Happy Birthday Erin!

Today is my middle daughter's 11th birthday. Erin is a beauty with pale skin, and dark brown hair with a touch of auburn highlights. She is tall like her older sister, but that is where the similarities stop. Erin is definitely a OOAK kid. She is very smart and funny in a dry, sarcastic but not mean way. She makes you laugh without thinking she is funny. She has always been very inquisitive and asks great questions about everything.

She has always noticed the little things in life. When she was little she would look at the mountains and notice the way the light was hitting them, or the color of the leaves at a certain time of day. She sees things through an artists eyes and draws and paints very well. She is smart and very stubborn and argumentative which will serve her well someday but can be trying at times. She currently wants to be a senator when she grows up but that changes monthly.

I remember when she was born, my husband left to tend to her big sister and it was just Erin and I snuggled in the hospital bed. I wanted to soak in every moment of just the two of us because I knew it would be the only time we would have together without the rest of the world crashing in.

Being the middle child isn't easy. Especially when you have an older and younger sister who are both very outspoken, loud, outgoing and talented and you feel like you live in their shadow because you tend to be on the quiet and shy side. I wish Erin could see how wonderful she is and that sometimes, the ones that are the loudest aren't always the ones to be listened to.

So here is to my beautiful daughter Erin who has lighted my life and my heart for the past 11 years. May she know only happiness and joy in her life and may she always stay true to her dreams.