Happy Late...very late Birthday Amanda!

Wow... I am embarrassed with how late this is, but better late than never! My cute cute niece Amanda, had her birthday about a month and a half ago! Well, I figured that she probably grew tired of hearing "Happy Birthday" so many times in one day that maybe hearing a "Happy Birthday" a month and a half later, may be a bit more meaningful!

I have loved getting to know Amanda. I first met her when Austin and I had been dating only a few short weeks and I instantly loved how fun and energetic she was. She is such a warm and sweet person. She acted like she had known me her whole life and immediately started telling me stories about her life. I was able to see Amanda in a few of her school plays and am baffled at the talent she has. She really was born to act! I love the way her face lights up as she takes control of the stage; whether she is playing a minor role or the lead!

Amanda is an incredibly intelligent girl. She recently wrote a story that involved Austin, myself and my sister Tiffany. I was blown away by her writing mannerisms and was completely shocked that this was coming from a ten year old! She really is so impressive and I am so excited to see how she continues to progress in the future!

Amanda is so much fun! When Austin and I were engaged, I was able to pick Amanda up from a play party and spend the evening with her. My sister and I got such a kick out of listening to her go on and on about various people that she knew! She was such a crack up! Tiff and I had so much fun hanging out with her and hope that that opportunity presents itself again in the future!

One of my favorite memories of Amanda, is when Austin and I took all of the Tonks kids to the Bees Baseball game! Luckily, the kids were so well behaved that we did not feel too overwhelmed! We had so much fun cheering on the Bees, eating junk food and doing cartwheels in the grass!

Austin and I also got to go sledding with the kids last year and had such a blast! I was blown away by the guts those kids have! They are so light and seemed to always go flying off of their tube, but nevertheless, they kept getting back on that tube and went down for another run!

Amanda is so mature for her age and I love that I can talk to her like a grown up. She has so much energy and is such a darling girl. I am so excited that I am her aunt and that we will have more opportunities in the future to talk about boys and do fun things together! I hope Amanda had a wonderful birthday and knows how much I love her!