Princess Birthday

Posing in her new princess dress from Grandma Luke

Claire received new additions to her My Little Pony collection.
Sean stayed close by while the presents were opened.
Claire picked out one of her older ponies to give to her brother. We love that Sean plays ponies with Claire because when Mark was younger he begged his parents for his own My Little Pony so he could play with his sister.

These two play well together.

Claire requested a pink and purple princess cake. Mark baked a pink strawberry cake covered in purple frosting. Claire was in charge of decorating.

Cautiously blowing out candles with Mom

I love that Claire is four. Life with Claire gets more exciting and fun as she grows up. This will be a big year of growth for her. She will be starting preschool in the fall to help prepare her for Kindergarten the following year. Claire loves learning. I love watching her experience things for the first time. She is getting more aware of her world around her. One of my least favorite things about parenting is having to explain the uglier parts of this life. We passed a car accident on the freeway the other day. We discuss the accident everyday and how sometimes bad things happen.
Claire is our family princess. Sometimes this title requires a lot of love and attention. I believe that the best thing Mark and I can do for her is to help her feel secure and loved and safe. I admire her confidence and courage and know these traits will be great tools for her as she experiences more of life this coming year.