Jenna Corinne - Yesterday and Today

Today is Jenna's 15th birthday.

Jenna is an important part of this large family.

And an important part of this large family.

And an even more important part of this smaller family.

Jenna was our 10th grandchild and 4th granddaughter.

And here is Jenna through the years.  These pictures were taken approximately 9 months apart.

So you can see that Jenna has been busy growing, maturing, and changing at an incredible rate.   I've written about how she's changed in these previous posts:  2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. So now we're going to concentrate on Jenna in 2015.

Jenna started high school this year which was very exciting for her.  She likes it but not as much as Middle School yet.  But that doesn't stop her from working hard and getting good grades.  So far, she's always been on the Honor Roll.

She played golf on the varsity high school team and lettered since she was the number one or number two golfer at almost all her matches.  And that was after playing for the first time this year.

This year she continued playing travel softball and working very hard on her pitching because she hopes to make the varsity softball team this Spring as a Freshman.  During travel ball her batting average was over .400 and her on base percentage was over 80% if I remember right.

She enjoys spending time camping with her family although they only went once this year over Memorial Day weekend.  She especially likes fishing and is almost as good at it as her mother.

She had to make a hard choice this year to give up band where she was a percussionist because of time constraints with club and school softball and still feels bad about that - especially after the band (including her brother, Jeremy) went to Disney World this week.
She went to Gulf Shores with her mother's big family and really enjoyed spending time with all her cousins, the warm weather, and playing in the water.

She became an aunt for the 5th time and very much enjoys the time she spends with her nieces and nephews.

She was excited to get her first iPhone for Christmas!

And finally, this year she started wearing contact lenses.

And that pretty much wraps up Jenna's 2015.  I have to add, though, that Jenna is a wonderful girl! She's smart, athletic, sweet, and considerate.  We love her very much and couldn't be more proud of her.  So, Happy Birthday, Jenna!  We're hoping your day has been, and continues to be, perfect; and that the coming year is just as awesome!

Anna Helen - Yesterday and Today

Yesterday was Anna's 13th birthday!

Anna is an important part of this large family.

And an even more important part of this smaller family.

Anna was our 12th grandchild and 5th granddaughter.

And here is Anna through the years.  These pictures were taken roughly 9 months apart.

So you can see that Anna has been busy growing and maturing in a beautiful way.   I've written about how she's changed in previous posts.  You can check them out by clicking on the year:  2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. So now we're going to concentrate on Anna throughout 2015.

She started Middle School this year and it's been a big change but she loves it!
She's in band where she plays the clarinet and in chorus and she loves both because she loves music.
Along those lines, her family got a piano this year and she enjoys trying to teach herself to play.
She's continuing her swimming lessons; and likes freestyle and the back stoke best.

She still helps a lot with Clara and Eli and loves being their big sister.
And she made the Honor Roll the first grading period this year and the Principal's honor role during the second.
She and her family spent a few days in Louisville last summer with their Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mike which was a lot of fun.
And they spent a week in Union Pier, Michigan at the beach with her dad which was also a lot of fun.
And they spent a week in Gulf Shores, Alabama with her mom's big family over the holidays where she enjoyed spending time with all 37 other family members in the same big house for a week.

She still likes Harper in fact, loves her....sometimes.

She's taller than Noah again after a short period when he passed her up.

And after having always liked reading, she's more interested in it than ever and enjoys it even more.

And finally, right now, she's learning Swedish on an awesome app at home.

I love writing about Anna because she's such a great kid!  She's very smart in school and in everyday life.  She's sweet, thoughtful, loving and a little shy.  She doesn't exactly go on and on about herself but she's agreeable trying to think of things for me to write about.  We love her very much and we couldn't be more proud of her so we're wishing her a very happy birthday and a year that surpasses all others but is only half as great as the many more to come.