One of the joys of having adult children is that some of the have married and brought new personalities into our family. With eight of our children married we have added two sons-in-law and six daughters-in-law. What a blessing! Each brings their own unique background, interests, culture and personality. Each enriches us and causes us to grow.

Among them are avid sports fans. Matt bleeds NE red and has a passion for soccer. Todd is a true blue Royals fan. Every parent hopes for their daughters to marry good men who are loving, generous husbands and strong fathers. In both cases Matt and Todd fulfill those hopes. Both are great husbands and terrific fathers.

Daughter-in-law, Samantha, now living in upstate NY, grew up in Riverside close to our home and met our son Bob when they both worked at Red X. Sam has a delightful personality and keeps us in stitches. She is a devoted mother to her two sons.

Daughter-in-law, Kristen, is a KU grad (and fan) so she supports Sarah (our only KU grad) during the basketball season! They attempt to fly the KU flag but our MU fans usually prevail! Kristen is a first year teacher and has done wonders reclaiming John’s “bachelor pad!”

Daughter-in-law, Angie, has the artistic genes that seem to have skipped over most of us. She is incredibly talented and willing to lend a hand whenever we have a project that requires her talents. She and husband, Nick, create the Nerdbots we have written about in our previous blog. Go to www.nerdbots.net for more information.

Daughter-in-law, Amber, is a nurse and a wonderful mother to their 3 children. She loves to come to KC and hit the garage sales on Saturday mornings. She and husband Andy have tackled some major repairs in their grand turn-of-the-century home in Monroe City.

As I write this letter, daughter-in-law Tricia is in New York City in labor with her and husband Matthew’s first child. We are anxiously awaiting word. Tricia grew up in Louisiana and brings us many culinary variations from our Midwest fare. As an LSU graduates she roots for the Tigers…the LSU Tigers that is!

Daughter-in-law, Vusala, brings a whole unique perspective to our family. She grew up in Azerbaijan and came to the US as an exchange student. She speaks 5 languages and recently graduated from Park College. While in college she has also added 3 grandchildren to our family. We have enjoyed expanding our culinary tastes to included dishes from her native county.

In each case, our young adults have chosen life partners who have made them better more complete people. Their influences on our family and on their individual partners cannot be overstated. We are grateful for each and every one!