Jack Victor

Jack Victor was born on January 14, 2009.  He was our very first great grandchild and he came on the heels of a dream that his great grandfather had in which a super baby was born.  And Jack has lived up to that dream from the get go.

Jack is an important part of this small family:

And an important part of this large family:

Following is Jack pictorially 'through the years'.  These pictures were taken roughly 6 months apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I go through the files for these last two birthday posts, I'm reminded over and over what a lucky grandma/great grandma I am.  Jack is also a kind and loving person.  He's well liked by his peers and teachers alike.  He's good to his siblings and his cousins adore him.

So Happy 5th Birthday, Jack.  Enjoy your coming year full of new experiences, more school where your brother, Dane, will be joining you, and lots of learning which we know you love.   We couldn't be more proud of you and we're so happy that you're our GREAT grandson!

Previous posts about Jack were in 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009

Happy Birthday, Trey

Today is our grandson Trey's birthday.  He was born 4 years ago in Louisville KY.  He's our 18th grandchild and 11th grandson.  He weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and was healthy and robust from the start.

While I waited for his party to be over in Louisville I gathered some interesting pictures about him on my computer.  Like pictures that show what a very happy baby he was.

and how anxious he was to feed himself at an early age.

and how early he and his cousin, Eli, started playing together.

I also found pictures that showed how much he loved Grandma's ice cream cones from the get-go,

 how studious he was before he could even read,

 how nicely he wore Grandma's gardening shoes,

 and how early he learned to wiggle his mustache just like Grandpa.

And finally it was time for the interview.

Here's how it went.  Happy Birthday, Trey!  Are you having a good day?  Yeah.  I played with a water cannon and  I got a new gun!  Do you like it?  Yeah.  And it has the ball and I shoot the ball and you pull it back one time and then it gets pulled back and it shoots.

What have you done so far?   I had a good birthday party.

Did you have a birthday cake?  I only had my cupcake to eat and ice cream to eat.  Ice cream and cupcake to eat and I had a good party!

What was your favorite present?  The gun.

Have you been a good boy this year?  Yes

 Have you been helpful?  Yep

And have you been nice?  Yeah

Is Santa Claus going to bring you any presents for Christmas?  Whenever Santa Claus comes to your house, he brings you presents.    Did you ask for anything?   No.   But I know one of the things that I like for my birthday.   What?  A Lightning McQueen Bike. 

Are you coming to Michigan City after Christmas to visit with all your cousins?  No  Do you remember when Jack and Zachary and Eli and Dane are all there.  Oh yeah. 

What can you tell us about yourself that I didn't ask about?  You didn't ask about cleaning my room.  Did you clean your room?  I cleaned it but it was a little messy.

Then we got disconnected and that pretty well wrapped our interview. Of course, there's lots more I could tell you about Trey.  He's very athletic,

 a super fast runner,

has scads of personality,

and a wonderful sense of humor.

All in all, he's a wonderful little boy and we're proud and happy that he's our grandson.  So, Trey, we're glad you're having an awesome day and hope the coming year is full of happy days just like this one!

Happy Birthday, Aubrey

Two years ago today we added a first to our family.  Aubrey Lynn was our very first great granddaughter.  And she was (and still is) beautiful!!

She was welcomed by her adoring parents, Amber (our first granddaughter) and Chris,

 Her grandmother, Amy (our daughter),

and big brothers (in the background here) Jack and Dane.  Here you can see her welcoming (or getting used to) brand new little brother Wade.  Don't worry, Wade's eight months old now and she really does like him a lot.

Her birth initiated one of my all-time favorite amateur photo shoot shots entitled 'When Photo Shoots Fall Apart'.

You can see that she took it all in stride and that's pretty much the way she rolls.

There might be chaos all around, but Aubrey remains stoic - just taking everything in.  She was like that when she was tiny and she's like that now.

Aubrey has lots of talents and interests though.  You might think, with three brothers, she'd be a little intimidated but not so much.  She can hold her own with all of them and play their games as well as they do.

And even though necessity sometimes has her playing boys' games, she never forgets her female origins.

Her femininity is also demonstrated by her amazing accessorizing skills.

 

Although sometimes those boy fashions have a tendency to rear their masculine heads.

Aubrey is also quirky

friendly,

Fun-loving,

and generous.

 She can dance

knows her way around cell phones,

 of all kinds

and she's a very good eater

and doesn't care who knows it.

All in all, Aubrey's a wonderful little girl.  We're so happy that she's part of our family and we're hoping her birthday is as awesome as her.