Happy Birthday, Birthmommy!

Cynthia and Mark hanging out in the Clifford room, which is one of Anthony's favorites. Who could resist the big red dog? Certainly not our little guy!

On Sunday we got together for our now yearly June visit with Cynthia. This year we decided to head to St. Paul so she could watch Anthony play at the Children's Museum and then we went to her place to meet her cute five month old dog, Tyson, and have birthday cake to celebrate her 21st birthday. The afternoon was another great get together, which, as always, left us feeling very thankful that Cynthia is A's birthmommy and an important part of our lives. Mark and I can't say enough about open adoptions and are thankful that the relationship we have with Cynthia has transpired into something so genuine and filled with love. (I think my next career should be something in the adoption field. Matching birthparents with adoptive parents would be such a rewarding experience. Or perhaps I could figure out a way to simply volunteer my time to talk with individuals/couples who are on the adoption journey. Maybe hearing our story would fill them up with hope and make the process seem a little less daunting.)
Overall, it really was another beautiful afternoon spending precious time together. Our hope for the future is that Anthony will cherish our times all spent together just as much as the three of us.

Water! Playing with water was definitely another highlight of the afternoon. PLUS this room had sharks on the wall. Too cool!

Here's our attempt at a birthmommy and A photo. He didn't want to sit because there were so many other things to be doing. It's a bit blurry and he's definitely not smiling, but I'm still hopeful that one day we'll get a great photo.

Yet another attempt to get a photo with A and his two mommies that love him dearly. Unfortunately, once again he didn't want to look and didn't want to smile. Oh well.

The roof was open and Anthony had a great time playing in the sand and painting rocks.
Cynthia also loved having the chance to watch him play and see how big he really is getting.

Celebrating the Fourth

Damon is in heaven.
Absolute heaven.
I don't think it gets any better than Famous Dave's and a full rack of ribs for him!
We spent most of the day being lazy and recovering from our late night watching the Twins game. This was our kick-off for the 4th of July celebration and I don't think anyone was as happy as Uncle Damon!

Our Fourth of July celebration looked a lot different than most years. There was no camping or boating, no Leech Lake or Winnie, no big affair with family members and friends. This year we decided to stay home, avoid the insane traffic up north and back and have a little fun in central Minnesota. We were absolutely delighted when Damon and Manda decided they wanted to join us for a weekend getaway! Anthony was really excited to have his auntie and uncle come to his house and we were all looking forward to just spending some time together. So even though this 4th didn't require a camper/tent, coolers with ice, and hobo dinners on the grill it really was great. It was a good reminder that sometimes low-key and simple can be just as fun and rewarding.

The sparklers were a big hit. Overall, the guys spent $25 on fireworks, but we oohed and aahed, clapped and cheered like it was a huge fanfare!
The extra bonus was that Mark also purchased a fire pit for our backyard. I'm looking forward to many more nights enjoying the up north life right here in town!

Anthony was hesitant at first with the sparklers, but then really got into holding and watching them. Damon, who is a "Fun Guy", couldn't light them fast enough for A. He kept wanting more as soon as one would go out.

So serious. He really was enchanted.

Thankfully, Manda was there with her trusty camera to get all of the cute shots. I tried capturing a sparkler moment, but none of them turned out. Once again, I think it might be time for a camera upgrade. Thanks for sharing your photos, Manda!

Got to love his new "CHEESE!" smile.

Go Twins!

Auntie Manda, Uncle Damon and the three of us all decked out in our Twins gear and ready to watch a great game!

On Friday night we headed to Minneapolis for Anthony's (and, coincidentally, Uncle Damon's) first and probably last Twins game in the Metrodome. A was super duper (like his new phrase?) excited about watching baseball. That's all he could talk about for a few days prior and it was hard to take a nap that day because he really just wanted to go to the baseball game - NOW. When we got there, though, he wanted to go home or outside or just plain leave. He wanted nothing to do with sitting there and actually watching the game. Mark and I did our best to distract him with the toys and books I had brought, but he kept coming back to wanting to leave. Fortunately, for us, Auntie Manda took A out to have a "little chat". He left screaming, kicking and crying while I was chuckling because she was definitely channeling what I remember my dad doing as a kid. It only took one long chat with Auntie and he was pretty much golden the rest of the night. There was one instance when he started to act up again and she asked him if they needed to go have another talk. Of course he immediately zipped it, did his nervous hand to mouth gesture and stopped the whining. (This may sound a bit mean; however, it was such a relief to Mark and I that something worked. Sometimes it's so hard to snap him out of a crabby streak. I guess we now know who to call!)
The game against Detroit ended up going into extra innings after being tied up at seven a piece in the ninth. We stayed through the tenth or eleven inning and then decided to make our way home. Most little kids were being carried out sleeping on their dad's shoulders. Not our little Energizer Bunny! He was hopping up the steps and skipping his way to the door before wanting a lift back from dad to the car. PLUS he stayed awake the whole ride home too! (I think he's definitely going to be a night owl as he gets older. I guess he'll be staying up with his dad as I will be in bed nice and early!) When we got home I put A to bed and then we all got into our comfy pajamas to...finish watching the game! It lasted past midnight and into the 16th inning resulting, unfortunately, a loss for the Twins. Boo! Hiss!
Oh well! Overall, we had a great time with Manda and Damon and enjoyed what probably was our last Twins game in the Metrodome. (Mark is pumped for the new stadium; I'm a bit sad...)

Of course Manda brought lots of "props" to wear and have fun with! Next time we'll have to be more creative and make some "Circle Me, Bert" signs.

Mark and Anthony checking out the game.

The game goes into extra innings and Anthony is still wide awake and having fun! Of course he didn't want to sit by us. I think he's practicing for his days as a teenager...
On a side note, I think it's time to upgrade my camera. It's hard to get a toddler to sit completely still and if he moves the slightest a cute picture immediately turns into a blurry one. Ugh.