8 is Great!

This year for Claire's birthday we kept things pretty simple. We invited some friends to a small party of bowling, arcades and cake. We had strawberries on angel food cake; which was a nice change from typical birthday cake.

After our small party, Chris and I dropped off the other kids with Grandma and we took Claire out for a special date with just us. We went out for chinese and then shopped til we dropped. She got to pick out several new outfits and even some fun accessories. We ended our shopping spree at sonic for shakes. This was our first time doing this, and I think it will have to be a tradition for all the kids. It was really great being able to spend some quality time with just Claire. She is such a special girl and I am so glad that she is ours!
On her actual birthday we met up with the family at Rood Bridge Park for some homemade rootbeer floats. It was one of the hottest days of the year, but that didn't stop our fun. Claire got some really great gifts that she had really wanted like a stuffed cat, crayons galore, paper by the ream, clothes, shoes, piggy bank, chalk, and much more. We all chatted in the shade and enjoyed our floats. It was a nice and relaxing evening. Happy birthday little Claire!