Four Years Goes Fast

Antonio turned four on September 19th. It was a pleasant 80+ day in Burbank so what better way to celebrate than a party in the park, with water balloons of course!

Grandma and Grandpa were here for the fun and got a little wet too!

Antonio did the most throwing, Eric (his friend and therapist) got the most wet, and mommy had the most bounces off her belly.

There were over 100 balloons and they went quick!

And of course then it was time for CAKE! And singing!

"I'm going to see what the blue one tastes like..."Then of course, after eating cake at 11am, the birthday boy has to throw up at the table and then take a little quiet time.

Then its time for presents!
Mamma and Bonk gave him a game called "rock, paper, scissors" - it is a card game and he took it literally and went and got a rock, paper and scissors....

And most exciting to mommy and daddy was sharing with Antonio all about soon to be arriving baby brother who Antonio is now very excited about and loves already.

For a little guy turning four it was a great party and a great day. The present opening lasted till the next weekend :)

DISNEYLAND!

Antonio had his first trip to Disneyland on the last day he was 3.

The jury is still out if he liked the Teacups or not.

Yes, it was his favorite ride!

It was a big day - Grandma and Grandpa were visiting and we had big plans! He was so excited, overwhelmed, surprised and more and a lot of the day was spend like this - in a stroller partially covering his eyes. Disneyland is join-attention heaven and over stimulation heaven all in one.

The number one thing on Antonio's list was meet Mickey! He was SO excited to meet Mickey. After this the ice was broken and he was ready.
So we hopped on a Yellow Submarine and went to look for Nemo! This is a great ride for anyone, even pregnant people and grandparents.Then we had to hit the Playhouse Disney stage show which Jeff calls what Antonio were to see if he took acid....it is a lot of cool for a kid. Mickey, Handy Manny and Pooh all in one show! After that it was time to find more characters.

Like Eeyore - Antonio was very concerned that he still had a tail...thankfully he did.
And of course Tigger, who he couldn't wait to tell he loved him!

Since Grandma and Grandpa came we actually go a picture of the three of us with Pluto! So fun to meet Pluto.

At the end of a very long day, he was still smiling and talked ALL the way home with enthusiasm. He was that commercial "I'm too excited to sleep"....fun day!

Guess who came to play today - Elijah!

Antonio was so excited to see Elijah at his house and all and all did pretty well sharing his toys with his cousin. Sharing is still tough for these guys but luckily they love each other.

A Family Reunion

Last week was America's Birthday, but more important for Antonio, it was a trip to Washington to see all his family and even meet some new family. Thanks to Deb, Antonio has a HUGE family!

This trip he packed his backpack and headed out to our favorite Alaska Airlines.

On the 4th we took the boys to the Anacortes parade where grandma and grandpa were walking with the Shell Fire trucks and Great Auntie Dorothy and Deb's cousin Jenny were riding with cousin Zachary.

Both boys thought it was way too loud at the parade and spend most of it like this.

Deb's snuggles weren't enough for Antonio so he picked up Elijah's arms and wrapped them around himself. They were so sweet snuggling together.

Deb's cousin Jen and her husband Steven came with Zachary (one month younger than Antonio) and Baby Emma (just one year old) along with Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Bob from Texas for the week.

At first Antonio wasn't so sure about cousin Zachary but in the end he was so happy to play with him! And was fascinated with "petting" baby Emma.

It was amazingly hotter in Oak Harbor than in Burbank so there was a lot of water play.And eating outside.... At night Antonio went to stay at Mamma's house, which he really enjoyed. Mamma had some great books that he hadn't read before and he was thrilled to read them. And surprise all his grandparents that he actually CAN read.

And every night he slept so well! It was a great trip.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

You are the best Mommy a boy could have. I love you.

P.S. - Daddy loves you a lot, too.

A Day at the Beach

Though we live in LA we don't go to the beach because it is a bit of a drive, but today we took the drive. Antonio has been to the beach in Washington but never a 'real' beach with nice sand and warm water to play in...it was so much fun!

At first all he wanted to do was dig...

With a lot of coaxing he ventured closer to the water....

and a little hiding behind daddy...and the squeals, they were nonstop! And HILARIOUS!

Until finally he was IN and wouldn't stop chasing the waves!

It was an awesome day at the beach!

Cupcakes Make My Tummy Happy

Daddy is 37 - wow that is a lot! And Antonio being the best celebrator of Birthdays is so happy to help. The boys were alone for their little party and had a great time....

First you have to sing.....


Then, you blow out the candle and dive in!



And then you are happy and so is your tummy!




Yes, Antonio did dress up for the occassion in his "uniform" aka his Cubs shirt and hat, which for the past several months has been the ONLY thing he will wear. Luckily there are a few Cubs shirts, and he doesn't know it - phew.

L-A-U-R-I-E spells Laurie

After far too long Laurie came to visit this weekend....And Antonio was slightly excited.


After the bouncing it was time to calm and read before bath and bedtime...

And then time for bedtime stories and snuggling.

On Saturday, he wanted to revisit his last memory of Laurie coming and wanted her to take him to the park with the field to run and play and most importantly...

SING - Peace like a river...his favorite song.

But then it was time to pretend and play. And one of the best things about Antonio is his great imagination. We built a nest and then he and Laurie added birds and blankets and fun. The greatest gift of Antonio's love with Laurie is that they are so completely comfortable together and he can quickly become his normal self - pretending, giggling and playing.

At the end of the visit this genuine happy smile is worth all the heart-ache of missing our best friend.

The Blog Slackers

The new year has meant a lot of new things for us and one of those was not blogging...and now we have needed to look back at the blog for various information about Antonio's life so we are going to start being better again.

The blog has essentially been our baby book - the place we track when Antonio does things, reaches certain milestones and how he is growing.

Here are just a few more pictures of his busy past few months - those that were not lost on the hard drive that Deb left in the seat back pocket of an Alaska Airlines flight and no one seems to have found!

Don't worry he can't really ride it but he looks cute :)

This is Antonio's uniform right now. Wal-mart sweats which he wants to wear daily - a cubs shirt, which thankfully we have 2 - and a cubs hat from Uncle Rod. Who knows why but this kid LOVES the Cubs.

At the parks he has been playing more with other kids...so fun to watch. Especially this big bald kid he seems to always have fun with.

For many weeks we went to Bob's every Saturday - That's all over now that we have gone Gluten-Free - more on that another time.
But most of all he is just having fun being a boy...