Seven!

Our sweet Clarissa turned seven today! Where has the time gone?! She has been SO excited for her birthday this year! I think she's been counting down since Christmas. Last weekend we had an early celebration and I took her and her best friend Sophia out for a girls day. We got mani/pedis, we went out to lunch and I took them to a pottery painting place and they painted owl piggy banks. We had such a great time! 

This morning she woke up bright and early to open presents. She got a new bike, and then it snowed last night, so it may be a bit before she can use it! She also got a new outfit and some more art supplies, which our house is now overflowing with. She loves art, so I just keep buying her more paints and markers and paper and crafty things. She loves stuff like that. 

She wore her new clothes to school and I curled her hair, which I only do for special occasions and she bounded out the door super excited to take birthday treats to her class. 

I try not to get all emotional on my kids birthdays, but I always do because they just grow up so darn fast. And I especially do on Clarissa's birthday because I can't help but think of her birth mother and what she must go though every year on this day. It's a celebration for us but probably a sad memory for her. I hope that she has found peace and I hope one day I can hug her and thank her. Clarissa is an amazing kid. 

So in honor of Clarissa's 7th birthday, here are seven things I love about her. I can think of about a hundred, but I'll keep it to seven. :) 

1. I love Clarissa's enthusiasm for life. She is so excited to do whatever we're doing. If I ask her if she wants to go to the grocery store with me, she jumps up and down like I invited her to Disneyland, lol. She doesn't care what we're doing, she just wants to be along for the adventure. 

2. I love how loving Clarissa is. She doesn't let anyone leave the house without giving them a hug. She loves to snuggle and she loves hugs. She gives the best hugs ever. 

3. I love that she and I share a love of books. I have been waiting my whole life to share my favorite books with my daughter, and we're finally reaching that point. I have so many things to show her!! 

4. I love how artistic Clarissa is. She is constantly drawing us pictures, painting, and creating things. When she runs out of stuff to paint, she gets extra creative. I noticed that yesterday she painted an empty toilet paper roll. When all else fails, she will also go find rocks in the backyard to paint.  I'm constantly buying her paper, but she goes through it so fast that she's always running out. But lack of supplies doesn't stop her creativity. She finds a way. 

5. I love how girly she is. That has been a constant source of amusement for me since we brought her home. I've always been somewhat of a tomboy, but Clarissa is all girl. She loves clothes, she loves jewelry and she loves anything pink and sparkly. She can put an outfit together better than I can. I love her spunky personality and how she lets it shine.

6. I love what a daddy's girl she is. She runs to greet him when he comes home from work and you can often find them in the kitchen together baking treats on Sunday afternoons. She is so cute with Shawn, she has him wrapped right around her little finger. She has really brought out something sweet in him. 

7. I love how funny Clarissa is. She has a great sense of humor and the best laugh. I love to get her giggling. She is such a happy kid, always in a good mood and always making us laugh. She is sunshine in our house. 

I could go on and on about all the great things about Clarissa. I especially like to share them on this blog because so many of you were here for our whole journey. Remember all those days we waited for her and I wondered what she'd be like? I love to look back on my blog and remember those days. She was loved and hoped for before she was even born. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to raise her and be her mom. I'm excited to watch her grow up, but hopefully not too fast. :) 

Here is a picture I took of her before she left for school this morning. I love her so much! Happy birthday, sweet girl!