Ryan Matthew - Yesterday and Today

Ryan's 24th birthday was on November 10th.

Ryan was our 2nd grandchild and 1st grandson.

He is a very important part of this large family.

And an even more important part of this smaller family.

I wrote about Ryan in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015; and those posts tell you a lot about Ryan and how he's grown and matured 'through the years'.  And the following pictures will show how he's changed physically 'through the years'.

So now I want to talk a little about Ryan's todays and what's been going on in his life during the past year.

First of all, after growing up in Waverly, Nebraska and then moving to Omaha where he worked and went to school, Ryan took a break from school to move to Pella, IA - not only to be near his family but also to take a new job managing a Subway.

And he recently moved into his own place where his views look just like this:

And he adopted a little girl named Miley who looks just like this:

 Although he's not presently continuing his education, there are a variety of places to do that in his area when he's ready.  Also during the past year, he vacationed with his large extended family in Gulf Shores over the holidays.

He continues to be close with his sister.

And his brother.

And of course little Miley.  And he continues to be sweet, smart, responsible, and kind as evidenced by this picture of him trying to cheer up a sad little cousin.

He's fun and agreeable and the guy you always want to have at your party.

And he was a Cub fan long before it was popular to be a Cub fan.

 He's going to Gulf Shores again this year and he's looking forward to possibly managing more Subways in the future.  We're very proud of you Ryan and we're looking forward to what the future holds for you!  Happy birthday again and we can't wait to see you soon!

Aubrey Lynn - Yesterday and Today

October 28th was Aubrey's 5th birthday!

Aubrey was our 3rd great grandchild and our first great granddaughter.

She is a very important part of this very large family.

And a very important part of this smaller, large family.

And an even more important part of this small but still large family which looked like this on her birthday

And like this the day after her birthday.

I wrote about Aubrey in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015; and those posts tell you a lot about her 'through the years'.  And the following pictures will show you how she's changed physically 'through the years'.

So now I want to talk about Aubrey's todays and what's been going on in her world during the past year.

One big change was that she spent the holidays in Gulf Shores with her giant maternal extended family.

And speaking of vacations, she and her siblings and her mom spent a few days in Indiana visiting with relatives this summer.

And, she and her family vacationed 'up north' with her paternal grandma and grandpa

where she caught this fish.

But she had to head back home to prove that she'd learned a lot about catching fish

Also this year she got her first experience with baking when she and her Grandma Angie made cupcakes together.

And then, this Fall, she had a brand new experience when she started preschool.

And school has been a very positive change for her too because not only does she love it, but she does very well there.  And the biggest change of all actually came the day after her birthday.  Here she is welcoming her brand new little brother, Knox.

So it's easy to see that Aubrey has had a busy year growing and learning and changing.  But we wouldn't want her to change too much because she is and always had been the sweetest little girl ever. She's very maternal and helps her mom with the babies which she does have experience with.

And at a very young age she was helpful with disciplining the dog (I think)

 and didn't hesitate to show her displeasure when he didn't pay attention.

She's always been a good eater,

showed an early interest in music,

and has been the apple of both her mom's and her dad's eyes.

All in all, Aubrey is just a wonderful little girl!  She's sweet, obedient, kind, and loving.  Plus she's smart and loaded with common sense just like her parents.  This birthday wish is late but very heartfelt.  We're hoping to celebrate with her soon (maybe Thanksgiving) and we're hoping that her coming year is absolutely wonderful! 

Happy Birthday, Aubrey!  We love you so much!