Happy Birthday Meghan! and some pics

Today Meghan is 18. Wow. Where does the time go? Meghan is not my daughter by birth, but I consider her "mine" since I have raised her since she was 6. I love her and cherish her dearly, just as if I had given birth to her. What I do not have is anything from her first 6 years; no first smile or first steps or first day of Kindergarten, but I do have many other firsts that I am thankful for (even though teenage firsts aren't nearly as cute or as pleasant as a toddler first. lol). Happy Birthday Megs! I love you!

It has been difficult to get a pic of all 5 of the girls, but I did manage to get a photo this morning of all 4 of the teenagers at once. Ashlyn was still sleeping and I was not about to wake her. I look at them all the time, but I rarely see them together and it's quite amazing to see them all together. I have a group of little women before me and it's almost surreal to know that they are "mine". Four teenage girls, all with unique personalities under one roof isn't as bad as it seems. Sometimes it's overwhelming, but most of the time it's just loud. I will miss this someday, and that's what keeps me going.

(photo order: Meghan (18), Skylar (13), Emily (14) and Kara (18)

I hope you are having a nice week!