HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIN!

She's our youngest granddaughter.  I find it difficult to believe but she is 17 today, born on 2/3/02.

We thought it would be cool if she were born on 2/2/02 but she defied us.  Not that she's a contrarian in any way.  She marches to the tune of her own drummer.  It was a difficult birth.  Erin probably wanted to keep everyone on their toes.  As a new-born she was healthy and beautiful.

She's still beautiful and has a smile that can melt your heart.  Not that I'm prejudiced.

When she was young (four or five) she had mad skills with a hula hoop, doing all sorts of tricks.  A lot things just came naturally to her.

She's super smart and was highly miffed the first time she got a B in school. 

Erin was tiny and petite.  The doctors recommended growth hormones via injection six time a week.  This went on for years, with this tiny little girl injecting herself.  Although small, Erin is no longer tiny and does not have to worry about size being a handicap.  To me she is just perfect.

She loves animals, especially dogs.  Animals can sense things and they love her back.  When she is at our house, Willow the cat gets all the love she wants.

She's fast.  If one of our dogs got loose and ran away, we'd send Erin after him and she would catch the dog in record time.  When she was on a soccer team, the coach's mantra was, 'Use your speed, Erin!"

When she was young she seemed to have a psychic link to her stuffed animals -- of which there were many.  The moment she got one she would instantly come up with a name for it, remembering each one perfectly.  That may not seem like much but considering how many she had I found it amazing.

She loves nature. As a little girl she would go for long walks in the woods.

She loves to read, something that is always a plus in my thinking.

For years she has been a fingernail artist, drawing creative and lovely designs on her nails.  She has several hundred bottle of nail polish to support her creativity.

She's funny and has a great sense of humor.

For the past three years she's been a member of her high school color guard, something she was hesitant to try at first.  Her two older cousins (who were in their high school color guard in Massachusetts) talk her into trying it.  The bruises and bumps she got while practicing in her front yard are legendary.  We watch her now as she spins rifles and sabers high into the air, catching them so easily and gracefully, and are amazed.  The color guard has won many competitions and Erin has been a big part of that.

She's loyal.  And sensitive.  And quiet.  And raucous.  And open.  And withdrawn.  And hopeful.  and fearful.  And confident.  And insecure.  She is everything a teenage girl should be.

And she's seventeen now.  And I'm feeling old.  When she is with us or when I am thinking about her I no longer feel old.  The joy she brings is infectious and rejuvenating.  I love each of my kids and grandkids more than the others, which is as it should be.  But Erin...

Today is Erin's day.  May she have a great day and may her life be as blessed as ours is with her in it.