Emma turns 8!!!!!!

Holy Crap!  Emma is 8 years old!  :thud:  It's hard to believe this

was 8 years ago.  It seems like much, much less.  Emma is such a grown up little woman.  I called her girl kid (something silly I do with all the kids) the other night, and she argues she was not a kid, she's a young adult.  In numbers of years, I feel I have to disagree, but in maturity, she is so right.  Being the oldest of 5 has caused her to grow up fast, but I think even if we had stopped at two kids, she'd still be mature for her age.  Even when she and Nathan were little she was always motherly and acted much older than she was.  She is so patient and loving with the younger kids, and I love watching her interact with Jackson and Brooklyn.  Jackson will even run to Emma, instead of me, sometimes when he is hurt or upset.  It's awfully cute seeing Emma be the mother hen to the other kids.
Emma is LOVING dance and the tumbling class she started this year.  She has definitely caught up to the other girls in her dance class, and she is doing great!  Of course I think she gets her natural ability from me, lol!  I really love watching her enjoy something I have always loved.  She went to one of my dance classes and marvelled at how good I was.  I told her someday she would for sure be better than me if she stuck with dance and keeps practicing, so that definitely motivates her.
In addition to adding a tumbling class, Emma also started girl scouts this year.  She loves going to her meetings and events, and it seems like she is making friends with a nice group of girls.  If Emma had her way, she would join every activity out there.  She sure has come a long way from the introverted kid who didn't want to participate in anything that didn't include mom or dad.  I never would have expected her to be such a social kid.

First Birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday

Fourth Birthday

Fifth Birthday

Sixth Birthday


Seventh birthday

 Eighth Birthday