happy birthday, emmalie!

I don't know how 11 years managed to go by SO fast, but somehow, they did. My baby girl is now "officially" a preteen. (Yikes!) Here is Emmalie at 2 months old, back in 1996:

And here she is last fall, starting 5th grade (who knew she'd turn out to be a blonde?):
She certainly has grown into quite the beauty! I think we will need to start building a moat soon (like my friend Glenna wants to do for her own daughters), to hold off the boys as she continues to grow and become even more beautiful!

Here are a few of the things I love about my daughter:

• She is self-confident and not afraid to speak her mind!
• She is incredibly smart... she loves to learn, and retains information so quickly. I know that she will go far!
• Emmalie is very creative. She is constantly drawing or writing or building things... and her creations always turn out wonderfully!
• She shares my love of reading (and my ability to read quickly, too!) It is fun to talk with her about books we've both read, and to pass along my favorite childhood books to her.
• Emmalie is very helpful... not always for her parents, LOL, but for other people, like our friend Marissa. The second that Marissa mentions needing help with something, Emmalie is right there, ready to do whatever needs to be done.
• She is my ally against the boys in our family, who outnumber us! We often look at each other and then roll our eyes, thinking, "They are SUCH boys!" LOL

For this and so much more, I love you, Emmalie! Happy, happy birthday ~ I hope that you have a wonderful time being 11! Just try not to grow so quickly from here on out, okay?