Dane Robert - Through The Years

Dane Robert, our second great grandson, was born two years ago today.

Here he is pictorially through the years; however, since he only has two years so far, these pictures were taken about every three months.

Isn't he adorable?  But there's lots more about Dane than how cute he is.  In fact his mother, Amber, posted on Facebook that he's sweet, sensitive, hilarious, and athletic.  Let's see if that's true.

Sweet.  Here he is loving his Daddy and that's sweet.

Here he has his arm around his big brother as he proudly points out his new sister.  That's definitely sweet.

And here he's helping his Daddy blow out the birthday candles.  Does it get any sweeter?

Sensitive.  Here we see him baring his belly so his new friend won't be self conscious about hers.


And here we see him realizing that he's the butt of everybody's laughter.  (Even thought it was meant in the most affectionate way.)

He gets some help from his Aunt Jenna.

And keeps himself carefully covered after that.  (Sorry Daney.  I really only took the picture because of the towel puddled around your feet.  I didn't even see anything else until later.)

That was very sensitive of him.

Hilarious.  He's always been hilarious but I really started to appreciate it when he observed that everybody seemed to squint when they smiled for the camera and he started to also.  That's hilarious.

Athletic.  If there's a ball and bat in sight, he finds it and he knows what to do with it.  For example, yesterday he found the ball and bat and he found people playing catch so he waited for the game to start.
 
 And waited.
 

And waited.

Finally, his great grandma (me) decided to pitch a few to him.  He certainly knows to keep his eye on the ball.

Sometimes he had to wait for me because I was both pitcher and picture taker.

And it was challenging for him because he was both batter and catcher.

So he soon grew tired of our game and went off to seek a real ball game with real players.

Finally all the kids went for a 45 minutes hike in the woods.  On their return, Dane found the bat and ball and resumed the search for the ball game.

He didn't find it.  Instead it was time for birthday cake and presents for his step grandpa.  But at the end of the day, the last picture I took, was of Dane still patiently waiting for that ball game.

As his mother said, there are lots of other wonderful things about Dane.  For one, he's a quick learner.  He learned how to hold a baby from his Mommy.

And how to rake leaves from his Daddy.

He's also daring,


courageous,

enthusiastic,
 
and a loving little brother to Jack.

There are many more wonderful things about Dane.  He's one of the most awesome little guys you'd ever want to meet.  And he always remembers his great grandma and grandpa when he visits.  But the most important thing about Dane today is that it's his birthday and we're hoping that it's as incredibly perfect as he is.

Happy Birthday, Dane!  We couldn't love you more!

Tracy Allen - Through The Years

We first met Tracy about ten years ago and he's felt like part of our family ever since (although he didn't make it official until a little over eight years ago when he married our daughter, Amy).

And today is his birthday.  I typically show pictures of the birthday subject 'through the years' which is difficult for some of the newer members of the family.  However, Tracy's family and then our daughter has been generous about sharing his pictures starting when he was quite young.

So here's Tracy, pictorially, through the years.

 

 

 
There are lots of interesting things about Tracy starting with his interests.  First of all, you couldn't help but notice that in his first two pictures he's holding dogs.  What those pictures don't show is that his love for holding dogs has never waned.

Of course he has many other interests which include but aren't limited to (as you can see) camping, fishing, and partying in his garage.

He's a real family guy at heart and embraced his role as step dad to Amy's kid from the get go.

Ditto for his role as step granddad for he now has three step grandchildren!



He's also helpful.

 Loving.

And hard-working.

But most of all he loves to laugh.  You would be hard pressed to find somebody who enjoys a good time more than Tracy.

So Tracy, here's wishing you a very happy birthday.  We're proud and happy to have you in our family and we love you like a son-in-law.


Actually that last paragraph was in deference to Tracy's love for a good laugh.  Really, Tracy we love you like a son and hope your birthday is amazing.

You Capture - Begins With B

Beth's You Capture challenge this week was to photograph items that start with the letter B.  Naturally I waited as long as possible to begin my project and naturally I struggled.

Of course I wanted to include my favorite B subjects - bluebirds but sightings have been much fewer and farther between so the captures I did get were in much less than ideal conditions and try as I might, I just couldn't fix the photos so that they looked good.  Here's proof.

 So I went with this Bird - a female cardinal but first and foremost - a Bird.  By far my best option.

 

For more and better shots of subjects that begin with B, visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Marcus Joel - Through The Years

Today is our son-in-law, Marcus', birthday.  He's only been with us for about ten years so here he is pictorially through the years but not every year - maybe every couple of years or so.

 

And now let me say a couple of things about Marcus.  We only see him a few times a year because he lives out in the wilds of Nebraska.  Well, maybe not the wilds - he's actually between Omaha and Lincoln and they aren't very far apart.

Anyway, Marcus fit in from the moment he walked into our lives.  We first loved him because of how he loved our daughter, Lori.  

And that has never changed.

But we also love him because he's a kind and loving person.  He's always been a devoted stepfather to Lori's children.

Even when everybody is pitching in to help out.

And he'll help out wherever he's needed...... 

Whether it's cooking out - the hard way.

 

Helping dig a new pond for his mother-in-law.

 

Or quite literally giving Lori a helping hand.

He's also a good sport - very accommodating to his step kids and nieces and nephews whether they want to decorate him.

Or bury him. 

All in all, he's a perfect fit and a wonderful addition to our family.

This picture shows two important things about him - he's a devoted and loving family man and a devoted and avid sports fan - especially to Iowa State.

 
And he has a wife who adores and appreciates him.

And a huge family of in-laws that are glad that he's a part of it.

So Marcus, Happy Birthday!  We love you and hope you're having a wonderful day but only half as wonderful as the many, many birthdays to come.