Happy 18th Birthday Kate!

This one, my only girl child... she turned 18 in February. 

Yeah, 18. I can't believe it either.

Kate with her little cousin, Bailey, sharing a birthday dessert at Longhorn Steakhouse

Her aunt and her cousin wanted to take her on a shopping trip at the Ameris Mart in Atlanta for her birthday.

Kate with her cousin Lane, and a new friend Tori (one of Lane's students)

Look at all those floors for shopping. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Shop til you drop!"

18 years, wow! Just like that, I blinked and now you're grown. Where is my sweet little baby that I used to hold close to my heart? Where is my pretty little princess who used to climb onto my lap, pleading with me, "Read it just one more time Mommy, pleeease"? Gone is the little girl who used to play dress up in my make-up and high heels. Now you have your own. My, where did the time go? And why must it pass by so quickly?

The time that I have left with you, here in our home, is fleeting, soon to be gone, nothing but a memory. Sometimes (ok... almost all the time) I wish that I could turn back the hands of time, and keep you my little girl forever. But alas! That's not the way of life. You've grown into a beautiful young woman with a tender heart and I am so very proud of you! For all the times in these past few years that I have made you feel anything less than loved, or that you didn't measure up, I am truly sorry. You mean the world to me, my beautiful daughter! You're my sunshine, my joy, my princess, my angel baby, my heart. I am immeasurably blessed to be your mom. And I love you far more than these simple words can express. 

Happy 18th Birthday, Kate!

(even though it's not really your birthday)