Oh the men in my world. . .

A week ago I sent an email to my brother and copied my father on it. It read simply "If you haven't gotten Mom's birthday gift yet, don't get these two things. I just ordered them for her today." And then I dropped in links to what I had bought. I did this because ages ago I had suggested my dear brother buy one of the two items I had purchased and he thought it a dumb idea. However, when pressed up against a looming birthday with no gift I knew he'd break down and get it if it still lingered in the vast recesses of his memory. I sent it off and then I didn't think of it again.

Mom's birthday isn't until Thursday, but since she'll be away then we celebrated over dinner tonight. Logan and I made the cake. They picked my uncle up from the sub-acute care facility he moved into this week. My clan gave Mom her gifts. The majority of our visit my brother did what he does best - hid out in his room ignoring us all. As Bruce and the kids were leaving (I was staying behind to help Mom get my Uncle back to his place) my brother emerged from his room and plopped himself on a chair.

"Did you see what we got Mom?" I asked him and pointed to the shelf above his head.

He glanced up at the little figurine of a woman hugging both a toddler sized and infant sized child. "Oh no!" he said. "I just ordered that!"

"What? Why? Didn't you read my email?" I asked him.

"Sure I did. I ordered the church you told me to get too." he said.

Nice, eh? "Umm, I didn't send you an email telling you to buy those. I sent you an email telling you NOT to buy those." I clarified

To make it even more humorous my father speaks up and adds "Oh, I only saw the email where you suggested it as an idea. I forwarded it on to your brother. I never saw the one where you said you bought them. Maybe you just sent it to him."

WHAT?!

"Umm, guys. Not to make a big thing of this. . .but I only sent ONE email and it said DON'T buy it. Where did you buy it from?"

"The place you sent me the links too in your first email," said my brother.

Just freakin' shoot me.

As we're walking out the door my mother thanks me again for the gifts and says that she had really wanted the Heartwood Creek church we got her. "I was starting to think no one would ever get it for me!" she said. And I nearly doubled over in laughter.

When we were safe away from the ears of those two dear men I told my mom that if we were all nice and quite she could have two of each. We had a nice laugh at their expense.