Oh, the similarities!

So I hate to admit it, but there are 2 things I have in common with George Dubya Bush. Scary!

First, Anthony is quickly learning the letters of the alphabet. He has about 75% of them down. He loves pointing them out on signs while we're out and about and in his books when we're reading. He gets really excited about finding letters that he knows. So cute. However, there is one that is hands-down my favorite of all the letters in his current repertoire. That letter is W. If he really takes his time to pronounce it, it sounds like "double-ya," but almost all of the time, it comes out sounding like, "dub-ya." It is SO FREAKING FUNNY! Mark and I crack up every time he says it, which of course gets Anthony laughing and saying it more because he knows we can't contain ourselves when it comes out of his mouth. "Dub-ya! Hahahaha! Yea, dub-ya! Hahahaha! Yea! Yea!" You get the idea. I need to record it soon before that, too, is a fond memory of the past.

Second, Jenna Bush and her (now) husband tied the knot on Saturday, May 10th...which also happened to be Mark and I's (absolutely no clue on the proper grammar) 5th anniversary. We got married on May 10th, 2003. We celebrated by going to Williamsburg for the weekend and staying in a beautiful bed and breakfast, sans Anthony. Grandma was brave and kind enough to take him for the weekend so that Mark and I could celebrate alone. She even came to our house so we wouldn't have to drag all of Anthony's stuff down to her place. And the best part? She survived! It was so so so much appreciated. If you're reading this Mom, thanks again!

Anyway, it was a bit weird at first for Mark and I to get used to the fact that we were going to be away from home without Anthony for 2 whole nights. We have never done that since he's been born. I've gone away for the weekend and Mark's gone away for the weekend, but we've never gone away for the weekend together...alone. Needless to say, it didn't take too long for the weirdness to wear off, but I will say that it is amazing how your body clock changes once you have a kid. It's disgusting that "sleeping in" means that you wake up at 7:30am. Seriously. But anyway, I digress. The trip was amazing and so relaxing - mainly just due to the fact that we really got to concentrate on each other and spend quality time with each other without any interruptions. It was very special.

Thank you, my Marcus, for 5 great years. The road has not been smooth, especially in the last 2 years with losing 2 parents and becoming parents ourselves, but we are stronger for it all and there is nobody else I'd rather be on this journey with. I love you. Here's to the next 5+ more.

The weekend only got better once we left Williamsburg early Sunday morning, as we headed to my aunt's house in Maryland for a big Mother's Day BBQ, complete with Anthony, Mom, Gramma, and so many more amazing people I'm lucky to call family. I wouldn't have had my day any other way. It was perfect. The best part of the day was laying my hands on my little dude after not seeing him since Friday. The smile on his face and the way he kicked his legs when I picked him up was priceless. I missed him so much and, although I knew he was in good hands and had a great time with Grandma, I could tell that he missed me too. It was the best Mother's Day present...ever.