Happy Birthday, Trey

Today is our grandson Trey's birthday.  He was born 4 years ago in Louisville KY.  He's our 18th grandchild and 11th grandson.  He weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and was healthy and robust from the start.

While I waited for his party to be over in Louisville I gathered some interesting pictures about him on my computer.  Like pictures that show what a very happy baby he was.

and how anxious he was to feed himself at an early age.

and how early he and his cousin, Eli, started playing together.

I also found pictures that showed how much he loved Grandma's ice cream cones from the get-go,

 how studious he was before he could even read,

 how nicely he wore Grandma's gardening shoes,

 and how early he learned to wiggle his mustache just like Grandpa.

And finally it was time for the interview.

Here's how it went.  Happy Birthday, Trey!  Are you having a good day?  Yeah.  I played with a water cannon and  I got a new gun!  Do you like it?  Yeah.  And it has the ball and I shoot the ball and you pull it back one time and then it gets pulled back and it shoots.

What have you done so far?   I had a good birthday party.

Did you have a birthday cake?  I only had my cupcake to eat and ice cream to eat.  Ice cream and cupcake to eat and I had a good party!

What was your favorite present?  The gun.

Have you been a good boy this year?  Yes

 Have you been helpful?  Yep

And have you been nice?  Yeah

Is Santa Claus going to bring you any presents for Christmas?  Whenever Santa Claus comes to your house, he brings you presents.    Did you ask for anything?   No.   But I know one of the things that I like for my birthday.   What?  A Lightning McQueen Bike. 

Are you coming to Michigan City after Christmas to visit with all your cousins?  No  Do you remember when Jack and Zachary and Eli and Dane are all there.  Oh yeah. 

What can you tell us about yourself that I didn't ask about?  You didn't ask about cleaning my room.  Did you clean your room?  I cleaned it but it was a little messy.

Then we got disconnected and that pretty well wrapped our interview. Of course, there's lots more I could tell you about Trey.  He's very athletic,

 a super fast runner,

has scads of personality,

and a wonderful sense of humor.

All in all, he's a wonderful little boy and we're proud and happy that he's our grandson.  So, Trey, we're glad you're having an awesome day and hope the coming year is full of happy days just like this one!

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today is our son-in-law Mike's birthday.  He and Sarah and their 3 kids live in Louisville, KY.  We first got to know Mike back in 1997 and he and Sarah were married in 2000.

 From the very beginning, he fit right in with his easy-going fun-loving ways.

 

A little while ago, I conducted a phone interview with him.  Here's how it went.

Happy Birthday, Mike!  Are you having a good day?  Yes I'm having a very good day.

What have you done so far?  I went goose hunting this morning.  Did you get any?  No we didn't have any luck, but I spent a good 4 hours in 27 degree weather with 15 mph winds so I have that going for me.

 

And then we went to Trey's basketball game and the grocery.  Now I'm sitting down to read the paper.

Do you have any special plans for tonight?  Let's see.  Sarah's making me breakfast for dinner.  Is that your choice or hers?  It's mine.  Then I guess I'll see if my family got me any presents.

You seem to be a natural as a father and obviously you enjoy that role.  What is your most important philosophy as a dad?  I would say 'have high expectations'.  You never know what your kids are capable of unless you expect them to surprise you.

 

And do you have a most important philosophy as a husband?  Well I've always heard a happy wife is a happy life.  I try to live by that one.

 

Everyone knows you love sports of all kinds and that you're a skilled golfer.  Did you ever consider a career in golf?  No.  I picked up golf late.  I had a tryout with the Seattle Mariners for baseball when I was in high school but I didn't go.  You just didn't go?  No, I was going off to college and even if I made some minor league baseball squad I knew I would never be a professional baseball player.

I know you've been in your present job a little over a year but I'm not sure what you do.    My title is Sales Manager for an environmental testing laboratory.  That sounds kind of boring.  It pretty much is.  I'm a hoot at parties.  But you're doing well at it?  Yeah, I've had a really good last 3 months so it's coming along pretty well.

What would you consider your highlight of the past year?  I don't know.  Sarah feeling better has been a pretty big thing.

 And do you have any special goals or plans for the coming year?  No none that I can think of.  I have some business goals but they would be hard to explain in layman's terms.  I'm trying to figure out if I want to train for the mini marathon coming up in the Spring.  I might even do it with Ethan.  Who knows? 

