Blog Widget by LinkWithin

happy birthday claracakes!!

Thursday, May 21



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!

2 comments:

Angela said...

happy birthday to claracakes (love her nickname). i'm sure she will enjoy those pretty polishes and the sparkly case!

Genevieve Richer said...

Happy Birthday Clara!!! My Clara's nickname is Clarabella!!! Hope her day was FABULOUS!!!

CopyRight © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan