Oops... Happy Birthday Mandy (a little late)

It has been brought to my attention that I didn't write Mandy's birthday post. I can only attribute that fact to an extremely busy week...that, and I have a very forgetful brain.    
 Our Mandy girl turned eleven this year. It is a bit harder to accept the fact that she is getting older...We missed so much of her early years (she joined our family at 7). There isn't a day that goes by that we don't wish for a few of those years back, and there isn't a day that she doesn't wish to be "older" than she really is.
Those "pre-teen" years are upon us,sigh!  Mandy is a beautiful girl. She is strong and courageous and approaches most things in life with strength and confidence. She continues to grow in her adjustments to family. She is learning to trust and to allow mom and dad to be "in charge"...this isn't always easy (think Pre-teen girl).
She loves to read, loves arts and crafts, and she loves to DANCE. She has a natural ability for ballet and she is one gorgeous ballerina! She is doing well in school. Her most challenging subject is Math, and her favorite subjects are Reading and History. She has a innate presence with little ones... She is a "toddler" magnet!  I love to watch the little kiddos around her. She has a following of 2-3 year olds at our church who run up to her for hugs every Sunday and Wednesday night. It is fun to watch...almost any 2-3 year old that we encounter, is drawn to her. She loves them! She and I talk often of her desire to be a teacher, and I think she should think about preschool. She thinks that she may teach preschool dance class.
Happy Birthday to our Mandy girl!