Happy 10th Birthday, Erin!

Erin turned 10 in July.  Double digits!  A whole decade!  We are very lucky to have Erin in our family.  Here’s a photo from every year, along with ten things we love about her, in no particular order:

1. Erin is a nice kid.  She is friendly and will go out of her way to do nice things for people.  She leaves little notes or draws pictures and always offers to help with things.  I like to watch how kind she is to animals, and to little kids or babies.  She is very, very kind to her little brother.  She is a sweetheart.

2. Erin is unselfish.  She’s never really begged & cried for things in stores, and she’s pretty content with what she has.  She is quick to offer something of hers to someone who might need it.  She likes attention, but she isn’t loud or obnoxious to get it.

3. Erin is sympathetic.  She is sensitive to other peoples’ feelings and very compassionate when someone around her feels bad.  She’s very tactful in the way she talks to others, and she chooses her words carefully so she doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.  She’s friendly and doesn’t want anyone to feel left out.  She will try to be a friend to someone who looks lonely.

4. Erin is smart.  This is a blessing/curse.  It doesn’t take her much effort to learn new things, so sometimes in school she’ll get bored during instructions and drift off a bit.  Or she’ll get in trouble for trying to help someone else.  She has a very analytical mind and can figure things out quickly.

5. Erin has an awesome memory.  Sometimes I think she might have a little bit of photographic memory ability because of the details she can describe (accurately).  This is a big deal to me because I seem to forget things all the time, and I can always ask Erin something and trust that she’s right.

6. Erin is responsible.  She sets her alarm and gets herself up on school days (I didn’t do that until college!) and I know that she’ll be dressed and ready by a certain time.  She doesn’t try to get out of doing stuff.  If it’s a chore, she might not always do it with the best attitude, but she will get it done.  She doesn’t have a reckless nature, so we know we can trust her to make good decisions and not do anything dangerous when we’re not around.

7. Erin is spiritual.  Although we’ve raised her going to church every week and praying and reading scriptures, some spirituality that can’t be taught.  It comes naturally to her.  If she has a worry or a problem, her first thought is to pray about it.  When it’s resolved, her first thought is a realization that her prayer was answered.  She understands what we read in the scriptures and can comprehend the principles behind the teachings and explain them in her own way.  She gets it. And I hope she will always have such a natural relationship with her Heavenly Father.

8. Erin is funny.  Not telling jokes, slapstick funny, but realistic and a little sarcastic (in a good way). She can find silliness in almost every situation, and she knows how to get others to see it.  She has a good ear and can do some pretty spot-on impersonations.  I think her goal in being funny isn’t just to get laughs, but to foster happiness, and it shows.

9. Erin is talented.  I’m very curious to see what she’ll be when she grows up, because she could go several directions.  She is a very good writer.  I really enjoy reading her stories.  She is a good artist; she has a very visual imagination, and she can recreate her ideas on paper.  She’s shy about singing in front of others, but she has very good pitch.  I hope she’ll get more comfortable with it, because she is a good singer.  She’s been playing piano for about a year and a half, and she’s catching on quickly.  Her playing gets smoother every day.    

10. Erin is a good example.  No, she’s not perfect, but she teaches her very-imperfect parents good things every day.  This post is not about Robbie, but a lot of the reason he’s such a good boy is because of what he learns from watching his big sister.  We all learn from her, and we can become better people because of her example.  She’s positive and encouraging.  She has integrity.  She wants to do what’s right.  She’s not afraid to show love or to speak a kind word.

We love you, Erin!