Emma turned seven on Friday.

I can’t believe that she is seven already. I feel like I say that at every birthday, but I truly can’t believe that she is seven years old. It feels like just yesterday I was at the University of Utah Hospital delivering her. I will never forget the moment I first laid eyes on her. I can still picture her little swollen face. I remember feeling like I couldn’t believe she was mine and that I was a mother. Now she has grown up to be a sweet young girl.

It has been so much fun to watch Emma grow up. She has such a sweet spirit. She is such a fantastic big sister. She is so sweet to Nora. She loves to take care of her and help her. It is so cute to watch.

Emma loves art. The first thing she does when she gets up in the morning is sit down at her art table. She loves to make things for other people. I have stacks and stacks of the cutest cards she has made for both me and Scott. She is constantly bringing me drawings she has made. She loves to make things for other people, and she loves to make people happy.

She is such a sensitive little girl. She is always thinking about other people. She also gets her feelings hurt easily. She reminds me a lot of myself. When something happens she just looks at you with big eyes. She doesn’t say anything and she acts like everything is fine. But later she lets it all out.

Last week I went to Emma’s parent teacher conference. She is doing so well in school, even better than I expected. I have always felt like she is smart. I guess every parent thinks that about their children. But I was surprised at how smart she is. Even her teacher was gushing about her.

She has turned into an excellent reader. I met her at school last week and had lunch with her in the cafeteria. After we went to the book fair so that she could pick out a book. She picked out a chapter book about a unicorn. After school she sat down on the couch and started reading it to Ian and Nora. I was blown away by how well she could read. Later that night she turned her lamp on after we tucked her into bed. She stayed up way past her bed time and finished the book. She was exhausted the next day, but I am glad that she loves to read.

She had a fun birthday party at the aquarium. Check out my friend Vicky’s blog to see some cute photos.

The last seven years with Emma have been special. I am proud of what a nice little girl she is. I love spending time with her and I am looking forward to many more adventures with her.

Happy 7th birthday my big girl!