Erin

Isn't it funny how life can be sometimes?  I mean just think about why am I here at this place and time, and I'm in this family.  How come I wasn't born during the 1940's and have other people as parents?  I mean it blows my mind.  Which brings me back to Erin.

Erin was a gift given to our family when we thought there were no more gifts to be had.  Katie was 12, and Julie was 10.  We started thinking about longer vacations, high school, colleges (well maybe not college), but the future was coming on.  We were done with baby stuff, and everyone was old enough to be a lot more independent.  That was until that cold February day when I was told "hey you're having another baby"!!!.  I was 39 years old, and just couldn't wrap my head around this knowledge.  Surprise wasn't a strong enough word.  It took me a really long time to finally realize that yes, we were being blessed once again.  After a long, hot summer, our family was finally blessed with Erin.  She arrived three weeks early on a day like any other -- Katie and Julie had homework, the world series was in full swing, it was a gorgeous fall day, I worked that day, and even drove myself to the hospital because Brad was out-of-town.  I remember telling the girls that they should bring their homework with them, because we would be home soon and I would get them dinner.  Well the afternoon turned into evening and evening into late night. 

I remember that seeing her for the first time and noticing that she had cute dimples and big blue eyes.  (Just like her sisters).  She became a very social person from the get go -- meaning that everyone got a chance to hold her after only being a few minutes old.  She captured our hearts that day.  That was in 1996.  Fast forward to 2011.  This past Sunday was her 15th birthday.  The years have literally flown by.  She went from a toddler in pig tails to a grade schooler, to a middle schooler, and now a high schooler. She sings, gets moody, cries, laughs, has many friends, plays piano and sometimes drives us all crazy.  We love her all the more.   It saddens me to think that in three short years, she will move on to her future and life.  How exciting for her.  In addition to her birthday, this past weekend she went to her first high school dance.  Excited doesn't begin to describe her.  She talked about this for weeks, went with Julie to get a dress, spent hours wondering how she was going to fix her hair, but in the end, it seems the dance was everything she hoped for.

Then on Sunday, it was her 15th birthday.  So Erin...  Here's to you -- to a future filled with love, happiness, peace, success and more blessings than you can imagine.  We all love you.

Erin's baptism with Nana and Pa

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