And Now She Is Seven

Here she is--the first baby I ever had. The first little miracle to arrive--before I really, truly knew what a miracle she was. Oh how she changed our lives! From the beginning, she was her own little person, on her own little schedule with her own way of doing things.

Here she is on her first birthday--of course eating chocolate cake! She is her own little person, yes, but she does have my genes in her after all!

Here she is at Busch Gardens when she was almost two. Yes, she was a peanut--but a truly cute and amazing peanut!










At three, we had quite the kiddo on our hands. Clearly ahead of many of her peers in the verbal department, she could weave stories and fairy tales that combined characters from so many of her favorite books (most of which were memorized word for word!) She also began to live in that pink dress--"The Dress I Like Best" it was called. Forwards, backwards, inside out, you name it, that is how she wore it. She woke up in the morning and put it on--no questions asked. I think people in our playgroup started to wonder if she owned any other clothes!






Erin has always had an incredible love of everything outside. She is truly a 4-season kiddo--skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, biking, sledding, gardening...all of it. Here she is at age 4 on top of the Beehive at Acadia National Park.
















Around this time we met Joya, her invisible friend. Here they are just after her 5th birthday, all dressed up fancy together. Joya still makes regular appearances at our house. Sometimes she is responsible for the huge mess in the closet. I wish Joya cleaned up a little more after herself!




Erin turned 6 with gusto!












And seven with the same enthusiasm!













I can't wait to see what the next stages will bring. Regardless, Erin continues to teach us a ton--the kid who is out in front, testing the parental waters and smiling through it all. I'm pretty sure we will screw her up (or have already!), but so far she seems none the worse for the wear. She is our gifted, challenging, bouncy, outdoor, hiker-princess. I wouldn't trade her for anything!