Happy Birthday, Claire Bear! I cannot not, for a single second, believe that you're seven today. Surely, it has not been that long since I held you in my arms for the first time. But apparently it has! If I could stop time now, I'd do it in a minute! Then again, I'm pretty excited to see you continue to blossom into the incredible woman you're destined to be.
Claire, this has been a crazy year for all of us. But you, in particular, have changed a lot since you turned six. Your personality continues to become more and more apparent to me, and you continue to surprise me with who you are! When you were a little girl, I always thought of you as so quiet and content to observe. But I'm learning that you are actually quite talkative and exuberant! You have absolutely no problem talking to people, or making new friends. And you have an enthusiasm for life that cannot be rivaled. Take this birthday, for instance. You started your countdown at 7 weeks! "Only 7 weeks until my birthday! AHHH! It's coming so quickly!" You planned your party nearly every morning at the art table, made lists for what to do before your birthday, and reminded me every time we were at the store that I should probably start shopping for your birthday, because I only had 23 days left! :) And once you started hearing advertisements for Memorial Day sales, you declared it should be "Clairemorial Day" and insisted that your Dad and I let the radio know they were saying it wrong. You crack us up!
You are such an important part of our family. You are the element of stability we so desperately need. Your Dad and I know we can always count on you to eat and sleep like you should, and to be in a good mood almost constantly. I'm afraid that sometimes, as the wheel that never squeaks, you're overlooked. But you and I have worked together over the last year to teach you how to communicate your feelings better. Because you can so easily find the good in any situation, you sometimes overlook your stressed or hurt feelings. Then, out of no where and for no apparent reason, you'll freak out and melt into a puddle of blubbering emotions. It's actually quite the spectacle! But even when that happens, you've gotten increasingly better at calming down and moving forward. You are an incredibly mature girl, Claire.
You have such a sweet relationship with your little sister Sophie. She completely idolizes you! Yet I rarely ever see you take advantage of that. You are a fantastic example of choosing the right. You and Sophie are so good for each other. Your Dad and I hope and pray that you will continue to have such a close relationship with her. You and Johnny still fight quite a bit, but it's to be expected when Johnny's favorite thing is to torment you and you're so proficient at making a big fuss about it. :) You are so sweet with Luke. You love to FaceTime with him when he's in the hospital, and you make the most excellent drawings to hang in his room. You have a new ritual with your Dad where you wait in the hallway by the garage door when you hear him coming home, and once he's in the door he puts down his things so you can run into his arms. He loves it! And you have really started to enjoy cuddling with me. You're not a terribly physically affectionate person, but Tuesdays are your cuddle day with me since I'm home from the hospital all day. I love it. :)
You are an excellent student. You're one of Senora Mora's top three Spanish speaking students from both classes! Both of your teachers, Senora Mora and Mrs. Olsen, absolutely adore you and have told me on more than once occasion that they wished they had a dozen more of you! Even though you struggle with focus at home, you do great at school. You have a lot of friends, and often talk about all your adventures at recess and who-likes-who. I admire you for the ease with which you make friends. I spent so many lunches alone. It makes me so happy to see you have so many friends!
Claire, you have a wonderful understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You love Primary, and you even gave the scripture all by yourself a few weeks ago! You enjoy reading from The Book of Mormon in the evening, and you particularly love the Primary songs. You say sweet and sincere prayers at the end of the day, and I love to hear you talk to your Heavenly Father. I hope I can do all I'm supposed to do to help you reach the potential your Father in Heaven has in mind for you. You are truly a choice daughter.
I love you, Baby Girl! I don't care how mature and breathtakingly gorgeous you become, you'll always be my Claire Bear. Please continue to be patient with me while I continue to learn with you. You are such a gift to me! I know it to be one of my many tender mercies from my Heavenly Father that you were sent to me first. You have always been, and will always be, my Angel Baby. Happy Birthday, Claire Bear! I love you!!
Love,
Mom
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