Tessa Mary - Yesterday and Today

Today is Tessa's 10th birthday.

Tessa was our 16th grandchild and 7th granddaughter.

Tessa is a very important part of this large family.

and a very, very important part of this beautiful family.

I wrote about Tessa in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Those posts tell a lot about Tessa and the following pictures will show how she's changed 'through the years'.

 So now we can see how Tessa has changed in so many ways 'through the years' but now I want to talk about what Tessa's been up to for the past year.  And what a busy year it's been for her - full of changes and very special events.  Last year on her birthday, her dad had just moved across the country to go to school for the Army which was not an easy change since she's always been close with her daddy.

That meant she and her mom spent a lot of time together which was not new - just more intense than in recent years.  Here they are on a field trip up Pikes Peak last Spring.

And she spent Christmas in Florida; and the week between Christmas and New Years in Gulf Shores with her giant extended family.

In March, she and her mom met up with her dad so they could look for their new home and it was a great reunion.

They all met at their new house in the south and have been together ever since.  Another event for Tessa this year happened when her parents and her best cousin friend's parents arranged for the girls to spend a week together at Tessa's new house.  They had a wonderful time.

So for Tessa it's been a year of new - new location, new house, new school, new friends, and even new climate.  But she's adjusting well and is still the same, sweet girl she's always been.  Which leads me to the many more things I want to mention about Tessa.  First of all she's loves the outdoors including swings

which is nothing new since she's always enjoyed swings.

She loves to swim

And one of the perks of meeting her dad to look for a house in March was having him join her in the pool.

And she's a great swimmer

She loves animals and is anxious for her dog to love swimming as much as she does.

But most importantly she loves spending time in the pool with her mom

and her dad.

She's also very organized and responsible.  Here she is getting ready for the arrival of the moving truck with all her furniture.

And she's quirky, 

 adventuresome,

and sweet.

She's unfailingly thoughtful, loving, and sensitive, has a great sense of humor, and is always agreeable and cooperative.

For these reasons and a thousand others, we're wishing her the happiest birthday ever and a year filled with accomplishments and joy!  Happy Birthday, Tessa!  We love you!

Dane Robert - Yesterday and Today

Today is Dane's 6th birthday!

He was our 2nd great grandchild AND our second great grandson.

Dane is a very important part of this large family,

a very important part of this smaller, large family,

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

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

But now I want to talk about what's been going on in Dane's life during the previous year.  First of all, he's spent the year getting to know his brand new baby sister, Emma.

Next, he's started and completed kindergarten since we last blogged about him.

Also, he's excited that he's going to be a big brother again since a new brother or sister will be arriving in just a few short months.   And he enjoys sports

but that's nothing new since he's been enjoying sports and loving baseball since a very early age.

And he now enjoys floating around in the water

And that is something new because at a very early age he was a little skeptical of this activity.

Also, he and his family spent the holidays in Gulf Shores with his giant extended family this year.

So he's had a busy year.

But there's lots more to tell about Dane besides what he's been doing.  He's very adventuresome and courageous.  I watched the other day as he worked to get up the nerve to jump into the water instead of easing in as he'd always done before.

 Of course he had lots of support and encouragement from his grandpa, Tracy. But he needed it because that was a pretty big pool he was jumping into.

 Finally, he jumped!

 And came up smiling and proud and headed for the rest of his encouragement which was his dad and his sister.

He's also sweet and helpful.  

And now Dane will be starting first grade in a few days - a big step for sure but I know he'll do well because he's cooperative, smart, and a hard worker.  He's also loving and loyal to his siblings and loves his family more than anything.

We're wishing this wonderful boy the best birthday EVER and a year that's even better than his special day.  Happy Birthday, Dane!  We love you so much!