Easter In Pictures

Gabe's 1st of 3 Easter Egg hunts...It was hilarious to see how excited he was! He was almost shaking when they said "Go!" They didn't even put candy in the eggs, but he still had fun opening them all up. And we got a doughnut afterwards, so can you beat that?? This one was put on by Trinity Mission Health and Rehab Center, so there were a lot of elderly people watching all of the kids. Gabe and I want to go back and check out the fish tanks and visit with some of the folks living there. He really loves having conversations with people, no matter what their age, so I think a lot of people would get a kick out of chatting with him.


Hunt #2 was at the library during Story Hour. Miss Joyce made Jellybean Soup and Gabe found a bunch more eggs. These actually had candy in them...


We saved the best for last...there were 15,000 eggs scattered throughout Waid Park and Gabe snagged his fair share of them. He had so much fun opening them all up and dumping out the stickers, tattoos, erasers, bracelets and candies. They kept him busy for a couple of days afterward. We ran into some buddies there, too!

Weekend Update with...

It's hard to believe that it is Friday already! This week has flown by and been packed full. We headed up to northern VA Monday afternoon without Gabe, which was kinda nice. I always dread keeping him occupied at NIH while Ryan is getting CT scans and we're waiting forever for doctors. Tori was more than happy to keep him at the lake so that we had one less thing to think about. We stopped in to see Grandma Barb and Grandpa Herman and they were sad that Gabe wasn't with us, but we'll make it up to them--we'll be up there for Easter this Sunday!
We got some great quality time in with Noah and Rachel, and aside from blood tests, peeing in a jug, CT scans, waiting 4 hours to see the doctor and lots of rush-hour traffic, we had a really nice trip. We had lunch at P.F. Changs and I got some time in at Wegman's and even the mall, so it was a well-rounded visit to Maryland. The best news is that Ryan's kidneys look fine--he doesn't have to get them checked again for a year. Now we just have to get through the neurology tests in June to make sure his brain and spine look good.
This weekend is looking pretty busy already...Ryan had off today because the market closes on Good Friday. We were on our local cable station this morning putting a plug in for some community events coming up. It was a lot of fun! We didn't get to watch it yet, so we'll try to tune in tonight to see how we look on t.v. Gabe attended his second Easter Egg Hunt at the library after that. I'll load up the pictures this weekend...we'll be dying some eggs, too--probably with our friends Tom and Bryan, who should be here any time now. They'll be here until tomorrow night and then Sunday after church we'll be heading up to Front Royal for a big Easter dinner with lots of family. We are looking forward to it!

Spring is in...

Yes, spring is in the air. The chilly, rainy days have far outnumbered the sunny ones so far. The daffodils are prolific and yellow. The swing in our yard has held a tiny bum any time there has been a touch of warmth in the air. The birds start their singing early every morning even when it is pouring rain, like it was today. Spring has arrived, forgiving the winter for its cold harshness and redeeming it with fresh smells, green grass, new buds and the promise of blue skies. I am thankful that it is here. Fall used to be my favorite season, but I think that spring has moved in to take its place. Spring is the promise of things to come. It is about new life. And Easter makes it about redemption. How grateful I am that Jesus paid the ultimate price for a sinner like me and gave me the opportunity to have new life.

I am glad that my birthday falls in the spring, as well. I can start my 28th year with the blooming grape hyacinths and the first warm breezes of 2009. It was actually sunny and kind of warm on my birthday this year. I had a very special day carefully planned out by Ryan. I assumed that we would be spending some of my birthday cash in Roanoke and hanging out, but was very surprised when we headed south on 220 and ended up in Greensboro. We stopped for ice cream at a place called Yum Yum's and made a few other fun stops along the way. Our final destination, however, was the new Anthropologie store there! It happens to be my favorite store (here is the link if you are curious...www.anthropologie.com) We wandered the store for a long time and Gabe helped me try on a bunch of dresses and the cutest pair of pants. (Sorry I forgot to text you a picture, Tiff!) It was a memorable birthday, for sure.

Some updates...
-Ryan has check-ups in Maryland next week--please pray for good results.
-Gabe can't get enough of his jets and airplanes and helicopter. He is flying something at almost any given time of the day.
-Lasternight is still a word in his vocabulary. He also pronounces airport "orport"; Bear is a pilot and Duck is his co-pilot; he'd love to have a whole bag of jellybeans in the tupperware container of his choice; a box full of packing peanuts has produced many bowls of popcorn for him and I while we all watch AFV; and last but not least, he thinks that we don't need to pray for our food if it isn't hot!

We finally got snow! Gabe loved it...until his hands got too cold!

Haircut!

I know the market is horrible, but does anyone want to buy some stock?

Catch-Up!

Wow, I think I might be in a time warp...Every time I kept thinking I needed to update the blog, it felt like it had only been a few days. Then I realized maybe a week had passed, but I had plenty of good excuses as to why I didn't get to it in a week. Now, it's been about two whole weeks and I am shocked at how fast this year has already gone. I really have been busy, though! Somebody just told me that I am the most travelingest person they know...

Last week Gabe and I were down in SC with the Keigley's for a few days. Gabe learned how to paint his toenails, we got to see a little dinosaur hatch, we went to see a fun train layout, and we had our own Japanese steakhouse night. We enjoyed ourselves very much and although we are sad that the Keigleys live far away, it is fun to have out-of-town friends to visit!

As soon as we got back from SC, Mike called to tell me he and a friend that he works with would be coming to visit Tuesday through Thursday of last week. It worked out well because Ryan's birthday was on Wednesday, so they were able to celebrate with us. Ryan's 29th was nice, but pretty low-key, maybe we'll save up the excitement for the big 3-0 next year!

I got another surprise phone call last week! My dad was flying to DC for work and was able to extend his trip if I was able to drive up and meet him. Gabe and I made the quick decision that it would be a fun opportunity for some good Dad/Grandpa time and we headed up Monday afternoon. We got to see some more trains, went to the new Air and Space Museum by Dulles Airport, had lunch with my cousins, went to the American History Museum in DC, and hung out with Noah and Rachel. Gabe really enjoyed Grandpa Dave (he called him Grandpa Davie twice, but I doubt it will stick ;) and I had fun getting some one-on-one with my Daddy. I'm trying to get out to Colorado in March and I can't wait for Gabe to see my Dad's trains then. He will be beside himself!

On our way back from DC Gabe and I stopped in at the farm to see Ryan's grandparents. We had a nice lunch with them and I think Gabe could have hung out there all day! It was such a beautiful day--I really just wanted to hike around in the woods and jump through creeks and enjoy the sunshine. Maybe this spring we'll have the opportunity. I know Gabe would love it!

Now, it is Friday morning and I am gearing up for the weekend. Mike and Abby will be getting here tonight sometime and Noah and Rachel are heading this way tomorrow morning. I'm not sure what is in store for the holiday weekend, but I'll update you next week! Really!

Oh yeah, and my camera is 'a wittle bit sick' (that is what Gabe would say everytime he coughed last week...'Mom, I'm a wittle bit sick') so I don't have many pictures to document our recent travels. Riley sent me some of Gabe and his nail-painting adventures and Tori sent me one of us on Ryan's birthday, so I'll get those posted!