Sarah's

Today is Sarah's birthday!

Sarah was our 6th child and 4th daughter.

She's an important part of this core family,

this large, extended family,

and, of course, this beautiful family.

 I wrote about Sarah for her birthday last year in this post and going there will show you links to all her previous posts.  Those posts tell a lot about her and how she's changed through the years so I'll just include a few pictures here.

And talk about what's been going on in Sarah's life for the past year.

First of all, shortly after her birthday, she ran the Derby Festival Mini Marathon in Louisville

And then in May she went on a two day field trip with Mary to Chicago (where they took this picture that I vowed I would never look at again).

And shortly after, Mary graduated from elementary school

and in the fall, Sarah suddenly had two kids in middle school!

Last Spring, she was an assistant volleyball coach which she really enjoyed and in the fall she was the head coach for the 2nd grade cross country team which she really, really enjoyed.

After a busy summer, which included three trips to Indiana, Sarah started studying for her Real Estate license and in November she took the test and was licensed!

She also spent the holidays in Gulf Shores with her large, extended family and the next sequence will show her finding out that her niece who was to arrive in February would be her namesake.

I still can't look at that sequence without tearing up.  Sarah and Mike named their daughter after me and it's always meant so much to me so I know how much this meant to her!

Also, last fall, Sarah started a Facebook group called Gorgeous, Glossy, Gettable Hair by Sarah Shawhan and began an association with Monat, an amazing hair care line and she's even posted some online videos and done very well with them.

And this year she's continued her weekly bible study sessions with a group of women she adores.

She's also continued working for Blanton Real Estate - first as office administrator and now also as a realtor in her own right.

She still adores this special guy in her life (most of the time).

and she's managed to stay busy with laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, working, and kids sports and school activities!  It's obvious she really is a good manager!

And she's a lot more than a good manager.  She's a good person.  Sarah looks at life with love in her eyes and joy in her heart.  She appreciates her family and her friends and all the little things that happen on a daily basis.  She's loving, kind, helpful, and hard working!

She's the first to step up if someone needs a hand, she has a wonderful sense of humor, and she's sensitive to the feelings of everyone around her.  We're so proud of Sarah - the kind of person she is and all that she does and we're wishing her the best birthday ever and a year that surpasses all others but is only half as great as the many more to come!