Clara Turns Six

Clara has been eager to turn six, but we became nostalgic the night before. Paul commented on all the things she was doing for the last time as a five year old (last dinner as five, last bath as five, last pajamas as a five year old). Her excitement gave way a little wistfulness. She solved it by putting on her "Clara 5" night gown for the last time.

The birthday started with Clara self-granting permission to come downstairs 30 minutes earlier than the recently mandated 7 am. "It's my birthday, so it's okay," she informed Paul as he was taking his first sips of coffee. She found her first gift on the kitchen table, a bicycle for Katherine, the "look alike" American Girl Doll she got for Christmas.

Clara's birthday came in the middle of bad end-of-winter storm for Raleigh. For the previous two weeks, Wake County has only held two days of school. No school for Clara today. We were going to have cookies for her class. Instead we had a low key family party at home.

The real party was saved for Saturday. We had bet that weather would be ok enough to invite 20 girls over, planning to do an easter egg hunt in the backyard. But the snow and sub-freezing weather meant everyone was packed inside. Kate made a quick pivot. She organized crafts, an egg hunt inside, the briefest of trips to the driveway for a pinata, and then back inside for cake.

Clara designed her own birthday cake!

Hattie's First Dentist Appointment

Clean bill of health!

Clara's First Sleepover

With a non-family member at least. Adele, her close friend from kindergarten (and erstwhile rival of Hattie), spent Saturday night with us.

Clara as Yertle

Yertle the Turtle, Queen of all she sees.

Snowy Days

No school and the disappointment is palpable.

Krispy Kreme Challenge

After a two-year hiatus, the Buena Vista Drydens revived the annual trek to Raleigh for the Krispy Kreme challenge. It was the whole crew this time, sans Elle in Utah.

It was a cold one, with temperatures in the teens. This didn't stop Will from his shenanigans.

Or Kate and the girls from venturing out to see us eat our donuts at the half-way point.

Will and Jack completed the challenge. Most of the rest of us partook of only a single ceremonious donut.

The extras went to a well-pleased Hattie and Clara.

The cousins stuck around for the night, so we headed up to North Hills to play on the stage in Midtown Green and eat at B-Goods.

These girls love when their cousins come in for a visit.

Clara's Boosterthon Fun Run

Douglas Elementary's big fundraiser each year is a fun run. Each kid solicits pledges for poor suckers to pay a buck or two for each completed lap.

The biggest suckers were those that pledged Clara, the kindergarten record holder at 35 laps. She was doubling the count of her classmates, and she would have kept going if only it were allowed. Pappaw, the big pledger, was the lucky man that school officials made her stop when they did.

Clara's 100th Day of School

The 100th day of school, and each class got to put on a performance for parents...