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FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, I HAVE CALCULATED MY FAMILY'S NUMBERS.
I have two brothers and three sisters. And among us, we have four spouses. And among all of them, there are 14 offspring. And then there's our mom and dad. That's 26 people.
That's 25 birthdays every year I have to try to remember. And five Mother's Days. And seven Father's Days. The fact is, I don't even try to remember. I rely on other people to do that for me.
Like my sisters, who organize all the birthday celebrations, or pretend to. Well, they did a terrible job this past winter.
So last Saturday, we celebrated a winter's full of birthdays at my sister Shauna's sprawling acreage estate just outside city limits, on the eve of Mother's Day, another cause for celebration.
I won't tell you how much I spent on birthday cards alone. OK, it was $50. Many of those cards had cheques in them to my far too numerous nieces and nephews and daughter.
And my brother Doug, who lives in Ottawa, wasn't even here with his three kids. His birthday is Valentine's Day. I have to finally phone him this Sunday to wish him Happy Birthday.
Seeing as I'm a November baby, I was just one of the unwashed hangers-on that no one cared about except to be the sugar daddy. So all I did was write those cheques and take pictures of everyone else.
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Wow, 23 is a lot of birthdays to remember. While i remember family birthdays, i sooooo suck at remembering friends' birthdays.
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone enjoyed the party.
Awesome clan gathering. I don't think that it is possible for any male to keep track of all of those birthdays..although you could get the info from one of your sisters and put in on your PC...never mind I know that you won't.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that you spent the entire day hugging and teasing and hugging and teasing..sounds great.
Sounds like quite the party. By the way, my birthday is October 20 and I accept cheques (with 2 forms of ID) or cash. ;-)
ReplyDeletewow what a beautiful happy n fun-loving family WW! :) tnxx for the pics.
ReplyDeleteUr mum dun look anywhere near 123...LOL WW u r funny!
Keshi.
hey! Your brother's wearing your teeth!
ReplyDeleteI only wish my mother a happy mother's day and only my father a happy father's day. I figure other mothers and fathers get wishes and presents and cards from their own kids. After all, they aren't MY parents.
ReplyDeleteYour brother looks so much like you, except that you're hotter... but don't tell him that. ssshh.
HAHAH! I loved this, but I have to say about the numbers...decaf next time Chris. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool family gathering.
Menchie:
ReplyDeleteI can barely remember my own birthday, but then at this advanced age, why would I want to?
HE:
You're right, I won't. My sisters just plan everything, phone me and tell me to bring chips, no peanut products in them.
Works for me.
And yes, of course, teasing and hugging and hugging and teasing was the order of the day. But I get as good as I give.
Laurie:
It'll have to be cash. All my cheques bounce. But at least I won the bocce tournament. My fans were all doing the wave...
Keshi:
But my dad DOES look over 300? No, my mom actually is 74 or something like that, I think...
Ziggi:
Yeah, those teeth are interchangeable. Strangely, me and my brothers have the space thing going but none of my sisters do.
Go figure.
Anna:
You're right, actually...I don't make a point of sending Mother's and Father's Day cards or wishes to anyone except my own mom and dad.
So I don't really have to remember to do that. I just wanted to substantially over-emphasize the challenge to my tiny brain.
I won't tell my brother what you said. But you should also notice his hair is more grey than mine too...
Shelley:
Decaf, or maybe something else. Numbers and dates and me don't usually mix very well.
Last year I wished for everyone to forget my birthday.
ReplyDeleteThis year, they all did!
No cards, no gifts, no phone calls, nothing..
:(
PS: Where is that snake post?
PPS: How would you like to follow "The Kiss"? I thought,"why not browbeat my slack blogger friends into reading my poetry!"
there are enough of you to seize control. The Without clan in a bloody coup in canada
ReplyDeleteThis is the downside of being an only child you miss out on the crazy family moments.
looks like fun:)
I have officially given up trying to remember birthdays outside of the immediate family - there are 6 auntys and 3 uncles -plus their spouses.Altogether on both sides of the family there are 30 grandchildren and 41 greatchildren -so far.Out of control.
ReplyDeleteMust say that that chips are the only thing worth eating at any kind of gathering -no, this isn't sarcasm -it's a fact :).
big families and family gatherings- i love them! great pics w.w.!
ReplyDeleteand i'm sure your sisters let you bring the chips because they know you have such excellent taste and know exactly what everyone likes...
*laffs at what Ziggi said*
ReplyDeleteIn my family, the only birthdays that get acknowledged are the nieces and nephews. Everyone else gets a phone call...if they're lucky.
ReplyDeleteOh...and your brother looks like Jerry Springer.
ReplyDeleteGautami:
ReplyDeleteAsk and ye shall receive, I guess!
As I wrote to you on HE's blog, I did not forget the snake post. I may go out with my son this weekend if it's warm enough.
The return trip and photos, etc., would take the better part of a day. The snakes might all be dispersed. I'll try to get there and hope they're still there...
I'll also try to get to The Kiss...
Aidan:
And this is only MY side of the family, not including nephews/nieces, etc., from my ex's side!
A bloodless coup, it would be. And it was fun.
Lee:
Wow, you Aussies ARE prolific.
As far as the chips, my sisters won't even TRY to get me to bring anything else out of fear for the consequences...
Angel:
Thanks. And on the chips, I think it's all about let's give WW the least of life's culinary party challenges...
MJ:
So did I. She's a witch, isn't she?
Ms. Val:
Most of my relatives don't even get a phone call, except maybe for my mom and dad...
And I hope my brother sees your Jerry Springer comment...
what about a birthday calendar ? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am in for combinations of celebrations, good idea.
Hildegarde:
ReplyDeleteSorry, a birthday calendar makes too much sense. Too logical and organized for my tiny male brain.
Because of our numbers, we rarely have a get-together for one person. But 10-12? That's too much!