Wade Christopher - Yesterday and Today

Today is Wade's 3rd birthday!  Wade is our fourth great grandchild and our 3rd great grandson.

He's an important part of this large family.

And an important part of this large but smaller family.

And an even more important part of this small but large family.

Here is Wade 'through the years'.  

I wrote about Wade when he was born here.  And again in 2014 and in 2015 so that covers a lot of his background.  Now I'm going to write about Wade in the past year.

He's been very busy.  This year he proudly put away daytime diapers and his crib.  And he learned to ride a bike (with training wheels).  He loves water and he'll try anything.  He can hit a baseball and catch very well.

And he's a great singer and memorizes lyrics very quickly.  He's also a great dancer with more moves than most of us have as adults.  He loves the song Immortals from the movie Big Hero 6 which inspires the mood of his dances but the moves are all his.  Here are a few from the kids' Thanksgiving talent show.

And if there's something that's brand new to him, he takes a minute to think about it

 and then masters it.

Also this year he had his first visit to Gulf Shores and was in his first beach 'jump' shot

And had his first New Year's toast.

And there's more I have to add about Wade.  He's one of the smartest, sweetest little guys I've every known (and I've known lots of them).  He's quirky and fun and a real thinker.

The only thing wrong about Wade is that we don't get to see him nearly enough.  (Of course only every day would be enough.)  We're wishing him a very Happy Third Birthday and a year full of happiness and wonderful new experiences.

Beth Helen - Yesterday and Today

Today is Beth's birthday!

Beth was born on a Monday evening after a somewhat arduous labor which is unusual in a 5th child but she was well worth the effort.

She is a very important part of this large family.

That started with this smaller family.

And an even more important part of this smaller family.

I wrote about Beth in these posts:  2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.  They tell a lot about her over the years.

Now I'm going to talk about Beth in the present.

Obviously she's quirky and fun.  No one has a better, sharper sense of humor.

She's loving, kind, and thoughtful so she's empathetic and sensitive to the feelings of others and is the first to offer aid or comfort when it's needed.

She's hard working - SO very hard working.

And it's not just the photographing that keeps her busy.  Every session involves hours of editing and culling and she WILL NOT compromise.  Every session gets the same attention to detail and gets the same beautiful results.

And she's such a hard working girl, that her biggest stressor is finding time for her beloved family. Sometimes she just has to grab the moment - it might be a little spontaneous dancing in the kitchen after dinner,

or a quick photo with one of the kids,

helping them with their homework,

or reveling in their successes and accomplishments.

And, obviously she knows how to dress up for a party.

So you see how much fun she is, how conscientious and loving she is, and how hard she works.

But there's more.  She's a loving daughter, sister, and mother.  She wants the best - not just for herself, but for everyone around her.  She's willing to work hard to provide the best and be the best and she looks for that in all of us.  There's no one more loyal, honest, or forthright than Beth and we could not be prouder of her.

So happy birthday, Beth!  We're hoping you're having the beautiful day you deserve and that the coming year is your best one ever - but only half as awesome as the many more to follow.