The tall one with white hair.

I love this girl. Always have. Always will. She is the silliest, happiest, most fun loving and care free young lady I know. She's as smart as a whip and works so hard on her school work. She's the total package of beauty, finesse, athleticism, humor, love and playfulness. Sister Emma is such a well rounded and balanced little person that, although I wish she could stay Daddy's Little Girl forever, I'm just so happy to watch her grow up.
I know that she inevitably will mature and experience all the ups and downs of "adulting". But you can rest assured that Emma Rae is going to enjoy herself along the way. She's quirky and a little bit goofy. And it all fits just perfectly with her innocent smile and beautiful eyes.
Emma is the same person around everyone - respectful, honest, hard-working and corny. It wouldn't matter if you were the Queen of England, Emma will not act any different around you because she doesn't have to. The real Emma is just fine the way she is.


The older she gets, the more I see reminders of her mother in her. Emma's never really been much of a morning person. Of course her long legs and beautiful blonde hair make her a spitting image of Michele too. But their love of sleeping in, cuddling with the dogs and dance moves all give it away that Emma is her mother's daughter. Like Michele, Emma loves to shop. One of my favorite memories from break was when we dropped Michele off at Kohl's and the kids and I went just across the way to Super Target. Michele was polishing off some Kohl's Cash. Logan was in search of hockey cards. And Emma picked her way through the makeup aisle like the pre-teen that I'm not ready for her to be. My daughter asked politely, "Dad, can I get a smoothie at Starbucks? I'll pay with my own money." Little did she know that I would have bought her a pony this Christmas Break if she ever would have asked - she didn't. She settled for a 6 dollar strawberry smoothie. I stood back and admired her grown up ways when she placed her order. She was friendly with the gal behind the counter. She was organized and deliberate with her cute little purse and fist full of money. She was calm, cool and collected while the barista whipped up the smoothie. As we headed off to rendezvous with Mom, Emma handed her drink to her brother and offered a taste. She loves her brother and that makes my heart happy.
This pretty little lady is tough as nails though when she wants to be. Oh, she'll play the cute and innocent card as long as she needs to or as long as she can get away with it. But when the puck is in the corner, Emma's going in with a Big Heart and a Big Bag of Knuckles and 99 out of a hundred times, I'm betting on my daughter to come out with the puck. This picture here on the left speaks volumes to me. I didn't think about it at the time. I was just snapping pictures left and right, hoping to preserve every moment possible with my wife and kids while I was home. This photo gem speaks so much to me though. Miss Emma had been up at Open Skating and Open Hockey for over two hours. Some of her U10 teammates and friends had come and gone - a lot of boys remained. Emma skated right with the young men and there was never a word of teasing or disrespect. The boys, some former teammates of hers, played hard against Emma along the boards. Others shouted her name when looking for a pass. They treat her as an equal. They treat her like a hockey player. Because she is. And when the boys are being boys and fooling around in a scrum in front of the net, my little daughter will just smile and skate away, waiting for the game to resume.

I think #17 could score at just about any point in any game if she put her mind to it. Heck, I've been around athletics and youth sports long enough to know that Emma is capable of being great at whatever she puts her mind to. She's as tough and dependable on the volleyball court as she is on the softball field, and as she is on the hockey ice. She works equally hard in the classroom, for the Student News, and for the performing arts. Like I said, she's quite a little package. Way more talented than I ever was. I think the trombone serenade of her parents and grandparents should have been recorded. The comedy sketch that went along with it was worth the price of admission.

I love you, Minnow. Your cute little giggle fills my memory banks and will be enough to get me through until you can run in to my arms at the airport again. Your playfulness and cheery attitude are enough to keep everyone's spirits up. Keep making your mother and I proud. I owe you a Daddy Daughter Date Night... I owe you a trip to Sky Zone...don't let me forget, OK?
For now, help Mom take care of Gunner, Raider and Logan.... and we'll see about a Pony.