a first, a second and a fourth

a first:
Grant decided on January 1 to start the year off with a new trick: sitting up. He can now crawl and sit up all by himself. This new skill, of course, is being quickly followed by pulling up. Our baby is becoming a boy.

a second:
Congrats to my dear, dear friends Craig and Sarah Crook. Sarah was my roomie, my maid-of-honor and my all around best bud, and she and Craig welcomed their second daughter into the world: Kathryn Eleanor Crook. Bret and I went up to Fort Wayne today to visit, and she's just beautiful. She shares a birthday with her sister, Elizabeth, who just turned 2. The Crook home now has four kids, two parents, and one MASSIVE dog. I love you guys.

a fourth:
The first time I broke my nose, I was in high school in my best friend's backyard on a trampoline. She made that back flip look so easy. The second time I was trying to snag a rebound, but Tamika Dennis, an All American high jumper who went on to set Pac 10 records in track and field, was soaring above me, and I took an elbow to the nose. Blood gushed all over my jersey. We won that game. The third time I was in college, again playing basketball with players out of my league. This time, my son, my darling BABY son, gave me a stiff head-butt (an accident, of course). Crack! Maybe it's because I am older, but this one REALLY hurt. Still does. He really hit me hard (tears--on my part--immediately), but he didn't even whine. Ah, the life of a mother of a soon to be toddler (can I hold out a few more weeks to the dream that he's a baby?)!