Fourth of July

Growing up Fourth of July camping was always a big celebration in our family.  I can remember spending close to a week camping rather than just a weekend and having several spots reserved for family and friends.  It definitely was a big event.  Every camping trip looked the same - impatiently waiting in my swimsuit ready to jump out of the RV onto the beach, hours spent riding the waves and making sandcastles while getting burnt and nights spent around a campfire roasting marshmallows, "hunting" raccoons, and hanging out with cousins.  Some of my favorite memories growing up revolve around our summers spent by the lake.  

I still have a love for camping and Mark enjoys it too.  Unfortunately, though, we have done less and less as the years go by.  Now that we are parents, my hope is to spend more time up north and enjoying the beautiful lakes and camp sites during the summers.  I want Anthony to have and enjoy what I did as a child; I also want him to spend those lazy, fun days with family and friends.

  

Auntie Manda and Anthony spent lots of time hanging out on the beach and having a good time. He loved being in the boat watching her jump out and showcasing her awesome "tricks".  The highlight of the weekend was going out in the boat way past bedtime to check out the fireworks Friday night.  Not only did we get to see a beautiful display of lights, but we also had fun singing as well as getting pelted with all of the bugs!  We thought he would crash for sure, but it turned out he was having way too much fun to waste it on sleeping.

 

Anthony is learning that Uncle Damon sure is a lot of fun too!  Especially since he loves all things motors and has plenty of toys for Anthony to ride on.  He enjoyed getting to "drive" uncle's big truck, but the biggest highlight was taking their new Yamaha Rhino for a ride around the yard.  Even though he was very serious while on it he cried and asked for more after having to get off.  Having an uncle who loves toys is going to continue to be great fun as Anthony gets older.  I can picture those two having lots of adventures together.

Logan and Lane are Damon's cousins as well as Anthony's new best friends.  He played with them all weekend long and they did such a good job with him.  On Saturday Logan hung out with him all afternoon.   They were busy making bubbles, riding floaties in the water, eating Doritos, playing in the sand...  Anthony had a great time!

Overall, the first camping trip up north was successful.  (Even though we left earlier than planned...) Anthony clearly loves the beach and does a great job being in the boat.  He also loved all of the attention he got from family and friends. Everywhere he went he had someone to play with and he was able to be the center of attention.  That was perfect for our little entertainer.  It was great that everyone in my family was able to be up there.  Anthony got to spent time with Grandpa Willie and Uncle Erik too!  Even through all of the bug bites he had a great time.   Hopefully this will be a tradition we can continue into the future.

Grandma Time

This weekend we headed up north to enjoy some outdoor Fourth of July fun as well as spend time with our families.  It has been really fun to see Anthony starting to recognize his grandmas and enjoy time playing with them. 

Thursday night Grandma Carol gave Anthony a bath and then read some books before bedtime.  He really loves the MOO book she got him.  (However, Auntie Jami's old My Little Pony really freaks him out.  Luckily, it was put away so he could wind down for the night.) 

On Friday morning we headed up to the north side of Winnie for Anthony's first camping trip.  Anthony was busy having fun and being a curious little boy, but did stop to hang out with Grandma Kathy too.  Hopefully there will be more camping trips in the future!

Like Father Like Son

Last week after cleaning up from supper I found the boys relaxing and watching a Twins game together. Anthony LOVES his dada and copies everything he does.  Of course I had to grab the camera to capture this cute moment together.  

Freedom Days

This July will mark five years since I moved to Becker.  (At the time Mark was still living up in Thief River Falls and was going to teach another year at Greenbush Middle River.)  Every year the city has their celebration right before the Fourth of July.  The closest we've ever got to attending was last year when we watched the parade while sitting out on our deck.  It's amazing how having a child can change things.

The parade!  Anthony loved looking at the fire trucks, but didn't like the loud noises they made. For the first part of the parade he sat in daddy's lap and was a bit shy.  After the sirens past he really got into the tractors, horses and, eventually, picking up the candy too.

Daddy and Anthony checking out the line-up of tractors that came by.

Laura came with us too while Michael was busy helping out with the band and color guard.  She did a great job getting candy for us and enjoying some freezie pops too!  After the parade the three of us walked up town to check out the sights and chat with others while Mark stayed home to mow the lawn.  (Sound fair?)

The absolute craziest sight at the parade was the Gilman Hillbillies.  (I swear they are all Zimmer's relatives!  No wonder why we always have so much fun at the meat raffle every November!)  This contraption - I think that's a better word to describe it rather than vehicle - would spray out water and "buck" back and forth with the front wheels leaving the ground.  I know my description really doesn't do it justice.  Apparently the megalopolis of Gilman has a celebration in July.  We might be calling up the Zimmers and having some fun with the "Hillbillies"!

The absolute best part of his morning was getting a ball.  Once he got it he didn't want to give it up and ended up holding onto it until we got home.  

