Eight Years of #1!

(I had originally intended to post this on her birthday, but getting the old pictures has proved to be quite the feat. And I'm lazy --I am. Don't try to argue. Anyway, the only thing that would have been added were some newborn, baby, and toddler shots, and since I found some old family pictures, I decided it was okay to forgo those for now and do them later. So, here's the post without the old pictures. Still a good post, eh?)

#1 turned 8 years old on Tuesday (April 21st).
I still can't believe it's been eight years.
8 years?!
Where has the time gone? I still remember the pregnancy and her birth as if it were last week. Each day brought these crazy new experiences, and being her mother was the most insane, most wonderful, and most scary thing I had ever done. The poor thing was our practice child (still is!), but she has turned out (so far) to be just amazing.

My favorite things about #1:
Her talents --drawing, music (piano, specifically!), reciting, writing, reading, math (anything academic, actually), and being a great friend (she seriously loves and includes everyone).

Her desire to help and please --her concern for the younger kids.

Her sense of humor and her laugh.

Her maturity of knowledge and choices --she's never surprised at consequences (even if she hates them), and she tends to mill over hard choices before making a decision.

Her gorgeous hair.

Her reliability --knowing that I can rely on her to get her chores/practicing/homework done on time.

I love you, #1! Happy Birthday!