Anthony Does the Midwest

Last week we bundled up the little guy, threw some clothes and diapers in a suitcase and popped him on a plane bound for our homeland, the great Midwest.

Home Alone IV, anyone?

Just kidding...Grandma Char and Grandpa Dave were just an arm's length away after meeting us at the Bloomington, Illinois airport.

After getting out of the airport in about 10 minutes and making the five-minute drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house (I LOVE the Bloomington airport) to enjoy a true Bloomington classic -- Avanti's gondola sandwiches -- for lunch (next time, little guy), we headed north to Freeport to visit with Grandma Dianne and Grandpa Harry.

Anthony had some fun new experiences, including sitting up in the bathtub like the big boy we all know he is.

He also sauntered into the barber chair for his first professional hair cut...

... and encountered his mom's old nemesis -- snow -- for the first time, although just through the window (I would never subject my child firsthand to such torture).

Finally, Anthony took his first "drive" courtesy of Grandpa. Unfortunately for Grandpa, no good deed goes unpunished, and Anthony immediately started crying everytime Grandpa dared to stop pulling Anthony and his car around and around in circles.But even better than all the fun and games, Anthony met a lot of new family and friends and enjoyed spending time with some old favorites, although Aunt Kerry, Jane and Ed, and mom's Aunt Becky and Uncle Jeff somehow managed to escape the camera...

Best of all, Anthony loved meeting and spending time with his Great Grandpa...

He got to hang out with mom's longtime friend Megan and her daughter, the adorable Alexis. Although Alexis is twice Anthony's age, it was love at first sight...

Anthony got a lift from one of our closest friends from college, Matt; and hung out with Grandma's and Grandpa's good friends Joe and Carolyn (who showed pictures of a granddaughter the little guy would definitely like to meet some day!)

After Freeport, it was back to Bloomington, where Anthony was thrilled to meet his Aunt Ellen and cousins Bradley and Matthew; and to spend time with Grandma Char and Grandpa Dave.

He also got to see his Aunt Jenny, mom's oldest (as in longtime, not age!) friend, meet Grandma and Grandpa's friends Don and Bev, and partake in another Midwest classic, Tobin's Pizza. This time, Grandpa Dave, Aunt Ellen and Don and Bev all managed to escape the camera.

Anthony even found a new victim -- I mean friend -- to pull him in a wagon when Bradley, who is almost 3, took him for a spin. Once again, Anthony graced us all with tears and whining when the ride stopped, but Bradley was a good sport and made many trips around the house.

Meanwhile, Anthony checked out his younger cousin, Matthew, who is four months old, adorable, quiet, constantly smiling and already sleeps from like 7 p.m. to 8 in the morning.

Not that I'm jealous.

And the little guy got to see one of the first people he ever met, Aunt Jenny.

He wishes to apologize for attempting to eat her necklace.

It was so much fun seeing everyone, and watching how quickly Anthony took to his cousins.

He almost immediately showed more interest in them than I've ever seen him show with other children. Usually he plays "near" other kids, rather than "with" them. But in this case, his eyes followed Bradley everywhere Bradley went, and he spent lots of time terrorizing...I mean gazing at...little Matthew.

We're really look forward to the years ahead, watching the three boys growing up and having fun together.

Here are some photos... Anthony enviously watching Bradley eat his Tobin's pizza, stealing Matthew's pacifier and either gazing into Matthew's eyes or trying to tackle him, whichever you prefer.



After Bloomington, we headed to St. Louis, where Aunt Ellen, Uncle Justin, and Bradley and Matthew reside. Our main goal was to spend more time with family, but Brandon and I had a couple ulterior motives...a visit to yet another Midwest classic, Cunetto's House of Pasta (apparently all we did when we lived in the Midwest was eat Italian food), as well as several outings to watch our alma mater, Illinois State University, play in the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament. Many thanks to Grandma Char for enduring (watching) the boy while we enjoyed some baby-free outings!

We even convinced Grandma and Anthony to join us for the final game of the tourney (which the Redbirds lost in overtime, unfortunately).

Despite that, Anthony was so excited to attend his first sporting event, and spent the first half helping to cheer the Redbirds onto victory, every voice proclaim, we've got the fight, we've got the might, let's win...this...game...I-S-U Go!

(Sorry, college flashback...)

However, as the second half wore on, Anthony got a little bored, and found a comfy shoulder courtesy of Grandma Char...

No big deal...it wasn't a very exciting game, anyway....

After the game, we made it back to Miami intact, with only Brandon's Miami sweatshirt and my cell phone going missing. We had so much fun visiting family and friends, and it made us realize how much we'd like to live closer to family.