David Michael

 

David Michael Hibner was born on January 13, 1998.  He was our 7th grandchild and our 5th grandson.  He's an important part of this small family:

And an important part of this large family:

Following is David, pictorially, through the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that's David 'through the years'.  As I wend my way through his file, the smile never leaves my face because although he's changed and grown and matured, the person that is David and always has been David has never changed.  He was and still is the sweetest, kindest, most loving boy imaginable.  We are beyond proud of him and know how blessed we are to have him for a grandson.  

 

Happy Birthday, David!  Enjoy your year ahead where you'll get your driver's license, become an Eagle Scout, and continue to hone your basketball skills.  You are one awesome kid!!!

Note.  I previously wrote about David in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

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, Katie!

Katie is our 8th grandchild and our 3rd granddaughter.

She was born in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, an Army post in the Missouri Ozarks.

Yesterday was Katie's 14th birthday and although we were able to wish her a happy birthday, we weren't able to conduct her birthday interview until today.  Here's how it went.

So you were 14 yesterday.  Does 14 feel older to you than 13?  It doesn't feel different but 14 is more fun to say.

 Did you have a good birthday?  Yeah, I think it was my favorite yet.

Did you do anything special?  Well, we had tea ring for breakfast and then my mom and I went black Friday shopping.  Did you get any good deals?  Oh yeah, it was so fun!

So I know the day before your birthday was Thanksgiving, your birthday was on black Friday, and the day after your birthday you start decorating for Christmas.  Did your birthday get lost in the commotion or was it part of a big, busy celebration weekend?  Umm, it was a great weekend!   So fun!  My family definitely made my birthday really special.  We went out to eat at Cheesecake Factory, I got a ton of clothes from our shopping trip, and I got two of my favorite movies - Safe Haven and Grown Ups.

Has volleyball started yet?  Team meeting is tomorrow and then we start practices for club volleyball.   So will your mom be coaching again this year?  No, she's not coaching this year.  Awww, will you miss that?  Well when she coached I always thought she was hardest on me so I think I'm going to be okay.

So are you and David in the same school now?  Our school has a high school side and a middle school side so we're technically in the same school but we really don't see each other much.  Is it neat when you do see him?  Sometimes.  If he's in a good mood he'll say hi but sometimes he'll just walk by.

 Do you play any other sports?  No, just volleyball.

Do you like being in an Army family?  I think it's really cool.  I get to move around every few years.  And although, at first I don't like it, I get to meet new people and go to new places and it makes it all worthwhile.

 What were the highlights of the past year?  I got my braces off!!!!  

We were there last Spring for an awards program where you were on the stage multiple times.  Obviously you were a good student with good grades.  Is this year as successful as last?  Oh definitely!

I'm not slacking off at all!!

Do you have any goals or special plans for the coming year?  For Christmas I asked for a guitar.  If I get one I'd like to try to learn how to play.

What can you tell us about yourself that might be interesting?  I'm into photography and I'm a perfectionist so it takes me forever to do anything.  Also, we got a dog and he is so cute AND he was my idea.  

And that concluded our interview.  But as usual, there's lots more I could tell you about Katie.  First of all I'm sure she'll be great at guitar because she's not only a great Wii guitar player...

but she's a gifted air guitar player too.

Also, she's a friend and helper to her little brother Zachary

And to every one of her younger cousins who adore her.

 

 

And she's sweet and helpful to everybody else too.  She and her mother were our landscapers when we renovated the exterior of our house and she worked as hard and as tirelessly as anybody.

She's very athletic and has excelled in many sports.

 

 

She's a sweet and loving sister to her three brothers,

 She's loves her whole family of course

And she's a really great turtle catcher.

 But most of all, Katie is one of the sweetest loveliest girls you could ever know!  She's truly a blessing to our family and we're wishing her the happiest year ever!