Double Digits

From the day Adam was born a couple weeks shy of her 2nd birthday, Emma has been the proverbial middle child....always having to try a little harder to make sure she didn't get lost in the shuffle.   The bright red hair, the Halloween birthday, and glasses at age 2 ensured her extra attention whenever we were out in public, but at home she's always been a little more energetic, a little more daring, and a little louder than the rest of the kids.  Now don't get me wrong.  I don't give those descriptions in a negative way at all, but more as a little insight to her fun personality. 

I vividly remember when I was huge and pregnant with Adam, that Emma went through a "running-away-from-Mommy-phase".  Spencer and Cami had also gone through a phase of running, but they'd always stop, making sure I got close before taking off again.  Frustrating, still, but not too frightening.  Emma's running game was a little different though.  When she would stop to see where I was at behind her, she wouldn't wait for me to get closer, she would take off running faster knowing that there was no way her gigantically pregnant mom was ever going to catch her.  Poor Adam got a lot of jiggling (and yelling) before he was born from those chasing episodes. 

Interestingly enough, if there is any child in our family that reminds me of me, it's Emma.  I am decidedly not a middle child, but an oldest-of-eight, but many elements of Emma's personality are very similar to my own. 

Not only she is a voracious reader who devours books, but she also loves to cook.  For as loud as she sometimes is at home, she actually has a somewhat quiet, shy personality that is looking for approval.  She gets along well with lots of people, but she tends to have one or two really good friends at a time.  She is also is a person who tends to do things with a gusto and with a unique twist.  She gets an idea in her head and is excited about making it happen.  And if you need any other evidence that she takes after her mom...she recently told me that she wants to start a blog. 

I'm still thinking about it. 

For 10 years now, Emma has been a shining star in our family! We are so thankful for her giggly and optimistic outlook that make it hard to stay mad at her for long.   We love her delicious kitchen creations. We love her quick and beautiful smile.  We love her fun and creative ideas and most of all we love how hard she tries in everything she does--in her schoolwork, in her friendships, in her gospel living, and in her family relationships.   She is a great example to the rest of us!

We love you Emma!!! 
Hope you had a very happy 10th birthday!!

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If you think that family being in town, Adam's baptism, and Emma's birthday makes for a jam-packed weekend, just wait until I blog about the Idina Menzel concert, our IHOP brunch, and the church Fall Festival that were also this weekend.  Eventually I'm going to need a REALLY long nap. 

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