Happy Birthday, Dan and Dave

They're 38 today and that doesn't seem possible. Just yesterday:

They were a couple of the cutest, sweetest boys you'd ever want to meet. They were adventuresome and funny. However, no one ever has or probably ever will make each one laugh like his brother can.

They were boy scouts and good citizens. And they were hard working. No one that hired them for anything was ever disappointed. In fact they were well known for how hard and fast they worked.

They were (and are) athletic and good sports. Someday some of their baseball pictures will surface and I'll include them in a post. Now I'll just include this photo indicating their current sport of choice.

Both have varied talents and interests. Dan is a gifted photographer and plays the violin and guitar. Dave plays the kidtar:

and rebuilt a jeep - top to bottom - a few years ago.

Their Army career so far has been stellar. They were both members of the cadre at the military college they attended.

Here they are after a water exercise at the Army advance camp at Ft. Lewis Washington:

Here they've just graduated from Airborne School and completed the required parachute jumps.

And here they are the first time they met up at the Baghdad International Airport after the drive to Baghdad where each led a company of engineers as their battalions fought their way there.

They're both on the promotion list and should become Lieutenant Colonels in about August.

And they're so much more than the sum totals of their military careers. They're devoted fathers and loving husbands. Nothing is more important to each of them than their families.

They've both extensively renovated their homes and their landscaping. And they even spend some of their very precious leave time helping us with our home. A couple of years ago they completely replaced the roof on our house.

Right now Dan is in Florida after spending a week at Disney World with his family. He just returned from his deployment to Iraq in March.

Dave is in Afghanistan and with things getting chaotic over there, please remember him in your prayers.

Their sisters claim that their father and I favor them but of course that's not true. I will say though that their sisters adore them and so do their nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and a lot of their friends. But what's not to adore.

They are a couple of the cutest sweetest men you'd ever want to meet.

Happy Birthday, Dan and Dave. We're so proud of you!