Happy Birthday, Miranda!

Yesterday my oldest niece Miranda turned 16! Sixteen! How is that possible? I am having difficulty wrapping my mind around the fact that she is no longer the tiny baby, the funny two-year-old, the sassy six-year-old or the very shy eight-year-old I left behind when Brent and I got married. Somehow, despite my inner protests, my sweet little Bean has managed to grow up. She is going to be a junior in high school. She got a car for her birthday which means she can drive! She goes on dates. She is a varsity cheerleader. She is closer now to adulthood than she is to toddler-hood. She is no longer a baby. Instead, she has morphed into this gorgeous almost-adult.

From the time Miranda was two until the day she turned eight, I was an almost daily part of her life. I lived in the same town for the majority of that time and for many years, I was the nanny to her and her two sisters. I cherish those years. I look back now and can think of a million funny stories about Miranda. She was, and still is, a good girl. She and I have always been close, even through our silly sister-like tiffs. She has always managed to make me smile, even on my gloomiest days. She has, and always will, hold a very special place in my heart.

I love you, Miranda! I am so very proud to be your aunt!!