Dane's 8th

Dane's 8th birthday was on August 19th.

We were out of town then and when we got home, we got ready for house guests who were coming to help get our house ready to potentially sell.  It's been a busy time and this is the latest I've ever been with my birthday posts and unfortunately the posts for three of my favorite people are terribly late.  Dane's is one of them.

Dane was our second great grandchild and our second great grandson.

He is a very important part of this large family,

a very important part of this smaller yet still large family,

and of course a very important part of this even smaller but still large, beautiful family.

I wrote about Dane on his birthday last year in this post and clicking on that link takes you to links to all his previous posts.  Those posts tell a lot about him 'through the years' and have lots of pictures showing how he's changed so I'll just post a few here

and talk about what's been going on in his life during the past year and it's been a busy one!  First of all, right after his birthday last year, we had this

and right after that was crazy hair/face painting day.

Then in the fall there was an outing with Mom and Dad and just the big kids.

and over the holidays the visit to Gulf Shores with all his extended family

and a visit to an alligator farm where he held one for the first time.

In March, Dane was Student of the month

And in April, he and his family went to Splash Mountain where they always have a wonderful time.

In May there was a visit to the Hands On Museum where Dane traveled with this companion.

and later in May a visit and awesome learning experience at his Dad's workplace.

In June the whole family went up north with Chris' mom and stepdad.

and right after that

Finally in August there was canoeing on the Huron River with Mom, Dad, and Jack.

So it's been one of the busiest years ever for Dane with lots of fun and lots of learning experiences and that's perfect for him because he's smart and interested in everything!

He's also athletic and enjoys all sports and always has.

He also likes all outdoor activities maybe especially fishing

and he's very creative - really he's a master at Lego towers and creations and always has been.

But there's so much more to say about Dane.

And they're all about the kind of kid he is.

He's polite, loving, considerate, and smart.  He truly is one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet and he's always wonderful to be around.

He's also responsible and conscientious and a great helper.  I still can't forget about when he was just a little tyke and it was time to pick up toys.  He didn't like it and he cried but he never stopped working and sorting the toys into all their proper containers.  It was a sight to melt any great grandparent's heart.

So we're very proud of you, Dane, and we love you very much!  We know you had a great birthday 'up North' and we're hoping this year will be your best one yet but only half as great as the many more to come.  Happy - very belated - Birthday!

Tracy's

Tracy's birthday was August 17th.

We were out of town then and when we got home we had a crew help get the house ready to maybe sell and then we were busy trying to finish up.  Anyway, Tracy is married to our second daughter, Amy.

He is an important part of this large family,

and this smaller but still large family,

and of course, this beautiful, core family.

I wrote about Tracy on his birthday last year in this post.  Clicking on that link will take you to links to all his previous posts and those posts will show plenty of pictures of Tracy 'through the years' and there are even a few stories and descriptions of him from the past.  So now I'll just post a few 'before' pictures here and in some cases, even a few 'after' pictures.  I mean, he was always a cute kid.

And now he's a cute guy.

And he was obviously a cute kid that loved off road vehicles

and now he's a cute guy that loves off road vehicles.

He used to be a cute kids that held puppies on his lap.

Now he' a cute guy that holds puppies on his lap.  (And yes this dog is still a puppy.  More about her later.)

Back in the day, he looked pretty good in a hat.

Fifteen years later I can still say he looks pretty good in a hat - especially with this accessory at his side.

So it's strange how things change and yet remain the same.  Except for this.

About one year later and he's almost 50 pounds lighter!

But there are a few new things in his life this year.  One is his favorite pet, little Heidi.  She's seven months old and growing more every day!

and another is his second favorite pet, Big Fancy Mower!

Another new experience this year for Tracy was escorting his sweet stepdaughter, Jenna, in the homecoming parade.

Also this year, they camped, fished and swam at Waffle Farms Campground and they went to their first rodeo which they all loved.  At Christmas he had to say goodbye to his beloved Britta which broke his heart but then made a last minute decision to fly down to Gulf Shores and that was good for all their aching hearts.

So all in all it's been a pretty good year for Tracy but there's lots more to say about him.  First of all, he's stepgrandpa to six amazing kids. 

and he loves to skipper his boat McGillicutty.

He's very family oriented.  Here he is with his sister, Karen and niece, Christa and of course, Amy.

And now a little story that tells a lot about the kind of person Tracy is and the kind of stepdad Tracy is.   Jeremy was driving one day and suddenly his brake pedal went straight to the floor with no reaction from the car.  He managed to get to an Autozone where he determined that the caliper was shattered so he went in, got the part, and asked if he could work on it in the parking lot.  Of course, they said that was fine and while experienced mechanics went in and out, 19 year old Jeremy fixed his car.  Some of them offered their help but Jeremy said he could do it.  I told this story to Harry and he had only one question.  How did Jeremy know how to do that?  And I had only one answer.  Tracy.  That's the kind of guy Tracy is.  He's a hard-working, fun-loving guy with a big heart who takes his role as stepdad very seriously.  So Tracy, we're hoping your birthday was as awesome as you and that you're well into your best year ever.  Happy Belated Birthday!  We love you!