Harry

Last Sunday was Harry's birthday.

Although we had been traveling for several days at that point, we actually ended up at Dan and Teresa's house in Florida just in time to celebrate.

Harry is an important part of this large family

and an important part of this core family

and of course an important part of this little family.

And I have to mention that he's an important grandpa to these amazing children

and an important great grandpa to these also amazing children.

I wrote about Harry for his birthday last year in this post and visiting there will take you to all his previous posts that will show and tell a lot about Harry 'through the years'.  Therefore, I'll just post a few pictures here to quickly show how he's changed.

and talk about what's been going on in his life during the past year.  First of all, we spent the holidays in Gulf Shores again.

 And then we went to Sanford for a few months where we only golfed as often as we possibly could which was almost every day.

While we were there we went to Sea World with the Dan's where we got to exercise our legs really well.

and in April we visited the Dave's.  Here's Harry walking Zac home from the bus stop.

Also in April we went to our nieces amazing wedding where we were the last couple dancing in the anniversary waltz.

Then in May we went to the tulip festival in Pella LA and enjoyed a wonderful visit with the Lori's.  (unfortunately I wasn't a very good picture taker last year so this shot if from the same festival the year before.)

In July we worked on sorting out things that we had stored and keeping a Big Blue Heron out of the koi pond and in August we attended Jeremy's high school graduation party and also the campground where the Amy's stayed and the Amber's also visited. (Here's Harry with Knox at the campgrounds.)

In September and October we worked to refinished my grandparents' table and chairs and sorted more stuff.  It's been a busy year for sure and it just flew by!  So rather than talk more about the things we did, I'd like to talk about the things that Harry is.  He's kind, considerate, thoughtful, and conscientious.  There's nothing he wouldn't do for his family and especially me.  I'm a very lucky woman and I couldn't tell in such few words all the reasons why.  But I'll start with the fact that he's my very best friend and someone with whom I can share all my feelings, hopes and dreams.  So Happy Birthday, dear Harry.  I'm sorry it's late but I know you understand and don't mind at all.  I hope the coming year is better than any so far but not as great as the many more to come.  I love you!

Mike

Last Friday, the 15th of December, was Mike's birthday.

Mike is married to our youngest daughter, Sarah, and they live in Louisville, Kentucky.

He is a very important part of this large family

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

I wrote about Mike for his birthday last year in this post.  Going there will show lots of pictures and tell some things about how Mike's changed over the years so I'll just post a few "how he's changed" pictures here:

And talk about what Mike's been doing for the past year.  First and foremost, he changed jobs.  This job is a great fit for him because he's an amazing manager and a conscientious employee.

Always athletic and healthy, he has continued to stay fit.  Although there hasn't been much time for golf (his go-to sport), he's conscientious about what he eats and keeping up with his exercise.

This year, he coached Mary and Ethan's soccer team and did a great job!  The kids learned a lot and the team did well under his guidance!

Mike has continued to be the loving father and husband he's always been and we're proud of all that he does and the kind of guy that he is!  We consider ourselves very lucky that he's part of our family and we're hoping his birthday was amazing and that the coming year is even better!

So happy birthday a little late, Mike!  We love you and are looking forward to seeing you in just a few days!

Katie

Yesterday was Katie's 18th birthday!

Katie was our 8th grandchild and 3rd granddaughter.

She's a very important part of this large family.

And of course a very important part of this beautiful family!

I wrote about Katie here for her birthday last year.  And visiting that post will show links to all her other posts containing lots of pictures and information about Katie 'through the years'.

So I'll just include a short sequence showing how she's changed 'through the years'

and talk about what's been going on in Katie's life lately.  First of all, to celebrate her birthday, she and her family went out for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings which was Katie's choice.  And to make her birthday even more special, she and her best friend won $25 on a scratch off!  (I love that since Katie and her family moved out east, I don't remember a time when she and Maria weren't best friends.)

But back to Katie's year.  It's been a time of lasts (after playing volleyball in school and on travel teams since she was old enough to play, Katie finished her career with a bang as team captain!),

firsts (Katie was on the homecoming court

 and got to walk with her brothers at the homecoming game.),

and the sames, (Katie and Thomas have been together for awhile now and no wonder.  Why wouldn't two people, who are both so nice, not be as perfectly compatible as they are?)

And Katie has been busy this year.  First there were college applications to turn in.  She's done three so far and has already been accepted at Temple University!!  Wow!  She's still waiting to hear from University of Pittsburgh and Miami of Ohio and plans to apply to the University of Virginia.  My guess is that she'll get her choice.  She has an amazing work ethic along with an equally amazing GPA.  She gets home from school and 'gets after it'.  Cutting corners or taking shortcuts are never options for her.

And just to fill in her idle hours this year, she started a new job as a swim instructor which she absolutely loves!  She reports that the kids like her but that's no surprise because when the big family gets together in Gulf Shores, her lap is always occupied!  All the kids love Katie!

So Katie has had a busy year but there's lots more to say about her than just what she's been doing.  I really want to talk about the kind of person she is.  I want to recall that when I had an opportunity to spend some time with the kids while their mom and dad were away, Katie was so amazingly helpful.  She not only spent time with Zachary but she was always patient, loving, and encouraging.

She's fun loving

sweet, cooperative,

helpful, a great cook and a genuinely wonderful person to be around.

Really I can't say enough about this sweet girl and her many accomplishments.  We're looking forward to seeing what the future holds for her but somewhere in my mind Dr. Kate has a nice ring to it.  So Katie, I hope your birthday was wonderful and that the year ahead is filled with dreams come true but that it's only half as awesome as the many more to come.