Huey...

That's our Turkey's name this year. I name our turkey every year, but sometimes duplicate names (particularly Marley, when I'm feeling mellow and rasta-like). Wierd tradition, I know. Even wierder, that every year, after I unwrap him and rinse him all off, I do a turkey dance, holding the turkey up by his wings, and wait for him to SPEAK to me, and tell me his name...this year, one of the joints in his wings broke, and I twirled and juggled him around trying not to drop him in the floor--like a WHIRLY BIRD.

So his name is Huey, like the helicopter! I'll post a picture later.

Birthdays...

When I was a child, I wrongly assumed that birthday's were about fun and toys and celebrating by getting gifts. I guess it took some growing up and becoming a mother to realize that birthday's are about celebrating your LIFE and RECEIVING gifts.

Please note, receiving and getting are different...

So on my birthday, my very special day that I am celebrating LIFE, I am thinking about my life, think back over some important things that have happened to me. I will share a few of those things with my (ridiculously small) reading audience.

1. First, and foremost, not only is today my birthday, but it is also my mother's birth day. Without my mother, I would not be. Without my mother, I would not be who I am. She has told me in the past she made mistakes. Probably so. But each and every action, every single thing that has happened in my life has great consequence--the sum of the whole would not be the same without each and every one of those person-forming things. And it is equally important, in my mind, to learn from mistakes as well as successes as they both contribute to the sum total of me. So, to my sweet mother, Happy Birth Day, Mommy! Thank you for making me who I am.

2. Second, in my mind, receiving and getting are different. Getting is a non-action verb. Receiving is an ACTION verb, both for the receiver and the giver. A gift is received that is from the heart, and genuine, and a physical manifestation of love. I have gotten gifts, and I have been lucky enough to receive gifts as well. For this, I am blessed. And for the clarity of mind to understand this difference, I am doubly blessed.

3. Last, I'd like to share my favorite birthday memory. Thinking back last night, (yeah, WAY back, I'm 39 today!) I don't really remember many of my actual birthdays. That's neither here nor there, though, to this story. When I was a teen-ager, probably the year I turned 15, but it could have been 14 or 16, we were living in Otter Creek. It was the end of the "season", and money was already tight for our family, but my mother wanted to make sure that my day was still celebrated and give me something special. She bicycled, IN THE COLD, on a crappy 10 speed bike, to town (Bar Harbor), with her few remaining dollars of spare money, and bought me a gift. The gift was inexpensive (some embrodiery floss to make friendship bracelets that were all the rage that year, a few colorful boxes, and a card). She then bicycled back, IN THE COLD, on a crappy 10 speed bike, to Otter Creek and made dinner. I don't remember what we had, but I know it was made with love. She was celebrating me, celebrating my life, the only way she could-by loving me enough to give me this memory of the first gift I ever RECEIVED.

Sometimes the littlest things given are the most important, and the largest gifts you can receive!

The Bottle Fairy

She's cousin to the tooth fairy-but she takes the un-needed bottles and gives to BABIES who need them, because big boy's don't need them anymore. And because of your generousity, she leaves you a gift...

She's also cousin to BINKY (pacifier) fairy...

So, guess who's coming to our house tonight?? AJ's been without a bottle for a week straight, and told me last night that he doesn't need them anymore, that he's a big boy. He said bottle fairy should, and I quote "TAKE BOTTLES AND BRING HIM COOOOOOOL TOY!" and so she shall!

The top 3 things that 2 year old boys are NOT qualified to do

1. Pick out their own clothes. BOY O BOY is my little guy colorful!! He still thinks that underwear are hats. And shirts can be pants, too. We won't even get into matching!

2. Pour their own glass of milk. Seriously. A gallon of milk is TOO heavy for my little guy. We didn't even get to the pouring part, he dropped the whole gallon on the floor where it exploded. Fun stuff...

3. A 2 year old boy is NOT the ideal helper for picking out birthday cards for Grandma. I bought Aunt Stephie's cards by myself, and had AJ color them. But today, Daddy was taking a nap, so I took AJ with me to the store to buy cards for Grandma.

It took me 5 minutes to get past the candy aisle, then another 10 to get past the junky toys, and we finally made it to the card aisle. He runs to the first card he sees, and INSISTS that this is the card for Grandma! THIS ONE, THIS ONE. (no matter that it was a sorry you lost your job card, it had a cartoon dog on it, that's ALL that mattered.) THIS ONE, THIS ONE!!!!! It took me 2 minutes to wrestle the card away (while trying not to rip it) and 10 MORE minutes to calm him down enough to continue our card search.

35 minutes later, he decided he would like to get the musical card that played the theme to the Adams family. Okay, whatever, not the one I would pick out, but it's his card to HIS Grandma, whatever floats your boat.

Fast forward one hour, we go BACK to the store to buy another "adams family" card because AJ doesn't want to COLOR on his card (not CARD FOR GRANMA, MY CARD, MY CARD, AJ CARD)...

(hope Grandma recognized the SKATEBOARD AJ drew on the card for her, and LOVES the cards he picked out!!!)

The budding con man.

-says AJ- Momma, turnda light back on.
-says AJ- Momma, turnda light back ONN...
-says Momma- . . . .

-says AJ, in the sweetest, most precious good boy voice he could muster- Let's hold hands (as it he tries to pull me off the couch)

What's worse, he got this line from me!

My boy's ever expanding conversation skills....

Had a conversation with AJ this morning, I'd like to share. (i did post this on facebook, but just HAD to put it here too--I'm reinvigorating my attempt to blog, and this post is my starting point!)

-says me- AJ you look so handsome in your green stripedy shirt. let's go show daddy.

-says me- AJ, show daddy your shirt, say LOOK AT ME, I'm so handsome.


-says AJ to daddy- I'm a shirt!

Ears.

Hmph.

Who knew they could be so bothersome! After AJ's 5th ear infection this winter, we were FINALLY given a referral to a pediatric ENT. Our appointment was today, AJ was a DOLL, and we left with a surgical appointment to put tubes in his ears (Tympanostomy Tubes) Scary, a little bit. But his ear infections are so disruptive to his life, and to ours (not to mention painful for AJ!!), that I think it's our best option. It's a minor, outpatient procedure. He'll go in, get some general anethesia (gas, no IV), the actual "operation" takes 6 minutes. They say we should be there 3 hours MAX, and one of those hours is paperwork and prepping.

26 February. No time yet, will find out the Monday previous to.