Happy 25th Birthday Anthony!!!!!

My baby boy is now 25 years old, wow. I have reflected on some of my memories and thoughts about him and am sharing them as part of his birthday present. They are not in any particular order, they are not complete, and they are as accurate as my reflections make them.

1. Anthony was born on my sister Katherine's birthday and I think that is the coolest thing.
2. I did not know if he was going to be a boy or girl and can't even remember the girl choice names but he was going to be either Andrew or Anthony and as soon as he was handed to me after he was born I knew he was to be Anthony. Anthony: priceless, inestimable worth.
3. He is also called Bud, because he is my bud.
4. I am glad he would ask me to catch ball with him in the backyard, I should have done it more.
5. Between about 9 months and age 2 he rode on the back of my bike all over Escondido. I was so excited to get a baby seat for a bicycle. We would go the park, bank, store; anywhere my bike would take me. I crashed once when he was under 1 and felt so bad but grateful he was wearing a little bike helmet for toddlers.
6. When he was around 4 he wanted to ride his little trike up and down the street and he wanted to wear a helmet so he made himself one out of a sand bucket and would wear it all the time.
7. I remember vividly the summer he was 16 and drove off to debate camp in St. George for two weeks. When Anthony left I would look down to see his eyes when we talked, when he came home I had to look up to see his eyes.
8. I spent 2 ½ weeks with him at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City the summer he was 10. We went to the emergency room on July 4 and he had pneumonia. He was so weak and sick. The doctors ended up having to scrape the jell from the lining of his lungs doing an operation. I only left him every other night when Craig would spend the night with him so I could go home and shower and sleep in a regular bed. I would be back up by 8 the next morning. It was a very long two weeks and I was so excited when he got to come home.
9. Aimee and Anthony are best friends especially since they have been at college together. I am so grateful that he has been with her the whole time she has been at BYU.
10. At age 4,Anthony was so excited when he knew he was going to have a baby sister. He had wanted a long time, he would always kiss her and hold her. But one particular long day, when I had said to him way too many times “Not now, Aimee needs me”, he said “ I thought I wanted a baby sister, but I didn't.”
11. We moved into our first home in Escondido the day Anthony was born, what a day to celebrate. My mother in law unpacked our belongings because I was still at the hospital with him.
12. We moved into our second home in El Cajon when he was two and shortly after moving there, San Diego experienced an earthquake that really shook the house. He urged me to take him out of the house and refused to go back into that shaky home.
13. When he received his mission call to Bulgaria, I did not even know that was a country and where it was. He wrote home every week and for the longest time 3 letters one for each of us in the family until Craig told him he could write one letter home. As far as we knew the whole time he was on his mission he got along with every companion because he never complained about any of them.
14. I am thrilled that he has a memory like his Grandpa Brinkman, very sharp and lasting. When his Grandpa Brinkman visited us in Escondido, Anthony was his joy and they had so much fun playing together.
15. He would not comb his hair to go to high school and would wake up 5 minutes before the bus came, throw on clothes and a hat to wear all day.
16. Anthony is very patient and understanding and can discuss anything with anyone no matter their age or status.
17. He is a very talented writer and poet.
18. Anthony married the best young lady for him, and Jana and him compliment each other immensely. I am so thankful they are together.

19. Our family would often go on Saturday day adventures, Anthony would whine and try to get out of going. We often bribed him to come with us. He usually enjoyed the adventure once he came. One was a hike to overlook the Salt Lake Valley, it was harder and longer than we thought and Aimee got tired so he helped to carry her.
20. He has never hesitated to hug or kiss me and tell me he loves me.
21. I helped teach him to drive in a stick shift on hills, mostly by giving him practice time. It was crazy. He bought his first truck from us and sold it and his X-box to help pay for his mission.
22. During a very amazing experience of being lost for 3 days in Dark Canyon with four other 14 year old boys, he drew very close to them and our Heavenly Father and knows he can trust Him to take care of him.
23. He is extremely intelligent.
24. I learn from his choices and experiences regularly.

25. His is one of my greatest blessings.