Birthday Season

September is here and summer is cruising into fall, meaning the start of what, in my household, we call birthday season. I think most families have birthdays in clusters. Mine has two: spring and fall. My husband and I are only three weeks apart, and my  brother-in-law and one nephew fall into the same two-month period. The big blast though, begins really in August and runs through November, but it picks up speed starting in September. August was my mom and my grandfather, and is still one of my nephew's. Later this week my dad will have his 88th birthday. Next month is my eldest son's 21st. Okay, wow, that one makes me feel a tiny bit old. My surviving brother also has an October birthday (Halloween in fact.) In November is my #2 son (turning 20), my eldest nephew, and would have been my other brother's. For a few years, we got to have 4-way birthday parties, with both of my brothers and both of my sons. (The nephew was out of state, unfortunately.)

As the parents of two kids, and never particularly flush financially, the late fall was sort of hell season. While my brothers and dad understood getting cards or baked goods, the kids, of course, had to have presents. We couldn't spend too much though, or there wouldn't have been anything left for Christmas. Fortunately, we have enough family, that the kids always had plenty to unwrap.

It's also interesting that never, not from the time they were little, have my kids gone nuts over the most expensive thing in the store. Their favorite gifts have very often been the small and quirky, but thought-out gifts. If only in that one way, I like to think I've succeeded in raising a reasonable pair of human beings.

Anyway, happy birthday to my favorite dad in the world, Phil Spencer. That's him up top with his oldest great-grandchild, taken this summer. Aside from an important birthday this week, I'll be busy. Wednesday I'll be blogging at both Steamed! and the Romance Studio. Thursday is my monthly stop at Romance Books '4' Us. And Friday, I'll have the wonderful Natalie Damschroder here on this blog. So everyone have a great week!