One thing I look forward to each year is figuring out how I will honor Gina on her birthday. I got off to a pretty rough start in this particular aspect of our relationship, but I like to think I have redeemed myself somewhat in the past several years, and this is now one of my favorite events of the year.

This year the boys and I wanted to fill the day with as many of Gina's favorite things as we possibly could. We started the day with gluten-free waffles, scrambled eggs, and fresh blueberries and nectarines. This was the first time in awhile I had gotten my act together enough to fix breakfast before 9:00, and it felt awesome. Considering when the boys will have to be at school every morning when they start Kindergarten, we should get in the habit of moving a little more quickly in the morning.

We followed our breakfast with presents, which is always a lot of fun. I enjoy watching the boys get excited about the presents as much as I love seeing Gina open them. The main present this year was an art project I undertook in which I made a plaster cast of the boys' hands and put them in a fancy display box with their picture. Gina and I have always talked about how sad it will be when they no longer have "baby" hands, so I preserved them as a reminder of how incredibly blessed we are and how precious these days are.

After presents, we packed up the car for a bike ride on the Trinity River Trail. The weather could not have been more perfect on this day, and we took advantage of it by biking for nearly 5 miles. And yes, the boys hung with us the whole time. In fact, Sam led the way (Nate was the leader on our last expedition). The high temperature the day before Gina's birthday was an incredible 74 degrees, and it was below 80 on the day of our ride. Because this was in the middle of the week, there were very few people out, and we essentially had the entire trail to ourselves. At the end of the day, everyone agreed this was the best part of the day.

We relaxed and went to swimming lessons that afternoon (while I attended a meeting at work), then we cleaned up and took Gina to dinner that night. She had no idea where we were going, so we were able to surprise her by going to a Hibachi grill in our neighborhood. The boys went to a Hibachi when they were about 17 months old and didn't remember it, so this was a real treat for them as well as Gina. The chef was very entertaining and the food was fantastic. It was a great end to a perfect day!

We three guys are so very blessed to have Gina in our lives. Speaking for myself, she has been a wonderful friend, adventure partner, companion, and mother to my sons. She loves the Lord and lives out His purpose in her life. She also puts up with me, which is no easy task. It is a privilege for me to be able to honor Gina on her birthday, and every day, and we look forward to many more celebrations.