfriend, later a hubbie, he was shocked by the gusto and intensity with which we tend to celebrate a birthday--in our twenties we still recieve hand-made banners, balloons, numerous phone calls, BBQs, our favourite cakes, etc. Plus birthday boy or girl gets to call all the shots throughout the day. The real kicker for C. was my Grandma's eighty-ith. Picture Mings, the slightly classy Chinese restaurant in downtown Victoria, a round table of elderly Dutchies (plus my immediate family), not yet prescribed hearing aids. One has to speak at a shout to be heard. And everyone wants to be heard. Ome Willam, in a red vest and bowties, black thick-rimmed glasses and a shock of white hair, is snapping at the not-so-young Chinese-Canadian waiter and calling him 'boy.' Ome Gerritt, much to the delight of Dad and B., is calling C. 'Gayleb,' a nickname which still surfaces today...I think Grandma had fun. She certainly was mad when we tried to slip the party just before nine o'clock. I think she said repeatedly, 'but it's my birthday.'
She was right. The birthday takes precedence. Which is why I'm a little ashamed that I failed to announce Moochie's birthday a few days ago. On the last day in March the beautiful Haley turned thirty-one. Wow...two babies, one Mike, still cooking, still looking hot. You've done good Mooch!
To wish Haley a Happy birthday please comment on this post.
Okay, if I don't leave a comment now, I will feel very guilty! Happy birthday Haley!
ReplyDeleteThank you Louise.. a cheap ploy by Rach to get comments:)
ReplyDeleteI am a few days late, but happy birthday Haley.
ReplyDeleteMultiple/numerous/many times in my life i was minding my own business studying for an exam or working on a paper or being generally calm and cool and was startled by my friend/roommate/your sister yelling "OHHHH HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOOCH" into a telephone. Because your family and birthdays, there was telephone calls and yelling and it was startling but completely wonderful.
Happy Birthday Haley!!
Happy Birthday Haley! Your cake looked deee-vine! I hope you had a truly fantastic day. =)
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday Haley :) !!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled on your blog and am loving it~ I laughed out loud at this description of a family emphasis on birthdays! Didn't know that the Stephen and Reems families share this (as well as a the "cheap gene"). In our family, birthdays ALWAYS (religiously) begin with breakfast in bed and that is a family event where the non-birthday family members sit on the bed of the birthday family member and watch him/her eat a fabulous breakfast (in my case it is always french toast, whip cream and fresh fruit) and THEN everyone watches present/card opening time, and family from afar would call to send birthday wishes. A great beginning to what then proceeds to be a day all about the birthday girl/boy. In my case (as I have a summer birthday), it usually meant a day of swimming at the potholes, picnic, then BBQ at home afterwards. I have never, EVER, worked on my birthday (throughout college I booked the day off work at the beginning of the summer). Once I was married, Aaron was overwhelmed by the expectations that arose on July 23rd! He didn't realize that in order to have a Stephen birthday it meant that he also needed to take the day off work!!!!!!!!