In less than two weeks you'll be in Michigan City for about a week.  Are you looking forward to that?  Oh yeah.  The beach house is always fun.

What can you tell us about yourself that most people might not know?  I'm pretty much an open book.  I like to read.  I got on a kick where I was reading some classics like you might read in high school or college.  I used to go to the library and I'd get one book like that and then I'd get a sports book or autobiography which are just fun to read.  I pretty much read the classics just to stay abreast.

Also, I'm a dog lover and I have a dog now so that worked out well for me.

(This picture is of Mike and Sarah's first dog.  He became unhappy when their first baby was born so he went to a home where he could be the only baby.)  There are so many things I could tell you about Mike that not everybody might know.   First of all, not only is he a hard worker

  but he's so personable that he can get almost anybody to help him with his work - even a state trooper.

 He's also a good cook, has a great sense of humor, and he's ready to pitch in whenever a helping hand is needed.  He's cheerful, loving, and just as sweet to everybody else's kids as he is to his own.   But the thing I think I like best about Mike is that he's a truly great family guy.

So we're wishing him a very happy birthday and a year better than any year so far but not as good as the many, many years to come.  Happy Birthday, Mike!

Happy Birthday, Katie!

Katie is our 8th grandchild and our 3rd granddaughter.

She was born in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, an Army post in the Missouri Ozarks.

Yesterday was Katie's 14th birthday and although we were able to wish her a happy birthday, we weren't able to conduct her birthday interview until today.  Here's how it went.

So you were 14 yesterday.  Does 14 feel older to you than 13?  It doesn't feel different but 14 is more fun to say.

 Did you have a good birthday?  Yeah, I think it was my favorite yet.

Did you do anything special?  Well, we had tea ring for breakfast and then my mom and I went black Friday shopping.  Did you get any good deals?  Oh yeah, it was so fun!

So I know the day before your birthday was Thanksgiving, your birthday was on black Friday, and the day after your birthday you start decorating for Christmas.  Did your birthday get lost in the commotion or was it part of a big, busy celebration weekend?  Umm, it was a great weekend!   So fun!  My family definitely made my birthday really special.  We went out to eat at Cheesecake Factory, I got a ton of clothes from our shopping trip, and I got two of my favorite movies - Safe Haven and Grown Ups.

Has volleyball started yet?  Team meeting is tomorrow and then we start practices for club volleyball.   So will your mom be coaching again this year?  No, she's not coaching this year.  Awww, will you miss that?  Well when she coached I always thought she was hardest on me so I think I'm going to be okay.

So are you and David in the same school now?  Our school has a high school side and a middle school side so we're technically in the same school but we really don't see each other much.  Is it neat when you do see him?  Sometimes.  If he's in a good mood he'll say hi but sometimes he'll just walk by.

 Do you play any other sports?  No, just volleyball.

Do you like being in an Army family?  I think it's really cool.  I get to move around every few years.  And although, at first I don't like it, I get to meet new people and go to new places and it makes it all worthwhile.

 What were the highlights of the past year?  I got my braces off!!!!  

We were there last Spring for an awards program where you were on the stage multiple times.  Obviously you were a good student with good grades.  Is this year as successful as last?  Oh definitely!

I'm not slacking off at all!!

Do you have any goals or special plans for the coming year?  For Christmas I asked for a guitar.  If I get one I'd like to try to learn how to play.

What can you tell us about yourself that might be interesting?  I'm into photography and I'm a perfectionist so it takes me forever to do anything.  Also, we got a dog and he is so cute AND he was my idea.  

And that concluded our interview.  But as usual, there's lots more I could tell you about Katie.  First of all I'm sure she'll be great at guitar because she's not only a great Wii guitar player...

but she's a gifted air guitar player too.

Also, she's a friend and helper to her little brother Zachary

And to every one of her younger cousins who adore her.

 

 

And she's sweet and helpful to everybody else too.  She and her mother were our landscapers when we renovated the exterior of our house and she worked as hard and as tirelessly as anybody.

She's very athletic and has excelled in many sports.

 

 

She's a sweet and loving sister to her three brothers,

 She's loves her whole family of course

And she's a really great turtle catcher.

 But most of all, Katie is one of the sweetest loveliest girls you could ever know!  She's truly a blessing to our family and we're wishing her the happiest year ever!