Happy Birthday, Clara!

It's crazy hard to believe that my baby girl is NINE now!  Wow!  Where did these years go?!  She is definitely not a baby anymore.  The baby is all gone now and left behind in it's place is a lovely, lovely, sweet and beautiful young lady.  She's bright, funny, thoughtful, articulate, spontaneous, CRAZY social, creative, artistic, silly and altogether delightful.  How blessed are we to have had this amazing creature as our very own for nine whole years???!!!!!

My sweet, amazing creature is WILDLY fond of a good party and good times with friends, so of course, we ended up celebrating over two whole days!  Clara doesn't have a birthday.  She has birthDAYS!    We started celebrating just after lunch on  Friday when three of her favorite Texas friends arrived at the house ready for an afternoon of fun.  We loaded up the car and headed off to Main Event, one of Clara's favorite places, for some bowling.  After they spent a good hour and a half knocking down pins and cheering each other on like crazy, we all headed back to the house again where Miss Clara opened some wonderful presents.

Clara and her friend Hannah

A bake set for her American Girl dolls!!!!

A new t-shirt that's scratch and sniff!

A bead set with over 4000 beads.  (There was a point in my life where I seriously would have freaked out over a gift with this many pieces!)

She LOVED the bead set!

"Make a Wish!"  After opening gifts, there were flower cupcakes!  Yummy!

Cooper has had a haircut, just in time for all the celebrating.  He looks like a different doggie!

Do you have any idea how much I adore this little face?

"Why are you taking so many pictures of me, crazy lady?"

Oh yeah...back to the party....Clara had such a great time celebrating with her friends and playing with all of her new toys.  But the best of the celebrating was still, yet to come.  I found her bright and early the next morning WIDE awake and ready to start the day.  Her "official" birthday.  She could not WAIT to tear into the stack of gifts that she knew I had hidden away for her.

She was SO ready to tear into these!!!!

First up is a new underwear and t-shirt set for her American Girl Dolls!  Hooray for undies!

Followed by a watch for her American Girl Doll.  We are very accessory conscience around here ya know!

Up next was the Ukelele Set for the girl of the year American Girl Doll, Kanani.  Total Score!!!!!   THANK YOU Aunt Donna!!!!

Then there were books from Mimi and Pee Paw Dave!  More Kanani!  Hooray!!!

Then Kanani Pajamas from Mimi and Peepaw Dave!   Clara had to model those right away! 

Then, last, but not least, Kanani herself!  Clara was in HEAVEN!

Later that evening, Gigi and Pee Paw and Uncle Todd all came over for dinner and cake and Ice cream.  Our brains and hearts are still at the beach...so Clara chose a beach cake!

Can you believe this is my BABY girl sitting here with nine candles on that cake???!!!

Before we knew it, wishes had been made and she was blowing out her candles, another year officially marked and celebrated.  Next year will be double digits.  Heaven help me!!!!