The Lion

So it was hubs' birthday the other week. Now what this means to me is that I have to pull together a Texas Hold 'Em tournament. This involves hours of pouring over Pinterest for the best party foods, shopping for poker night accessories and decorations, tracking down all his somewhat transient friends, grocery shopping and cooking. We also take a trip to Annapolis every year for his birthday to go to he US Sailboat show. So I also must book flights, hotels and a rental car. I am also tasked with finding a place to farm out the kids during both the party AND the long weekend in Annapolis (this involves begging, pleading, and quite a bit of creativity to get every moment covered). I must do all this while holding down my full time job....that's right my actual real job that I get paid to do. Needless to say this is a bit of an overwhelming time for me.

I was feeling like superwoman having accomplished all of this and it was the morning of the party when I suddenly realized we hadn't gotten Daddy a birthday gift. Oops.

Now I live in a small town so our options are pretty limited as far as shopping goes. By limited I mean it came down to Food Lion, Dollar General and Rite Aid as our choices. I was on a time schedule with food preparation and kid deliveries so we didn't have time to go anywhere else! Rite Aid won out as our choice as I had to fill a prescription too (hey- killing two birds with one stone right?).

I told the kids they could pick out anything they wanted to give Daddy for his birthday. Well it didn't take long for RJ to find the "perfect" present. This is what she came up with...

 Honestly, it probably was the best option....aside from a home pregnancy test or pack of Nicorette. We got the hideous thing home and wrapped it up in a festive birthday bag (complete with matching tissue paper) and sat it on the dining room table to wait till Daddy came home. The kids spent the rest of the day hovering around the dining room table in gleeful anticipation. We decided to give Daddy his gift at his birthday brunch at Cracker Barrel on Sunday.

So there we were at Cracker Barrel on a Sunday- which if you are from the South you know just how freaking crowded this can be- with my parents and the kids enjoying some birthday pancakes. RJ could barely contain herself and squealed with delight when it was time to give Daddy his gift. She ran around the table grabbed the gift bag and climbed in his lap her eyes shining with excitement as he began digging though the tissue paper.

I wish I had snapped a picture of his face when he pulled the monstrosity out of the bag (or of my mother's face). RJ immediately blurts out "DADDY WE PICKED IT OUT JUST FOR YOU BUT YOU CAN SHARE IT WITH ME AND LET ME SLEEP WITH IT!"

And that is exactly how it goes down now. She calls it "Lion" and carries it around like a doll baby. Oh, and sleeps with it. Every night. Wrapped it her arms. Snuggled to her cheek.

 

Hubs told me later it was by far the weirdest birthday gift he has ever received.

-Ashford