Clara Turns 5!

Has it really been 5 years? I can remember every detail of the day that Clara LeAnn was born and it seems like yesterday. When I went for my 20 week ultrasound and they said it was a girl I was elated. I thought it was too good to be true and was scared to wash any of her clothes! Then on April 18, 2005 at 10:10 PM after only 5 pushes out she came, all 8 lbs 11 oz of her. Funny that she was my biggest baby but she is soooo tiny now! Through these 5 years I have been terrified at times at the thought of raising daughters and at other times am filled with excited emotion. I want to give my girls the mother-daughter relationship that I yearned for growing up. The relationship that I didn't really know that I missed out on until I was an adult. I'm always worried that I'll get it wrong but maybe with that worry I'll be on my toes and get it right. My children are being raised in the complete opposite environment that I did so I think they'll be alright. I strive everyday to be a better mother to my 3 sweet kids and hopefully they'll all appreciate that when they grow up.

Clara has grown into such a funny, independent, smart, dramatic, creative little girl. She has been my "easy" kid so I was sad to let her go to preschool this year. It will be even worse when she is in all day Kindergarten next year! She is also a sleeper like her mommy and is hard to get up if it's earlier than she's ready to. She's also pretty grumpy when she doesn't get her sleep, just like her mommy :) I see many traits in her that remind her of me, but not all. She is defintely like me in that she lets people push her buttons and "get to her." I have lots of compassion when she is getting picked on by Ethan or Meredith! Her artistic ability astounds Ben and I and also her teachers at school. They just gush over her and told me that in all their years teaching they've never had a student with her art and creative skills.

Clara had a great birthday this year. After changing her mind several times she finally settled on a Hello Kitty party theme. She invited about 12 friends to the party and I think 8 or 9 came and they all had fun. They made a door hanger craft with Hello Kitty stickers and played Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty. I made her cake which was a labor of love but at least I didn't try to do anything from scratch this year. It's so much easier to buy a cake! I don't know why I do that to myself! She got spoiled with presents from us, her friends, her Grandma Hancey, and her Nana and it was such a joy to see her so excited over everything. When I was decorating for her party she just hugged me and said "I love you mom. Thank you for my party." She is such a sweetheart (most of the time). Oh, and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday breakfast and dinner she said, "I want cinnamon rolls, the homeade kind, for breakfast. You know, the ones you made at Christmas. Then for dinner I want pasta with shrimp and red sauce." That girl knows what she wants! I tried to talk her into canned cinnamon rolls but she wasn't having it. Darn! She's worth all the effort that we put into making her birthday weekend special.