Nine years just went by and we have a young lady on our hands. Although she looks and acts much older than she is, there are still glimpses of that young innocent little girl that gave us all of our parenting firsts. She still listens in when I read her younger sister a bedtime story. She still lets me hold her hand for a minute when walking through a parking lot before her big girl self becomes self-conscious of it. She still responds to a nickname she received as a baby, Tootsie. She still loves to cuddle before bed. She still belly laughs at her silly sister. And every now and then, I still try to see if I can pick her up (and I still can), because one day will sadly be the last.

She has grown into a true leader. I am so inspired by her passion for the art of dance. Although I feel it may be speeding up time being so involved, it has created a happiness in our lives that can't be replaced. I will take all the busy days any day if it means our girl will grow up learning responsibility, teamwork and how to grind. I just need to be mindful of all of the little in-between moments every day of this last single-digit year and every whirlwind year thereafter. Happy birthday, big girl! We love you to the stars and back!