Also, in honor of our Twins winning ten in a row Anthony sported his jersey from Grandma Kathy today.  Hopefully they can keep up the winning streak!

 
I'm looking forward to attending more parades up north and just continuing to enjoy the summer with family and friends. 

Our Big Day

Today was a great reminder of everything we have to be thankful for.  Mark and I have certainly been blessed.

This morning we had an 8:30 court appearance to finalize Anthony's adoption.  I have to admit that I was a bit nervous.  The check-in line to court was quite long and a bit shady.  (Maybe even a bit TPT, Erin.)  The surprise of the morning was our own private guide waiting for us.   Turns out a former student's mom works at the courthouse, saw our name on the docket and was waiting for us to show up.  She rushed me through the line (which drew lots of dirty looks - YIKES!), got us signed in and showed us to the right courtroom.  I was very thankful for Lisa! Meeting with the judge went really well.  It was obvious that everyone in the court system loves adoption hearings; it gives a good reprieve from everything else they see day in and day out.   Our adoption of Anthony is now official and legal after four months of having him home and after 14 months of beginning this whole process.  By the end of the summer we'll have his new birth certificate and have his social security changed as well.  

Because we feel so fortunate and thankful we wanted to "pay it forward" and give to others. (Perhaps that was more me than Mark, but he wasn't too upset.)  So tonight we went to a Lutheran Social Service meeting for couples who are going through the process we went through last summer.  I was super excited that Cynthia was able to attend as well; I really wanted everyone to see the benefits and the possibilities of having an open adoption.  While we were there we were able to share our story and answer questions while Anthony entertained everyone.  Hopefully our story gave someone else strength or just an impression of what their lives could look like in the future. If so, then it was completely worth it!

The best part of the day was spending time with Cynthia.  We haven't seen her for a couple of months even though we talk on the phone often.  I have to once again emphasize what an amazing person she is - we're so fortunate to have her in our lives!  I love the fact that our time together isn't awkward.  Ever.  Right away we hugged and started talking like we were old friends. Everything just feels so natural and right.  Again, I'm so thankful she is Anthony's birth mommy and in our lives.

After being on the panel we went out to supper to spend time together and celebrate Cynthia's upcoming 20th birthday.  Here she is unwrapping her gift, which was decorated by Anthony.  

And here's the boy of honor who just turned 22 months old today.  He loved his mac and cheese and got lots on his face, shirt and daddy too!  The best part of dinner was entertaining us all by jumping, talking and pointing out the balloons and hot items in the restaurant.  It was great to see that he completely remembers Cynthia and enjoyed visiting with her as well.

Getting a picture of Anthony and his mommies proved to be very difficult.  Sitting still wasn't something he really wanted to do - at all.  So this was as good as it got tonight.  Perhaps sometime in the future we'll be able to get a good photo of the three of us.

Today was a beautiful and wonderful day - just one out of many.  I don't think there will ever be a day that will pass that I won't feel completely thankful.  How fortunate are we?

Say a Little Prayer....

Tonight there are two people on my mind who could use my prayers as well as yours.  (If you believe in that sort of thing. If not, that's fine too - just send positive thoughts!)

My godson, Camden, got hurt last week and is still unable to put any weight onto his foot.  The doctors said it was a sprain/strain, but are a bit befuddled as to why it's not getting better. Tomorrow he'll probably have to go back to see the doctor and have more tests done.  

My brother-in-law, Damon, has spent the past two days in the emergency room.  Yesterday he was at the Grand Rapids Hospital and today he was at St. Mary's in Duluth.  As soon as I got the call from Manda this morning I got out of the house as quickly as I could with a little one. Several tests were run today and thankfully many serious possibilities were ruled out.  The scary part is that we are still unclear as to what's happening with him right now.

It's never easy having ones you love hurt and knowing there is very little you can do to help.  Tonight I hope Cam and Damon will both start to feel better and be on the road to recovery.

The Next Minnesota Twin?

For about about a week now Mark and I have been playing catch after dinnertime in the backyard.  It's been fun and I've even been told that I don't throw like "a girl" by my husband. Thanks, I think...  Zoey has absolutely loved the action and gets super tired because she constantly chases the ball.  (Maybe this is even better exercise than going for a walk!  Less painful too!)  Anthony has also enjoyed the whole glove and ball experience.  Tonight he wore his glove and stood by me like he was involved in the whole game, which was super cute.  Of course his attention was easily diverted and he had to go check out the tree instead, but it was still fun to have him involved.

Since Anthony always wears his glove as a hat Mark had to give him a little lesson on the actual use of a glove!

He figured it out and is ready to play!  Perhaps he'll be the next Joe Mauer?  Or wear #13 like his dad did and play for the Bulldogs.  I'm definitely looking forward to the day when he can join in with us and play too.