Birthdays and back to work...

This weekend, we celebrated Al and Conner's birthdays with our families. Grandma and Grandpa Conner, Aunt Jamie, Uncle John, Payton, David, and Uncle Jim came to the House of Heinle on Saturday night for dinner. We had a hot dog bar with all of the fixing and taco dip by Aunt Jamie. Aunt Rhonda and her husband came for the highlight of the evening--Conner's bus cake. It was made by one of the Mommies from my online board. It was yummy and cute. I had to bring the rest of the cake into school today, because there was so much cake and it was delicious.
On Sunday, Daddy's family came over for another party. Conner and Al had more cake to share and they both got snickerdoodles from Grandma Carol. Conner got 2 and Al got 41.
As fun as it was to celebrate these birthdays, I know that this day must have been a tough one for Conner's birth mother in Guatemala. Her difficult decision enabled me to be a Mom, something that I have always wanted to be. I said a special prayer on Sunday for the woman that gave us Conner. His smile lights up my days and his enthusiasm for life reminds me daily that our lives are so much richer with him in it. Al is getting used to sharing his birthday with his son. Conner's name is sprawled across the cake these days and Al gets only a three letter mention (Dad)on the cake that they share.
Today, I left Al and Conner at home in bed and returned to work. I am lucky to have wonderful coworkers in my classroom. Rhonda and Anita are hard workers and we love to laugh together. I am so lucky! Wednesday will be the day that Conner returns to daycare at Miss Penny's and we return to the routine of me leaving school immediately at 3:40 to go and get my growing boy.
Conner is developing quite a vocabulary. He is talking more and more. His favorite word over the weekend was "now". He was able to say it was "Nonner's birthday". But I never got him to tell people that he was 2! Maybe someday before he turns three.
Pictures will follow...at some point.