This beautiful soul is what I like to call my bonus daughter.  She has been a part of my life since she was 4 and is a complete girly girl, which makes us perfect for each other. When you become a stepparent, there is no rule book. There is no manual, and no “right way”. The only advice I can offer, is that if you are going to take on that role, you do it with your whole heart and soul. There is really no part of my relationship with Ryan where I don’t remember Emily being a part of it as well.

As a fire wife, you learn to be alone a lot, but when Em is around, there is never a dull moment watching hours of Cupcake Wars and Barbie movies. So much our time in the beginning was spent just between the two of us, which is one reason why I think our relationship is so amazing. When she was little, I earned her trust by reading dozens of princess books and singing ridiculous songs I learned from my time as a camp counselor. To this day, she still loves both, but is starting to recognize my lack of vocal skills. Maybe that’s because her own singing voice is so incredibly beautiful. And no, not in a “I’m the mom so I think my kid is the best singer ever” kind of way. It truly is one of her gifts from God. She loves books, make-up, art, dancing…basically anything artistic, and boy does she shine.

Em is the child every parent dreams of if they have younger children. She loves being a big sister and sees changing diapers, helping with baths, filling sippy cups for the thousandth time, and making her famous grilled cheese sandwiches as insanely fun activities that allow her to be a grown up. I know. I am spoiled. And I know as she gets older, this will change. But for now, I am loving that she takes her role as big sister so seriously. The little humans adore her. Scratch that. They worship her. Each week when Em returns back to our house, their eyes literally light up and you can hear screams of delight and shouts of “Emmy” from across the house. It’s a sound that makes my heart melt. Em will be my first venture into “teenagehood” and I look forward to watching this beauty learn and grow.