Eli

Today is Eli's 7th birthday!

Eli was our 19th grandchild and 12th grandson!

He is a very important part of this very large family

And a very important part of this wonderful family.

I wrote about Eli on his birthday last year in this post and visiting there will show the links to all his previous posts.

And those links will take you to many pictures and stories of how he's changed over the years.

So I'll just post a few pictures here

and talk a little about what's been going on in his life during the past year.

First of all, Eli is now is first grade and continues to excel in math but the change is that this year he's also excelling in reading!  In fact, when he and his mom went shopping today for his birthday,

the first place they visited was Barnes and Noble where he picked out this awesome book!

Also this year Eli played soccer and played very well!

He continued to be comfortable in the pool

and out of the pool

and even in the Gulf of Mexico!

Another change in Eli's life this year was losing even more baby teeth.  So far he's lost three this year alone!

Also this year he became a Cub Scout!

But somehow the most important things about Eli right now are the things that haven't changed.  He's a very bright, very cheerful boy!

He's athletic and active and even has aspirations to be a wide receiver when he grows up!

He's also very cooperative and loving,

has a great sense of humor, is eager to please, and he's interested in almost everything!

Tonight he's looking forward to card games with his family and a meal of spicy foods that he picked out.  All in all, you couldn't ask for a more wonderful kid!  Which is why we're so proud of him and we could not love him more!  So, Eli, Happy Birthday!  We're hoping it's the best one EVER but not nearly as great as the many, many more to come!

Ethan

Today is Ethan's 12th birthday!

Ethan is our 14th grandchild and 9th grandson.

He is an important part of this very large family

and an even more important part of this beautiful family!

I wrote about Ethan on his birthday last year in this post and visiting there will show the links to all his previous posts.

And those links will take you to many pictures and stories of how he's changed over the years.

So I'll just post a few pictures here

and talk a little about what's been going on in his life during the past year.

First of all, he has a new pet that is completely his responsibility.  His name is Zeus and obviously with a name like that, he's a beta!

Also this year, Ethan moved on from elementary school

to middle school where he's gotten almost nothing but A's so far and was even awarded the Hilltopper award for being courteous, respectful and setting a positive example for others.

He has also started playing the viola which he not only enjoys but plays exceptionally well for a beginner!

and has started playing soccer again.  He's now looking forward to the Spring season starting soon.

Another change this year is that he's started collecting an allowance and most importantly is doing a good and responsible job of handling his money.  In return for his allowance he walks Dash every day, takes out the garbage each week and brings the cans in after they're collected, and is proactive about taking the initiative when he sees something that needs to be attended to without being asked.

Ethan has had a wonderful year and it's not surprising because he's a wonderful boy!  He's conscientious, loving, helpful, and always eager to please.  We're very proud of him and could not love him more!  So, Ethan, Happy Birthday!  We're hoping it's absolutely perfect and that the coming year is even better!

Matthew

Yesterday was Matthew's 15th birthday!

Matthew is our 11th grandchild and 7th grandson.

He is an important part of this very large family

And an even more important part of this wonderful family

I wrote about Matthew on his birthday last year in this post and visiting there will show the links to all his previous posts.

And those links will take you to many pictures and stories of how he's changed over the years.

So I'll just post a few pictures here 

and talk a little about what's been going on in his life during the past year.

He's getting ready to start house basketball which will have him on a team with some friends and competing with teams comprised partly of other friends and will provide conditioning and practice for high school basketball next year.

 During his freshman year in high school, he played football (his favorite sport right now) and basketball and was even invited to suit up for post season varsity football, an honor afforded to only a few freshmen.

He's enjoying his freshman year academically as well and right now his favorite subject is Programming and in fact he just created his own game as a final project.

And in the coming year he hopes to focus on completing the badges he needs for Eagle Scout (he's almost there) and wants to try to do his Eagle project this summer.

During the past year he attended Philmont Boy Scout Camp in New Mexico with his dad (this picture was not taken at Philmont but during a training hike on the Appalachian Trail)

and once again spent Christmas in Florida and the week between Christmas and New Years in Gulf Shores.

where he continued to be a hero to his young cousin from Indiana.

So Matthew has had another busy and productive year which is not surprising because he's one of the most athletic, intelligent, thoughtful, and fun-loving people you could ever know.  He's always a joy to be around and we look forward to seeing him soon.   In the meantime, we spoke on the phone yesterday to wish him a happy birthday and where we found out the family planned a birthday dinner for him at a Japanese Steak House.  So Happy Birthday again, Matthew!  We hope it was the awesome day you deserve and that the coming year is your best one EVER!  We love you and could not be more proud of you