Golden Birthday For Our Favorite 9 Year Old!

I keep trying to convince myself that my girls aren't getting older and growing up way too fast, but I'm failing miserably.

Claire turned 9 on the 9th- her golden Birthday. I didn't know it was a thing, but apparently it is very important.

We had Ben's family over for Claire's favorite food last night- pulled pork sandwiches. Then we did cake, ice-cream, and some presents.

Because it's an odd year, she didn't get a Birthday party this year. Instead, she got to choose a family activity- either a restaurant or fun activity. She chose mini-golf. She wanted to do indoor Monster Gold, but it happens to be closed this week for renovations. So we went to the outdoor mini golf place instead.

Then came home and opened more presents.

Ben and I got her some water hiking shoes and a hiking Camelback. Camille went to bed crying because she really wants a hiking backpack. It's so hard being a kid!

At 9 years old, Claire continues to be quite a spitfire.

-She LOVES to doodle and draw. I learned that if she can put on headphones with a book on tape and either do a puzzle or doodle, she enters into a relaxing zone which completely calms her.
-She is very, very good at pushing Camille's buttons. The two of them can fight over anything and everything and go from being best friends to worst enemies at the drop of a hat.
-She has a couple of good friends who she is very loyal to. It's better for her to have a few close friends rather than a lot of superficial friends.
-She loves to cook- especially waffles.
-She is really, really good at puzzles, riddles,and mind bender type things.
-She loves pulled pork and German pancakes (not together)
-Most likely you will see Claire upside down doing heandstands all over the place

She is feisty and fierce and definitely makes our lives much more lively. We love her to pieces and wouldn't have it any other way!

A New Era

Ben's wildest dreams have come true. Something he has been waiting for for 11 long years.

Today, finally, we went on a family bike ride. Where everybody rode their own bike. With no stroller, no training wheels, and NO BIKE TRAILER.

It was glorious! Ben almost wept with joy.

We went to our favorite hike- Waterton Canyon. It is son incredibly beautiful. We are so blessed to be just a few minutes away from such a glorious place.

We rode up to the lower dam, and immediately the girls started playing "Pioneers." They could have stayed there all day. I LOVE their creativity!

On the way back down we ran into some big horn sheep.



Camille did a great job on her bike! So good, in fact, that we are selling our bike trailer! YAY!

A new era has begun!

Pirate's Cove

We were able to get some discounted tickets via a homeschool group, so I decided to take the girls to Pirate's Cove. We had never been, so I was pretty excited.

We met with friends, and brought a friend for Audra. Because, well, she is at the age where she needs a friend for things like this. Sigh.

Camille LOVED the lazy river best- she could have stayed here all day. And practically did.

Audra and Ella- basically twins.

We hardly saw Claire the entire day. I thought Audra and Ella would be the teens who ran away and never checked in. I should not have been surprised that it was actually Mia and Claire who were the absent teens.

Camille is so incredibly cute. Seriously. How can this face not make you smile?

Overall, it was a blast. I don't think I would get season passes since we have our rec centers, but it is definitely worth going once or twice a summer. We really had a great time!

Fourth of July

What a great day! I so love the 4th of July! I love the community and the setting aside of differences to just celebrate that our country is awesome.

This morning started out with Audra and Camille making cards for everyone, and Claire and Audra making 4th of July waffles.

Then we went with cousins to Tiny Town. We got there right at 10 AM, and it wasn't busy. We rode the train, saw all the houses, and had a fabulous time! The kids were so cute!

 

Ben was very excited to let the girls pick out fireworks to light. It was very illegal, but we nevertheless set them off. Is anybody surprised that Claire chose Sir Poops A Lot as her fireworks?

Then, I took the girls and we went to our dear friends' house. Their house backs up to the park that lights off the neighborhood fireworks. It was beyond awesome! We dealt with ZERO traffic, and NO crowds, but still got to see the fireworks up close! It was wonderful!