THANK YOUs and Happy News. Oh, and Turkeys.

I'm back from a very planned (but not very well announced break) due to some stuff that had to be done which involved recovery, on my part.  I am ok, well on my way to feeling 100%, and ready to resume life as normal, with a little less jumping/running/exercise for the next five weeks.  So now you know where I've been, sort of.  I have to say that, having been under the weather, we know some of the most generous people around.  Family and friends stepped up to bring us pre-cooked meals, offers of babysitting and child entertaining for free, and even sent surprise get-well-soon packages in the mail.  Thank you to all of you who pitched in to help us secure some sort of normalcy for our children.  Thank you to those of you who brought us meals so we didn't have to think about dinner.  Thank you for those who took time out of your very busy schedules to hang out with our wee ones, tiring them out so they slept like little angels and allowed me some extra time to sleep and rest.  Thank you to those of you who sent me goodies in the mail and made me rediscover the joy of knitting with yarn I didn't shop for, candy I didn't buy and thus felt guilt-free about eating, and magazines that kept me very entertained.  You are all dears, and you have made me believe, once again, in the goodness of people.  It is humbling to be on the receiving end of such generosity, and I will try my best to be so very good when one of you needs me. 
In other news, a huge congratulations to my cousin Julie, her husband Jay, and big sister Emily on the birth of baby James!  Much happiness to all of you, and please be on the lookout for a box of Harry's lightly-used hand-me-downs. 
This morning as I tried to wipe the grog from my eyes while Harry happily chattered away on the couch next to me, I saw a flock of turkeys walk through my dooryard and pause to eat some bugs and seeds.  To those of you who live in a city, or even a large suburb, this probably sounds ridiculous, but it happens here more than you'd think.  Apparently, for turkeys, my yard offers up some good eats.  Anyway, I whispered to Harry to shhhhh, took his hand and gently walked him to the window, directing him to remain very very quiet as we did so.  He looked at me like I was crazy, but followed my directions and stood next to me looking out at the 22 female turkeys gathered before us.  A big smile spread slowly across his face as he witnessed one of the many quirks of living on the edge of the middle of nowhere, and after the turkeys meandered into the trees he looked at me and said "Thank you for showing me turkeys, Mom", without even being prompted.  Later on he thanked me for making good blueberry muffins.  My boy has manners, complete sentences, and an awed interest in wildlife.  Life is good.