happy birthday claracakes!!

it was at 12:41p.m. - exactly 13 years ago that i gave birth to my first little girl...clara louisette kirkland. she weighed 8lbs. 3.5 oz. and was unusually alert for a newborn. i remember her turning and lifting her head with eyes big & wide - as if she was attempting to make sense of what had just happened...(as was i)...*laughing*! what an amazing experience.

some of my favorite memories of little miss clara are some that we talk about often....
- she was walking at 10 months old.
- cut her first tooth at 10 months.
- could sing the "titanic" by age two. (even for an audience of family members).
- she would sneak eggs from the fridge and bury them in the yard - hoping to hatch some chicks.
- she called oatmeal "oat-ma-meal"...which i still call it that today.
- upon starting preschool at age 4 she's always been a straight "a" student and somewhat of an "overachiever".
- she's always been musically inclined - plays the piano, the french horn, the melaphone and loves to sing.
- she's very meticulous and organized.
- on several occasions she'd wake up in the morning at age 4, climb into her baby sister's crib   (without me knowing) and sling ema over the side onto the gigantic over-sized pillow clara had strategically placed on the ground for ema's soft landing..

- she was my initial inspiration for focusing on photography, graphic design & scrapbooking

- at the age of four/five, she was the only one who could translate what her baby sister, ema, was trying to say between the ages of one & two years old.

and now...now clara has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. i love you so much clara and i'm grateful to have such an amazing daughter.

she was treated to a birthday breakfast this morning - served to her in bed...as is our birthday tradition. she selected a homemade "egg mcmuffin" with bacon, egg & cheese along with a bowl of fresh strawberries, kiwi & apples.

and then here's what every 13 year old needs...

everything to give herself a girly manicure...or pedicure...

an assortment of polish in a rainbow of colors...

a collection of nail art decals, stickers & glittery fun things - 

not to mention a sparkly little trunk to keep it neat & organized...

i'll be taking chick-fil-a up to school to enjoy lunch with her and then she's selected her favorite "bacon potato chowder" for dinner tonight. we won't be doing a cake tonight because she's got her last band performance this evening. next weekend, her and i will have our annual lunch @ garden gate tea room followed by a pedicure for clara (another b/day tradition i just incorporated this year) and then we'll be taking her for a makeup consult @ the mall to help her transition from girl to young woman - in a very "natural" sense...& then we'll close the day out with a family celebration @ the house and the consumption of her requested b/day cake: swirl cheesecake w/an oreo crust.  

i love you clara! happy 13th birthday!