HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIN!

Now she is fifteen.  Where does the time go?  It seems like it was just yesterday when she was born on a Superbowl Sunday and I was trying to sleep on some uncomfortable chairs in the hospital waiting room.  It took her a while to be born but the very best things do take time.  And suddenly she was there and, once again, my life was changed for the better.

Erin has grown from being a sweet, giggling little girl to being a sweet and often giggling young lady.  And in a few months she'll be getting her driver's permit.  Where does the time go?  I swear it was just yesterday when we brought her to pre-school and when she was acting in classroom plays and when she placed second every time her school had a spelling bee (the first time she got caught up on "surprise"; the last time she would have won but the judge allowed another girl to correct a mistake), and when she named student of the month, and when she went rafting on the Colorado river, and when she visited the Galapagos, and when she cried over a dead pet, and when she learned that some little girls can be cruel, and when she learned to do so many complicated yet beautiful designs on her fingernails, and when she learned to play the flute, and when we discovered she had mad skills with a hula hoop.  All of this and so much more...it seems like it was just yesterday.

It also seems like it was forever.  It's hard to imagine our lives without Erin.  Super smart, super cool, super wonderful Erin.

Erin is in high school now.  At first the thought of entering high school scared her.  Her friends from eighth grade were all going to other school because of local districting.  Erin soon realized she did not have to worry.  She joined the school Color Guard and was instantly part of a group of nice, accepting girls, many of whom also giggled.

Erin is surprisingly close to her older brother.  They laugh easily together.  And she is extraordinarily tolerant of the Kangaroo and is his best friend outside of his pre-K class.

Kitty and I are lucky to have three granddaughters whom we love with all of our being.  We look at Erin, the youngest of the three, and wonder, where does the time go?  The time goes to memories of special days and of special persons like Erin.  She is a bright and sparkly part of our past, present, and future.

We love her very much.