Sometimes you just have to speak your mind...

Can I just brag on Emilee? Can I tell you just how cool she is and how proud of her I am? I am proud of all 4 kids and could write a page on each of them, but today Emilee gets the spotlight!

I am kind of overwhelmed with "mama feelings" as she continues to impress me as a young lady. She makes good decisions daily, she is a responsibility, caring, mature, protective and fun example for her younger siblings. The oldest child has a lot of responsible and Emilee fits the bill of what the "oldest child" should be. Don't get me wrong she has her moments and they have their spats, but as a whole, she is a dang good kid!

Here are just a few things that make her so special and how she makes my life
easier. How many teenagers do you know that get up at 5:10am every weekday morning on her own without a fuss, without being crabby? Emilee! She always completes her school work on time and is awarded all A grades for her hard work. She takes her academics seriously but still has fun. She understands that 6 of us in a house means everyone has to pitch in and help out. She never complains when I ask her to watch J and J. She ALWAYS finds ways to challenge herself and to meet the challenge. She truly cares about others and has a heart for orphans and children and hurting people.

How many teenagers, at 13, do you know that have career goals and very specific ideas of who they want to become? Emilee has done research and is preparing herself to become a nurse. She knows she wants to attend the University of Cincinnati Nursing Program. She knows what she needs to complete in High School in order to pre-qualify and be accepted as a Freshman in college and what she needs to avoid the waiting list. She knows she wants to work in a Children's Hospital, possibly in a cancer unit for kids. She wants to be able to give each child something to smile and laugh about each day. She realizes it will be difficult to watch the suffering,
but she also wants to do a job with the rewards of making a difference in the
lives she works with each day. Give them something to smile about
or a hug if they need it. She also wants to work in a NIC Unit with the infants and their families. How hard is it to leave your baby in the NIC unit while you go take care of your other kids or run errands? Emilee wants to be the nurse that mamas feel comfortable leaving their baby with. Knowing their baby is loved and cared for in the tender way a mother would be caring for them. Tell me...what teenager, at 13, do you know who thinks so deeply? Emilee!

Are you getting the flavor? Do you see why she is so special?

This year she has spent some time working with the Special Olympic athletes in our town. She has enjoyed every moment of her time with them and can't wait for the next time she gets to see and work with them. When she is with them, they make HER day. We just went to the Special Olympics track and field events last weekend and she had a ton of fun volunteering.


This weekend she is running her first 5K "Run for Their Lives". All proceeds go to feeding hungry children in Haiti. What a simple thing to do, take 1 hour from your Sunday to walk/run (she is going to run) and and think about and pray for the children/people of Haiti. To Emilee, it's just simply the "right" thing to do, so she does it!

She is a leader and not afraid to go the extra mile. She is fun and has a lot of friends. She is an achiever and she loves God.

Emilee is simply beautiful thru and thru. God has taken a piece of himself and put it right in Emilee's heart and it shows!

This reminds me of Emilee…
"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." -Saint Augustine