Jenna's 17th

Today is Jenna's 17th birthday!

Jenna was our 10th grandchild and 4th granddaughter!

She's an important part of this large family,

and this smaller but still large family,

and this wonderful family!

I wrote about Jenna last year on her birthday in this post and visiting there will lead you to links to all her previous posts.  So I'll just post a few pictures here to show how she's changed 'through the years'.

and talk about what's been going on in her life during the previous year.

and it's been a busy year for her for sure.  First of all, she's worked on her pitching all year.

And her hard work paid off because she helped her team win the District Championship for the first time in the history of the school.  And for her contributions, she was awarded all-District, all-Conference, and all-Region!

which she couldn't have done without the help and support from her biggest and most loyal fan!

And the skills she honed also lead to giving a few pitching lessons of her own this year.

And although she excelled in softball, she was no slouch in golf either.  She was the captain of her golf team and missed going to state by only 2 strokes.

and which lead to some part time work at the local golf course where she was even able to work with Jeremy a few times.

Also this year she started the Health and Science class at Saline High School where she commutes each day; and the last part of the year she will be working in a nursing home.

Another highlight this year is that she was elected to the Junior homecoming court.

which resulted in her being required to wear her sash to school all week

and riding in the homecoming parade.

On a sad note, she said good-bye to two beloved rottweilers that were part of the family as long as Jenna could remember.

But on a happier note, she enjoyed two camping trips with her family -

and on one of them she was able to take her best friend, Kaylee.

and where she could indulge her love for fishing and boating!

She also spent the holidays in Gulf Shores this year where she was able to spend good time visiting with her best friend/cousin, Anna.

So Jenna has had a wonderfully busy year but there's so much more to say about her than just what she's been doing and accomplishing.  Because the most important things about her don't have anything to do with all that.

What's most important about Jenna is her sweet personality and her outstanding character.  Jenna is a friend to everyone - young and old alike.

She's kind, considerate, smart, and helpful.

and never has an unkind word to say about anybody.  For all these reasons, and so many more, we could not be more proud of her or love her more.  So Happy Birthday, Jenna!  We're hoping it's your best one yet but only half as great as the many, many more to come!

Anna's 15th

Today is Anna's 15th birthday!

Anna was our 12th grandchild and 5th granddaughter.

She is an important part of this large family

and, of course, an important part of this wonderful family!

I wrote about Anna on her birthday last year in this post

and following the link in that post will take you back to previous posts that will tell a lot about Anna's past.  So I'll just post a few pictures here showing how she's changed 'through the years'.

and talk about what's been going on in her life during the previous year.  First of all, in January she and Noah went to an ISSMA competition and Anna got a gold with her band ensemble.

 Both Anna and Noah are gifted singers and were in the Trojan Gold Choir last year.  But this year in order to be in Band and Pep Band and play at all the basketball games (which she loved), Anna had to drop choir.  The good news is that she plans to take it again next year!  And, of course they brought down the house in their duet during the Hibner family talent show in Gulf Shores this year.

Also, Anna has continued her very amusing Instagram account featuring pictures of Harper with funny captions which she started 2 years ago.  Harper should know that Anna is always watching

and trying to teach her smart new tricks.  To see what it's all about, follow @harpee.doodle on Instagram.

Another big change for Anna this year is that she started high school and really loves it.  She's doing well academically and and is looking forward to being a Sophomore next year.

During the summer, Anna was lucky enough to vacation in Florida for a few days and in California where she enjoyed sailing with her family.

And of course there was the trip to Gulf Shores over the holidays.

 where she enjoyed spending some good times with her best friend/cousin, Jenna.

Other activities that have kept Anna busy this past year include teaching herself to play the piano, the keyboard, and the ukulele which she got for Christmas in 2016.  She finds self teaching a lot of fun but hard at times.

Anna still aspires to be a meteorologist some day which explains the interesting cloud photos she sent me when I asked for pictures from her California vacation.

So that tells you a lot about what Anna's been doing and what her interests are but there's a lot more I want to say about her.  First of all, she's quirky

fun,

and secretly might still wish she were a lap baby.

She's also smart, sweet, loving, kind, and helpful.

And although she was very excited to get these pens for her birthday because she's artistic and creative, nothing excited her more than the atlas she opened but which I did not capture a picture of.

And we didn't talk about it but I know she's very excited to welcome her baby sister in just a few short weeks.  So Happy Birthday, Sweet Anna!  We're hoping it's amazing but not as amazing as the many more to come!  We love you very much and could not be more proud of you!