{Happy Birthday to you...}

Clara's birthday was the last morning we were at the cabin. We made cinnamon coffee cake for breakfast and added candles for her. This girl is growing up fast, I can't believe she is 8!

Nate gave this idea for birthday cake a 2 thumbs up.

Opening her packages from her brothers & sisters...

Here was her big special package that has been waiting for this day...

A new American Girl doll that she promptly named, Katie!

This wasn't just any AG doll though! Thanks to the team at A Step Ahead Prosthetics, she looks like Clara & Clara loves here!

Happy 8th Birthday Clarabelle, we love you!

After breakfast and gifts, the packing started! Goodbye beautiful, wonderful weekend... until we come again!

Kayaking...

Our weekend at the park was awesome, we biked, walked, sat around the fire and kayaked...

Wesley was watching his sisters out in the kayak...

Abigayl was testing the stability of her Kayak...

Wesley and I went down to the dock to pick up Clara so the older girls could head back out on the water...

Lots of smiles as they headed back out together, 

                                          I am so thankful for the friendship of sisters...

These little kayaks kept busy between all the kids, they spent about 10 hours on the water. They watched geese, a deer, turtles, blue herons and just enjoyed the beauty of creation!

"Wishing Flowers"

Wesley was so excited when we woke up Saturday morning and headed out of the cabin. All around it in the grass were thousands of "wishing flowers!" We spent hours running through them, blowing their seeds in the breeze and making LOTS of wishes!

"When you look at a field of dandelions,

you can either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes!"

~unknown

We loved running through the wishing flowers and sending their seeds with the wind...

The older kiddos...

Shawn had some meetings near a state park this past weekend so we all headed out to enjoy spring.

The kids took their bikes and explored back roads (with no traffic) and trails and took some pictures of each other while they were out. These are what i found on my camera...

Nate is feeling short these days as Eli has grown about 6 inches in the last year. I keep telling him that his day is coming though his chances of out growing his brother are slim!

This made me laugh when I saw it! They have a blast together!

There was a HUGE tree out behind out cabins that the kids spent time climbing...

I know there is a lot of these but they made me smile and I wanted them here for scrapbook sake:)

All these pictures were taken by the older girls, they are working to learn how to use the manual settings on my good camera.

Clara went out to the tree but never climbed up in it.

It was a beautiful weekend and I have more pictures to share in coming posts!

It feels good to finally be spring!

{Finishing the Season well...}

The last gymnastics meet of the year was our state meet. Clara was the only one of our girls that competed at this meet (the other 2 girls have had injuries this spring.)

Before we headed to the meet...

Clara's level group waiting for the meet to start.

A friend took some pictures for me that I still need to get from her so I could watch. Here are a few from my camera though... talking with the judge before they competed bars.

4 girls from Clara's team competed in the same group and they all did really well! Clara did well and ended her season strong! She is excited to be working skills to move up next season.

Their level 3 team too 1st place!