Claire is officially 5!

I know parents say this all of the time, but I really can not believe that Claire is 5yrs. old! Maybe it's because she's the baby of the family. We love this girl so much. She is such a happy person and she makes every one around her happy too.

Here are some fun facts about Claire:

*Claire sleeps with her pillow about 2ft. down from the headboard because she doesn't want to hit her head.

*Claire usually sleeps on her stomach with her knees curled up underneath her.

*Her favorite phrases right now are, "I've got a great idea!", and "Oh, come on!"

*Claire wants to be a Veterinarian when she grows up.

*She says her favorite animal is a unicorn but she also really loves snakes.

*Her favorite color is black with sparkles.

*She still puts everything in her mouth...bird feathers, shoes, dirt, everything.

*Claire loves gymnastics and soccer.

*She has a special place in her heart for her daddy. She talks about him and wants to hang out with him all of the time.

*She is very loving. She likes to curl up on my lap. Sometimes she'll climb in my bed in the morning and give me a hug and kiss the top of my head.

*Her sense of smell is really good. Seriously, it's crazy.

*She loves food.

*When she wants to watch tv she'll tell me that she either wants to watch cartoons or a cooking show.

4th of July

We celebrated our Independence Day a day early. The 3rd of July was Oceanside's 125th anniversary. My mom, the girls and I went to the celebration they had in the morning. We had some free treats, looked at the booths and listened to the Marine Corp band. I really do love Oceanside. I grew up in Albuquerque, NM but I think I will always consider Oceanside as my home town.

That afternoon we went over to Gregg's house and had lunch. We watched fireworks that night.

On the 4th we made s'mores in the backyard.

Beach Birthday Party!

Claire had her 5th birthday party on Saturday, at the beach. The weather was perfect.

We had so much family there to help us celebrate Claire.

She is such a special girl!!

Claire handed out squirters to all of the kids at the party. All the kids played for hours in the sand, the water, and on the playground. I think it's safe to say that it was the best day of Claire's life. :)

Finally Swimming!

The kids finished their first session of summer swimming lessons. Bruce and Linda get to advance on to the next class. Jane and Claire each have one more skill to pass off in their current class. We've been in the pool every weekday for the last two weeks and to three pool parties. Bruce and Linda are now great swimmers. Jane can swim but is not totally safe in the deep all of the time yet. Claire has gotten so much more comfortable in the water and is swimming short distances.

Claire was in the Sea Horse class.

Jane and Linda were in the same class, the Jellyfish.

 Bruce was in the Sea Star class.

Uncle Andy's Graduation

After the last day of school we headed to Palm Desert for Uncle Andy's college graduation in Palm Desert.
Andy, Suzanne, Irene

We had a nice lunch before the graduation.

The kids had so much fun with their cousins.

Even though it was around 110 outside, the kids all jumped in the hot tub with Uncle Gregg and Uncle Tyler.  :)

Summertime!

It's only been a week and a half of summer but it has been the best summer I can remember in a long time. I was thinking about why it seems so great. I realized it's because my kids are finally getting older, especially Claire! Every summer before this I always had one or more little kids that required a lot of work so everything we did required a lot of work and worry on my part. We're finally past that stage!

I really feel like we can do anything. Freedom!! :) No diaper bag, no stroller, all of the kids understand danger, everyone can sit through a movie, etc. . It is such a nice change.

Here's to a fantastic summer of doing whatever we want...because we can! :)