A Big Month

We are already half-way through March, and each day is bringing us closer to the 30th, when Griffin turns one! It is cliche to say how fast time flies, but our first year with this sweet little boy has truly flown. He is SO MUCH FUN! I think he will be much more of a challenge in the discipline area than Gabe ever was, but that doesn't make him any less cute :). An example: he knows not to touch the fireplace in the kitchen and most of the time, he just crawls right on by it. Other days, though, his curiosity gets the better of him and he will crawl up to it. He'll sit there looking at it for a minute. Then he'll reach his hand up to touch it, all the while shaking his head "no"! And smiling. And he likes the trash can. He sees us putting things in there, so I guess he feels like he should be too? I have to check it for toys every time I walk by.

Gabe is on countdown to turn 5 in May. He asks a couple of times a week how many days it is until his birthday. We are going to break out all of his kites (at least 5 that we have never used!) at the park for his birthday. He and I are reading Charlotte's Web before bed every night (and whenever we have a few minutes free with Griffin taking a nap). He wrote the whole alphabet the other day and only needed help on the M, N, V and W!

Ryan has been back to work for a couple of weeks now. A few days after he started back he got a bad cold, which for him was made worse because coughing gives him a headache. He still doesn't have any energy, which is tough, but getting back in the office some has been encouraging. Besides playing the XBOX with his brothers and buddies, I think the highlights of his days are making Griffin laugh and playing Monopoly Deal (a short, fast version of Monopoly played with a deck of cards) with Gabe and I. We play at least once a day and believe it or not, Gabe wins half the time!

As for me, I am turning 30 the day after Griffin turns 1! My mom and dad are flying out for our birthdays, which we (Gabe especially:) are all looking forward to. I have been busy trying to get in shape for a sprint triathlon at Smith Mountain Lake in May. Why not turn 30 and do something crazy? I am swimming once a week, running as much as possible, and I'll start practicing on the bike as of tomorrow. There is so much more to think about than just a regular old running race! It has already been an adventure and the race is two months away! I just might post more about it another day--aside from husband, kids, a new Bible study, and LIFE, this triathlon is my main focus these next few weeks so writing about it will be fun for me (hope it doesn't bore my readers!)

Well, I guess that is us as of the second week of March! We are excited for Spring, warm weather, family, and birthdays. Having fun things to anticipate is good medicine!